Rude Awakening

The beginning is very weird, in fact it's just like the trailer of this episode. We see things happening that we couldn't place and even when the episode really starts you never know if it is happening of if we are in a dream. It's very well done, no special effects but it's the editing that makes this episode. You have to watch very closely to sort all things out. Once you do you will be fooled again. It reminded me a bit of what they did later in Hellraiser 6, there we were in dreams too and just when you think it's all over well... The performances are great here especially Lucy Gutteridge, she appears in all kinds of persons and even has to do some nudity if you watch quickly. Anyway, typical Hammer.

Norman Shenley, an estate agent, has a dream about murdering his plain, bad-tempered wife, which leaves him free to chase his secretary, Lolly. Later that day, at a scary old house called Lower Moat Manor, Norman hears a voice say ""You shouldn't have done it, Mr Shenley... You shouldn't have killed your wife"". That evening Norman kills his wife for real - but then he wakes up and finds it was all a dream again. Somehow, real life and fantasy are becoming intertwined...

Quite a bizzarre, wacky and humorous episode that boasts a fine performance by Denholm Elliott as the Estate Agent who is confused - as we viewers are - whether dreams are real or not, Lucy Gutteridge as his secretary who dons various garbs in the dreams, and Pat Heywood as the nagging wife. The ending is quite a hoot, though a little predictable.

I really like where the Hammer House of Horror series is going, as the quality level increases with every episode I watch! The first one – "Witching Time" was nothing spectacular but still fun to watch, number two – "The Thirteenth Reunion" – already featured the more typically Hammer trademarks and suspense and this third installment "Rude Awakening" is actually very good! The plot may not be entirely original and plausible, but it's incredibly fast-paced and rich on atmosphere as well as tension. Denholm Elliot, the cool bloke from "Raiders of the Lost Ark", stars as a middle-aged estate agent haunted by a series of hallucinating nightmares… Or perhaps it's just one giant nightmare? Or maybe he's not even asleep to begin with! On Friday the 13th, Norman Shenley is lured to a remote and supposedly abandoned mansion where an uncanny voice tells him that he shouldn't have killed his wife. Suddenly the idea of murdering his wife and run off with his attractive secretary Lolly becomes very tempting, but Norman can't tell anymore whether his thoughts are real or all just dreamed. Peter Sasdy's directing is as surefooted as ever, as he creates confusion even among the viewers by implementing a bizarre dream/reality structure. The secretary's looks and attitude, for example, change in every dream and you never get to know the real her until the short movie's climax. "Rude Awakening" is low on explicit violence and bloodshed, but it oozes a dark atmosphere and most of the characters – especially the supportive ones – are pretty disturbing. It's a fantastic little film that'll keep you glued to the TV-screen for a good fifty minutes.

Estate Agent Norman Shenley receives a visit from a man called Rayburn, who's inherited a property known as Lower Moat Manor, when Shenley visits he enters into a nightmarish sequence, he wakes the following morning, but the lines between Reality and dreams are blurred.

This is exactly what happens when the balance of comedy and horror fusses together perfectly. Rude Awakening is one of the best, most memorable episodes of the series. Nightmarish, fun and very atmospheric, this one's a real winner.

You are made to question reality itself, you never feel settled into believing that the events before your eyes are real, you never know whether Norman is awake or sleeping, until the end that is, where he really does get a rude awakening.

There are some genuinely great horror sequences, I loved the scene where Norman visited Lady Studwick, that was so surreal, as was the survey of the block of flats.

Lolly's costume changes were attention grabbing, and helped to drive the story, her flair was such a contrast to Norman's dry demeanour.

A great performance from Denholm Elliott, he put in a memorable performance, James Laurenson and Lucy Gutteridge were both impressive.

9/10.

The real state agent Norman Shenley (Denholm Elliott) hates his old wife Emily Shenley (Pat Heywood) and wants to divorce her to marry his secretary Lolly (Lucy Gutteridge). When a new client wants to sell an old and isolated mansion, Norman begins to have odd nightmares, and he becomes confused between reality and dream. When Norman awakes, a surprise waits for him.

This intriguing episode has good screenplay, mixing reality with dream, but unfortunately a deceptive conclusion. Anyway this film entertains and I liked it. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Despertar Repentino" ("Sudden Awakening")

Note: On 02 Aug 2020, I saw this film again.