Hammer House of Horror/Mystery and Suspense.

[Glebe]

Inspired by the Hazy Television Memories Redux thread, I've been watching Hammer House of Horror, just over halfway through at the moment. Looks like all the episodes are up on YouTube (with Spanish subtitles, mind), apart from 'Growing Pains' (see link below)... first episode 'Witching Time' (which is up sans Spain-subs) looks a bit wonky, there's a better version linked below. As the thread title suggests, I also intend to give Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense a proper watch (have already watched one half-remembered episode - 'Child's Play', I'm looking at you!), looks like most of it is on the Youtubes.

So far, Hammer House has been reasonably entertaining, although it inevitably has it's fair share of silliness, shaggy dog storytelling and some eye-rolling 'twist' endings. Anyway, because I'm a sad loser with nothing better to do of a Saturday night, here's my mini-reviews of the episodes I've watched so far, with incredible facts and trivia (some of which I've garnered online, cheers Wiki and IMDb!) and more. Links are (very thoughtfully) provided, so make yourself a nice, big mug of cocoa, snuggle up with y'laptop and get watching!

1. Witching Time. The first episode kicks off with witchcraft shenanigans at a country house. Watchable, but nothing to write home about, with a fairly illogical finally (although given the subject matter...). Director Tom Clegg's credits include Sweeney 2 (and episodes of The Sweeney) and McVicar. The late Jon Finch did a couple of Hammers, Polanski's MacBeth, Hitchcock's Frenzy and Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven. Patricia Quinn's roles include Magenta in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Meaning of Life and Rob Zombie's Lords of Salem. Ian McCulloch has his fair share of notable roles, although I know him from Lucio Fulci's Zombie Holocaust! Lennard 'Granddad' Pearce appears as the posh vicar - interestingly enough (to me), this first HHoH episode debuted almost exactly a year before the first episode of Only Fools & Horses was first broadcast. Previously spotted the lovely Prunella Gee in an episode of The Sweeney, apparently she was married to Ken Campbell at one point.

2. The Thirteenth Reunion. Fairly silly 'amateur sleuth' goings-on, with a pretty unconvincing ending (that reminds me a bit of Rosemary's Baby). Warren Clarke would find fame with Dalziel & Pascoe, although one of his early roles was Dim in A Clockwork Orange (he's popped up in Blackadder too). Big Scot James Cosmo has been in a lot of notable things, including Highlander, Braveheart, Trainspotting and Game of Thrones. Gerard Kelly played Bunny in Extras... and among other things, Richard Pearson apparently voiced Mole in Cosgrove Hall's classic The Wind in the Willows series (I always thought that it was Richard Griffiths, but there you go).

3. Rude Awakening. Good fun, if a little episodic. Notable for starring the late, great, Denholm Elliot (having a ball as a dodgy estate agent) and for being directed by Hammer stalworth Peter Sasdy (who apparently also directed Nigel Kneale's The Stone Tape and the whole series of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾!). Also stars Audrey Hepburn-a-like Lucy Gutteridge, who you may recognize from Top Secret!. More trivia: Gareth Armstrong provided the English dub for Monkey's Sandy.

4. Growing Pains. Some interesting ideas, but it all gets a little bit silly. The attractive posh totty mother is played by Barbara Kellerman, who alongside roles in several notable films and TV series, played the White Witch in the Beeb's The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. The late Norman Beaton is probably most famous for starring in Desmond's. Geoffrey Beevers apparently played the third Master on Doctor Who.

5. The House That Bled to Death. Directed by Tom Clegg (see 'Witching Time' above), this is the infamous 'blood-spattered birthday party' episode. It's not bad, overall. It actually seems inspired by The Amityville Horror (actress Rachel Davies reminds me of Margot Kidder, actually). Nicholas Ball, Brian Croucher and Patricia Maynard have all done stints on Eastenders (Maynard is an ex-wife of Dennis Waterman and mother of Hannah Waterman, who appeared in Eastenders alongside her... I'll get me coat). More geekery: Milton Johns had a small role as Imperial Officer Captain Bewil in The Empire Strikes Back, while Emma Ridley (who plays the daughter) was in Return to Oz.

