The only thing I lament about the great British Hammer Studios' short running TV-series "Hammer House of Horror" (1980), is the fact that it ran for only one season. This sixths episode, "Charlie Boy", was the last episode I had yet to see, which is a strange coincidence since it was directed by Robert Young, the director of my personal all-time favorite Hammer film, the brilliant "Vampire Circus" of 1971. "Charlie Boy" is yet another episode that delivers the goods, this one treating the wonderful Horror-topic of Voodoo.
Graham (Leigh Lawson) has inherited a collection of valuable art from his late uncle. When he and his girlfriend Sarah (Angela Bruce) make use of an African Voodoo Fetish (which they have named 'Charlie') for fun, they soon have to realize that the thing works... and kills! Even though it is not quite one of the best episodes of the series (the absolute highlight was 7th episode, "The Silent Scream" starring Peter Cushing), "Charlie Boy" overall is a highly entertaining, tense and macabre entry to the series. The story may not be terribly original, but it is very-well executed, and becomes quite tense towards the end. A sense for black humor is not neglected. The voodoo fetish 'Charlie' is a nice little set-piece and looks as if it could come straight from one of Hammer's great Horror films of the 60s and 70s. The episode is also one of the bloodier ones of the series. Overall "Charlie Boy" is not the most brilliant or suspenseful entry to "Hammer House of Horror", but it is doubtlessly a macabre and immensely entertaining one that should not be missed by my fellow Hammer fans.
Graham (Leigh Lawson) has inherited a collection of valuable art from his late uncle. When he and his girlfriend Sarah (Angela Bruce) make use of an African Voodoo Fetish (which they have named 'Charlie') for fun, they soon have to realize that the thing works... and kills! Even though it is not quite one of the best episodes of the series (the absolute highlight was 7th episode, "The Silent Scream" starring Peter Cushing), "Charlie Boy" overall is a highly entertaining, tense and macabre entry to the series. The story may not be terribly original, but it is very-well executed, and becomes quite tense towards the end. A sense for black humor is not neglected. The voodoo fetish 'Charlie' is a nice little set-piece and looks as if it could come straight from one of Hammer's great Horror films of the 60s and 70s. The episode is also one of the bloodier ones of the series. Overall "Charlie Boy" is not the most brilliant or suspenseful entry to "Hammer House of Horror", but it is doubtlessly a macabre and immensely entertaining one that should not be missed by my fellow Hammer fans.