The classic small screen horror series comes to Blu-ray

Network have given a glorious treatment to one of the core TV horror series of the 1970s and 80s. The tympani’s descending perfect fifth led into that iconic C minor theme tune (which I have to admit still turns up when I’m improvising at the organ, such is the effect it had), and a motley series of tales. Not all of them were Hammer at its finest – but then that can be said of quite a bit of the studio’s output over the years – but none of the thirteen episodes fails to be entertaining.

Audiences were treated to fine casts – from Peter Cushing and Brian Cox in The Silent Scream (a scene from which I could vividly remember and describe thirty-five years after its first transmission – and which when I rewatched it was even nastier than I recalled!) to Warren Clarke and Denholm Elliott. Devotees of the genre will have fun spotting the others (The Amazing Mr Blunden’s Rosalyn Landor and a very young Pierce Brosnan among them). Rocky Horror’s Patricia Quinn is gloriously over the top in Witching Time, but most of the performances are reined in.

If you’ve caught these episodes on the old ITV3 reruns, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by just how crystal clear they look in this new presentation (even if the high definition does rather show up some of the budgetary problems). You sometimes get the feel that those running the series weren’t quite sure exactly what tack to take – there’s a Tales of the Unexpected feel at times rather than the full-on gore that audiences might have expected – but they show Hammer’s willingness to try to embrace a different format.

Verdict: Although never quite reaching classic status, some of these stories still have the power to shock. 6/10

Paul Simpson