Hammer House of Horror (Episodes 1-13) - 4-DVD Box Set [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ]

Hammer House of Horror I never watched any of the Hammer House of Horror anthology series until about a year ago, and was pleasantly surprised by the excellent story lines and above average acting. The series, produced by Hammer Films in 1980 consists of 13 episodes running around 51 minutes each. There is variety in the episodes, all of which are stand alone episodes, and some are supernatural in theme while others are not. What the episodes share in common though is that each episode has a high level of suspense, some plot twists, and a couple of scares thrown in for good measure. Witching Time A 17th century witch appears in 20th century England, specifically at the rural retreat of a TV composer (played by Jon Finch) and proceeds to terrorize him. Initially, his wife (who has been living in the city and has been unfaithful) does not believe him thinking he is hallucinating and mentally disturbed but she is convinced soon enough. The witch is played by Patricia Quinn, who gets very annoying with her less than convincing witches' cackling, and it is the wife who is convincingly portrayed - going all out to discover what/who the witch is and how to put an end to her specter. The Thirteenth Reunion A Fleet street journalist goes undercover to investigate the sinister goings-on at a slimming clinic that employs unconventional methods to trim down the customers. Rude Awakening In this episode, Rude Awakening, Denholm Elliott plays estate agent Norman Shenley who is trapped in a dull marriage to his plain Jane wife and fantasizes about a new life with his secretary Lolly. One day, a mysterious man turns up at the office asking if Norman would check out an old manor home in the country which he plans to put up for sale on behalf of the owners. Here is where things begin to go very wrong - Norman shows up at the empty house and witnesses something terrifying, but then finds himself coming out of a nightmare. He keeps experiencing this dream/nightmare episodes until the lines between reality and fantasy become very blurred. Is Norman losing his mind or is he the victim of some malicious plan? I don't particularly like this episode as it's not the type of horror story that I appreciate but I did enjoy Elliott's credible portrayal of a man slowly descending into an abyss of horror. Growing Pains An antique book serves as a conduit for the resurrection of a malevolent spirit. The House that Bled to Death In The House that Bled to Death, a young family moves into a dilapidated house because it is the only one they can afford. The house has a dark secret which the new occupants are unaware of, i.e. an old man had butchered his wife in it and buried her remains in the garden. Soon enough, strange occurrences plague the family, including their young daughter who is terrified of living in the house. The neighbors across the street are a well-meaning couple and the wife in particular struggles with whether she should tell the family what happened there years earlier. Suspense abounds in this tale though I admit some of the effects are rather cheesy by today's standards. However, there is a strong sense of looming menace and the acting is top-notch. Charlie Boy A man inherits his late uncle's artwork and his girlfriend expresses a particular interest in an African fetish doll with bits stuck in it. A series of bizarre deaths leads the man to suspect it is linked to the African fetish doll and discovers to his horror that he and his girlfriend may be the next targets. Can he undo what has been unleashed or pay the price for ill intentions? This is one of the more suspenseful stories in this anthology. The suspense keeps building up and even though I sort of predicted the ending, it still gave me the chills. The Silent Scream I had been looking forward to viewing The Silent Scream because one of my all-time favorite horror actors, Peter Cushing plays a major role in it. I was not disappointed. In this episode, Brian Cox plays a prisoner who is visited by Peter Cushing's character while serving time in prison. Cushing's character gives Cox's character some money and wishes him well. When Cox's character is released from prison, he reunites with his young wife and then visits the pet shop which Cushing's character owns to express his gratitude. Whilst at the store, he discovers that Cushing is no mere pet store owner, but a man who is deep into psychological experimentation involving wild animals. Unbeknownst to Cox's character, he is the next intended target for experimentation. This is one the best episodes in this anthology - a true exploration of the darker recesses of the human heart and mind, and man's capacity for cruelty. This is psychological horror at its best. Children of the Full Moon In Children of the Full Moon (one of my favorites in this series), a young successful couple find themselves stranded in a remote country area when their car goes off the road. The couple finds a large manor house deep in the woods, and upon knocking, receive an overly warm welcome by the caretaker of the house, a benign-looking older woman. The husband is unable to call for help and the wife finds that the house has other occupants namely a 'pack' of children of varying ages and looks, all beautiful. There is definitely something odd though - the children stay up way past their bedtime and their mannerisms