Horror on TV: One Step Beyond 3.27 “The Confession” (dir by John Newland)


Tonight’s episode of One Step Beyond features the great Donald Pleasence, making it perfect viewing for the Halloween season!

Pleasence plays an attorney who prosecuted  a man for a murder that he didn’t commit.  Pleasence did so, even though a woman (Adrienne Corri) claiming to be the supposed victim of the crime came to him and said that she had not been murdered.  Pleasence refused to believe her.  Now, years later, his guilt is driving him mad while host John Newland looks on.

Can you prove it didn’t happen?

This episode originally aired on April 11th, 1961.

Horror On The Lens: Haunted House of Horror (dir by Michael Armstrong)


First released in 1969, The Haunted House of Horror features a group of 20-somethings who, bored with the usual parties, decide to that it might be a kick to hang out in a supposedly haunted mansion.  Once they’re in the mansion, they decide that it might be even more fun to hold a seance!

(Seriously, what is the deal with people holding séances in haunted mansions?  That really seems like the last place where you would want to mess with potentially malevolent spirits!)

The party becomes much less fun once someone starts killing off the group, one-by-one.

This film is notable for two reasons.  First off, it features Frankie Avalon in one of his attempts to break free of his Beach Party typecasting.  Secondly, the role of Richard, who is played by Julian Barnes, was originally offered to a young singer named David Bowie.  Reportedly, Bowie was quite excited about doing the film but, in the end, the producers worries that he and Frankie Avalon would not get along.  I’m not sure why.  David Bowie had a sense of humor and, judging from his Casino cameo, so does Frankie.