This is undoubtedly the most disturbing of the series of thirteen "Hammer House Of Horrors" episodes released in the early eighties. It's a sort of combination of "The Hitcher" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." Of course its quite low budget in the typical Hammer tradition, but it has an unsettling atmosphere as a woman struggles with the fact that the man in her holiday cottage is either her husband or her husband's killer. The story is fast paced with a twist at the end that you might not see coming. One of the best "made for TV" horror films.
20 Reviews
one of the better episodes
trashgang28 April 2010
30 years old but still working those good old Hammer series. This is one of the better ones. It has suspense in it and it has blood in it. remember that it was made for television and not for cinema so gore wasn't allowed but still here we have an example how horror must be done. The camera mostly uses wide lenses and zooms in closely what is given a special effect of the face. Mostly shots are also made from below the face what makes it again a bit spooky. But what works most of all is the use of back-flashes. First you almost see nothing but from then on the woman is seeing more and more until everything is solved we think but it is never explained who the guy with the fingernail is and what his purpose is. still, for the time being it is creepy as stated before, remember that it was for television. Worth watching if you like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.
Intriguing episode
Woodyanders9 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Janet (well played with tremendous conviction and intensity by Anna Calder-Marshall), her husband Martin (a credible performance by Gary Richmond), and their son David (adorable Paul Hawkins) pick up a mysterious hitchhiker while driving cross country. They barely survive a brutal automobile accident. Janet begins to realize soon thereafter that her husband isn't himself anymore.
Director Alan Gibson relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, ably crafts an eerie and unsettling nightmarish atmosphere, and pulls out the stirring stops at the lively and exciting climax. Ranald Graham's compelling script keeps the viewer guessing right to the startling conclusion about what's really going on. Moreover, there are sound supporting contributions from Pauline Delaney as a sinister hospital matron, Philip Latham as friendly physician Hargreaves, and Brenda Cowling as the cheery Nurse Davies. The stylish cinematography by Frank Watts makes artful use of askew angles and wide lenses that add substantially to the overall disorienting mood. A super creepy show.
Director Alan Gibson relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, ably crafts an eerie and unsettling nightmarish atmosphere, and pulls out the stirring stops at the lively and exciting climax. Ranald Graham's compelling script keeps the viewer guessing right to the startling conclusion about what's really going on. Moreover, there are sound supporting contributions from Pauline Delaney as a sinister hospital matron, Philip Latham as friendly physician Hargreaves, and Brenda Cowling as the cheery Nurse Davies. The stylish cinematography by Frank Watts makes artful use of askew angles and wide lenses that add substantially to the overall disorienting mood. A super creepy show.
Stayed with me for twenty years
vaclavn7 May 2004
I saw this twenty years ago when it was first broadcast - I was a kid at the time and my babysitter let me stay me up late to see it because she was too scared to watch Hammer House of Horror on her own!
Granted, it's got the usual Hammer failings, but nevertheless I don't think I've ever seen any film on TV which scared me as much. Much of this is due to Anna Calder Marshall's intense performance. I agree with a previous reviewer that no other actress could have conveyed the growing sense of hysteria so convincingly - given the plot, the film could very easily have veered off into the ridiculous. It's testament to her skill as an actress that you instead stay gripped for the entire length of the film.
Amazingly, I saw the film again recently and instead of being disappointed (always a danger with revisited memories) this was still excellent.
Granted, it's got the usual Hammer failings, but nevertheless I don't think I've ever seen any film on TV which scared me as much. Much of this is due to Anna Calder Marshall's intense performance. I agree with a previous reviewer that no other actress could have conveyed the growing sense of hysteria so convincingly - given the plot, the film could very easily have veered off into the ridiculous. It's testament to her skill as an actress that you instead stay gripped for the entire length of the film.
Amazingly, I saw the film again recently and instead of being disappointed (always a danger with revisited memories) this was still excellent.
You'll never pick a hitcher up ever again.
Sleepin_Dragon14 June 2017
Janet and Martin are driving through the country with son David, on a typical wet British holiday, they see a hitchhiker on the road and pick him up, they end up wishing they had left him on the road side.