are decidedly odd. The couple stay the night but something sinister awaits them. I was glad to see the story take a twist in a direction that though not completely unexpected, kept me engaged and in suspense till the end. The stellar acting by the ensemble cast especially the role of the caretaker (played by Diana Dors) was enough to inspire chills by her very words. The Carpathian Eagle In The Carpathian Eagle, a police inspector (played by Anthony Valentine) is determined to solve a string of serial killings. Men have been murdered in the most gruesome manner and the similar pattern convinces the inspector that a serial killer is at large. Investigations reveal the murderer could be a woman, and the inspector zeroes in on one suspect, a female researcher working on some material for a book (played by Suzanne Danielle). Let's just say the story has plenty of suspense and the plot twists will keep viewers at the edge of their seats. Pierce Brosnan plays a very small role here too. Guardian of the Abyss In Guardian of the Abyss, occultists are planning on resurrecting a gatekeeper demon and need the perfect sacrifice. Unfortunately, one victim goes crazy and another escapes. The young woman who escapes runs into the path of an oncoming car driven by a man who is also an antiques dealer. As fate would have it, the antiques dealer has taken temporary possession of an ancient scrying glass believed to have been made by a famous ancient occultist. The present-day occultists are after both the woman and the scrying glass and the entire story centers around this. Though it felt dragged out in parts, I enjoyed it for the most part because there are a couple of twists in the plot which kept things interesting. Visitor from the Grave I was underwhelmed by the plot in "Visitor from the Grave". A young, emotionally unstable American heiress (played by Katherine Leigh Scott) shoots a man in self-defense when the man attempts to rape her. She is found the next morning, delirious and hysterical by her boyfriend (played by Simon Macorkindale) and he aids her by covering up the death and burying the dead man's body in the woods. Soon enough, the heiress begins to have disturbing visions of the dead man and is convinced that she is haunted by the man's ghost. The trouble with this plot is that it's not original and I was able to figure out what was going on almost from the very beginning. The heiress came across as whiny and just got on my nerves, so it was difficult to actually sympathize with her plight. By the time the climax came, I was ready to move on to the next episode. This is one of the more underwhelming stories in the series, at least in my opinion. The Two Faces of Evil The Two Faces of Evil is quite scary and contains some surreal elements. A family of three (dad, mom, and young son) are on their way to a holiday cottage when they pick up a hitchhiker and soon after a struggle breaks out between the hitchhiker and the dad. The wife awakens in hospital to find her son is fine but her husband has suffered some injuries, particularly around the throat area and is unable to speak for a while. The wife is the only one who is able to voice that she saw the hitchhiker attack her husband but recoils when asked to identify the body of the hitchhiker who was purportedly killed in the altercation. Soon after, the wife and son go off to the cottage while the husband recuperates in the hospital. The wife is suffering from PTSD and keeps experiencing flashbacks of the incident. When the husband arrives at the cottage, the wife makes a startling discovery - is she losing her mind, or has a doppelganger taken over her husband's body? There are quite a few scary twists in this terrifying tale. I think I might have to view it again just to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time around. Like several other well-made stories in this anthology, repeat viewings reveal more that eluded the eyes the first time. The Mark of Satan A man begins to see the number "9" all over, and suspects that sinister forces have been unleashed. Conclusion - I'd recommend this series to all fans of classic horror, especially those who are nostalgic for Hammer productions.

I cant get over the picture quality on this !The storys are very catchy,its easy to lose yourself in this world of creepy tales!Enjoy!

Great stuff if you love HAMMER STUDIOS

The Network release of "Hammer House of Horror" on Blu-ray is incredible. These look sharp and vivid. Almost like they were filmed yesterday. Up to par with their "Quatermass 1979" release (Minus one star for no booklet). But the transfers are just amazing. CAVEAT: The jacket says Region B and another reviewer here said that it was region-free. I was curious and tested my copy. It would NOT play on my Panasonic Region A player, so buyer beware. You may need a region-free player to view these.

Fast Shipping, Arrived in Great condition. I will do business again, Thank You!

Disc 1 and 3 play in my all region Blu-ray play, but disc 2 does not. Disc 2 was the reason I bought this Blu-ray. Don’t buy for this dealer.

I was unable to use this DVD set and unable to return it. When the DVD was played, it said that it only worked in region B. I was unable to send it back because the seller said it must be unopened. I was very displeased and disappointed with this product.

The greatest ever tv horror series. Still scary now. Loved it when I was a kid and love it even more now.

