'The Complete Hammer House of Horror' DVD Review

A wonderfully moody throwback to a bygone era of horror.

In the fall of 1980, after the legendary Hammer Film Productions had ceased its theatrical efforts, it turned to television, releasing the anthology series Hammer House of Horror on British TV. Thirteen hour-long episodes were made, and The Complete Hammer House of Horror collects them all:

• "Witching Time": A condemned 17th Century witch appears in the 20th Century and takes control of the life of a musician living in her old home.
• "The Thirteenth Reunion": A reporter infiltrates a weight loss program whose participants have a habit of turning up dead.
• "Rude Awakening": A man has trouble distinguishing his frighteningly realistic dreams from reality.
• "Growing Pains": Strange things happen after a grieving couple adopts a young boy.
• "The House That Bled to Death": A family moves into a haunted house with a sordid past.
• "Charlie Boy": A man uses a wooden African fetish doll to exact revenge.
• "The Silent Scream": An ex-con finds himself trapped in a sadistic experiment conducted by a seemingly kindly old man.
• "Children of the Full Moon": When their car breaks down, a couple seeks help at an old country mansion inhabited by an old woman and her pack of children.
• "Carpathian Eagle" - A female serial killer seduces and disposes of men.
• "Guardian of the Abyss": An antique mirror with supernatural powers draws a pair of friends into the clutches of a devil-worshiping cult.
• "Visitor from the Grave": A woman who kills her attacker in self-defense fears he has returned from the dead to torment her.
• "The Two Faces of Evil": A family picks up a hitchhiker who turns out to be not quite human.
• "The Mark of Satan": A man becomes paranoid when he begins to see the number 9 everywhere.

Hammer House of Horrors is a atmospheric little lost gem that hasn't gotten as much exposure here in the US as it should. It captures the feel of the classic British horror anthologies of the '60s and '70s from Hammer rival Amicus -- including the violence and nudity equivalent to an R-rated film -- while also seemingly borrowing from landmark fright flicks of the era, such as The Wicker Man, The Amityville Horror, Rosemary's Baby and Don't Look Now. They feature the sort of climactic twist and/or comeuppance typical of this style of storytelling, although when dragged out to 50 minutes rather than the 30 or so, the stories can sometimes feel a bit sluggish and repetitive -- especially more predictable ones. The more inventive ones, however -- especially "The Thirteenth Reunion," "The Silent Scream," "The Two Faces of Evil" and "The Mark of Satan" -- really shine with a wonderfully perverse, sometimes surreal energy that's sorely missing in horror today.

The DVD

Special features include featurettes, gallery and introductions.

Episodes: B
DVD: C