Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984)

Country of Origin: UK
Date(s) of Broadcast: 5 September 1984 - 9 May 1986
Number of Seasons: 1
Total Number of Episodes: 13
Average Episode Running Times: 90 mins
Format: colour     35mm
Ratio: 1.33:1
Sound: mono

PLOT SUMMARY

A second anthology series of horror films from the Hammer stable.

The new title was warning enough that this was going to be a very different series to Hammer House of Horror and Fox's insistence that the show be broadcast during primetime resulted in an anemic and bitty show that lacked the quality of its predecessor and more or less dispensed with the overt horror and supernatural elements. The episodes lacked any thematic coherence, ranging from industrial espionage thrillers to sub-giallo slashers to anemic horror vignettes that sorely missed the gothic sensibilities normally associated with the Hammer name. Shot on a miniscule budget (around £4 million for the entire series) and trying too hard to please both US and British audiences simultaneously, Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense emerged as a bland and faceless affair with none of the standout tales of Hammer House of Horror.

EPISODES

Mark of the Devil (5 September 1984)
Last Video and Testament (12 September 1984)
Czech Mate (17 January 1986)
A Distant Scream (24 January 1986)
The Late Nancy Irving (7 February 1986)
In Possession (7 March 1986)
Black Carrion (14 March 1986)
Sweet Scent of Death (4 April 1986)
Paint Me a Murder (11 April 1986)
The Corvini Inheritance (18 April 1986)
And the Wall Came Tumbling Down (25 April 1986)
Child's Play (2 May 1986)
Tennis Court (9 May 1986)

UK
Television Distributor: ITV

1984
September
5: UK - Mark of the Devil television broadcast (on ITV)
12: UK - Last Video and Testament television broadcast (on ITV)

1986
January
17: UK - Czech Mate television broadcast (on ITV)
24: UK - A Distant Scream television broadcast (on ITV)

February
7: UK - The Late Nancy Irving television broadcast (on ITV)

March
7: UK - In Possession television broadcast (on ITV)
14: UK - Black Carrion television broadcast (on ITV)

April
4: UK - Sweet Scent of Death television broadcast (on ITV)
11: UK - Paint Me a Murder television broadcast (on ITV)
18: UK - The Corvini Inheritance television broadcast (on ITV)
25: UK - And the Wall Came Tumbling Down television broadcast (on ITV)

May
2: UK - Child's Play television broadcast (on ITV)
9: UK - Tennis Court television broadcast (on ITV)

Fox Mystery Theatre - US title
Histoires singulières - French title

SEQUEL TO
Hammer House of Horror (1984)

MAGAZINES

Cinefantastique vol.15 no.1 (January 1985) p.13 (USA)
review

Dark Terrors no.7 (October - December 1993) pp.26-32 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, article

Screen International no.419 (5 November 1983) p.51 (UK)
credits

Screen International no.452 (30 June 1984) pp.13, 14 (UK)
review

BOOKS

The Complete Directory to Science Fiction and Horror Television Series pp.325-326
credits, episode guide

KEYWORDS

anthologies