The opening scenes are utterly fantastic, and really pull the viewer in, some of the creepiest scenes from the series. I would imagine that finger nail caused many a nightmare.
The two lead actors were perfectly cast, Gary Raymond manages to switch from dad tongue sinister wild eyed hitcher, he has true menace, which is perfectly balanced by the softness but truthful performance of Anna Calder Marshall, a wonderful actress.
The plot is a good one, straight out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, so sci fi horror fans should enjoy this, a little slow in parts but a dark ending. The hospital scenes remain ever terrifying.
Something of an enigma, how and why are not explained, I enjoyed that element of it.
7/10.
The opening scenes are utterly fantastic, and really pull the viewer in, some of the creepiest scenes from the series. I would imagine that finger nail caused many a nightmare.
The two lead actors were perfectly cast, Gary Raymond manages to switch from dad tongue sinister wild eyed hitcher, he has true menace, which is perfectly balanced by the softness but truthful performance of Anna Calder Marshall, a wonderful actress.
The plot is a good one, straight out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, so sci fi horror fans should enjoy this, a little slow in parts but a dark ending. The hospital scenes remain ever terrifying.
Something of an enigma, how and why are not explained, I enjoyed that element of it.
7/10.
Evil has two faces
and one filthy long fingernail!
Coventry26 December 2006
The last-but-one installment in Hammer's House of Horror saga is a very atmospheric and tense tale, but sadly lacking excitement and memorable horrific moments. It's perhaps the most mysterious episode of them all, since the plot effectively keeps you guessing about what's going on, but the climax is unsatisfying and not answering all the questions that were raised during the build-up. "The Two Faces of Evil" opens with a model family on the road for a well-deserved vacation when the wife suddenly spots a mysteriously uncanny figure dressed in a long yellow raincoat. This same figure is standing at the side of the road in the pouring rain later and they offer him a ride. He promptly attacks the father and the car crashes. The wife and young son wake up unharmed in the hospital, but the father is heavily injured with pieces of glass stuck in his throat. The woman is asked to identify the body of the hitcher who supposedly died in the accident but he looks identical like her husband, only missing a hand. When they continue their vacation in spite of everything, Janet notices that her husband behaves very strangely and she even starts to wonder if isn't someone else
The storyline is rather ambitious and atypical for a Hammer production, with subtle creepiness instead of wild shocks and almost no bloodshed at all. In some aspects, the story reminded me of the Sci-Fi classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and there definitely are worse things to get compared with! Alan Gibson's ("The Satanic Rites of Dracula") direction is masterful and very surefooted, with a detailed eye for the macabre set pieces. Especially the scenes in the hospital's eerie mortuary are gripping. Gibson was also responsible for the absolute greatest episode in the H.H.H series, namely "The Silent Scream" starring Peter Cushing and Brian Cox. This episode's cast doesn't star familiar names, but the performances are really good and convincing.
Would Anybody Else Have Stopped For That Hitch-Hiker??
kidboots7 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
....I doubt it!!! I bought "Hammer House of Horror" DVDs on the recommendation of some Amazon reviews and even though I have only seen one episode, I am more than convinced it is has been a good buy.
When Martin Lewis (Gary Raymond) stops to pick up a hitch hiker, his wife, Janet, is not convinced and with good reason - as he looks really scary!! A looming figure in a yellow fisherman's raincoat, as soon as he is in the car he attacks the driver, causing a massive crash. Next thing you know, Janet is waking up in a very creepy hospital and knowing she has to get her family out of there.
Although I am not familiar with Anna Calder Marshall - I have a vague recollection of seeing her in "Wuthering Heights" and a "Midsomer Murder" episode where she played one of the local oddballs. I agree, her edgy intensity carries this episode - she knows something is wrong but is it her husband, the hospital staff - even herself?? And you get carried along with her.
Martin is finally bought home - even though it looks as like he could easily have spent another month recuperating in hospital. His whole demeanour reminded me of the hitchhiker and when Janet calms down enough to make a cup of tea and he suddenly hovers over her, I was shouting at the set "Look behind you, behind you"!!! The out doorsy home help nurse brings a bit of normality with her when she pays a visit - or does she??? Doesn't she have an odd glint in her eye and should she really be ripping off his bandages like that!! The ending is in keeping with the episode and very reminiscent of "The Stepford Wives". Excellent episode, if you feel like being scared - you will be!!!