6. Charlie Boy. Voodoo doll gubbins abound... could have been quiet thrilling but it's all just a little bit meh. Nigel Havers-a-like Leigh Lawson has appeared in Zeffirelli's Brother Sun, Sister Moon and Polanski's Tess among other things and is the husband of iconic model/actress Twiggy. Marius Goring had starring roles in several Powell & Pressburger films, among other things. Angela Bruce has appeared in a lot things, though she's probably most recognizable as Councillor Murray in the 'Heroes and Villians' episode of Only Fools & Horses. Michael Culver has a ton of credits, including Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back. Drop the Dead Donkey's Jeff Rawle has a small role as a police inspector, while Janet Fielding played Doctor Who companion Tegan. Michael Deeks looks very familiar - apparently he was in ITV series Dick Turpin, maybe that's where I've seen him before. Director Robert Young's credits include Hammer's Vampire Circus, Alan Bleasdale's GBH and Eric Idles' Splitting Heirs (apparently he was given the boot off similarly Python-related movie Fierce Creatures) among lots of other things.

7. The Silent Scream. It's Hammer legend Peter Cushing! And Brian Cox! Cushing is the owner of an unusal pet shop... it could have been interesting but it's a bit of a wasted premise in the end, with some unsatisfactory plot details (how come

Spoiler alert

Cox and wife don't scream for help when the cell door is open? And wouldn't somebody spot them eventually? It's Cushing's back garden, for flip's sake! And surely they can break the windows of their house at the end or something?

[close]

). Director Alan Gibson did a couple of Draculas (Draculai?) for Hammer. Elaine Donnelly has appeared in Coronation Street, Eastenders and Emmerdale.

8. Children of the Full Moon. Another Tom Clegg episode, it's nothing earth-shattering but it does have a classic British horror atmos and theme (werewolves). Legendary British sexpot Diana Dors (done up to look older than she actually was at the time) plays nanny to a bunch of creepy, nocturnal kids. Dors is long gone, of course - she died in 1984, aged only 52 - but it's sad to see that the two younger leads - Christopher Cazenove and token sexy posh totty Celia Gregory - are no longer with us. The similarly-late Robert Urquhart is a name I think I recognise from The Sweeney or something, apparently he appeared in a fair few things, including Hammer's breakthrough horror The Curse of Frankenstein. The Victoria Wood who plays one of the girls is, er, obviously not that Victoria Wood. The episode's writer, Murray Smith, wrote several screenplays for horror/sexplotation director Pete Walker (House of Whipcord, Frightmare, et al).

That's all for now... by the way, this old fansite has stuff like behind-the-scenes photos, props, memorabilia and a location guide if you're bothered.

[VegaLA]

Pushing this into the 'Hazy memories' zone I do recall when this series was broadcast they had the Werewolf episode shown first and I missed out due to having a sleepover at my cousins house and they most certainly did not approve of this sort of thing.

The only episode I do remember seeing is the one with the Evil twins. Starts out with a family picking up a hitchhiker in the pouring rain and he turns out to be a complete psycho, scratching the face of the hubby as he drives causing an accident. Result of which one person dies but the family soon try to get their shit together, despite the fact the husband can't talk properly due to the car crash. The next 40 odd minutes the wife doubts that the man who survived is in fact her husband so she visits the morgue to see if they can correctly ID the corpse. Turns out the corpse has rotten teeth and knowing her husband has a great smile she returns home relieved and ready to celebrate. As the happy couple raise their glasses the husband smiles to reveal a nasty set of gnashers.

Set the hairs on my back just remembering that one scene but at the time it scared me rigid. I'm sure I've got these episodes sitting around somewhere.....

[Rev]

What's the episode where Edward Woodward's in a phone box with a lady who takes off her leather coat revealing that she's in the nip, and you totally see everything?  That one was memorable at the time.

