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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Shows by Decade»1980s Television
    1980s Television Drama Shows H 8 Mins Read

    Hammer House of Horror

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    1 9 8 0 (UK)
    13 x 60 minute episodes

    This 13-part anthology of spine-shiverers was produced for ITV by cult horror flick company, Hammer Films. Those taking the helm included such Hammer veteran directors as Don Sharp – maker of the classic The Brides of Fu Manchu – and Peter Sasdy.

    hammerhousehorror_003

    Production of the series was quick – the scripts were written in a shorter time than was desirable and each of the 13 episodes was shot in two weeks, totalling approximately six months of filming.

    Some of this took place in the grounds of Hampden House itself (Hammer’s new headquarters in Buckinghamshire), much of the rest of it was done in the local area, in particular, the nearby church and the village of Great Missenden.

    Subject matter covered all the usual suspects – voodoo, cannibalism, witchcraft, devil worship, werewolves, body snatchers – with the overall result being decently shocking.

    The series was originally screened just after the 9 pm watershed to accommodate its often-gruesome content and occasional flashes of nudity, and the high gore quotient can still shock today: hands are severed and faces blown off, while animals have a particularly bad time of it: crows are beheaded, cats immolated on window panes, rabbits disembowelled and tigers electrocuted.

    A follow-on collection of Hitchcock-style thrillers appeared in 1984 as Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense.


    WITCHING TIME

    Soundtrack composer David Winter (Jon Finch) finds a strange young woman hiding in the barn of his isolated farmhouse and ends up getting all hot under the collar for Lucinda, a lusty time-travelling 17th-century witch played by Patricia Quinn (Magenta of Rocky Horror fame – In the nude no less).

    Events in the farmhouse build to a terrifying climax threatening not only David’s marriage to Mary (Prunella Gee) but also his sanity as the witch takes possession of him.

    David Winter
    Jon Finch
    Mary Winter
    Prunella Gee
    Lucinda Jessop
    Patricia Quinn
    Charles
    Ian McCulloch
    Rector
    Lennard Pearce
    Sister
    Margaret Anderson


    THE 13TH REUNION

    When Ruth Cairns (Julia Foster) is assigned by her newspaper to do a story on a dubious slimming clinic, events soon take a sinister turn.

    First, her boyfriend crashes his car on a straight road, killing himself. Then his corpse disappears. Is it the work of body snatchers and, if so, why?

    Ruth treads a trail of terror before she comes face to face with the horrifying truth.

    Ruth Cairns
    Julia Foster
    Gwen Cox
    Dinah Sheridan
    Rothwell
    Kevin Stoney
    Andrew
    Gerrard Kelly
    Sir Humphrey Chesterton
    Richard Pearson
    Ben Faraday
    Warren Clarke
    Basil
    George Innes
    Cedric
    Norman Bird


    RUDE AWAKENING

    Norman Shenley (Denholm Elliot) is an estate agent slowly being driven mad by dreams and supernatural happenings which he believes are in his imagination but are actually being engineered by his secretary and her boyfriend.

    Features some rather grisly deaths – “you shouldn’t have done it, Mr Shenley”.

    Norman Shenley
    Denholm Elliot 
    Lolly

    Lucy Gutteridge 
    Mr Rayburn

    James Laurenson
    Emily Shenley
    Pat Heywood 
    Lady Strudwick

    Eleanor Summerfield
    Dr Melbury

    Gareth Armstrong


    GROWING PAINS

    Young James (Matthew Blakstad), newly adopted by do-gooders Laurie (Barbara Kellerman) and Terence (Gary Bond) Morton (a botanist), finds a strange poem in an old exercise book. With it, he unleashes a terrifying presence as the dead William Morton (Christopher Reilly) seeks his revenge. Filmed on location in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.

    Laurie Morton
    Barbara Kellerman
    Terence Morton
    Gary Bond
    Mr Ngenko
    Norman Beaton
    Charles Austin
    Tariq Yunus
    James
    Matthew Blakstad
    William Morton
    Christopher Reilly
    Matron
    Daphne Anderson
    Mechanic
    Michael Hughes
    Nurse
    Karin Scott
    Grave Digger
    Geoffrey Beevers


    THE HOUSE THAT BLED TO DEATH

    Number 42 Colman Road looks a very ordinary house when William (Nicholas Ball) and Emma (Rachael Davis) Peters and their little girl Sophie (Emma Ridley) move in. But Number 42 has a gruesome history.

    It seems as though the house is trying to relive its past – complete with a particularly bloody murder.

    William Peters
    Nicholas Ball 
    Emma Peters

    Rachael Davis 
    Sophie Peters

    Emma Ridley
    Jean Evans
    Pat Maynard 
    George Evans

    Brian Croucher
    A. J. Powers

    Milton Johns


    CHARLIE BOY 

    Sarah (Angela Bruce) has a carved figure from Africa she calls Charlie Boy. But the statue is more than a wooden statue with a funny face.

    Charlie Boy has strange powers from his tribal past; powers which are easy to invoke but very much more difficult to stop when things start going wrong.

    Features a cameo role from Janet Fielding (Tegan in Doctor Who).

