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Hammer House Of Horror - Complete Collection [1980]


RRP: £40.99
Our Price: £13.00 (subject to change)

Five star entertainment
Review date: 2008-10-01 Rating: 10 out of 10

Hammer House of Horror, one of the best horror collections you can buy, quite often at a bargainous price, is not to be missed. Allowing for personal tastes the consensus seems to be that there are 10 or 11 of the episodes which are good or very good with 2 or 3 not so good but worth a watch. Personally I would say there is only one real duffer 'Growing Pains' but a few other reviewers have expressed their like for this episode so as I said it all boils down to personal preference.
I'll quickly run thru the episodes in their chronicological order on the disc for ease though as one reviewer stated this was not the order in which they were originally aired.

The House that Bled to Death - A lot of peoples favourite episode concerning a family who have moved into a house where a gruesome murder had taken place. Good solid episode with an appropriate and deserving conclusion!

The Silent Scream - Excellent episode with Peter Cushing as the proprietor of a pet shop with a difference. Incredulous that one reviewer here doesn't like it!

The Two Faces of Evil - Enjoyable, slows to a crawl occasionally but good story and good finale concerning evil doppelgangers.

The Mark of Satan - I'm a little bit ambivalent about this one, interesting though strange exploration of demonic possession.

Witching Time - A 17th century witch returns to haunt the occupants of her old farmhouse. Unremarkable but fine.

Visitor From the Grave - Lots of people don't like this one, I do however. The episode most guilty of staging set pieces which are far fetched if not impossible in light of what is really happening in the story. A woman is haunted by the ghost of a man she has killed. Great ending I thought.

Rude Awakening - Estate Agent Denholm Elliot struggles to differentiate between dreams and reality. Don't bother watching the intro sequence before the music with this episode as it just shows excerpts of what happens in the forthcoming programme.

Charlie Boy - Voodoo doll with a bad attitude, good.

Children of the Full Moon - Great episode, Diana Dors puts in a suitably sinister performance as the mother figure of a whorde of children in a large isolated house who put up stranded unwary travellers.

The Thirteenth Reunion - Another strong episode concerning bizarre deaths and happenings between a health centre for the overweight and a funeral parlour. Nice story.

The Carpathian Eagle - Suzanne Danielle, if you can remember her from the 70's and 80's, dispatches men who fall for her considerable charms. No guesswork required in this one as she is revealed early on and nice that the programme doesn't try to con you otherwise. Good in a typical Hammer, sexy kind of way.

Guardian of the Abyss - Quite good devil worship/sacrifice episode

Growing Pains - Didn't think much of this one. Annoyingly posh child actors and all a bit silly really.

The series stands the test of time incredibly well and provides a great legacy for Hammer as an institution, very very recommended; even if you don't like every episode there are enough truely classic episodes here for any fan of well written horror.


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Reviews


Brings back those memories
Review date: 2008-01-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

I first watched this great little horror series as a very impressionable 12 year old back in the eighties.I loved it then and i love it now,even if it has dated.

You have some great little stories here that bring back the days of the hammer horror movies and a cast of actors many will recognise even if some were just starting out on the road to stardom.

My favourite episodes were the silent scream which included a chilling turn from Peter Cushing and a young Brian Cox.

Children of the full moon which included the lovely Diana Dors as the sinister owner of a country house.

All these episodes brought back memories of the great hammer films from my childhood,back in the days when people knew how to scare and cause unease without resorting to throwing buckets of blood around like the cheap and nasty gorefests that show in the cinema today.

So if you like your horror with a good story,chilling characters that scare you even more when most look like every day people you can trust.Then just pull up a chair in front of the fire on a winters night,dim the lights and sit back and enjoy.

'Collection Of A Classic Series'
Review date: 2007-06-15 Rating: 8 out of 10

Not only are the vast majority of the programmes contained here thoroughly entertaining but watching them is sure to bring back so many other 70's related memories. Each episode begins 'straight in' just to build up the tension before the classic HHOH creepy music comes in. With the footage of that big old house and it's very creepy grounds you know every time that as soon as the guy at the end of the scene pulls back that curtain you're going to be scared! While some of the tales on here are better than others ('The House That Bled To Death' and 'Charley Boy' are particularly good) all are indelibly stamped with the classic 'Hammer feel' and I feel bring 70's Britain back to life. I loved watching these old programmes again as much for the glimpses it gave me of so many now classic cars as anything! Mini's, Ford Escorts and God, how I still love those old Rover 3.5's that used to be cop cars everywhere, remember? There were even places to park in those days too!!!
Stick a T Rex cd on first then sit down and watch this, I guarantee that if your a horror fan and liked the recent 'Life on Mars' series you will love this too. Return to a much less scarey era for a few hours and for once be scared by something that is NOT real. BUY THIS!

not all episodes are very well played. 3 episodes are a bit weak.
Review date: 2007-02-10 Rating: 8 out of 10

- the carpathian eagle: the plot is a bit silly. A murder is a woman, what the police officer has already accused & investigated her more detail. Basic Instinct with Sharon Stone is much better than this one.
- the rude awakening: Denholm Elliot's acting is really rubbish, funny but childish. he can't make a difference between reality and nightmare.
- the visitor from the grave: the story again is a little bit weak. It has nothing to do with a real devil worship, but the cruel plan is based on the intriges (Money greedy), where the husband betrays his silly naive wife.

- The house that bled to death: It is absolutely a chilling story and the plot is very well played. The motiv is the curse of old murdering house.
- The guardian of Abyss: I like this one. A Human sacrifice must be done. It has a deal with the supernatural power/Devil Worship. The whole actings are really well played.
- Growing pains: I like this mystery one. A family son was killed by the accident and his parents adopt a new boy from the orphan house. The late son comes to terrrorize the family again.
- Charlie boy: Probably this is perhaps the best episode of this Boxset DVD. It tells about a voodoo curse everyone cannot excape.
- the silent scream: Peter Cushing is a chilling guy. The plot is acted very well. The plot has actually nothing to do with a supernatural power but alot to do with a human madness. The only silly act is the acting of Chuck's wife. She doesn't tell anything about the cases to the policemen. That is the only one esperience that totally lacks the logical sense.
- the mark of evil: this one is again a bit silly story. It has nothing to do with a supernatural power but with a paranoia world. The guy was a psychotic type in the hospital.
- the witching time: this is one of the best of all episodes. It tells about a young witch who escapes from the year of 1632. She enters a new world in 1980.
- the thirteen reunion: this is one of the best of all episodes. It tells about the story of cannibalism. The young reporter must investigate the case and finally she becomes a victim of cannibalism.
- the children of the full moon: this is one of the best of all episodes. It tells about a werewolf. He captures the couples in the wood and raped her wife to give him a birth of werewolf - baby.
- the two faces of evil: this is the best haunting mystery. The evil power takes over the human shapes and bodies after the car accident.


Two Faces of Evil
Review date: 2006-05-06 Rating: 6 out of 10

I was just reminiscing the other day that when I was about 10 I stayed at my Nan's in Birmingham and watched Two faces oif Evil. I don't think I've ever remember being more scared of a film!! Good ol' Hammer - corny but great!!

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Peter Cushing
Pierce Brosnan
Brian Cox
Diana Dors
Denholm Elliott

Creators:
Pierce Brosnan (Primary Contributor)
Peter Cushing (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: ITV DVD
Manufacturer: ITV DVD
EAN: 5037115040930
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: Box set, PAL,
Release date: 2002-10-14
Number of discs: 4
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 660 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1980
Language: English (Original Language)

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