[surreal]

Pushing this into the 'Hazy memories' zone I do recall when this series was broadcast they had the Werewolf episode shown first and I missed out due to having a sleepover at my cousins house and they most certainly did not approve of this sort of thing.

The only episode I do remember seeing is the one with the Evil twins. Starts out with a family picking up a hitchhiker in the pouring rain and he turns out to be a complete psycho, scratching the face of the hubby as he drives causing an accident. Result of which one person dies but the family soon try to get their shit together, despite the fact the husband can't talk properly due to the car crash. The next 40 odd minutes the wife doubts that the man who survived is in fact her husband so she visits the morgue to see if they can correctly ID the corpse. Turns out the corpse has rotten teeth and knowing her husband has a great smile she returns home relieved and ready to celebrate. As the happy couple raise their glasses the husband smiles to reveal a nasty set of gnashers.

Set the hairs on my back just remembering that one scene but at the time it scared me rigid. I'm sure I've got these episodes sitting around somewhere.....

That was "The Two Faces of Evil" - still one of the scariest things I can remember watching as a kid. Vivid memories of that hitchhiker in yellow, the nails...

[Glebe]

What's the episode where Edward Woodward's in a phone box with a lady who takes off her leather coat revealing that she's in the nip, and you totally see everything?  That one was memorable at the time.

Sounds like Denholm Elliott in 'Rude Awakening' (see above).

[biggytitbo]

The plane crash survivors episode and the kids birthday party covered in blood stick out as the best ones.


And the one with Brian Cox (the gruff Scottish actor not the tv scientist) and Peter Cushing was pretty good too. They all suffer from being a bit silly, albeit in an endearing atmospheric way.

[BlodwynPig]

"A bit silly", something that cannot, absolutely cannot, be aimed at "Baby"

[Dyl Spinks]

Got these in a DVD box set about ten years ago. Might give them a rewatch soon...thanks for the reminder.

[biggytitbo]

"A bit silly", something that cannot, absolutely cannot, be aimed at "Baby"

Some of the others are a bit silly though (buddy boy?), again in a good 70s weird tv way.

[BlodwynPig]

Some of the others are a bit silly though (buddy boy?), again in a good 70s weird tv way.

I'll take Buddy Boy anyday over modern Dr. Who(re) or Friends Under the Hammer or MasterCleft

[biggytitbo]

I'll take Buddy Boy anyday over modern Dr. Who(re) or Friends Under the Hammer or MasterCleft

Yes and unlike stuff like Game of Thrones it doesn't rely on stuff like women getting their tits out for no reason either.

[Puce Moment]

I have the DVD boxset and I absolutely must sort out watching it. Thanks Glebe.

[BlodwynPig]

Never watched game of thrones. Vapid wank for the modern ennui ridden masses

[JesusAndYourBush]

I always thought "Rude Awakening" was by far the best episode of the series.
I thought I was finally going to get to see the episode again in 1996 when Bravo repeated every damn episode of the series except Rude Awakening. Why Bravo why, you set of shits. I finally got to see that one a few years later on another channel.

[Glebe]

9. The Carpathian Eagle. A mysterious woman is going around seducing men and, uh, cutting their hearts out. Bit of a police procedural, it makes an honourable attempt at being smart, straight-faced and serious but it's all a bit po-faced and could do with a bit more levity (he said, trying to sound like a professional critic). Notable for the brief appearance of Pierce Brosnan in one of his earliest roles (I'm sure I saw Brosnan talking about it somewhere but I can't find any clip or anything). Suzanne Danielle played the 'titular' (nudge, nudge) roll in Carry on Emmanuelle. Anthony Valentine has numerous credits under his belt, including a role in Hammer's To the Devil... a Daughter. Siân Phillips credits include Becket, Clash of the Titans (1981), Dune, Freddie Francis' The Doctor and the Devils, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor and Scorsese's The Age of Innocence... she would have only been in her 40s when she made this, so she's obviously done up older to play the Mrs Henska. W. Morgan Sheppard has apparently popped up in everything from Star Trek to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Gary Waldhorn plays Councillor David Waldhorn in The Vicar of Dibley. The late Jeffry Wickham popped up in loads of things, including Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror.

