Growing Pains

ooooooooooh this is one with bad acting. For me only the child gives a good performance. The story is okay but also the editing and sonorisation could have been done much better. Watch the part with barking dog. You see that the dog doesn't bark but you hear him bark. And he bites, but hey, they are pulling the dog away but even that is bad edited. It isn't that bloody or scary. Even the beginning of the episode is sadly acted by another child. He's dying but what the hell, he's choking, no no he's doing the Sint Vitus dance, in fact it's so bad that they explain what is going on. Anyhow, it has been aired as number 4 in the series, just enjoy it as it is....

This is by no means my favourite episode, my review of Guardian Of The Abyss mentions a couple of others I particularly liked. At the time of writing this one is at the bottom of the ratings, but I quite enjoyed it. The only thing I disliked was keeping the huge rabbits in quite small cages, but at least they were not picked up by their ears. One is not supposed to review other reviews but it's sometimes hard to avoid criticizing critics who unfairly traduce, or go to the opposite extreme of lauding to the skies because of fame or sentiment. Some comments are as bizarre as a HHH plot.

Laurie (Barbara Kellerman) and Terence (Gary Bond) have important professional jobs, live in a large country house, and sound like typical middle class folks. So why the grumbles about "posh" or "exaggerated English" accents when they are no more cut glass than the Peter Cushing character in The Silent Scream? Do I detect a hint of class resentment? Of numerous criticisms of the acting, which I thought perfectly acceptable, most puzzling is the observation that during the out of control car scene, adopted son James (Matthew Blakstad) doesn't blink an eyelid. Could it be this was to convey his abnormality?

Some early adverse reviews seem to have generated a groupthink pile on.

After the death of their son William Morton (Christopher Reilly), the diplomat Laurie Morton (Barbara Kellerman) and her husband, the scientist Terence Morton (Gary Bond) adopt a boy, James (Matthew Blakstadt). From the moment James moves to Morton's house in the country on, weird things happen with the family.

"Growing Pains" is a scary tale of Hammer House of Horror, and in many moments I felt nervous with the happenings in the house. Unfortunately, I found the conclusion very disappointing for such a good story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Dor Intensa" ("Intense Pain")

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

Soon after the death of their son, Scientist Terrence Morton and his busy wife Laurie adopt James from a children's. From the very moment that James enters their lives, all manner of accidents and mishaps begin.

Unfortunately, this is one of the weakest entries, it is surely one of the least memorable. It actually has some fine ideas, the thought of a scientist trying to cultivate a protein rich plant, to feed a planet is a good concept.

The main issue I had here, the characters, at no point do any of them seem realistic, they're all caricatures, even during the shocking conclusion, they all just behave in the most bizarre fashion.

There is a certain amount of atmosphere, and there are one or two decent scenes, that sequence in the car was a good one, and instantly tells us that something is up with James, but sadly it doesn't amount to much.

The scene with poor Nipper, as he goes on a doggy attack is absolutely hilarious, it's like something from a Carry on film, with the 'savage' Rotty joining in the jaunt up the garden path.

Matthew Blackstad does a decent job here, making James a little odd, a little creepy, he certainly needles his new parents, but let's get honest, he's no Damian.

Some of the acting is a little below par, there are some very experienced actors here, at times it doesn't show.

5/10.

Originally broadcast fourth in the series of 'Hammer House of Horror', this episode gets off to a bad start when William Morton (Christopher Reilly) breaks into his father's lab, drinks some poison, and dies, badly. Staggering around on a lawn pretending to choke isn't horrifying, it is just funny.

Fast forward and William's parents, Laurie (Barbara Kellermann) and Terence (Gary Bond) adopt an odd boy called James (Matthew Blakstad), who stares a lot, speaks in a monotone, and is fairly unpleasant.

Once James arrives in the house, odd things start to happen. Things come to a head when Terence has a visit from some African dignitaries keen to hear more about how his plants and genetically modified rabbits can solve the food crisis in the Third World.

This story just doesn't go anywhere. The editing is quite poor, particularly the scenes involving the dog who goes berserk. From an early promising scene where James and Laurie are coming home which does have some chills, you expect the episode to take a different direction. It doesn't. And the ending is trite.

I have to defend the actors a bit though. The children, especially Reilly, probably suffered from poor direction. As the parents of this new devil child, Barbara Kellermann looks lost and Gary Bond looks embarrassed at the stuff they're given to do. Both were fine actors who would be given opportunities to do good work outside of this series.

I tried to like Growing Pains, and differently edited and cast it could well have worked, without the copout ending. As it is, it is only OK. It passes the time but has little else going for it.