When Martin Lewis (Gary Raymond) stops to pick up a hitch hiker, his wife, Janet, is not convinced and with good reason - as he looks really scary!! A looming figure in a yellow fisherman's raincoat, as soon as he is in the car he attacks the driver, causing a massive crash. Next thing you know, Janet is waking up in a very creepy hospital and knowing she has to get her family out of there.
Although I am not familiar with Anna Calder Marshall - I have a vague recollection of seeing her in "Wuthering Heights" and a "Midsomer Murder" episode where she played one of the local oddballs. I agree, her edgy intensity carries this episode - she knows something is wrong but is it her husband, the hospital staff - even herself?? And you get carried along with her.
Martin is finally bought home - even though it looks as like he could easily have spent another month recuperating in hospital. His whole demeanour reminded me of the hitchhiker and when Janet calms down enough to make a cup of tea and he suddenly hovers over her, I was shouting at the set "Look behind you, behind you"!!! The out doorsy home help nurse brings a bit of normality with her when she pays a visit - or does she??? Doesn't she have an odd glint in her eye and should she really be ripping off his bandages like that!! The ending is in keeping with the episode and very reminiscent of "The Stepford Wives". Excellent episode, if you feel like being scared - you will be!!!
They're Coming To Get Us
Theo Robertson10 March 2014
A family go on holiday . Stopping to pick up a hitch hiker who then precedes to attack Martin the driver the car then crashes and the family are rushed to hospital .; On her release the mother Janet starts becoming suspicious and that her husband Martin is someone else
A strange tale featuring the doppleganger plot as seen in the likes of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS . A lot of people have stated they thought this was the stand out episode from the series but I personally don't have any recollection of it from its original broadcast or of its repeat a few years later and only saw it via The Horror Channel . It's all rather threadbare and slightly confused . For example if you've no idea of the plot you'll spend much of the time thinking the mysterious hitch hiker who sets up the story is going to make a reappearance at any moment but this doesn't happen . I guess the storyline is trying to be enigmatic and to give it credit it succeeds to an extent . It does have to rely on a stylistic cliché of loud scary music often intruding in to the soundtrack in order in enhance mood and when perhaps slow paced subtlety might have been called for while the lack of explanation as to what's causing this supposed alien infiltration might frustrate some viewers but the combination of a familiar plot done in a mundane way just about manages to work while at the same time delivering a couple of shock moments
A strange tale featuring the doppleganger plot as seen in the likes of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS . A lot of people have stated they thought this was the stand out episode from the series but I personally don't have any recollection of it from its original broadcast or of its repeat a few years later and only saw it via The Horror Channel . It's all rather threadbare and slightly confused . For example if you've no idea of the plot you'll spend much of the time thinking the mysterious hitch hiker who sets up the story is going to make a reappearance at any moment but this doesn't happen . I guess the storyline is trying to be enigmatic and to give it credit it succeeds to an extent . It does have to rely on a stylistic cliché of loud scary music often intruding in to the soundtrack in order in enhance mood and when perhaps slow paced subtlety might have been called for while the lack of explanation as to what's causing this supposed alien infiltration might frustrate some viewers but the combination of a familiar plot done in a mundane way just about manages to work while at the same time delivering a couple of shock moments
Alt universe
ann-0985920 February 2021
Great start, disappointing end.
poolandrews21 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Hammer House of Horror: The Two Faces of Evil starts as Martin (Gary Raymond) & his wife Janet Lewis (Anna Calder-Marshall) along with their young son David (Paul Hawkins) almost run over a hitchhiker in their car, feeling a bit guilty Martin backs up & gives the hitchhiker a lift but soon regrets it as the hitchhiker turns on Martin & attacks him forcing Martin to crash the car. Janet wakes up in hospital unable to remember much & is told that her husband Martin had some glass stuck in his throat & although fine he cannot talk, David is fine & the hitchhiker was apparently found dead near by. Janet is asked to identify the hitchhikers body which looks exactly like Martin, once home Janet begins to suspect that Martin is no longer the person she married bu instead an evil doppelganger...