[Bad Ambassador]

Some of the others are a bit silly though (buddy boy?), again in a good 70s weird tv way.

Both are episodes of Beasts, the Nigel Kneale anthology that is fucking ace. The Dummy and During Barty's Party are the best ones.

[Roy*Mallard]

Been meaning to buy Hammer House Of Horror for years - must get around to it. I have seen The House That Bled To Death and The Mark Of Satan, which were both pretty decent.

Beasts was an interesting one and yes, The Dummy and During Barty's Party were definitely the best of the series. Although i also liked Baby, but the

Spoiler alert

weird, disfigured, moaning creature

[close]

at the end scared the living shit out of me. Not one to watch on your own late at night.

Any fans of Brian Clemens' Thriller anthology series? I could have sworn there had been a thread about it relatively recently, but i may have dreampt it. Thriller is without one single doubt my favourite TV series of all time. There is the odd duffer, but of the 43 65-minute episodes most are well worth watching, with a number of absolute stone cold classics - my favourite, I'm The Girl He Wants To Kill. Ok, i've derailed - sorry.

[biggytitbo]

During Bartys Party is brilliant, it's all in the sound effects of course.


We did have a Thriller thread I'm sure because that's why I watched I'm the girl he wants to kill, which as you say is rather good.


It's the atmosphere in all of these things that make it, especially if they're on videotape.

[BlodwynPig]

OK, so I watched "Guardians of the Abyss" and it was crap. I imagine most of Hammer House of Horror are of this quality.

What I am looking for are things at the level of:

Beasts - unsettling, and surreal, the spaces between give you the real shivers (of course the ending to Baby you actually see the "monster", but it is a real horror, not just some half hearted papier mache shit)

Tales of the Unexpected - even the later series have their moments, something to do with the 80s being the most terrifying period of my life

The Stone Tape - still not got through all of this...deeply unsettling, no amount of temporal distance can relieve the fear I feel when watching this

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense - unlike the house of horror episode, most of these are unsettling...like the silent house and the ticking clock...anticipation and dread with no relief

BBC school's programming, The Dark Tower, those short films- I think we saw one called "Ghost in the Machine" that scarred me for a long time. Another pre-6 o'clock news featuring some spooky goings on in Devon or Cornwall. The episode of Bergerac with the burning ghost. Subliminal and terrifying.

I have probably seen some  Thriller but cannot remember. There was also another series I was watching recently, but my memory is bad.

Any recommendations along those lines. Or is that it?!

[BlodwynPig]

When trying to find "Thriller" on youtube I came across:

"Boris Karloff's...PIGEONS FROM HELL"

[Phil_A]

Any recommendations along those lines. Or is that it?!

Any of the films directed by Laurence Gordon Clarke for the "Ghost Stories For Christmas" strand. The Signalman and A Warning To The Curious are particularly good.

There was one particular Children's Film Foundation film(the last one ever made in fact) called "Haunters Of The Deep", all about eerie goings on in a Cornish tin mine. Scared the bejesus out of me when I was small, but all I've ever been able to find of it is an edited clip of the opening few minutes on youtube. Love to see that again.

[biggytitbo]

My favourite children's film foundation film (aside, obviously, from Sammy's Super T-shirt) was this - http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Hour_to_Zero

[daf]

Any recommendations along those lines. Or is that it?!