Si cette série n'avait existé qu'en audio anglais, je ne l'aurais pas acheté mais avec les sous-titres anglais c'est à la portée de celui qui a fait quelques années d'anglais basique. Tous les épisodes ne se valent pas et je n'en ai encore regardé que quelques-uns mais il y a quelques raretés intéressantes (série jamais passée en Belgique ni en France à ma connaissance). Très british mais très distrayant.

Una serie clásica de tv ingles de los años 80s. Todo bien

Judging by the reviews that this DVD set have received from Amazon customers and indeed of the many reviews submitted from various DVD websites all are in agreement that this fondly remembered horror series from 1980 is something of a hit and miss affair with stories ranging from memorable chillers that are classic of the genre to best forgotten turkeys. What is amusing however is the fact that each reviewer appears to have a different idea on which of the stories are classics and which of them are duds. Personally like everyone else I do think that the stories in this series are something of a mixed bag. There are some memorable classic episodes as well as turkeys and a lot of the stories that are just plain average. I don't remember this series when it was first screened which is understandable as I was about five years old at the time. However I do have a good memory and could remember a lot of memorable old programmes. This particular TV series slipped the net possibly because my parents made sure I was in bed by nine. Still just watching these episodes on DVD I could see why this series still lingers in the memory of those who had the privilege of seeing them on their original transmission. It really is one of those programmes that has a charm of its own and leaves you with that `they don't make 'em like they used to' feeling. Even the opening title sequence is striking and lingers in your mind long after you had seen it. I could remember as a child religiously watching the opening moments of `Tales of the Unexpected' only because I was spellbound by the eerie title sequence. The title sequence of this series, with it night time shots of Hampden House (the English country house that Hammer had been using as their base at the time and which appears in most of the episodes of this series) and the haunting theme tune, evoked a similar feeling. Just watching it now, one would feel transported back in time, as it has a strange 80's feel about it. Just before the titles roll however, there is a brief pre-titles sequence which gives the viewer a brief glimpse of what's in store in that night's episode. Although this sequence lasts about a minute it is dramatic enough to draw the viewer into watching that particular episode - a very clever ploy by the production team. The TV episodes themselves differs from the bloodcurdling films that were a staple ingredient for Hammer in their 60's and 70's heyday. Unlike their Gothic movie counterparts which are usually period pieces set in the sixteenth century and feature vampires, werewolves and oodles of blood, the TV episodes are set in the modern day and in a shift from their usual formula of demonic terror featured plot twists ala Tales of the Unexpected, which usually saw the protagonists fall into the hands of that episode's horror and are marked by a sense of dark irony. Episodes: Here is my thoughts on episodes themselves, N.B. I have listed each one in the order they appear on the DVD set rather than the order of transmission (see `Overall' for more details). THE HOUSE THAT BLED TO DEATH Young couple William and Emma Peters (Nicholas Ball and Rachel Davies) and their young daughter Sophie (Emma Ridley) move into 42 Colman Road, a run down semi-detached house which they purchased at a knockdown bargain price because of it's gruesome history. The home's previous owner was elderly man who poisoned his wife and then cut up her body. Soon after they move in, mysterious and very unwelcome, events starts to happen around the house. Items belonging to the previous occupants begin appearing in the house, including the knives used in the murder. The strange events became more terrifying and gruesome day by day, as they family cat is found brutally slaughtered in the garden and a severed bloodied hand is found in the fridge. Things reached ahead when Sophie's birthday party is ruined when an overhead pipe in kitchen burst open and shower the guests with blood. The first story of this DVD set (but not in transmission order) is probably the most well remembered of all the episodes in this series. It's reputation rest solely on perhaps the most notorious scene in the whole series - the infamous birthday party scene, where a children's birthday party is ruined when an overhead pipe breaks open, spraying the party guests with blood. This is still regarded as one of the most scariest scenes in the annals of television and even made to the list of Channel 4's 2003 `100 Greatest Scary Moments' programme. The inspiration behind this story is obviously the 1979 film `The Amityville Horror' (which is based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Jay Anson). The film was released only a year before this episode was screened and both bore many similarities. The twist ending was nicely handled although if I were to be totally honest I could see it coming. There is a reason for this too - and it had a lot to do with the alleged `true event' it was based on. To delve on this further would give away the twist ending. Let us say that the