I had previously seen the first five episodes of the early 60s TV-show "Thriller" (aka. "Boris Karloff's Thriller") hosted by Horror-deity Boris Karloff, and wasn't very impressed, as they were (rather un-mysterious) crime/mystery stories instead of the genuine Horror tales that I had hoped for. Since I had read that the series switched from mystery/crime to tales of Gothic Horror tales in the later episodes, I decided to switch to one of the later episodes, "Well of Doom" (Season 1, Episode 23, 1961), which surpassed my expectations. "Well of Doom" is a highly atmospheric and genuinely creepy little Gothic tale that delivers everything one could ask for in a Horror anthology TV-series.
On the eve of his wedding, the wealthy Robert Penrose (Ronald Howard) is on his way to a bachelor party near his estate in the English countryside, accompanied by his driver and his Scottish butler Teal (Torin Thatcher). In a remote foggy moorland area, the car is stopped by two fiendish creatures, Moloch (Henry Daniell) and Styx (Richard Kiel), who have ghastly things in mind...
The episode is a great example of eerie Gothic imagery and atmosphere. The black and white cinematography, foggy moorland and and decaying vaults in which the film is set make an exquisitely eerie wholesome of purely Gothic mood. The fiendish creatures, especially Molloch played by Henry Daniell are truly uncanny; Daniell looks incredibly creepy and is just brilliantly ghoulish in his role. The huge Richard Kiel (who is maybe best known for the eponymous role in one of the most hilariously awful films ever made, "Eeegah" of 1962), makes an excellent fiendish sidekick as Styx. The rest of the performances are also good, Ronald Howard is a good lead, Torin Thatcher is great as the grumpy Scotsman, and Irish actress Fintan Meyler is nice as the protagonist's beautiful fiancée. The story is intelligent and original enough; overall, one would have to invent complaints in order to say something negative about this episode. "Well of Doom" is a creepy, highly atmospheric and incredibly entertaining episode that is a grace to the series and should be enjoyed by every Horror fan. Highly recommended!