The Two Faces of Evil was was episode 12 from the one & only season of the short lived made-for-TV Hammer House of Horror series & originally aired here in the UK during November 1980, the second of two Hammer House of Horror episodes to be directed by Alan Gibson (the first was The Silent Scream (1980)) The Two Faces of Evil starts off promisingly enough with a really good opening sequence which grabs you but then tails off into a fairly predictable body snatcher type horror tale before a rather frustrating & abrupt ending which leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The one thing that has impressed me with the Hammer House of Horror series is it's wide variety of subjects & story lines including voodoo, ghosts, haunted homes, werewolves, witches, curses & satanic worship & now we get the phenomenon of evil doppelgangers which is never used or explained with any great conviction & almost seems like an afterthought to explain the terrific opening sequence. In fact it's like someone came up with the opening first & then came up with the rest of the program afterwards to explain it, only thing is they didn't do a very good job. It's watchable enough & definitely has it's moments especially during the first half, at only an hour in length it moves along at a decent pace & I think if you like horror then you should at least enjoy The Two Faces of Evil to some extent although if you don't like horror then there's not much here to get excited about.
As usual for the Hammer House of Horror episodes The Two Faces of Evil was obviously shot on 35mm film & as such looks very cinematic, in fact Hammer could have edited some of these stories together & released them theatrically as a Tales from the Crypt (1972) style horror anthology compilation (which did indeed happen when they were released on VHS & DVD). This is well made with good production values although there's not much horror or gore, there's a bloody wrist stump with no hand attached but nothing else. It starts fairly eerie but towards the end it gets too silly for it's own good & all the tension & scares disappear as a result. The acting is solid & pretty good.
The Two Faces of Evil is a good solid entry into the Hammer House of Horror series but it's not up there with the best of them & the ending lets all the build up down. Good but not great.
The Two Faces of Evil was was episode 12 from the one & only season of the short lived made-for-TV Hammer House of Horror series & originally aired here in the UK during November 1980, the second of two Hammer House of Horror episodes to be directed by Alan Gibson (the first was The Silent Scream (1980)) The Two Faces of Evil starts off promisingly enough with a really good opening sequence which grabs you but then tails off into a fairly predictable body snatcher type horror tale before a rather frustrating & abrupt ending which leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The one thing that has impressed me with the Hammer House of Horror series is it's wide variety of subjects & story lines including voodoo, ghosts, haunted homes, werewolves, witches, curses & satanic worship & now we get the phenomenon of evil doppelgangers which is never used or explained with any great conviction & almost seems like an afterthought to explain the terrific opening sequence. In fact it's like someone came up with the opening first & then came up with the rest of the program afterwards to explain it, only thing is they didn't do a very good job. It's watchable enough & definitely has it's moments especially during the first half, at only an hour in length it moves along at a decent pace & I think if you like horror then you should at least enjoy The Two Faces of Evil to some extent although if you don't like horror then there's not much here to get excited about.
As usual for the Hammer House of Horror episodes The Two Faces of Evil was obviously shot on 35mm film & as such looks very cinematic, in fact Hammer could have edited some of these stories together & released them theatrically as a Tales from the Crypt (1972) style horror anthology compilation (which did indeed happen when they were released on VHS & DVD). This is well made with good production values although there's not much horror or gore, there's a bloody wrist stump with no hand attached but nothing else. It starts fairly eerie but towards the end it gets too silly for it's own good & all the tension & scares disappear as a result. The acting is solid & pretty good.
The Two Faces of Evil is a good solid entry into the Hammer House of Horror series but it's not up there with the best of them & the ending lets all the build up down. Good but not great.
Trapped in a box by a cockney nutjob
southdavid4 September 2020
Another lunch break wasted on an episode of "HHOH" that wasn't really worth the time investment.
A family on holiday pick up a Hitchhiker in bad weather, who immediately attacks the father, Martin (Gary Raymond) causing the car to crash. Janet (Anna Calder-Marshall) wakes up in hospital having been knocked unconscious. Though her son David (Paul Hawkins) is unhurt, Martin is in need of some further operations to recover and is unable to speak due to damage to his throat. Sensing something is wrong, Janet attempts to get the family out of the hospital but is the hospital hiding something, and what happened to the Hitchhiker?
