Tag Archives: Hammer House of Horror

Horror on TV: Hammer House of Horror #13: The Mark of Satan (dir by Don Leaver)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Tonight, we have the final episode of Hammer House of Horror and it is a macabre one indeed!  A morgue attendant (Peter McEnery) becomes obsessed with both the number nine and a recently deceased neurosurgeon who died after trying to drill a hole in his own head in an attempt to let out all of his evil thoughts.  McEnery finds himself becoming consumed by disturbing thoughts as well.  Is he going mad or is he somehow seeing what no one else can see?  This episode is effectively creepy and not for the squeamish.

It originally aired on December 6th, 1980.

 

Horror On TV: Hammer House of Horror #12: The Two Faces of Evil (dir by Alan Gibson)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

On tonight’s episode of Hammer House of Horror, a family picks up a hitchhiker.  A subsequent tragedy leaves a wife wondering if her husband is actually her husband.  This is a creepy and twisty episode that is guaranteed to inspire just a little paranoia.

This episode originally aired on November 29th, 1980.

Horror On TV: Hammer House of Horror #11: Visitor From The Grave (dir by Peter Sasdy)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

For tonight’s horror on television, we have the 11th episode of Hammer House of Horror!  This atmospheric episode features Kathryn Leigh Scott as a woman who fears that she is being haunted by the ghost of a would-be rapist that she earlier killed.  Simon MacCorkindale plays her husband, who has secret of his own.

This episode originally aired on November 22nd, 1980.

Horror On TV: Hammer House of Horror #10: Guardian of the Abyss (dir by Don Sharp)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Tonight’s episode of Hammer House of Horror features antiques and cults!  It’s a like a very British version of Friday the 13h: The Series.  This episode is not necessarily one of my favorite episodes of this series.  I always find the ending to be disappointing.  The said, it does feature an intriguing story and a cast of Hammer veterans.

This episode originally aired on November 15th, 1980.

Horror On TV: Hammer House Of Horror #9: Carpathian Eagle (dir by Francis Megahy)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Tonight’s episode of Hammer House of Horror is Carpathian Eagle.

Men are being murdered in bed by a woman who removes their heart.  Inspector Clifford (Anthony Valentine) investigates with the help of a true crime historian named Natalie (Suzanne Danielle).  Natalie tells the story of an ancient Carpathian countess who murdered men in the same way and suggests that the murders might be the work of a modern-day descendant.  The truth turns out to be a bit more complicated, if also a bit predictable.

This is not my favorite episode Hammer House of Horror but still, it’s worth watching to catch a young Pierce Brosnan in an early small role.  This episode originally aired on November 8th, 1980.

Horror On TV: Hammer House Of Horror #8: Children of the Full Moon (dir by Tom Clegg)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In Children of the Full Moon, a married couple on holiday has some car trouble.  They find a large house that is looked over by Ms. Ardoy (Diana Dors) and inhabited by a multitude of children, who may or may not be werewolves.  This episode starts out somewhat light but the tone eventually shifts and things end on a memorably dark note.  Diane Dors gives a wonderful performance as the mysterious Ms. Ardoy.  Be careful about where you take your vacation.

This episode originally aired on November 1st, 1980.

Horror On TV: Hammer House of Horror #7 “The Silent Scream” (dir by Alan Gibson)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s episode of televised horror is The Silent Scream, the seventh episode of Hammer House of Horror.  It was originally broadcast in the UK on October 25th, 1980.

A quick content warning for everyone: This episode features some scenes of animals in distress so I personally would advise viewer discretion.  That said, I simply had to share this episode because it features Peter Cushing’s final performance for Hammer Studios.  He plays a seemingly kindly old man who has a very dark secret.  A youngish Brian Cox plays the ex-con who gets a job working for Cushing.  This is a very unnerving episode with an ending that truly sticks with you.

Horror On TV: Hammer House of Horror #6: Charlie Boy (dir by Robert Young)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The next episode of Hammer House of Horror is The House That Bled To Death but I’ve decided not to share it for this Halloween because it features the death of a kitty and I’m kind of tired of pets dying in horror films.  It’s an effective and scary episode, though.  It’s on YouTube so if you want to watch it, feel free.  

Moving right along, tonight’s episode is Charlie Boy.  Graham (Leigh Lawson) and his wife Sarah (Angela Bruce) inherit an statue that they don’t realize also doubles as a really big voodoo doll.  After stabbing the statue a bit too many times, Graham comes to realize that he’s accidentally condemned almost everyone he knows to death, including both him and his wife.  Thanks to the fast-paced director of Robert Young and the committed performances of the cast, this is an entertainingly macabre episode.  It originally aired on October 18th, 1980.

 

Horror on TV: Hammer House Of Horror #4: Growing Pains (dir by Francis Megahy)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In the fourth episode of Hammer House of Horror, Gary Bond plays a scientist whose son dies after eating some toxic proteins that just happened to be lying around the lab.  The scientist’s wife (Barbara Kellerman) goes down to the local orphanage to collect a new son but this new kid turns out to be more than a little creepy.

This bizarre episode originally aired, in the UK, on October 4th, 1980.  A quick warning: This episode does feature some dead rabbits.  I like rabbits so that bothered me a bit, even though it made sense in the context of the story.

Horror On TV: Hammer House Of Horror Episode #3: Rude Awakening (dir by Peter Sasdy)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In the third episode of Hammer House of Horror, Denholm Elliott plays an estate agent who finds himself having a series of nightmares about his wife (Pat Heywood) and his secretary (Lucy Gutteridge) and a murder that may or may not have happened on Friday the 13th.  This episode is an enjoyably surreal trip into the subconscious.

In the UK, Rude Awakening originally aired on September 27th, 1980.