An enjoyable anthology series from Hammer House of Horror. I believe it was their final production and I think it 's one they can be proud of. The series is quite original in it's approach so you can forget about stories with vampires and instead watch a more modern take on horror which concentrates on, as the title suggests, mystery and suspense rather than blood and gore.
There were no bad stories, they all ranged from very good to average in my view.
If I'm picking my favourite episode it would have to be In Possession, followed closely by The Corvin Inheritance. Both episodes had you gripped throughout and were very well written and acted.
Then I'd pick The Sweet Scent of Death. When I look at the ratings each of the episodes have received on IMDB I think this episode is the most deserving of a higher score than it's received. It's a clever story where the suspense continues throughout and is a great setting for horror.
I'd put Mark of the Devil fourth, whilst the lead character has brought the predicament on himself, I was still routing for him and you're on edge every time he takes his shirt off or attempts to hide his markings from his fiance.
Joint fifth and Sixth I have A Distant Scream and The Late Nancy Irving. They're very clever stories but lack the pace that those stories I rate higher have.
From seventh through to tenth I'd have the following episodes all tied - Black Carrion, Last Video and Testament, And The Walls Come Tumbling Down and Czech Mate. All episodes I enjoyed to some degree or other but they didn't quite have that something my higher ranked episodes had, be it a less plausible story or a weaker ending.
In Eleventh place I'd have Paint Me A Murder. Again a good story but I just felt it deserved a more engaging ending. In Twelfth place I'd have Tennis Court, it's not bad but there are simply more stronger storylines than this. In Thirteenth place I'd have Child's Play. I think this is a bit of a marmite episode (probably only UK readers will now what I mean by this), but basically you'll either love it or dislike it. I still thought it was ok and I liked the ending but the lack of depth in the characters was such that I didn't really care what would happen to them at the end. I'm obviously going against the grain here as Child's Play is the episode reviewers rate the highest but there you go. Ultimately there isn't one of the 13 episodes that isn't worth a watch in my view.
As I was a teenager in the 80's there was a nice sense of nostalgia here looking back at the fashions, decor, cars etc.. and I think for those that remember the 80's they will get that too. It was also nice to see some familiar actors and admire their craft.
All in all I enjoyed the Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense and if you like this type of genre it's worth a watch.
