#chillers

Episodes filled an hour-long TV block, making them around 52 minutes a piece without commercials, but in most cases the show would have greatly benefited from a half-hour format. It's heavy on melodrama, although dry humor is implemented at times. The subject matter explores humanity's dark side, often involving death and centering on middle-aged characters. Given that every episode is based on Highsmith's work, it's pleasing to see that Chillers employed a relatively high ratio of female writers and directors for its time.

"The Cat Brought It In" is a curious choice for a first episode. Director Nessa Hyams (casting director on The Exorcist and Blazing Saddles) does a fine job, but it hinges on extremely dry humor accentuated by deadpan performances from its cast, including Edward Fox (The Day of the Jackal) and Bill Nighy (Underworld). The story kicks off with a cat bringing severed human fingers into an English countryside home. The family debates about how to deal with the situation, wanting to solve the mystery without drawing attention to themselves.

"Sauce for the Goose" is a stronger effort, reminiscent of something you'd find on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Ian McShane (American Gods) stars as a suave lounge singer who stays with a middle-aged couple, only to have the wife be seduced by his charm, leading to an affair. Directed by Clare Peploe (Rough Magic), it's a bit slow moving in the first half, but it picks up in the latter portion when murder is introduced.

"Old Folks at Home," written by Gérard Brach (Repulsion), finds a yuppie couple adopting an underprivileged elderly husband and wife. The octogenarians seem sweet, if a bit eccentric, at first, but they becoming increasingly difficult to live with as they ignorantly take advantage of their hosts' good nature. They're never sinister, but rather irritating.

"The Thrill Seeker" follows an otherwise mundane man (Jean-Pierre Bisson) with a most peculiar hobby: conning women - Marisa Berenson (Barry Lyndon) among them - into believing he's a far more impressive personality, like a film producer, mercenary, or author. He's not in it for particularly nefarious reasons, but he does steal a memento from each "victim." Bisson relishes the opportunity to play such a variety of characters, chewing the scenery as some and going subtle as others. The episode is not an entirely successful drama, as it spreads itself thin between playing the concept for laughs, exploring the tragic reality, and making it a thriller.

"The Day of Reckoning" is the most unconventional and, sadly, weakest entry. Samuel Fuller (Shock Corridor) directs this bizarre blend of absurdist comedy and over-the-top melodrama, in which a young man learns the dangers of life on a chicken farm. Many of Chillers episodes feel stretched out to fill the time slot, but this one really struggles, as evidenced with the abundance of chicken B-roll accompanied by on-the-noise music cues implying they're evil.

"Puzzle" follows a man (Stéphane Freiss) who's told that he could receive a big promotion if he's married. The only problem is that he has two girlfriends who do not know abut one another, so he must choose before he gets caught. Like a classic sitcom scenario, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to keep up the charade. Unfortunately, the episode does little to rise above the familiar trope.

"Slowly, Slowly in the Wind" concerns a rivalry between neighbors; one a traditional family man (Jean-Pierre Cassel, Murder on the Orient Express), the other a shrewd businessman (James Fox, Sherlock Holmes). The conflict comes to a head when their children enter a romantic relationship. The plot is nothing particularly groundbreaking, but it's engaging enough.

"A Curious Suicide" is the most Hitchcockian of the bunch and, it should come as no surprise, one of the best. In it, John (Richard Atkin) goes to visit a college friend (Barry Foster, Frenzy) who stole the love of his life from him decades prior. John commits what appears to be the perfect murder early in the episode, leaving the rest of the runtime to see if he's able to get away with the crime. Robert Bierman (Vampire's Kiss) directs from a script by Evan Jones (Victory).

"A Bird Poised to Fly" stars Paul Rhys (Chaplin) as a jilted lover who becomes increasingly infatuated with his muse. Fantasies spiral into obsession as his love letters go unreturned. The piece shows shades of Fatal Attraction, but writer/director Damian Harris (Deceived) and writer Nick Villiers (Blood and Wine) opt for a more dramatic character study that isn't nearly as exciting.

"The Stuff of Madness" is directed by Mai Zetterling, better known in front of the camera as Helga from The Witches. Ian Holm (The Lord of the Rings) stars as a man whose wife collects her deceased pets as taxidermy. Meanwhile, he has a peculiar idiosyncrasy of his own: he fantasizes about a mannequin that reminds him of a long-gone mistress. It's sort of like a psychosexual take on that Seinfeld episode in which the gang finds a mannequin that looks just like Elaine.

"Under a Dark Angel’s Eye" is perhaps the most horror-leaning episode, which naturally plays to my tastes. Ian Richardson (From Hell) stars as a man who returns to England after a decade away to oversee the sale of his childhood home. While there, he checks up on his old friends - played by Peter Vaughan (Straw Dogs) and Anna Massey (Peeping Tom) - who look after his overbearing, hateful mother who still haunts him. There's no murder in this one, but it's a dark tale of karma and guilt.

"Something You Have to Live With" ends the series on a fairly strong note. Jessica's (Tuesday Weld, Once Upon a Time in America) dream home turns out to be a nightmare when she kills a robber that breaks into her house. Director John Berry (The Bad News Bears Go to Japan) focuses on the aftermath as the unfortunate incident weighs heavily on her conscience.

Chillers, like any anthology, is hit and miss depending on the episode. It warrants a recommendation for fans of European fare, but don't expect it to compare to the more successful anthologies of yesteryear. Mill Creek Entertainment's new DVD set of the complete series crams all 12 episodes onto two discs. (An out-of-print 2005 release by Echo Bridge Entertainment had three DVDs.) Between the old, standard definition transfers and over five hours of content on each disc, the quality isn't great, but it's watchable.