Amityville case remains controversial in the way it has been marketed over the years and the fact that most of the incidents depicted in Jay Anson's book have been greatly disputed. Cynics of the Amityville case would also like to point out that the family involved in this famous paranormal incident George and Kathy Lutz made a considerable amount of money out of their `true life experience'. Despite it's reputation as the most memorable episode in the entire series, the story isn't the classic it is cracked up to be. On the plus side the acting all round is generally good. Both Davies and Ball are very good as the tortured couple harassed by supernatural forces and Pat Maynard and Brian Croucher are equally charming as George and Jean Evans, the Peters's nosy neighbours. The Peters's young daughter is competently played by child actress Emma Ridley. There are some memorable chilling setpieces, including the infamous birthday party scene and the death of the family cat. However there isn't much of a story here and though twist ending was nice, the shocking climax at the very end is a lacklustre affair and seemed to be made up on spot by a writer who had no idea on how to end the story. Worth watching if you have an hour to spare. THE SILENT SCREAM Career criminal Chuck Spillers, recently released from prison is planning to `go straight'. As soon as he arrives home, Chuck decides to pay a visit to Martin Blueck, the elderly pet shop owner whom he befriended in prison, to thank him for his kindness and support. Blueck, an apparent survivor of a Nazi concentration camp had been remarkably kind to Chuck, visiting him regularly during Chuck's incarceration. Arriving at Blueck's modest suburban pet shop, Chuck is invited in by the saintly old man. Blueck then shows Chuck his `makeshift zoo' containing a variety of exotic animals kept in cages. Though the cages are unlocked, none of the wild animals that are contained within them attempt to escape. Blueck explains to his bemused young friend that the animals are kept in captivity through a process of habit, training and punishment. Blueck then invites Chuck to work for him as he needs someone to feed the animals while he is away on his travels, a job offer Chuck gratefully accepts. For the first few days all is well as Chuck tends Blueck's pet shop competently. However when he discovers Blueck's safe, temptation got the better of Chuck and he soon slips into his old criminal ways. While attempting to rob the safe Chuck suddenly finds himself falling through a trap door - and into a cage! It was at this point that the true nature of Blueck's bizarre experiments is soon revealed. He needs a human subject - preferably one that has been recently locked up for a period of time... This episode is notable for the guest appearance of Hammer stalwart Peter Cushing. Cushing is simply superb as the sadistic Blueck, perfecting a good German accent in the process, something which he did 15 years earlier when playing the sinister German fortune teller Dr. Sandor Schreck in classic 1965 chiller `Dr. Terror's House of Horror' (produced by Hammer's rivals Amicus studios). This story is very much a showcase of the talents of two British heavyweight acting legends, as Cushing is ably supported by the brilliant Brian Cox. It is the interplay between these two fine actors that makes this story entertaining. The story itself is a classic and is definitely one of the highlights of the whole series. Scenes such as the terrified Chuck gradually losing his sanity as he makes desperate and ultimately futile attempts to escape his incarceration and that of Chuck's frantic wife Annie (wonderfully portrayed by Elaine Donnelly) attempting to find her missing husband, are both memorable and compelling and commands the viewer's interest throughout. The story eventually concludes on a nice - and terrifying - twist ending. Not to be missed. THE TWO FACES OF EVIL A married couple Martin and Janet Lewis (Gary Raymond and Anna Calder-Marshall) along with their young son David (Paul Hawkins) are out on a family excursion. While driving down a deserted stretch of road in the middle of a violent rainstorm, Martin, against the wishes of his wife, picks up a mysterious hitchhiker in a yellow raincoat. The presence of their new creepy travelling companion (who communicates through a series of sinister groans) unnerves both Janet and David. Though his face is hidden by his hat, Janet notices one distinguishing feature of the mysterious traveller - a long and distorted fingernail on his right hand. As the car is being driven away, the hitchhiker suddenly lunges at Martin and attacks him causing Martin to loose control of the car which then crashes. Janet eventually wakes up in a hospital where she is told that she and her family are lucky to be alive. All three are soon discharged and are reunited. However all is not well as Janet notices that her husband is behaving very oddly. She then notices her husband's right hand - which has a long distorted fingernail... The series' take on the deadly doppelganger story, never really captures the viewer's imagination. This is another average episode though it could have easy been a bad one. The script, although boasting some clever ideas isn't really ingenious. What elevates this episode from a bland story to a watchable (and at times, enjoyable) one was the combination of superb acting from the brilliant cast, most notably from the two leads Anna Calder-Marshall and Gary Raymond (who makes