I enjoy watching Tales of the Unexpected, but more often than not I find it naff albeit charming. The twists are often so predictable that they fall completely flat, or so absurdly out of the blue that they just have you rolling your eyes. But there is something appealing about it's middle-England brand of gallows humour with the familiar 70s small screen actors and cosy provincial tone. This episode, however, is like no other episode I have seen. I don't know why, but this episode seems to have been a US production, filmed on location in the States with a fantastic cast who can really act. It looks and feels like a different show, one that actually feels dangerous. If you're familiar with Brad Dourif you won't be disappointed as he brings his trademark intensity to this taught little thriller that delivers tension in spades. The only disappointment is the final minute (turns out the resolution was actually something I thought we were supposed to have twigged at the start of the episode). The overall look is also cheap, but in a way that suits this episode (it's very Texas Chainsaw - sweaty, grimy and claustrophobic).
This is a surprisingly vicious and effective episode that is worth going out of your way to see.