Witching Time

In the first episode of HHofH, a narcissistic composer finds he's got a 17th century witch in the barn of his farmhouse. She's transported herself through time to escape the witchfinder and to wreak havoc in the present.

I should add that the witch has a quite wonderful "oh arrrr" West Country accent, which means she gets to go around saying things like, "You be MOIN now," while pawing her hapless male victim.

It's good fun, in a male-fantasy sort of way. Naturally this witch is a RUDE witch, floating about in a smock that doesn't come close to covering her cleavage. She's also quite keen on menacing the composer's wife in the shower, so if you are a teenage boy in the early 1980's, then this is the show for you.

Budget and time limitations being what they are, the conclusion isn't necessarily spectacular, but it's fine for 80's tv horror.

While I can't say that I was especially looking forward to this series – considering the undeniable drop in quality during Hammer's last years (I did, however, catch at least one memorable episode from its follow-up, HAMMER HOUSE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE [1984]) – this one certainly sets it off to a pretty good start. Incidentally, it was unusual to have nudity in a TV show of the era, even if – by now – this was pretty much a Hammer requisite. Here, we get a predictable but well-handled plot involving a strained relationship accentuated by the intervention of the supernatural. The 'attacks' on the heroine by the jealous witch and the latter's influence on her husband (causing his descent into near-madness) are, again, par for the course – as is, needless to say, the witch's eventual come-uppance by virtue of the elements (water and fire). The opening episode of this particular series is helped a lot by good casting (notably Patricia Quinn as the witch – alternating between hysteria, sensuality and menace) and the remote countryside setting.

As a great fan of the Hammer Studios and enthusiastic watcher of their Gothic Horror films, I wonder what took me so long to start watching their TV-series "Hammer House of Horror", which only ran for one season in 1980. Now that I've seen the first four episodes of the show, I can say that it easily satisfies my expectations so far. While this first episode "Witching Time" is maybe not the most imaginative Horror story ever told, and doesn't quite deliver the marvelous Gothic atmosphere that I love Hammer's films from the 50s to the 70s for, it doubtlessly does accomplish to tell a surprisingly spooky tale and create some genuine creepiness within fifty minutes. Film score composer David Winter (Jon Finch) is tormented by the 17th century witch Lucinda (Patricia Quinn)... While he story may be simple, but for a running time of less than an hour, it is effective and delivers many creepy moments. Northern Irish actress Patricia Quinn, who is probably best known for her role in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) as well as the fantastic Monty Python comedy "Monty Python's Meaning of Life" (1983), is wonderfully malicious in her role which fits her like a glove. Jon Finch is also quite good as David, and while Prunella Gee, who plays his adulterous actress wife, may not be the best actress ever, she is definitely nice to look at. The episode is accompanied by a nice score which plays along well with the atmosphere. Overall, "Witching Time" is a very entertaining episode with several truly creepy moments, and decent opener to the series.

David Finch is a composer of music for horror films - complete with his own home recording studio in the farmhouse he shares with his wife. One evening though, when he's working alone, a freak thunder storm interrupts his work - and summons forth a witch who has seemingly escaped in time over 300 years into the future, to evade her impending execution at the stake. Is she real, or is serial-workaholic David hallucinating? His wife, and also his doctor (embroiled in their own secret affair), soon come to David's aid, but could it be the Lucinda's powers are more than even they bargained for...

This episode made a memorable start to the much-anticipated Hammer House of Horror back in the Autumn of 1980, and makes for an effective introduction to the new series. Rocky Horror Show actress Patricia Quinn is in her element as the scheming, bewitching and sexy Lucinda - and Prunella Gee is also a worthy opponent for her as David's wife.

Look out too for Lennard Pearce as the local parish priest - a year before he found fame as Grandad in Only Fools and Horses.

There's a fair bit of nudity in this episode - I'm not sure if this was to draw the adult audience of 1980 more into the show, as was the fashion back then - but it certainly works within the context of the story, with its shades of eroticism.

All in all, a very solid start to this classic and well-loved series - and of course, there was even better to come over the coming weeks!

Although the photography and art direction don't hold a candle to Hammer Films' vintage productions for the cinema the very commonplace nature of the settings aid the impact of the story.

In such a prosaic setting Patricia Quinn as a seventeenth century witch with her frizzy titian mane and gleaming Gaelic eyes really stands out, as she gazes in wonder at modern conveniences and gleefully switches lights on and off.

The episode is doubly effective as until the very conclusion (SPOILER COMING:) the viewer is kept in doubt as to whether she ever really existed or was just a figment of the hero's imagination.