The House That Bled to Death (1980)

Too much of everything

So much average

hyped garbage

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

The fifth episode in Hammer's short-lived series of TV horror movies is one of the best. It's a fairly typical haunted house offering, made with strong production values and sure-hand direction from none other than Tom Clegg, the man best known as the director of the long-running SHARPE series. Probably the worst thing about this episode is the familiarity of the events. The old 'family move into house haunted by a murder of the past' thing has been done to death, and little that happens – the death of the cat, for instance – has the power or freshness to surprise.Saying that, the titular sequence – taking place at a children's birthday party – turns out to be well-staged and colourful, and there are a few brief, bloody shock scenes courtesy of SFX man Ian Scoones. Most surprising of all is the twist ending, which was a then-topical exploration of the whole AMITYVILLE HORROR furore done in a distinctly British way. The cast is interesting: TV actor Nicholas Ball (most recently appearing as a mob boss in EASTENDERS) is the unlikable husband, Rachel Davies (BOON) his sexy wife. None other than Brian Croucher, another TV staple, shows up as a Peeping Tom neighbour. It's not a fantastic TV movie, but it's well made and entertaining, and has that 'Hammer' feel – mostly down to the film's score, by composer James Bernard, which recalls his work on the Dracula films.

A struggling young family moves in to a fixer-upper house, unaware of the brutal murder committed there by the previous owner. And of course the plot thickens as the blood flows ...I read a good review of the series, which said this was the best episode - so I gave it a lash. O.M.G. An appalling piece of trash. Very poorly written, with a story nicked from Amityville that finishes in a ludicrous rush, plus the most ham-fisted dialogue and characterisation. They even get the maths wrong in the end. The direction is barely present, with no sense of the house as a character, and the photography is dull dull dull.The actors are OK, but they had zero to work with. And the camera lingering on the children seemed a bit creepy to me. The only thing I can praise is the music - only because it's not as bad as the rest.Overall - just don't.

If you are familiar with the Hammer TV series you'll most probably know this one or have heard about it at least. "The House that bled to Death" is probably the creepiest of all the TV episode's that Hammer released. If you are watching the DVD box-set of the TV series this one marks the 5th title for your viewing pleasure and is undoubtedly the most out and out horror shorts of the box-set. A young couple and their daughter (William, Emma and Sophie Peters played by Nicholas Ball, Rachel Davies and Emma Ridley) move into a new house at 42 Coleman road in which the previous owner has killed his wife for no explained reason. After moving in and settling down creepy things start to happen, first for young Sophie but soon enough William and Emma experience spooky events too. The straw which broke the ratings for me is the end - I won't spoil it but after a great build up the last few minutes is a bit of a weird twist and ultimately a let down - especially after the amazing birthday party which had been thrown for Sophie. If this wasn't branded and packaged as a Hammer production I'd have some serious concerns about messages of child abuse from watching this as everything that Sophie is dear to gets destroyed or killed off by the end - you'll see! Directed by Tom Clegg and written by David Lloyd this short featured a fairly unknown cast but all manage to deliver excellently. There is a creepy atmosphere throughout the feature, genuinely scary moments with clever twists and turns as well as the occasional moment of dark humour. I'll happily give this 5 out of 10, not the best Hammer production, not the worst, but certainly creative one and manages to bring a flood of crimson to the screen like only Hammer can.

Those good old days of Hammer, aah what a time that was. I remember that my dad used to watch it on air on ITV and sometimes if i had the nerve I watched with him. It must have been my first confrontation with the genre I love now. The season they made in 1980 is available for some time but I was a bit afraid to watch it again, not for the scary parts but when you take a trip down memorylane sometimes it's a big letdown. I had that before by watching Magnum and Dukes of Hazard, my god, so slow. Tales of The Unexpected couldn't deliver what it did when it was broadcasted so after 20 years I tried Hammer again. I will watch them in no particular order because it all stands on his own. Know for not being one of the best parts in the 13 episodes it's what I guessed a bit slow but still it delivers. Children are involved and they will confront a blood bath, a real one. Even dismemberment and a sliced cat passes the episode. If you place it in the time it was aired it was a bit gory for the time being. It isn't a Friday the 13th or like those slashers but is nice to watch. It clocks in at 50 minutes and that's really enough. The plot is what I guessed but with almost no effects it works. Hammer not on his best, but still it's Hammer.