Review for Chiller: The Complete Series

Chiller
The Complete Series (1995)

　

I first encountered Chiller when it was originally broadcast in 1995 on ITV. It terrified me at that time. Rarely had I seen anything like it on television, let alone on mainstream, not far off prime time. The X-files was the closest I'd seen to replicating the cinematic terrors that I'd occasionally glanced at and found endearing. Chiller promised even more than that.

Chiller ventured into territory that was more extreme than other horror/sci-fi/mystery shows on terrestrial television. A decade before Masters of Horror, Chiller pushed boundaries within the genre, when it was customary to only push the limits of more "acceptable" forms of storytelling. The likes of Cracker (1993), and Prime Suspect (1991) had dealt with adult themes in stellar fashion, but horror was very much a side-show act.



Right from the opening credits, Chiller appeared to shoot for both a strong impression, alongside a respect for the traditions of spooky short stories. The opening credits blazed onto the screen with a shocking image of a screaming figure, pre-empting the similarly unsettling Aphex Twin music videos, and the opening sequence of Chris Morris' Jam- a beginning that largely determined the suitable of his comedy for many viewers!

Re-visiting the new, Web-only exclusive re-release I was more than a little concerned. There was every chance that I'd be left disappointed, thus partly ruining my great memories. This has happened to so many viewing experiences from childhood, but I took the plunge nonetheless, and delved into the five episodes…


Prophecy

The first in the series is the one that really hooked me as a young un'. Prophecy tells the tale of a bunch of student-types who gather in a basement of a restaurant (belonging to the parents of one of the participants). There, they perform a séance, which is followed by one member witnessing a horrific accident the next day. Several years later, she starts to receive bad news about her friends in the ceremony, who seem to be falling victim to tragedy one by one. Finding happiness with a man she has met, she's determined to find out and stop what is happening before it's too late.



Prophecy retains it classy, but frightening appeal thanks to the appeal of the lead actress, and a credible turn from Nigel Havers. Most central to it's success though, is the slow, slow pace, and the general unravelling of the situation. Nothing is rushed in this story, yet it feels like they manage to cram a lot into a relativity short space of time. A few twist and turns before the plot becomes too obvious also serve to add an extra sting to the suspense.

Toby

Starring Martin Clunes, "Toby" is a straightforward supernatural tale about a couple who lose a baby.During her second pregnancy, she begins to suspect that her lost child is haunting her, and trying to prevent the birth. Clunes of course, just thinks she's gone mental!

Fans of Men Behaving Badly will find this an odd role for him, given his output in the years since. He's good enough playing the part mind, but it does take a little getting used to. The episode itself is diverting without being particularly memorable or exciting. There are several effective moments of suspense, but unlike the first, this episode does feel a little drawn out. Regardless, it is certainly worth a watch.

Mirror Man

The third in the series is definitely one of the cruellest, most modern of the plots. A young homeless chap called Gary is troubled by the influence of "Michael". His social worker warns him off Michael's charm, while Gary takes up residence as a Caretaker
Right from the outset, it's blatantly obvious that all is not what it seems with the relationship between Michael and Gary. If the title doesn't give you some indication, you're probably looking for a different sort of "Chiller".

This isn't the best of the series by any stretch, but there's still much to enjoy. A proper, old-school horror gag is delivered in the darkness of one scene (I'll not spoil if for the uninitiated) that recalls the old Tales of The Crypt trappings, to entertaining effect. Additionally, the setting is nicely used, and compliments the storyline somewhat, though unfortunately, things go a little pear-shaped during the dull finale.

The Man Who Didn't Believe in Ghosts

Commencing with a gloriously English variation on the opening murder from Dario Argento's Suspiria, this one is a real gem. Angela Rippon makes a fun appearance as herself, interviewing Dr Richard Kramer, a man who debunks ghostly sightings and theories. Kramer buys a new house, of the sort that is quite obviously haunted, but decides to disprove such a notion. The lead character's disdain for the previous owner (who suspects his dead wife still roams the building) marks him as quite unlikeable, but doesn't prevent the spooky moments being very effective indeed.



The scenes featuring the apparition really got to me when I was kid, and they still resonate- they're filmed superbly without being overplayed. By the end, there's a neat little twist, followed by a spooky coda, which provides the punctuation that horror short stories work best from, in order to remain in one's head. Excellent stuff, and easily the best episode of Chiller.

Number Six

Dealing with a spate of child killings, Number six relies heavily on the performances of child-actors… a particularly risky proposition in horror material. Unless said minors look similar to the oddballs that inhabited Village of the Damned, poor showing from them can provoke yawns rather than screams.

Largely, this is not the case with this batch, and the cult themes to the episode are rather well handled. Unfortunately, aside from that, there's not much on offer in this one. Slower moving than the episodes previous, it's a damp squib of a conclusion to the series. Given though, that it's still imminently viewable if a little trying, that says much for the overall standard of the programme.



Audio and Visual

As is consistent with neglected televised items such as Chiller, the picture quality is nothing to get excited over. On occasion, there are rather bad examples of digital artefacts, and darker scene are blurry and indistinct at times. Grain is horribly evident in the final episode, Number Six even through day-time scenes. The sound quality, however is fine.



Extras

None.

Conclusion

While hardly a generous, or definitive package, the fact that Chiller exists at all in this format is somewhat miraculous. TV re-releases are dime a dozen stuff these days, but lesser known gems are a different beast. It is very disappointing to not find any extras included though, especially as some input from the creative minds behind the series, and their inspirations, could have been absolutely fascinating.

The show itself is wildly uneven, and not always entirely satisfying. Despite the odd moment of boredom or frustration however, it's certainly worth sticking with. The five episodes broach a surprisingly varied assortment of topics, and at the very, very least, at no point become repetitive. A strong point throughout the entire run is in the ability to generate an unnerving atmosphere. The soundtracks really benefit the pieces, as they're understated, and in the case of "mirror man", actually more frightening that the actual events that occur. Even without the masterful score though, there is much to applaud. The high standard of performances from the various casts also help immeasurably. I've seen far too many horror films truly spoiled by wretched actors, but even back in the mid-Nineties, having such a distinguished, committed bunch really helped with the credibility of this series.

As a whole, it provides more than enough unsettling moments to be worthwhile. For those who enjoy their old-fashioned ghost stories, or more generally, the anthology format, it comes highly recommended.