Hammer House Of Horror [VHS] [1980]

Tape One
1 - 'The House That Bled To Death' - A family moves into a house with a grisly past and themselves become possessed. Pros: A nice 'sting in the tale' that gives this episode some effectiveness. Cons: Touted as a flagship episode by its sellers(check out the American releases hosted by Elvira), this is a good but not stellar entry. It's nice the first two times but becomes stale too quickly thereafter. Rating 7/10

2 - 'Silent Scream' - An ex-Nazi camp co-ordinator entraps a freed convict for his own Skinner-style experiments. Pros: Peter Cushing lends a wonderful presence to this picture and the idea is nifty. Cons: None perceived by this viewer. Rating 9/10

3 - 'The Two Faces of Evil' - A family pick up a murderous hitchiker en route to their holiday destination and are attacked, leaving the wife unsure whether the man who survives is really her husband. Pros: Has a chilling suspense mechanism a-la mysterious villain and who-dunnit nature. Cons: Reaches an uneasy maturity early on then becomes difficult to follow. Rating 7/10

Tape Two
1 - 'The Mark of Satan' - a morgue worker becomes obsessed with the Number '9' and descends into a suicidal paranoia streak culminating in auto brain surgery with a drill. Pros: Is underscored by a superior theme and acted convincingly throughout. Cons: Is so convincing, it becomes comical in places. Rating 8/10

2 - 'Witching Time' - an ancient witch is revived and gives a score-composer a maddening time in handling her. Pros: Was the first of the series to be shown and has a superior storyline. Cons: None perceived by this viewer. Rating 9/10

3 - 'Visitor From The Grave' - a psychologically unstable but rich American wife becomes the victim of a plot to drive her insane after she shoots her would-be rapist dead. Pros: A neat idea not-too unlike something to be found in 'Tales From The Unexpected' and big on tension build-up. Cons: Once you get the plot, its rewatch value is limited. Rating 7/10

Tape Three
1 - 'Rude Awakening' - an adulterous estate agent seals his fate by way of a recurring nightmare that leads him to sell a mansion. Pros: A strong performance from Denhol Elliot and a good dream-reality interplay. Cons: none perceived by this viewer. Rating 9/10

2 - 'Charlie Boy' - a mysterious African fetish doll provides a vengeance-hungry man with the tool to satisfaction with more than he bargained for. Pros: Brilliant idea, good killings and a realistic outcome. Very 'Tales From the Unexpected'. Cons: None perceived by this viewer. Rating 10/10

3 - 'Children of the Full Moon' - a couple happen upon a household of werewolves whilst holidaying in England's West Country and live to regret it when the wife is found to be pregnant and hungry from raw meat. Pros: A nice turn on an original theme and Diana Dors gives a sound performance as the curatress 'des loups'. Cons: none perceived by this viewer. Rating 9/10

Tape Four
1 - 'The Thirteenth Reunion' - A journalist goes undercover to a fat farm to get the inside story and finds out why they have a deal going with the local mortuary. Pros: Once again, a storyline that could shame 'Tales of the Unexpected' but executed with effective horror. Cons: Once seen, the viewer gets the point so well that repeated viewings are obviated. Rating 8/10

2 - 'The Carpathian Eagle' - a sexy young lady is convinced she is possessed by an ancient spirit and slays her 'punters' ritualistically, skillfully avoiding the suspicions of the police. Pros: A nice sex-driven theme for a change led by an attractive actress. Also has a nice series of barbs in its tail. Cons: Over-valued due to Pierce Brosnan's presence. Doesn't stand out over the status of standard fare. Rating 7/10

3 - 'Guardian Of The Abyss' - a quasi-satanic cult gain a foothold when an antiques dealer purchases an ancient ceremonial mirror. Pros: Satanism is finally addressed in the series and done with every bit of sincerity as happened in Hammer's 'The Devil Rides Out'. Paul Darrow provides a strong role as a villain. Cons: None. Every time it is seen, it seems to have more in it. Rating 10/10

4 - 'Growing Pains' - a philanthropic couple adopt a strange son after their own son dies from ingesting his father's lab chemicals and endure a series of misfortunes, resulting in mayhem and death. Pros: a strong storyline that could have worked better than it did. Cons: Seems longer than it is in running time. Rating 7/10

The breakdown of episodes to tape would suggest that the order of recommendation runs: Volume Three (First Place); Voulmes Two and Four (Second Equal Place; and Volume One (Third Place). Of course, this is unscientific.

As a box set, this was a much-needed release, chiming in 21 years after its television debut. Five stars are needed to rate the box set overall, regardless of its components. Had it not been for this series, it is highly arguable that later Horror Television would have been lacking. Highly inspirational, then and highly watchable, also. Not just for Hammer afficionados, the House of Horror series has something for everyone.