I loved the Thriller set - that was my saturday evening treat for most of last year, I've been on the lookout for something similar - here's a few I've ear-marked (but haven't got round to buying yet) -

ARMCHAIR THRILLER (1978 - 1981)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armchair_Thriller

from the classic British TV series of unsettling dramas. Episodes comprise: 'Rachel in Danger', 'A Dog's Ransom', 'The Girl Who Walked Quickly', 'Quiet As a Nun', 'The Limbo Connection', 'The Victim', 'Dying Day', 'Fear of God', 'The Circe Complex', 'The Chelsea Murders' (six episodes) and 'The Chelsea Murders' (TV Film)

ZODIAC (1974 - Anton Rodgers & Anouska Hempel) :

Created by Roger Marshall (The Avengers, Public Eye, The Sweeney), this light-hearted thriller series became a cult piece of escapism for viewers during its six-week stay on British television and has become a much sought-after series by collectors - largely due to its novel premise of the groovy '70s culture clash between the Thin Blue Line and the Age of Aquarius!

SUPERNATURAL (1977) :

Werewolves, vampires and ghosts haunt the living in this much sought-after BBC horror anthology series devised by talented TV dramatist Robert Muller. Referencing a rich vein of literary gothic stories, from Shelly's Frankenstein to Le Fanu's Carmilla, the series presents seven unique tales (including the admired two-parter Countess Ilona and The Werewolf Reunion) across eight unsettling instalments

MYSTERY & IMAGINATION (1966-1970) :

All six remaining feature length episodes from the 1960s series that dramatised the gothic works of some of the 19th century's greatest writers. Featuring a cast including Denholm Elliot, Freddie Jones and Ian Holm, the adaptations include Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Suicide Club', Bram Stoker's 'The Curse of the Mummy' and 'Dracula', 'Sweeney Todd', Sheridan le Fanu's 'Uncle Silas' and Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein. Also included are two episodes from the 1966 season, 'The Fall of the House of Usher' and 'The Open Door'.

SCORPION TALES (1978)

A series of six individual plays, each linked by the scorpion-like sting in its denouement, Scorpion Tales features some of Britain's most talented and renowned actors - Trevor Howard, Geoffrey Palmer, Jack Shepherd, Don Henderson and Patrick Barr among them.

SHADOWS OF FEAR (1970-73)

This volume collects eleven plays in which every character has one thing in common: each has someone, or something, to fear. Shadows of Fear is a suspense anthology with a chilling Hitchcockian touch,

almost forgot -

SAPPHIRE & STEEL (1979 - 1982)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapphire_%26_Steel

six adventures from the 1980s ATV sci-fi series starring Joanna Lumley and David McCallum as Sapphire and Steel, the mysterious agents charged with protecting the Universe from the malevolent forces of Time with their uncanny powers.

[BlodwynPig]

Any of the films directed by Laurence Gordon Clarke for the "Ghost Stories For Christmas" strand. The Signalman and A Warning To The Curious are particularly good.

There was one particular Children's Film Foundation film(the last one ever made in fact) called "Haunters Of The Deep", all about eerie goings on in a Cornish tin mine. Scared the bejesus out of me when I was small, but all I've ever been able to find of it is an edited clip of the opening few minutes on youtube. Love to see that again.

Agh! Haunters of the Deep was the one I was going on about Cornwall/Devon, and Ghost Stories for Christmas I have on DVD....

I cannot get any of the unseen Tales of the Unexpected, Thriller or Unnatural Causes on youtube or illegally now...bastards copyrighting our nostalgia for their own (malevolent) purposes.

[daf]

All of the series I listed are available on DVD - but there's some on youtube too -

Armchair Thriller (in 10 minute chunks):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYBiTkiwFBM

Zodiac :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JUG9E5rcHo

And I've just found a new one!
Shadows (1975 - 1978)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadows_(TV_series)

Shadows is a British Supernatural television anthology series produced by Thames Television for ITV between 1975 and 1978. Extending over three seasons, it featured ghost and horror dramas for children. Notable writers for the series included J. B. Priestley, Fay Weldon and PJ Hammond.

Looks like theres a lot of these on youtube too :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKEX8_C3tHU

[Glebe]

10. Guardian of the Abyss.[nb]The prequel to Guardians of the Galaxy... in cinemas NOW! Sorry.[/nb] Good, solid, classic Hammer goings-on, with devil worship, strange rituals and a director and cast who've nearly all got Hammer form.