So I had a few issues with this one. Firstly, it's not clear enough why Janet reacts the way she does immediately upon waking up in the hospital. We the audience are told that "things are wrong" based solely on the score, but all she has to go on is the fact that one of the Doctors can't answer all her questions about an accident he wasn't present for and that the nurses are a bit pushy. She's upset, beyond what's rational, by the fact their belongings are damaged in the accident - all of which she then burns at the first opportunity, again for reasons that aren't clear. Then we're left with the crux of the show; is the man she's sharing a bed with her husband or is he the Hitcher somehow looking like his double - save crooked teeth and a long fingernail.
There's admittedly a truly creepy moment towards the end, involving the son that I didn't see coming and was very well done. But the lack of explanation of motivations, or methodology of what's going on - coupled with the dull middle section - make this another episode that wasn't worth my time.
A family on holiday pick up a Hitchhiker in bad weather, who immediately attacks the father, Martin (Gary Raymond) causing the car to crash. Janet (Anna Calder-Marshall) wakes up in hospital having been knocked unconscious. Though her son David (Paul Hawkins) is unhurt, Martin is in need of some further operations to recover and is unable to speak due to damage to his throat. Sensing something is wrong, Janet attempts to get the family out of the hospital but is the hospital hiding something, and what happened to the Hitchhiker?
So I had a few issues with this one. Firstly, it's not clear enough why Janet reacts the way she does immediately upon waking up in the hospital. We the audience are told that "things are wrong" based solely on the score, but all she has to go on is the fact that one of the Doctors can't answer all her questions about an accident he wasn't present for and that the nurses are a bit pushy. She's upset, beyond what's rational, by the fact their belongings are damaged in the accident - all of which she then burns at the first opportunity, again for reasons that aren't clear. Then we're left with the crux of the show; is the man she's sharing a bed with her husband or is he the Hitcher somehow looking like his double - save crooked teeth and a long fingernail.
There's admittedly a truly creepy moment towards the end, involving the son that I didn't see coming and was very well done. But the lack of explanation of motivations, or methodology of what's going on - coupled with the dull middle section - make this another episode that wasn't worth my time.
"It never happened!"
classicsoncall11 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is sure to cure you of picking up hitchhikers if you have occasion to do so. Although the story builds with an escalating sense of tension and fear, I thought it gave itself away too early when the 'man in the yellow oil skins' in the hospital morgue bore such a striking resemblance to Martin Lewis (Gary Raymond), presently being treated for injuries sustained in the car crash. Martin's wife Janet (Anna Calder-Marshall) slowly begins to recall the sequence of events that resulted in their accident, and comes to the horrifying conclusion that the man she thought was her husband was really the maniacal hitchhiker. For added pleasure, her son (Paul Hawkins) also winds up with his own doppelganger, which would have been bad enough, until they all get into an ambulance for the drive back home. They say everyone has a double that looks like them somewhere in the world, but this was just a little bit too much.
P. S. I got a laugh out of the show's captioning, when it interpreted the character of Doctor Hargreaves as Doctor Heartbeat!
P. S. I got a laugh out of the show's captioning, when it interpreted the character of Doctor Hargreaves as Doctor Heartbeat!
Silly and Directionless
stwmby5 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm all for intrigue and a twisty plot in a film - especially a thriller - but there does have to come a point where all the intrigue and plot twists unravel to finally make sense.
This never happens with TTFOE, probably because the writers couldn't think of an ending to adequately and plausibly explain what had gone before, and the show is ruined as a result.
A scene with the mortuary attend who describes doppelgangers to the heroine makes a stab at a rationale for why she can't decide whether the corpse on the slab is her husband or the killer is flimsy at best.
The most interesting part of this mess of a film is the enthusiasm with which the makers have liberally drenched each scene with the colour red - the colour of anger - or blood, if you like.
Overall, this episode of the Otherwise excellent Hammer House of Horror series is a huge let down, and smacks somewhat of a 6th form film studies project.
This never happens with TTFOE, probably because the writers couldn't think of an ending to adequately and plausibly explain what had gone before, and the show is ruined as a result.
