Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay is one of the more genuinely scary stories from the Night Gallery, largely thanks to Jeanette Nolan's effective turn as the titular aunt, who is actually an ancient witch who intends to transfer her soul into the youthful body of Joanna Lowell (Michele Lee). Joanna's college professor husband Craig (James Farentino) realises what the old woman has planned and tries to stop her from succeeding. With jagged teeth and menacing eyes, Aunt Ada is a truly frightening character, her malevolence palpable. She reminds me a bit of the old gypsy woman in Drag Me To Hell which strengthens my belief that Sam Raimi is a fan of this show.
With Apologies to Mr. Hyde should be called With Apologies to the Viewer, as it's another one of those awful comedic time-wasters, this time starring Adam West as Dr. Jekyll, who isn't happy with the way his hunchbacked assistant(!) mixes his drinks.
The Flip-side to Satan stars Arte Johnson as disc jockey J. J. Wilson who latest job at a provincial radio station, hosting the midnight to 6.00am show, sees him paying for his sins. This one had great potential, the isolated radio studio perfect for some serious scares, but Johnson's semi-comedic performance means that it's less frightening than it might have been with someone less jocular in the role. I would love to have seen this one as an all-out horror -- it could have been a classic.
With Apologies to Mr. Hyde should be called With Apologies to the Viewer, as it's another one of those awful comedic time-wasters, this time starring Adam West as Dr. Jekyll, who isn't happy with the way his hunchbacked assistant(!) mixes his drinks.
The Flip-side to Satan stars Arte Johnson as disc jockey J. J. Wilson who latest job at a provincial radio station, hosting the midnight to 6.00am show, sees him paying for his sins. This one had great potential, the isolated radio studio perfect for some serious scares, but Johnson's semi-comedic performance means that it's less frightening than it might have been with someone less jocular in the role. I would love to have seen this one as an all-out horror -- it could have been a classic.