I first saw HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR back in 2010 on the old A&E DVDs with the green covers. At that time I was disappointed in the series, the primary reason being that it was not what I expected. I thought the look of it would be more like the Hammer movies of yore, with moody photography and atmospheric use of color. Now that HHOH is out on Blu-Ray, I thought I’d revisit it for old times’ sake. This time around I held no expectations and found the episodes to be well crafted mini-movies with eclectic stories and solid performances.
The stories are a mixed bag but none are without interest. I was disappointed by THE CARPATHIAN EAGLE and THE MASK OF SATAN. The former had an unsatisfactory ending while the latter was just too confusing to follow. I also didn’t like the conclusion of THE 13th REUNION. My personal favorites were THE TWO FACES OF EVIL which is truly unsettling, GUARDIANS OF THE ABYSS with Hammer veteran John Carson, CHILDREN OF THE FULL MOON with an interesting variation on werewolves, CHARLIE BOY about an African Fetish Doll that kills, and Peter Cushing in THE SILENT SCREAM.
The remaining 5 episodes have their moments. There’s the notorious birthday party in THE HOUSE THAT BLED TO DEATH, the creepy adopted child of GROWING PAINS, a dream that never ends in RUDE AWAKENING, the just desserts ending of WITCHING TIME, and finally the GASLIGHT theme of VISITOR FROM THE GRAVE. All 13 episodes were done in 1980 and were well produced on a relatively low budget, They are well acted well directed by such Hammer veterans as Peter Sasdy, Alan Gibson, and Don Sharp.
Over forty years later they’re still engaging though most of them are downbeat and a few contain nudity. Viewers who prefer more special effects and edgy camerawork will need to go elsewhere. While there are many familiar horror tropes, they are handled cleverly with twists many won’t see coming. HHOH was a huge success and pulled Hammer out of receivership. Unfortunately, the company’s success was only temporary. Today HHOH has its own website with lots of background info and trivia.
The Capsule Critic 