Sexyloutak
Absolutely the worst movie.
Kailansorac
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Kien Navarro
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Leofwine_draca
BBC4 have been showing a handful of episodes of this long-lost supernatural anthology series from 1977, so here are my thoughts on individual episodes: VIKTORIA - the weakest story thus far, but not without a certain atmosphere. This is a family-based tale focused around a creepy life-sized doll and the strange girl who owns it. The story is worthy of note in featuring both Judy Cornwell (KEEPING UP APPEARANCES) and Lewis Fiander (DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE) in strong roles as housekeeper and husband respectively, and an intricate little, character-focused storyline filled with twists and turns. It's not particularly frightening or stand out-ish, but it is creepy so that counts for somethingNIGHT OF THE MARIONETTES - TV favourite Gordon Jackson stars as a scholar hot on the trail of Mary Shelley who falls foul of the strange proprietor of a roadside inn and his lifesize creations. The actress who plays the possessed daughter went on to become THE WOMAN IN BLACK in the long-lost '80s adaptation of that novel. This one is weird rather than scary, although it has some memorably weird highlights.DORABELLA - the last of the series is also my favourite, thus far. It's a vampire story in which a couple of youthful men are the victims for a change; the gender reversal brings back fond memories of the likes of VAMPYRES and DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS. This episode is quite remarkable for the way in which it builds a rich Gothic atmosphere and a sense of dread which go hand-in-hand throughout. It's visually beautiful, full of stunning imagery like jet-black carriages, desolate beaches and of course the expected creepy castles. All in all a great twist on the vampire legend.
Radish4ever
Its a crime that this BBC series, Supernatural (1977) never got repeated or had a legitimate DVD release. 8 episodes where broadcast. The opening credits were chilling, organ music to shots of gargoyle type statues. The story was simple, there exists a club of the damned, for membership the applicant must tell a true horror story, and the story must be very scary. The club consisted of a small room of cigar smoking English gentleman. If just one of them was not scared, or did not believe the story was real, then the penalty was death. As you can imagine each episode had a twist in the taleThe opener Ghosts of Venice, while good, was a little slow, Countess Lionna & Werewolf reunion was a 2 parter. The countess got together all her ex lovers in one room in ep 1. In ep 2 (the werewolf reunion) The last shot of the shadow of the werewolf moving towards the last victim, is one of the scariest scenes I have ever seen, I was 10 but it stuck with me seeing this, this episode made me a lifelong fan of the show. Mr Nightingale was Jeremy Brett at his best in a Jeckyll and Hyde story. The other stores where lady Sybill, Viktoria (with chilling last scene of a doll walking into the club with a life of its own), Night of the Marrionettes and Dorabella. Of these Dorabella was the best. A episode similar to the works of of Bram Stoker.My favourite anthology horror series, I have wrote countless letters and emails about this, mostly to the BBC asking them to repeat it. Seems its going to stay lost in their vaults. I hope it somehow gets a DVD release as any true horror fan needs to own this series. Anyone under 45 probably wont even know it ever existed. Criminal.
Steve_L
I just got a set of these on DVD. I have to say I like them as good examples of well-made drama. They're well-acted, well-scripted, very atmospheric, great characterisations and all that, but they do seem a bit slow at times. While I realise this is the essence of this style of Gothic horror, there were times when I felt I was sitting waiting for something to happen, and often when the final credits start to roll, I found myself thinking, "was that it?", so I can understand the idea of them being thought a bit boringThat said, the horror bits when they arrive are chilling and unsettling rather than in-your-face, and all the better for it. The casts give great performances throughout; even without the horror element they're superb pieces of drama. And they simply look gorgeous throughout.Here are my appraisals of the episodes. May contain spoilers: GHOST OF VENICE An actor returns to Venice to right a wrong from long ago - but what is real and what is imagined? Not a great opener. Scare factor pretty low, lots of long slow bits where little happens, a little disappointing. The storyline tends to wander a bit, leaving you wondering where it's all going. Nicely wrapped up at the end though, and a superb performance from Robert Hardy. COUNTESS ILONA The Countess invites her ex-lovers to join her at her castle - but with what motive? And what of the rumours concerning her ex-husband? A great piece of drama with a fine performance from Ian Hendry. There is little horror subject matter throughout most of this, so you can almost forget you're watching a horror. It is subtly implied by mutterings and frantic POV-shots, and the ending is similarly more implied than revealed, to great effect. The series starts to find its feet. THE WEREWOLF REUNION Following from the previous episode, the tension builds to a powerful climax, with wonderful performances from all concerned. The series is now in full stride. MR NIGHTINGALE A quiet, shy man is slowly possessed by his rather vile alter-ego, with devastating consequences for his host family. One of the better episodes. A stunning performance from Jeremy Brett at his cackling, insane best. LADY SYBIL An imagined stalking phantom (or is it? What are those wet footprints leading from the river?) is haunting Lady Sybil, but what do her sons have to do with all this? This one's a bit nutty. At times slow and meandering, hard to follow where it's going, and the ending is a real "huh?" moment. Still the performances are sublime, especially Denholm Elliott' finale as the demented, clown-faced son. VIKTORIA A neglected daughter uses the spirit of her down-trodden (and murdered) mother to take revenge on her debauched father and scheming governess. A series highlight for me. Well-paced and atmospheric, with nice acting and good scene setting. The scene where the ghosts appear to the father as he drinks by the fireside is one that has stayed with me since I first saw this nearly 30 years ago! If you are at all creeped out by dolls - don't watch this! NIGHT OF THE MARIONETTES A student of Mary Shelley brings his family to a Bavarian hotel, where the owners stage bizarre, Frankenstein-like marionette shows. Another high-point. The horror is less subtle and much more in your face, but it loses none of its character and atmosphere. Some good chilling moments that genuinely shock. Fine performances, especially Gordon Jackson and Vladek Sheybal DORABELLA A friend watches helpless as he sees his friend become more and more obsessed with a sinister but alluring vampire. Can he escape the same fate himself? Not one of the best episodes to end the series, IMHO, but by no means a weak one. Fine performances and characterisation and plenty of suspense, tension and atmosphere.
Theo Robertson
When I first found this website about four years ago I remember trying to get information on THE SUPERNATURAL but there was none and it's only very recently someone has gone to the time and trouble of registering it . Hopefully someone can contribute more info at a later date .As for myself I can remember bits of it . The title credits start with a blast of organ music with the camera panning across Gothic images of gargoyles . I remember it seemed very effective at the time when I was aged ten or eleven years old . Each episode was self contained with someone being invited to an English Victorian club where they had to relate a true supernatural event in their life to be allowed membership and as with all these type of anthology stories they'd be a twist at the end . One of the stories was spread over two episodes and featured several gentlemen staying at a remote mansion in central Europe where a werewolf stalks them , another featured a doll that comes to life while another episode stars Gordon Jackson in a tale that reworks Frankenstien . It's interesting to note that this episode is unique in that the club members think this tale has no basis in fact , it's a made up storyThe production values were typical of the BBC of the time , ie it was made rather cheaply with very obvious studio exteriors . I also recall letters to the Radio Times were very mixed with some viewers thinking THE SUPERNATURAL was a load of rubbish while some thought it was a fairly good drama . I personally liked watching it on a Saturday night but there again I was still only a child and it should also be pointed out that the BBC dropped the series after one season while the IMDb hasn't exactly been deludged with either info or reviews for this show which unfortunately may say something about its qualityUpdate Nov 2014 . After seeing the BBC 4 repeats it's as I suspected . Painfully slow , stagey acting and static directing and twists you can probably see a coming a mile away
