"Thriller" Spell of Evil (TV Episode 1973) - "Thriller" Spell of Evil (TV Episode 1973) - User Reviews - IMDb
"Thriller" Spell of Evil (TV Episode 1973) Poster

(TV Series)

(1973)

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6/10
Witching time
analoguebubblebath10 September 2005
'Spell Of Evil' brings Thriller's first series to an effective, if underwhelming, climax. A somewhat less successful venture into the supernatural, it nevertheless brings out reasonably good acting performances from the main leads Diana Cilento and Edward De Souza.

The story begins with the somewhat unsettling death of Tony Mansell's wife who seems to have taken the sudden vision of a black-clad figure as being absolutely terrifying in a 'let's scare her to death' fashion. After the obligatory mourning period Mansell decides to go down the personal ads route in an effort to find love. Enter Cilento's Gothic beauty Clara who makes sure he swallows the love potion bait without delay.

From then on Clara and her particular brand of witchcraft begins to exert a malignant influence over Mansell and he soon falls ill. He must then rely on the suspicious nature of others to save him from these evil clutches.

It pans out reasonably well but is hard to take seriously. A somewhat disappointing end to the opening series but at this point there have been enough highpoints throughout the previous episodes to ensure that overall, Thriller is something very special indeed.
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6/10
It's witchcraft. More hammy then Hammer.
Sleepin_Dragon6 January 2018
When a man loses its wife it's not long before he's on the hunt for another, with the help of a matrimonial agency he meets Clara, she seems to be the perfect wife, until her true nature is revealed.

I've not been as much impressed with the episodes that delve into the occult/supernatural, the straight laced episodes have in my opinion been a lot better. This one is decent, but a little unoriginal, very typical of seventies horror, it has a Hammeresque feel to it, but not as well executed, it's a little slow, there's even the obligatory professor with a funny accent. Oscar nominated Diane Cilento is the best thing about it, she has a degree of quality, but even she can't save this one from being a slightly damp squib.
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7/10
An Interesting Spell
all-briscoe2 July 2004
This was the final episode of "Thriller"'s first season. It is the least effective but it is still pretty good and has more to commend it than first seems.

The action starts with the sudden and mysterious death of Tony Mansell's wife. Some months later he unexpectedly decides to write to Modernmates, a marriage bureau. Almost as soon as he sends the letter he receives a reply from the seductively-voiced Clara Panton. When they meet they immediately hit it off. That same afternoon Tony asks her to marry him.

The marriage is a happy one. However Tony's housekeeper and secretary are both suspicious of Clara. There are a few strange events and small accidents. However later things take a much more violent turn. Tony's secretary feels she must investigate while he seems totally unaware of the terrible danger he faces.

This installment has some very powerful elements but it doesn't really seize the imagination or frighten in the way that some other supernatural outings such as "Nurse Will Make It Better" and "A Place To Die" do. This is chiefly due to the central character of Clara. Clara, played by Diane Cilento, can be very disturbing, notably when she is casting her spells (these scenes are very skilfully directed). However her over-the-top dress, make-up and jewellery - she literally rattles at times - make her hard to take entirely seriously. A more understated look would have helped. An interesting comparison is with Diana Dors's witch in "Nurse" who was a far more unsettling figure. Maybe the difference is partly due to the acting, although Cilento turns in a decent performance all the same.

The casting perhaps is the main reason for the failure to turn a good episode into a great one. All the performances are sound but nobody really excites. The story is certainly a strong one from the impressive Terence Feely. The climax is quite good but hampered by mediocre special effects. Another notable feature is a brief but important role for William Dexter as an eccentric witch-craft expert with a broad Welsh accent - very unusual to hear any accents in this sort of production.

To conclude, while this would certainly not be my first choice of "Thriller" viewing it does have considerable merit and is worth just over an hour of your time if chance arises.
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6/10
Not The Best Of The Series But Even A Less Worthy 'Thriller' Is Worth Watching
IanIndependent17 July 2021
I used to love 'Thrillers' when I was 12 or 13 back in '73. They interested intrigued and frightened me. Like Hammer films of 50 years ago they can seem rather dated now but were well crafted and really quite original. Many of there storylines are being rehashed with added gore and FXs now.

'Spell Of Evil' is not a best of breed. It is still worth watching despite being able to guess the storyline. It still grips in places and the performances are generally very good and more so when you take into account the plot mainly takes place in 3 rooms and the any special effects are none existent.

Would today's generation find it interesting? Possibly not. Although just like I would watch sci-fi and horror movies from a decade or two before when I was a teenager perhaps they could watch this and appreciate that narratives don't have to be gung-ho and a little subtlety rather than pure bloody violence can go a long way.

I enjoyed this because it brought back memories of what I used to watch and how I felt watching them but also like watching films from the 30 and 40s they just don't make them like that anymore and therefore keep you interested.
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