the most of his dual role) and the inspired direction from Alan Gibson who makes effective uses of angles and lighting. In fact this episode probably has the best acting in entire series and is certainly the most effectively and tightly directed story of the thirteen episodes. Raymond is simply superb as the jolly and sweet natured family man Martin and his mumbling deadly doppelganger, while Calder-Marshall plays the part of the confused housewife Janet plunged into a nightmarish ordeal to perfection. Director Alan Gibson shoots many memorable scenes and images like the shot of the villain of the piece in a yellow raincoat standing by a tree against a dark, gloomy rain soaked landscape still sends a shiver down the spine, thirty years on. It is worth noting that the episodes in the entire series' run are all directed by Hammer veterans and Gibson helmed the last two Christopher Lee Dracula movies (`Dracula AD 1972' and `The Satanic Rites of Dracula') which are notable for being amongst the few Hammer films that are set in the present day as opposed to gothic period pieces that they usually fall under. In hindsight it is easy to see why this is the most effectively realised story of them all. Gibson is so much at home with the modern day material than his contemporaries. Maybe not a classic story but certainly worth watching. THE MARK OF SATAN This episode is different from the rest of the stories because its horror is psychological as opposed to the traditional chills. Peter McEnery plays Edwyn Rord a hospital morgue assistant who believes a conspiracy of evil is afoot whose sole purpose is to initiate him as the devil's latest disciple. Rord is sure that the number 9 is used in the conspiracy as some form of code - he lives at No.9, he won £9 in a bet instead of £16, he was told to put a body of a man (who died after trying to drill a hole into his head after claiming to be possessed by the devil) in freezer No.9 and so on. Soon the increasing weary Rord then reacts to everything around him from workmates to strangers in sunglasses, from car radios to weather vanes and even his own overbearing mother with suspicion - his actions becoming more violent as he tries hard to avoid his apparent satanic destiny. Whether he is slowly descending into the early stages of schizophrenia, confused by a bizarre chain of coincidences or those around him really are secretly in cahoots with Beelzebub himself is never made clear. The clever scripts are ambiguous enough to leave you guessing towards the end - without any clear resolution. Never a classic episode, this story is still nevertheless enjoyable largely because it is very well written and very well acted by all concerned and McEnery in particular excels as the tortured Rord. WITCHING TIME Patricia Quinn plays Lucinda Jessop a seventeenth century witch who avoids being burned at the stake by teleporting 300 years into future and arriving at her childhood home which is now being occupied by an alcoholic musician David Winter (Jon Finch) and his unfaithful wife Mary (Prunella Gee). Now safely in the twentieth century, the witch, who has designs on David, causes havoc for the estranged couple who already got enough domestic problems on their plate to worry about... This is another one that is neither good nor bad. It is entertaining in places but never really gets going. The acting in this episode isn't the most brilliant and it is easy to see why Gee's character seeks solace in the arms of another man. Finch's character is such as a drip, it is a wonder why Quinn's character is interested in him enough to plot to kill his wife in order for her to have him all to herself. Quinn on the other hand excels as the scheming Mistress Jessop. The scenes where she tries to makes sense of the modern world are mildly amusing. The episode is also notable for being the only one with a happy ending. VISITOR FROM THE GRAVE Like `The Silent Scream' which starred Hammer veteran Peter Cushing in the title role this particular instalment has another link to the Hammer film studio of the old, this time from behind the camera. `Visitor from the Grave' is scripted by none other that `John Elder' which is the pseudonym of Hammer stalwart Anthony Hinds a producer and more importantly a prolific screenwriter for the old hammer movies and son of Hammer co-founder William Hinds. It was with Elder's pen that many a Hammer classic was written: `The Curse of the Werewolf', `Dracula Prince of Darkness', `Frankenstein Created Woman' ... well the list is endless. Such films have terrified a generation of movie goers. Tragically - and ironically - the real terror in this shameful episode is the travesty of its script. This is the first out and out turkey of this DVD set. The story (if you could call it that) behind this appalling charade involves Kathryn Leigh Scott as a woman with serious mental problems attacking and killing an intruder in her house after he attempts to rape her. The woman's husband (Simon MacCorkindale) then buries the dead body in the woods to conceal the crime and protect his wife only for the dead man to apparently come back from the dead to seek revenge. Without giving anything away, the ending is a very weak affair and seems to have been made up on the spot. It appears that `Mr. Elder' wanted to end it on a twist ending that is a hallmark of the series but didn't know how to go about it. This is without doubt a very lazy script and one wonders whatever possessed producer Roy Skeggs and script editor