Spoiler alert

The opening scene is freaky and violent, and there's a bit of a Wicker Man-style twist and a scary 'hide behind the couch' ending

[close]

. Director Don Sharp's (who also did some acting work, appearing in The Cruel Sea among other things) credits include Hammer productions The Kiss of the Vampire and Rasputin, the Mad Monk, which of course starred Christopher Lee, who he also directed in the both The Face of and The Brides of Fu Manchu... other films include The Curse of the Fly and cult biker-horror Psychomania.

John Carson has done several genre pictures, including Hammer films The Plague of the Zombies, Taste the Blood of Dracula and Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter, as well as Tales of the Unexpected, Armchair Theatre and Doctor Who. Barbara Ewing was in Hammer's Dracula Has Risen from the Grave and Amicus' Torture Garden (both directed by Freddie Francis, famed for his cinematography work for David Lynch et al). The late Ray Lonnen appeared on TV in the likes of The Sandbaggers (which I'm not familiar with but kind of rings a bell), Doctor Who, Tales of the Unexpected and Harry's Game.

Rosalyn Landor appeared in Hammer classic The Devil Rides Out as a child, in recent times she's been busy with voice work for cartoons, videogames and audiobooks. Paul Darrow will be immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with Blake's 7, of course (didn't know he voiced Zarok in classic Playstation game Medievil, actually). Sophie Thompson has done lots of TV and films, her filmography includes Four Weddings and and a Funeral, Gosford Park and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1... and she also had the, er, 'honour' of playing Tracey in The Fat Slags. Writer David Fisher has done a lot of work on Doctor Who.

By the way, the episode is up on YouTube, but I've provided a different link because the version currently up (there's another upload on YouTube but it's from the same source, by the way) goes all wonky in places (in fact it's worth taking a look at just for the spooky error at approx 21:42!).

[Natnar]

When trying to find "Thriller" on youtube I came across:

"Boris Karloff's...PIGEONS FROM HELL"

All of the episodes of Brian Clemens Thriller were on youtube a couple of months ago but it looks like they've all been pulled now.

[BlodwynPig]

All of the episodes of Brian Clemens Thriller were on youtube a couple of months ago but it looks like they've all been pulled now.

Seems odd...its not like they will be losing substantial revenue?

[Natnar]

Seems odd...its not like they will be losing substantial revenue?

There's a ton of Alfred Hitchcock Presents videos that have been pulled over the last few months as well.

[Ignatius_S]

Seems odd...its not like they will be losing substantial revenue?

Why odd? These programmes are commercially available and it's very easy for copyright holders to contact YouTube to request material removed. Incidentally, I've been noticing various YouTube accounts to have been cancelled due to 'numerous' complaints from 'multiple' copyright holders – quite often people will post content of a similar nature, so that might be at play as well.

Quite a few of these programmes have been coming down in price – both Thriller and Tales of the Unexpected are under £50; the latter used to be double that.

In the case of Thriller, I just had a quick look at to refresh my memory and the complete set is 15 DVDs and a shade under 36 hours in total – it's also very easy to buy it for £32. So we're talking a little over 50p for DVD and less a pound per hour. Personally, I think the series is worth watching that this ain't bad value. Also, it's Network that has released this – the company has managed to produce a lot of stuff that wouldn't have been available otherwise. Given that people were ripping the DVDs to put onto YouTubem why wouldn't it complain?

There's a ton of Alfred Hitchcock Presents videos that have been pulled over the last few months as well.

It wasn't that long ago that the series got its first Region 2 DVD release, so suspect that they're trying to crack down on people being able to watch it for free so easily. Also, copyright holders will take action when they're planning to release stuff – for example,  it used to be very easy to buy knock-off collections of The Phil Silvers Show via eBay but that suddenly ended and soon after, a 50th Anniversary Collection was announced.