A scene with the mortuary attend who describes doppelgangers to the heroine makes a stab at a rationale for why she can't decide whether the corpse on the slab is her husband or the killer is flimsy at best.
The most interesting part of this mess of a film is the enthusiasm with which the makers have liberally drenched each scene with the colour red - the colour of anger - or blood, if you like.
Overall, this episode of the Otherwise excellent Hammer House of Horror series is a huge let down, and smacks somewhat of a 6th form film studies project.
Reasons why this is a great short film.
jehannum_20008 January 2003
This is the episode in the TV series 'Hammer House of Horror' that everybody remembers, over 20 years since it was last broadcast. From the spine-tingling initial shot of the hitchhiker to the terrifying twist at the end, it is a minor masterpiece of film craft.
No one could have played the lead role better than Anna Calder-Marshall. Her terrified performance is truly convincing in so many little details. She is a highly intelligent performer whom I wish would appear more frequently on our screens.
When you first read the plot synopsis it seems unbelievable: how can a woman not know if the man by her side is her husband or a crazed hitchhiker? But it works. The viewer is unsettled and unsure. The tension slowly mounts as we keep watching for hints of menace in the man's eyes. The evidence seems to be there one minute but something else happens to restore the balance the next.
The best of a good series, now available on VHS/DVD.
No one could have played the lead role better than Anna Calder-Marshall. Her terrified performance is truly convincing in so many little details. She is a highly intelligent performer whom I wish would appear more frequently on our screens.
When you first read the plot synopsis it seems unbelievable: how can a woman not know if the man by her side is her husband or a crazed hitchhiker? But it works. The viewer is unsettled and unsure. The tension slowly mounts as we keep watching for hints of menace in the man's eyes. The evidence seems to be there one minute but something else happens to restore the balance the next.
The best of a good series, now available on VHS/DVD.
Doppelgänger with bad teeth!
coltras3515 September 2022
The Lewis family, Martin and Janet and their son David, is driving off on holiday. As they go through a severe rainstorm, they almost fail to see a man in the road, missing him by inches. Martin stops and offers the sober-looking stranger a lift. Back on the road again, the stranger suddenly attacks Martin, causing a terrible crash. Janet and David wake up in hospital and find that Martin has also survived, badly scarred and changed... As time goes by, Janet starts to wonder whether the man who is now her husband is Martin at all. Could it be the stranger?
A rather offbeat and eerie story with some great camera angles and fine acting - there's plenty of strange images and scenes, adding to that eeriness. There's no explanation to the otherworldly doppelgängers, remaining an enigma.
A rather offbeat and eerie story with some great camera angles and fine acting - there's plenty of strange images and scenes, adding to that eeriness. There's no explanation to the otherworldly doppelgängers, remaining an enigma.
A sinister doppelganger story from the man who made Dracula A.D. 1972
Leofwine_draca12 September 2011
Another entry in the popular but short-lived Hammer TV series. This one features a doppelganger whose presence spells danger for his distraught wife: it's one of the more original episodes of the series, opening with a well-staged car accident and closing with the kind of creepy twist ending that works well in the best old-fashioned way.
The rest of the episode is slightly repetitive but intriguing, as we're left unsure as to whether the put-upon wife really is being haunted by an evil presence or whether she's losing her mind. The physical horror is limited to a long fingernail and a few facial scars on her disturbed husband, but the atmosphere is effectively unsettling and once the story picks up towards the end I was really enjoying it.
The rest of the episode is slightly repetitive but intriguing, as we're left unsure as to whether the put-upon wife really is being haunted by an evil presence or whether she's losing her mind. The physical horror is limited to a long fingernail and a few facial scars on her disturbed husband, but the atmosphere is effectively unsettling and once the story picks up towards the end I was really enjoying it.
Reason 23 of "Why you should pick up hitch-hikers"
one9eighty29 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Alan Gibson directs and Ranald Graham provides he screenplay for this 1980 Hammer production which was part of the short lived TV series. Shot on 35mm film like the other episodes in the series this like the others feels like a short film rather than a TV series and carries the usual Hammer production values and themes. Although branded a horror this short is more thriller/suspense than some of the others produced in the early 80's.
