And the Wall Came Tumbling Down

Plans to pull down down a Church hit a snag, an old wall inside holds an ancient and powerful, satanic force.

It is horror, but it relies on the imagination to do some of the work, the main strength here is the atmosphere, it's incredibly moody and sinister, they went to great lengths to generate a murky atmosphere, and they succeeded.

Gareth Hunt is the standout, by far the best one in it, he shines, even if some of the acting in support is a little wooden. I'm not the biggest fan of Peter Wyngarde, and I'd say he's true to form here. Patricia Hayes is a delight.

It's a pretty good watch. 7/10

Billed as a comeback for Peter Wyngarde. He did a Doctor Who episode earlier that year. The press decided to be rather sniffy about this Hammer story.

And the Wall Came Tumbling Down has an atmospheric beginning. In 1649 a young artist called Martin admits to his sins of partaking in witchcraft. He blurts out the names of witches who are burned at the stake.

Martin is holed inside the alcove of the church by his tormentor and head of the coven, Daniel Haswell (Peter Wyngarde.)

In the present day the church in London is about to be demolished. Much to the consternation of the site manager Peter Whiteway (Gareth Hunt) there are a series of incidents. He is told by American Caroline Trent (Barbi Benton) that some paranormal energy is trying to escape.

A young man called Alan wanted to see the church one more time before it is demolished. Only to be wanted for his girlfriend's death. He looks a lot like Martin.

Then there is the case of General Haswell who also has an interest in the church. He's a big believer in nuclear armageddon.

This is a pretty flawed story up to a point where it does not make sense and goes off the rails. I don't know how Caroline kept a straight face as she explains to the police what could had caused the deaths.

First viewing: November 1984 / Second viewing: October 2003

While this did not inspire the Style Council hit of the following year, "Walls Come Tumbling Down", this "Hammer House Of Mystery And Suspense" episode nevertheless ended the series on a high note. Well it was the last one broadcast on Irish TV back in 1984 anyway.

A stirring performance from Gareth "Maxwell House" Hunt provides a key ingredient in our enjoyment of this episode. With credible flashbacks to "witching times" and a relatively spooky atmosphere in the old church, "And The Wall Came Tumbling Down" is a chastening tale of love, betrayal and sacrifice for a man's beliefs. To it I bestow 7/10

I was truly amazed by this pure British horror yarn, a very spooky flick that doesn't surprise me. I knew this series provided such gems. This one is among the best. It deserves to be watched several times, because many details are important to fully appreciate this story and may be easily missed if you don't watch it closely enough. The atmosphere is the same as the one you often find in those British horror stories, with always a large spice of gothic element. Just a shame that this tv series was not more widely shown.

This episode, unlike almost all the others, bases its entirety on paranormal phenomena, and more particularly on a place that is its center. Really very valid episode that brings a breath of fresh air to the series that was becoming all the same, thanks to very nice finds, obviously it has its problems as first of all the unrealism of what happens that for the canons of the series is perhaps slightly too much. Then it also has several plot problems and an ending that is too hasty and forced, it seems in fact that everything culminates somehow well but too hastily and botched to be really done right.