Anthony Read to accept such a story for production. Maybe the temptation to have an episode credited to the great `John Elder' proved too good an opportunity to turn down. It is also hard to believe that one of the series weakest stories was written by such a renowned and respected scriptwriter. The only possible explanation that could be said in John Elder's defence in writing such a poor story is that since Elder is known to writing classic period Gothic chillers one could assume that he is either not adept or uninterested in writing a modern horror yarn. Whatever the reason one thing is certain - the legendry Elder's reputation has taken severe battering. On a final note, despite the script's shortcomings, the episode at least boasts a strong ensemble of actors who tries hard to lift the material - but to no avail. Best to avoid. RUDE AWAKENING This episode stars the late and great Delholm Elliott as lecherous estate agent, Norman Shenley who appears to be trapped in a reoccurring and never ending nightmare. Shenley is unhappily married to a frumpy, aging and bad tempered middle aged woman (Pat Heywood) and also appears to be having an affair with his much younger and more attractive, bubbly secretary Lolly (Lucy Gutteridge). One day he was sent to view a mysterious manor house. While there he is then menaced by a strange disembodied voice which accuses of him of murdering his wife. Driven insane by the voice he suddenly wakes up to discover it was all a dream. However back at work he then sent to the same manor house he had earlier dreamt about and experiences the same nightmare all over again only to wake up again. This pattern is then repeated with Shenley having the same dream over and over again. Soon the tortured Shenley has trouble distinguishing reality and the nightmares that plague him. Over the years I have read many reviews on this episode with some reviewers regarding it as a five star classic and yet other scribes labelling it as the worst episode in the entire series. Perhaps a fair assessment lies somewhere between these two extremes, but personally I am inclined to agree with the former group. This is a really strong episode in my opinion and definitely one of the highlights of the entire series. The dream sequences although basically re-enacting the same plot (Shenley visiting the manor house, menaced by voices and eventually killing his wife) are still nevertheless all different from one another, each of them surreal and atmospheric and entertaining in their own right. Denholm Elliott is simply superb as one would expect since he is often regarded as one of Britain's finest character actors and this episode again reminds us of how much he is missed. It is also worth noting that pre-titles sequence differs from the other episodes in the series. Rather than have a short intro that leads into the main narrative, the pre-titles sequence in this episode is just simply made up of a montage of clips from the story itself. Not to be missed. CHARLIE BOY When his rich uncle dies in a tragic accident, Graham Elder (Leigh Lawson) is dismayed when he is given his late uncle's exotic art collection as his inheritance while his elder brother Mark inherits all of the dead man's money. His disappointment escalates into rage when Mark, suddenly becoming snobbish after enjoying the new luxurious lifestyle his new found wealth had brought him, refuses to invest any of his vast sums of money into the film production company venture that the two brothers had founded, leaving Graham (who had recently left his day job to concentrate on the bold endeavour fulltime) in dire financial straits. On the car journey home, the still seething Graham and his girlfriend Sarah (Angela Bruce) have a terrifying encounter with a cantankerous motorist who tries to run them off the road and who then nearly runs Graham over after he tries to reason with the clearly deranged old man. Back at their house, the young couple then began to toy around with one of the artefacts of the art collection that Graham had acquired - an ugly little wooden fetish doll that Sarah had dubbed `Charlie Boy'. Graham jokingly use Charlie Boy to curse the motorist involved in their earlier road rage incident. However things takes a sinister turn the next day when Graham and Sarah read the morning newspaper and are shocked to discover that the insane motorist who heckled them the previous day had been brutally murdered. The couple dismiss the ghastly episode as a coincidence, but when Mark is also killed in a freak but gruesome riding accident after his bitter younger brother in a fit of rage cursed a group photograph that he appears in, Graham and Sarah soon starts to suspect that sinister and supernatural forces are afoot. This is soon confirmed when another person in the group photograph, Phil (Michael Deeks) a partner in Graham's film production company also dies in a horrific accident and a horrified Graham realises that he had unintentionally cursed everyone in the group photograph. Graham now faces a race against time to save the two remaining people in the picture from Charlie Boy's wrath - himself and his girlfriend... The idea of a horror story where the main protagonists desperately try and fight off a devastating curse that has striking down and killing their friends and has perhaps ultimately targeting the heroes themselves is perhaps nothing new to modern audiences - Hideo Nakata's `Ringu' is a prime example. However it is surprising to note the fact that