    Graham
    Leigh Lawson
    Sarah
    Angela Bruce
    Heinz
    Marius Goring
    Gwen
    Frances Cuka
    Mark
    Michael Culver
    Phil
    Michael Deeks
    Peter
    David Healey
    Franks
    Jeff Rawle
    Secretary
    Janet Clare Fielding 
    Armourer

    Michael Stock


    THE SILENT SCREAM

    When habitual criminal Chuck Spillers (Brian Cox) leaves jail, he is befriended by Martin Blueck (Peter Cushing), a prison visitor.

    Blueck has his own, strange reasons for offering Chuck a job – reasons which involve a unique collection of wild animals that Blueck keeps at the rear of his innocent-looking pet shop.

    One of the best-remembered Hammer productions.

    Martin Blueck
    Peter Cushing 
    Chuck Spillers

    Brian Cox
    Annie Spillers
    Elaine Donnelly
    Detective Inspector Aldridge
    Anthony Carrick


    CHILDREN OF THE FULL MOON

    Tom (Christopher Cazenove) and Sarah (Celia Gregory) Martin are on a West Country holiday when their car mysteriously goes out of control on a remote road. They are taken in by a woman (Diana Dors) who lives with numerous children in a lonely house in the forest.

    The alarming events of the night and a dream about werewolves are explained away. But they have a lasting effect on Sarah . . .

    Mrs Ardoy
    Diana Dors
    Tom Martin
    Christopher Cazenove
    Sarah Martin
    Celia Gregory
    Harry
    Robert Urquhart
    Woodcutter
    Jacob Witkin
    Tibor
    Adrian Mann
    Sophy
    Victoria Wood
    Eloise
    Sophie Kind
    Irenya
    Natalie Payne
    Andreas
    Daniel Kipling


     CARPATHIAN EAGLE

    The tale of a beautiful countess from Carpathia whose pet eagle tore out her lovers’ hearts is just an ancient myth? or is it?

    It seems that no man is safe when a series of gruesome murders in modern-day London brings the legend horrifically to life – and death.

    Featured Suzanne Danielle and Sian Phillips, along with a then-unknown Pierce Brosnan (pictured above with Suzanne Danielle) credited as ‘Last Victim’.

    Natalie
    Suzanne Danielle
    Inspector Clifford
    Anthony Valentine
    Mrs Henska
    Sian Phillips
    Tony
    Barry Stanton
    Tadek
    Jonathan Kent
    Andy
    Matthew Long
    Bacharach
    Gary Waldhorn
    Edgar
    Jeffrey Wickham


    GUARDIAN OF THE ABYSS

    For centuries, evil men and women have tried to raise the archdemon Choronzon, Guardian of the Abyss. Many have died in the attempt. Others have lost their reason.

    Then a chance purchase by antique dealer Michael Roberts (Ray Lonnen) brings him into terrifying contact with the Unknown.

    Starred the posh woman from C.A.T.S Eyes (Rosalyn Landor) and Paul Darrow (Blakes 7).

    Michael Roberts
    Ray Lonnen
    Allison
    Rosalyn Landor
    Charles Randolph
    John Carson
    Simon Andrews
    Paul Darrow
    Tina
    Caroline Langrishe
    Laura
    Barbara Ewing


    VISITOR FROM THE GRAVE

    A night intruder terrorises Penny (Kathryn Leigh Scott) in her lonely cottage. She kills him with a shotgun, her boyfriend (Simon MacCorkindale) buries the body in the woods and they try to forget it ever happened.

    But Penny finds the terror is only just beginning – the dead man refuses to stay in his grave.

    Penny
    Kathryn Leigh Scott 
    Harry

    Simon MacCorkindale
    Margaret
    Mia Nadasi 
    Charles Willoughby

    Stanley Lebor
    Richard/Gupta
    Gareth Thomas


    TWO FACES OF EVIL

    A family’s car crashes after they pick up a hitchhiker in a yellow raincoat and he attacks the husband with a claw finger.

    The husband, Martin (Gary Raymond) returns home but seems to be a completely different person. He can’t talk and he rings a little bell for attention. But if Martin is not Janet’s (Anna Calder-Marshall) husband, who – or what – could he be?

    Janet
    Anna Calder-Marshall
    Martin
    Gary Raymond
    David
    Paul Hawkins
    Sister
    Pauline Delany
    Hargreaves
    Philip Latham
    Mrs Roberts
    Jenny Laird
    Mr Roberts
    William Moore
    Dr Cummings
    Jeremy Longhurst
    Nurse Davies
    Brenda Cowling
    PC Jenkins
    Mike Savage


    THE MARK OF SATAN

    Edwyn (Peter McEnery) lives a nightmare, convinced that the forces of evil are conspiring against him. Everywhere he sees threats and the devil’s mark – the number 666.

    As the pressure increases, he seeks escape – but that calls for increasingly desperate measures. including trying to drill a hole into his head.

    Edwyn Rord
    Peter McEnery 
    Stella

    Georgina Hale
    Dr Harris

    Emrys James 
    Markham

    Peter Birrel 
    Priest

    Anthony Brown
    Dr Manders

    Conrad Phillips
    Mrs Rord
    Annie Dyson 
    Surgeon

    Peter Cartwright 
    Sampson

    James Duggan 
    Steve

    Andrew Bradford
    Pritchard

    James Curran

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