They hide in plain sight and escape detection; they exemplify irrational evil. And the second they show their true colors, it may already be too late to fight back. Murder is their business, and wearing down prey is their game. The glut of killers in pop culture today does not erase the fact that these human anomalies are entirely scary.
In the following five episodes from various horror TV anthologies, characters find themselves at the mercy of a killer, serial or otherwise. The villain can either be someone they know or someone they only just met. They might also be a total stranger with a taste for random victims.
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962-1965)
“An Unlocked Window”
Alfred Hitchcock Presents was eventually retitled The Alfred Hitchcock Hour after several seasons. Aside from the name change, everything else essentially remained the same. One episode that stands out during the Hour era is an adaptation of an Ethel Lina White short story. The same author’s The Wheel Spins is the basis of Hitchcock’s film The Lady Vanishes, while her book Some Must Watch was turned into The Spiral Staircase.
In “An Unlocked Window“, a nurse strangler is on the loose. Three personal nurses working in a patient’s secluded, country home hear the murderer is in their area. To make matters worse, a severe storm traps the nurses at work. Soon, creepy phone calls come in and a disembodied voice fills the house. Has the killer gotten inside? Did he come through the open window in the basement?
Going into the episode without any knowledge of what is to come is for the best. “An Unlocked Window” hinges on its twist ending, yes, but director Joseph M. Newman‘s mood-building is nothing to dismiss either. James Bridges‘ (Mike’s Murder) teleplay keeps the characters absolutely wound up until that devastating finish.
The entire series was later revived in 1985 as simply Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The update recycled the original and now colorized bumper segments featuring the show’s namesake; these appeared only in remakes of classic episodes. “An Unlocked Window” was redone for the TV movie pilot with Fred Walton (When a Stranger Calls) as both the director and writer.
Thriller (1973-1976)
“The Next Victim”
One of the most celebrated horror writers of British television, Brian Clemens was the mastermind behind ITV’s Thriller, a collection of standalone suspense stories. The show’s gimmick was casting at least one American actor in every episode, and “The Next Victim” stars Carroll Baker (A Quiet Place to Kill) as the imperiled heroine.
After a serious car accident, Baker’s character Sandy uses a wheelchair to get around. Her doctors are convinced her condition is temporary, though. In the meantime, a serial killer is at large during a notable heatwave in London. While Sandy’s husband (Maurice Kaufmann) is away for work, she is left to deal with Tom (Max Mason), a stranger who she made the mistake of letting inside her building. Now she suspects he might be the murderer seen all over the news.
Random folks pop in and out of apartment complexes all the time with the occupants never considering what might happen if these temporary guests never actually leave. “The Next Victim” shows how tenants would rather stay in their units than be concerned with what is going on outside their door. They cannot be bothered to care about a neighbor much less a stranger. This sad truth is only one of the multiple threats Sandy deals with in this startling and at times absurd story.
The general consensus is, Thriller lost a lot of steam in the final seasons. As valid as that may be, James Ormerod‘s “The Next Victim” is an exception. What the plot lacks in novelty it makes up for in an extremely unexpected turn of events at the end.
Amazing Stories (1985-1987)
“The Amazing Falsworth”
Few anthology series looked as good as the original Amazing Stories. Having Steven Spielberg in charge has a lot to do with that, though. His name power alone attracted distinguished actors and storytellers. A handful of episodes in this two-season show are horror-themed, but only Peter Hyams‘ “The Amazing Falsworth” can be called an American Giallo.
Richard Pryor plays the title character; a magician who dazzles and entertains his patrons with what they think is a parlor trick. Whenever he comes in physical contact with someone or their belonging, Falsworth gets a vision. He is very convincing at what he does because his power is legit. Unfortunately, that gift becomes a curse one night when Pryor’s character touches a murderer in the audience — the Keyboard Killer. Having been blindfolded at the time, Falsworth has no idea who the killer is or how to explain his information when a detective (Richard Masur) follows up on his report.
This admiration of the Giallo genre is small but mighty. A black-gloved assailant roams neon-lit alleyways, hides in shadows, and chokes his victims with piano wire. He makes the mistake of attending a psychic’s show, though. The cat-and-mouse game born from their brief encounter is teeming with urgency and tension to keep the audience on its toes. Then comes a brilliant payoff at the end.
Spielberg and Mick Garris‘ Edgar Award-winning episode is a highlight in this short-lived but auspicious series. Not many anthologies tackled a variety of genres like Amazing Stories did.
The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985-1992)
“The Lonely One”
Picturesque small towns where people forget to lock their doors are ripe for wickedness. A sinister element is slowly but surely depleting the population in “The Lonely One“; the episode’s eponymous killer has struck again. The episode’s main character, Lavinia (Joanna Cassidy), was friends with the latest victim, Elizabeth, whose body is discovered in the shortcut through the ravine. The very same shortcut Lavinia convinces her two friends to take when they go see a movie at the local theater that evening.
While everyone else is on edge and locking themselves inside their homes, Lavinia refuses to change her life because of The Lonely One. She drinks freshly made lemonade on her porch alone, and she continues to walk through that dreadful ravine as if she is somehow immune to the killer’s methods. Lavinia’s companions to the theater neither share in her bravery nor do they think themselves to be above the current situation.
Lavinia takes the shortcut home by herself after her friends try and fail to talk her out of it. This is where the audience has to wonder if maybe Lavinia has a death wish, or maybe she knows more about The Lonely One than she lets on. Needless to say, that artificial supply of courage wavers as Lavinia becomes unnerved by her latest walk through the everyday bypass. Is Lavinia taking this moonlit stroll alone tonight, or has someone joined her without her knowing it?
This episode is based on one subplot in Ray Bradbury‘s Dandelion Wine. It puts Lavinia under a microscope and scrutinizes her battle with rationality. In the end, Lavinia learns no amount of logic can stop a serial killer.
Ghost Theater (2015)
“Burial”
In conjunction with his 2015 film Ghost Theater, J-horror auteur Hideo Nakata produced a 10-episode anthology series called An Invitation from Ghost Theater, or simply Ghost Theater in international markets. Each self-contained story features a member of the Japanese idol group, AKB48. The first episode, “Burial“, is directed by Nakata himself.
Students who are out having fun one night eventually pawn off their drunken classmate Rio on Shoko, who was already on her way home. Shoko reluctantly lets Rio stay over at her house, but in return, she asks her guest to stay out of a certain room. Rio’s curiosity gets the best of her, and she suddenly finds herself caught up in a series of recent disappearances in the area.
Like most folks, when Rio sees a “missing person” flyer, she pays it no mind and goes back to her seemingly comfortable existence. Yet, when she sees a whole collection of these flyers in Shoko’s home, she has doubts about her host.
“Burial” is not supernatural regardless of what the show’s title would suggest. On the contrary, it is a very human tale in the sense that it shows people doing what they think is right given what they know about the situation. This episode is also a reminder of how others will always abuse that goodwill. Misguided yet uninformed choices lead to the episode’s grim ending.
Series of Frights is a recurring column that mainly focuses on horror in television. Specifically, it takes a closer look at five episodes or stories — each one adhering to an overall theme — from different anthology series or the occasional movie made for TV. With anthologies becoming popular again, especially on television, now is the perfect time to see what this timeless mode of storytelling has to offer.