in the golden age of cinema there has rarely been films featuring a curse as its central premise, which therefore makes this episode, at least on its original transmission, quite novel though admittedly it is quite unremarkable now. There have been cases in films of people falling under curses and indeed the old Hammer films themselves is littered with examples, such as Oliver Reed being doomed to roam the land as a werewolf in the classic Hammer chiller `The Curse of the Werewolf' but never rarely a story of which its central plot involves a curse spreading like a plague and killing everyone in its path. Perhaps the nearest comparison of such a story could be found in the first two Omen films where it horror set pieces indeed show people being mysterious and supernatural butchered in ingenious and ghastly death scenes that is reminiscent of a malevolent curse, but it is fact the work of Satan protecting his son. All things considered Charlie Boy was probably chilling when it was first shown, however certain aspects of the story intended to be scary, now look tame and even humorous at times and overall it does look a bit dated. The episode is by no means dull and is certainly suspenseful and (since it has very little padding) is entertaining in places. The death scenes are very imaginative and the way the victims are dispatched by the will of Charlie Boy could have comically for today's audience had the death scenes weren't so gruesome. Production values in this story are uniformly excellent with the story being well written, superbly directed and, above all, brilliantly acted by all concerned. Lawson and Bruce in particular excel Graham and Sarah and have a genuine chemistry between them that makes their characters both believable and even sympathetic. Charlie Boy isn't a classic episode, just a simple story told in a simple way and is perhaps worth watching if you have an hour to spare. CHILDREN OF THE FULL MOON While driving into the country on a lonely stretch of road on their way to their honeymoon holiday destination, weekend newlyweds Tom and Sarah Martin (Christopher Cazenove and Celia Gregory) lose control of their car and become stranded. While trying to locate a telephone the young couple arrive at an isolated mansion and are welcomed in by its owner Mrs. Ardoy a seemingly kindly and yet odd middle-aged woman who lives in the large house with several attractive and equally oddly behaving foster children. Mrs. Ardoy asks Sarah and Tom to stay the night, an offer the grateful couple accepts. That night, Sarah briefly catches a glimpse of a hideous creature outside their bedroom window. Tom, despite the frantic protests of his wife, then climbs outside to investigate but falls from the ledge to the ground below. An unseen creature then attacks Sarah who had remained inside her room - with Mrs. Ardoy and her children gleefully looking on. Tom soon wakes up in hospital with his wife at his side. He is told that he and Sarah were involved in an accident. Tom concludes that the bizarre encounter at the mansion was all a dream. However when he returns home after being discharged from hospital his wife is now pregnant with a taste for raw meat... Like the previously mentioned episode Charlie Boy which central premise centres on the neglected horror subject of a curse, it is worth noting that in the realms of celluloid horror the werewolf sub genre too is strangely overlooked by British filmmakers. Why British horror filmmakers rarely attempt to make a werewolf feature film is a mystery. It is understandable in a way why the `curse' sub genre is overlooked as it is quite an obscure subject, but legends of wolf men have been talked about for generations and literature both old and new, is littered with stories of human shapeshifters that shed their human appearance during the light of a full moon. Hammer (as far as I know) have only tackled the subject once in the `Curse of the Werewolf' and even their rivals Amicus's only werewolf jaunt (not counting the opening segment in their classic anthology `Dr.Terror's House of Horrors') was the misguided `The Beast Must Die'. The only other Brit werewolf flick I could think of is the short lived Tyburn Film Studio's `The Legend of the Werewolf'. This itself is all the more surprising when you consider that the werewolf (along with `Dracula' and `Frankenstein's Monster') is a favourite `monster' of Universal studios in their classic Universal Monster cannon and Universal had produced a number of films based on the monster (such as `Werewolf of London' and `The Wolfman') as well as have the legendary creature make `crossover' and cameo appearances in other horror flicks (such `Frankenstein meets the Wolfman' and `House of Dracula'), including comedy spoofs (such as `Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'). Here, the classic werewolf genre gets its modern day retelling and, for fans of Hammer Horror at least, it's only natural that there will the inevitable comparisons being made to the classic Hammer chiller `The Curse of the Werewolf'. This episode certainly lives up to its movie counterpart in terms of quality and is a classic episode but, the modern setting withstanding, the two stories are nevertheless different in content. The mystery of Mrs.Ardoy's sinister children was kept nicely under wraps, though admitting to some it was obvious. However any suspense regarding the story's plot is made redundant by the episode title and perhaps the events depicted in the pre-titles