This short is very spooky, mainly due to Anna ("Wuthering Heights") Calder Marshall's intense performance throughout as Janet. Basically a small family are on route to a holiday home for a much deserved break. On route they drive passed a figure dressed in a long yellow rain coat (the kind you'd expect the serial killer in "I know what you did last summer" to wear), later on the journey they pass him again, this time in the pouring rain so they offer him a lift like all good Samaritans should do. The hitcher, true to horror form attacks the father (Gary Redmond playing the part of Martin Lewis) with his long dirty fingernails, causing the car to crash. Janet wakes up in hospital with her son (David played by Paul Hawkins) unscathed and a heavily bandaged husband who is struggling to communicate having had glass cut his throat during the accident (leaving him temporarily mute). Janet is asked to identify the mysterious stranger, upon inspection she is shocked to learn that the dead stranger looks almost exactly like her husband, albeit he is missing his hand - which means she can't identify the hitcher by his nasty fingernails. If the dead man looks like the husband could the husband be the murdering hitchhiker?? This is what Janet has to figure out throughout the story, first she notices small thing that her husband is doing out of character, these eventually add up to cause major doubt and fear in Janet - which is escalated when Janet see's her husband now has long dirty fingernails much like the hiker had. There are obvious parallels to "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" as the short film unfolds. The blatant question audiences would ask is "how would Janet not know the man she married?" While this is a valid question Janet doubts her own thoughts and for this reason whenever she suspects it's not her husband but an evil doppelganger something happens to justify his actions and dismiss her suspicions as doubt - this creates a sense of growing paranoia which Anna Calder Marshall delivers sublimely.
The spoiler is coming, if you don't want to know stop reading now.....
The finale see's Janet find her murdered son and an evil doppelganger of him with long dirty fingernails, not knowing who she can trust in a frenzy Janet bumps into Mr Roberts (the holiday home owner) who calls an ambulance for the distraught Janet. As she is taken away in the ambulance who is at the wheel driving - it's only a Janet doppelganger!!!
A nice entry into the series from Hammer, not as strong as some of the other titles in the series but definitely an eerie tale to keep your mind occupied and blood pumping on a cold dark night. 6 out of 10 from me.
This short is very spooky, mainly due to Anna ("Wuthering Heights") Calder Marshall's intense performance throughout as Janet. Basically a small family are on route to a holiday home for a much deserved break. On route they drive passed a figure dressed in a long yellow rain coat (the kind you'd expect the serial killer in "I know what you did last summer" to wear), later on the journey they pass him again, this time in the pouring rain so they offer him a lift like all good Samaritans should do. The hitcher, true to horror form attacks the father (Gary Redmond playing the part of Martin Lewis) with his long dirty fingernails, causing the car to crash. Janet wakes up in hospital with her son (David played by Paul Hawkins) unscathed and a heavily bandaged husband who is struggling to communicate having had glass cut his throat during the accident (leaving him temporarily mute). Janet is asked to identify the mysterious stranger, upon inspection she is shocked to learn that the dead stranger looks almost exactly like her husband, albeit he is missing his hand - which means she can't identify the hitcher by his nasty fingernails. If the dead man looks like the husband could the husband be the murdering hitchhiker?? This is what Janet has to figure out throughout the story, first she notices small thing that her husband is doing out of character, these eventually add up to cause major doubt and fear in Janet - which is escalated when Janet see's her husband now has long dirty fingernails much like the hiker had. There are obvious parallels to "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" as the short film unfolds. The blatant question audiences would ask is "how would Janet not know the man she married?" While this is a valid question Janet doubts her own thoughts and for this reason whenever she suspects it's not her husband but an evil doppelganger something happens to justify his actions and dismiss her suspicions as doubt - this creates a sense of growing paranoia which Anna Calder Marshall delivers sublimely.
The spoiler is coming, if you don't want to know stop reading now.....
The finale see's Janet find her murdered son and an evil doppelganger of him with long dirty fingernails, not knowing who she can trust in a frenzy Janet bumps into Mr Roberts (the holiday home owner) who calls an ambulance for the distraught Janet. As she is taken away in the ambulance who is at the wheel driving - it's only a Janet doppelganger!!!
A nice entry into the series from Hammer, not as strong as some of the other titles in the series but definitely an eerie tale to keep your mind occupied and blood pumping on a cold dark night. 6 out of 10 from me.
