16:55 – Spooky Sheepy Opening Music.
17:00 – FILM: Carry On Screaming (1966) – a British comedy horror film, the twelfth in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). It was the last of the series to be made by Anglo-Amalgamated before the series moved to The Rank Organisation. Of the regular cast, it features Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butterworth. It also features Harry H. Corbett in his only series appearance and Fenella Fielding making her second and final appearance. Angela Douglas makes the second of her four Carry On appearances. Carry On Screaming is a parody of the Hammer horror films, which were also popular at the time.
18:33 – The Frighteners E04 – The Manipulators – A little-known – not even a Wiki page! – British psychological suspense anthology series that ran for one series consisting of 13 self contained episodes, featuring a wealth of writing and acting talent. From the DVD box: “No cops and robbers… no clanking chains… no well-worn horror themes… this powerful thriller anthology features instead a range of stories in which ordinary people are threatened by situations that slide startlingly, menacingly out of control…” This week: a lecture on Pavlov’s Dogs. A room full of women being computer-tested for their typing skills. Two blokes, in a flat above a butchers’ shop have been watching the young couple in the flat opposite, and their baby, taping their conversations. The couple’s nerves are frayed. “They’re getting close to breaking point” says one watcher. “Thanks to you” replies the other, more experienced watcher. As they continue to interfere, something terrible happens. One watcher wants to put a stop to it. His superior feels otherwise. But who, exactly is the manipulator and who is the manipulated? First broadcast on Fri 28th July 1972 by ITV. Starring Stanley Lebor (Howard in Ever Decreasing Circles) and Bryan Marshall (Rooms, Warship, The Spy Who Loved Me). Written and Directed by Mike Hodges, who also wrote & directed Get Carter, The Terminal Man, and Omen II; and directed The Tyrant King, Flash Gordon and, er, Morons from Outer Space. Repeated from just two weeks ago, on Sheepy’s Show #70 – 2023/10/16; although not Halloween-ish, I thought this was an excellent piece of suspense, and deserved a wider viewing than just the late-night crew. 🙂
18:59 – Trailer for Countess Dracula (1971)
19:02 – Out Of This World S01E02 – Little Lost Robot (VidFIRE version) – the only surviving episode of a British science fiction anthology television series made by the ITV franchise ABC Weekend TV for ITV. It was broadcast on ITV in 1962. A spin-off from the Armchair Theatre anthology series, each episode was introduced by the actor Boris Karloff. Many of the episodes were adaptations of stories by science fiction writers including Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick and Clifford D. Simak. The series is described by the British Film Institute as a precursor to the BBC science fiction anthology series Out of the Unknown, which was created and produced by Out of This World creator Irene Shubik after she left ABC. This episode is based on a short story by Isaac Asimov, and is presented here as a VidFIRE-treated version of the surviving 35mm telecine.
19:53 – FILM: Countess Dracula (1971) – a British Hammer horror film based on some of the legends surrounding the Hungarian alleged serial killer Countess Elizabeth Báthory (1560-1614). The film was produced by Alexander Paal and directed by Peter Sasdy, both Hungarian émigrés working in England. The original music score was composed by Harry Robertson. Countess Dracula was also released on a double bill with Vampire Circus. In 17th-century Hungary, recently widowed Countess Elisabeth Nádasdy discovers that her youthful appearance and libido can be temporarily restored if she bathes in the blood of young women. She enlists her steward and lover Captain Dobi and her maid Julie to help with the kidnap and murder of several local girls, whilst beginning a new romance with a young Lieutenant named Imre Toth. Starring Ingrid Pitt, Nigel Green and Sandor Elès, with Maurice Denham, Patience Collier, Peter Jeffrey, Lesley-Anne Down and Andrea Lawrence.
21:26 – Tales of Unease E04 – It’s Too Late Now – a British supernatural drama series based on a series of horror story anthologies, edited by John Burke. The series was made by LWT for ITV, and ran for seven episodes in 1970. The anthologies were published between 1960 and 1969. In this episode: inside an English countryside house, Sarah has resolved to lock her husband in his windowless study after years of suffering dejection. The husband has always been devoted to his typewriter and that is the only sound that comes off the room. She is willing to see his reaction in such a predicament. Yet the man remains steadfastly typing unaware of Sarah’s decision. Sarah begins to feel remorse. But will she let him out? First broadcast on Fri 20th Nov 1970 by ITV. Written by Andrea “Bouquet of Barbed Wire” Newman.
21:54 – FILM: The Woman in Black (1989) (Widescreen version) – a British horror drama television film directed by Herbert Wise and starring Adrian Rawlins, Bernard Hepton, David Daker and Pauline Moran. The teleplay was adapted by Nigel Kneale from the 1983 novel of the same name by Susan Hill. It focuses on a young solicitor who is sent to a coastal English village to settle the estate of a reclusive widow, and finds the town haunted. The programme was produced by Central Independent Television for ITV, and premiered on Christmas Eve 1989. It was an unexpected success, though author Susan Hill reportedly disagreed with some of the slight changes Nigel Kneale made in the adaptation. Presented here in a widescreen reframing of the 16mm original – was a tough decision between this and the 4:3 original (as although this has more on the sides, it loses a little bit on the height), but decided on this version in the end.
23:36 – Tales of Unease E05 – Superstitious Ignorance – a British supernatural drama series based on a series of horror story anthologies, edited by John Burke. The series was made by LWT for ITV, and ran for seven episodes in 1970. The anthologies were published between 1960 and 1969. In this episode: a young couple, eager to purchase their dream house, spot a property that befits their idea. However, the landlady warns them about weird occurrences in one of the upstairs rooms. First broadcast on Fri 27th Nov 1970 by ITV. With Tessa Wyatt and Eve Pearce.
00:00 – Spooky Sheepy Closedown Music.
00:03 – Closedown.