sequences. The twist ending was also a nice surprise largely because the person involved in it is introduced right at the end. A problem with some of the episodes is that they become somewhat predictable towards the end as the writers are preparing for the twist. By leaving the character that is central to story's resolution right at the end, it helps maintains the suspense until the very last minute. However, in spite of this clever ploy, it had to be said that as soon as the character is finally introduced, to some at least, it obvious where this story is heading to. The acting in this episode is of a higher standard. Christopher Cazenove and Celia Gregory are both excellent as the ill-fated couple but the real star of the show was Diana Dors, who excels as the sinister Mrs. Ardoy. Dors plays the part with aplomb and although Mrs. Ardoy comes across as warm and charming though a little eccentric, one still gets the feeling that there is something unearthly about her. It is worth noting that Dors has played a similar role five years earlier in the British anthology `Thriller' in an episode entitled `Nurse Will Make It Better'. In that episode, which strangely feels out of place in the `Thriller' series and probably fitted in more with `Hammer House of Horror' series, Dors plays Bessie Morne a nurse to a paraplegic young girl, who is fact a discipline of the devil and who promises the girl her mobility in exchange for her soul. Although it is a near enough identical role to the one she played in the Hammer House episode, it is a tribute of Dors's acting skills that she makes the characters of Mrs. Ardoy and Bessie Morne both unique in their own way (and like Denholm Elliot) reminds us of another great British acting talent who is much missed. This was actually one of Dors's last acting roles. She died just four years after this episode was screened. An interesting footnote is that Dors's husband Alan Lake would also appear in an episode of `Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense' (a sequel to this series) in an episode entitled `Paint me a murder'. It was filmed around the time of Dors's death and it was Lake's last film role. The depressed Lake still grieving over the death of his wife, committed suicide shortly before that episode was screened and just seven months after the death of his wife. All in all `Children of the Full Moon' is a classic episode that not only showcases the talents of one of Britain's finest (and perhaps underrated) actresses, but is an effective horror drama in its own right. Not to be missed. THE 13TH REUNION Journalist Ruth Cairns (Julia Foster) is sent undercover by her editor to investigate a strange weight loss course `Think Thin' at the Chesterton Clinic where they use unconventional methods to induce weight loss - a notable example witness by Ruth involves Willis, the house physical education teacher, verbally assaulting a rather plump and frumpy woman to the point where she is reduced to a quivering mess. Ruth soon befriends (and gets romantically involved with) one of the course attendees Ben Faraday (Warren Clarke) who tells her that far from losing any pounds he is in fact gaining weight and finds the diet of fatty foods odd. Ben soon dies in car crash after he takes a pill which the clinic has prescribed him. Almost instantly a group of undertakers are on the scene to cart away his body. At Ben's funeral, Ruth is approached by a young apprentice undertaker, Andrew who is concerned about the unusual goings on at the funeral directors. He confides in her his belief that Ben's body isn't in its coffin - a suspicion that was soon confirmed when the pair later break into the church crypt and discover a wire carcass covered in bandages in Ben's coffin, instead of a body. This prompts Ruth to investigate more deeply - with terrifying results... To analysis this episode in detail would probably give too much of the story away. This is actually a very strong episode that is entertaining and keeps the viewer guessing right till the end ... well almost. Admittedly in the last five minutes of the story it becomes plainly obvious of what is going on and what is going to happen next. Still this is not a fault with the script but merely a ploy to turn the story on its head, to transform its tone from a suspenseful drama to a very dark comedic feel - and it works. Those last moments will make the viewer cringe with revulsion though at the same time they can't help but laugh too. There isn't much of a twist in this one as it is plainly obvious how this story will end. It is a predictable affair but nevertheless the closing moments of the story is still quite shocking and brutal and must have given many a sleepless night when it was first shown. The acting here is also strong with Julia Foster particularly good in the lead, though it is a pity the excellent Warren Clarke is killed off too early in the story. Certainly one of the highlights of the collection. Not to be missed. THE CARPATHIAN EAGLE A brutal serial killer is on the loose whose Modus operandi involves ripping out the heart of his victims. Detective Inspector Clifford (Anthony Valentine) is in charge of the investigation and is no

I watched these as a kid and this series has always stuck with me. Great price in a simple boxset. All 13 episodes included. Was lovely to go back and re-watch these especially as I am a horror & Hammer fan. Extras are limited to biographies and phots but, for a budget boxset, this is perfect for me.