Hammer House Of Horror: The Two Faces Of Evil (Alan Gibson, 1980) (TV) **
Bunuel197631 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Rather unpleasant entry in the series, which also seems confused as to what it wants to be: starting off with a maniacal figure in fisherman attire stalking a vacationing family, he's later revealed to be a doppelganger for the husband (whom he has replaced) eventually, it transpires that a widespread INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)-like takeover plot is in effect! While there is a reasonable amount of suspense (and a palpable sense of dread) throughout, the episode is marred by the irritating central performances of Anna Calder-Marshall (frumpy-looking and resorting too often to histrionics) and Gary Raymond (especially unconvincing when attempting to portray the evil side of his character the fact that he looks quite a bit like Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean at times certainly doesn't help any in this respect!).
The penultimate episode in the 'Hammer House of Horror' series.
Red-Barracuda9 March 2015
A holidaying family pick up a hitch-hiker from hell. He attacks the husband, their car crashes, they wake up in a strange hospital and things go from bad to worse.
The Two Faces of Evil is the penultimate episode in the 'Hammer House of Horror' TV series. It seems that for some this is one of, if not the, best episode in the series. I am a little surprised by this, as I felt this one was fairly unremarkable and even a little forgettable. True to the philosophy of the series, it covers another different corner of the horror lexicon, in this case the rather specific idea of evil doppelgangers. I guess it's a little more original than some of the others which is a plus point. It was directed by Alan Gibson who contributed possibly the best entry in the series with The Silent Scream. But, for me, The Two Faces of Evil is a much more middling episode.
The Two Faces of Evil is the penultimate episode in the 'Hammer House of Horror' TV series. It seems that for some this is one of, if not the, best episode in the series. I am a little surprised by this, as I felt this one was fairly unremarkable and even a little forgettable. True to the philosophy of the series, it covers another different corner of the horror lexicon, in this case the rather specific idea of evil doppelgangers. I guess it's a little more original than some of the others which is a plus point. It was directed by Alan Gibson who contributed possibly the best entry in the series with The Silent Scream. But, for me, The Two Faces of Evil is a much more middling episode.
Hammer House of Horror: The Two Faces of Evil
Michael_Elliott23 October 2015
Hammer House of Horror: The Two Faces of Evil (1980)
*** (out of 4)
A husband, wife (Anna Calder-Marshall) and their small son are traveling through the country when they decide to pick up a hitchhiker after almost running him over. As soon as the man is in the car he attacks the husband and the car crashes. When the wife wakes up in the hospital she gets the feeling that something isn't quite right with her husband.
THE TWO FACES OF EVIL is another good episode in the Hammer television series, which showed that the studio was still capable of coming up with rather clever story ideas. I've now gone through three episodes and I'm curious as to why some of their films from the 70s were so silly when these episodes are turning out so good.
This film is basically an alternate version of a very popular sci-fi film, which I won't name here just to prevent a spoiler for those who haven't seen this episode. The best thing about this movie is the atmosphere that director Alan Gibson builds up. You really do get the feel the paranoia and fear of the main character. The direction deserves credit as does Calder-Marshal for her performance.
THE FACES OF EVIL has some nice twists along the way and is highly entertaining.
*** (out of 4)
A husband, wife (Anna Calder-Marshall) and their small son are traveling through the country when they decide to pick up a hitchhiker after almost running him over. As soon as the man is in the car he attacks the husband and the car crashes. When the wife wakes up in the hospital she gets the feeling that something isn't quite right with her husband.
THE TWO FACES OF EVIL is another good episode in the Hammer television series, which showed that the studio was still capable of coming up with rather clever story ideas. I've now gone through three episodes and I'm curious as to why some of their films from the 70s were so silly when these episodes are turning out so good.
This film is basically an alternate version of a very popular sci-fi film, which I won't name here just to prevent a spoiler for those who haven't seen this episode. The best thing about this movie is the atmosphere that director Alan Gibson builds up. You really do get the feel the paranoia and fear of the main character. The direction deserves credit as does Calder-Marshal for her performance.
THE FACES OF EVIL has some nice twists along the way and is highly entertaining.
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