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Hammer House Of Horror [1980]

VHS ~ Pierce Brosnan

(1 customer review)

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Product details

Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Peter Cushing, Diana Dors, Denholm Elliott, Brian Cox
Format: Box set, PAL
Classification:
Studio: ITV DVD
VHS Release Date: 29 Oct 2001
Run Time: 660 minutes

Average Customer Review:

(1 customer review)

ASIN: B00005NFD8
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,716 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)
Popular in these categories:
#19 in Video > Box Sets > Horror & Suspense
#27 in Video > Box Sets > Television & Documentary
#70 in Video > Television & Documentary > Soaps

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Though Hammer Films ceased theatrical production in the mid-1970s, the TV series Hammer House of Horror afforded the studio a last hurrah in 1980. The show is collected here in its entirety, 13 50-minute episodes on four sturdy cassettes within a somewhat flimsier cardboard box. They are arranged randomly three or four to a tape, rather than in the order they were originally broadcast. Though it uses original scripts rather than adaptations of published stories, the series feels like an update of Hammer's earlier Journey to the Unknown, with a mix of contemporary settings, predictable twist endings, mock-gruesome horror, mild sex, familiar TV faces and sly camp that puts it on the shelf somewhere between Nigel Kneale's Beasts and Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected.

Outstanding episodes: "Witching Time" (Patricia Quinn as a sexy witch haunting Jon Finch), "The Silent Scream" (sinister pet shop owner Peter Cushing plays nasty games with a young Brian Cox), "The House That Bled to Death" (an Amityville variant with a clever twist), "Rude Awakening" (Denholm Elliott has a recurring dream), "The Two Faces of Evil" (scary doppelgangers with bad teeth) and "Charlie Boy" (an African idol brings death to a bunch of people). Even the duds have a certain my-God-what-is-she-wearing period charm (check out the horrific wardrobe modelled by Suzanne Danielle in "Carpathian Eagle"), though "Visitor from the Grave" (and it's-all-a-plot plot about seances) is as dull an hour of television as ever aired and "Children of the Full Moon" (a werewolf tale, with Diana Dors) is thuddingly obvious. The varied guest cast includes Pierce Brosnan in a tiny victim role; and the shows are variously directed by Hammer regulars Don Sharp (Kiss of the Vampire), Peter Sasdy (Countess Dracula), Robert Young (Vampire Circus) and Alan Gibson (Dracula AD 1972). --Kim Newman

Synopsis
Thirteen horror stories from Hammer: 'The House That Bled To Death', 'The Silent Scream', 'The Two Faces Of Evil', 'Rude Awakening', 'Charlie Boy', 'Children Of The Full Moon', 'The Mark Of Satan', 'Witching Time', 'Visitor From The Grave', '13th Reunion', 'Carpathian Eagle', 'Guardian Of The Abyss' and 'Growing Pains'.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

The Best of British Blood, 17 Nov 2002

By	'Oliver Cromwell' "OC" (Enlgand) - See all my reviews

In September 1980, Hammer launched its final offensive in the war to keep horror in Britain. It failed, of course, but the spectacular effort encapsulated in the thirteen episodes comprised in this box set deserves accolades galore.

Having channeled the last of its energy into television after a forty year run with films (less than half of which were golden), the studio came good in many departments. Perhaps a little corny, cliched and cute by 2000-plus standards, the series nevertheless stands highly cohesive - a monolith capable of taking on the popular 'Tales From the Dark Side' and 'Friday The Thirteenth' series from the 1980s.

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 p