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"Hammer House of Horror" Guardian of the Abyss (1980)


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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Can you offer me a glass of wine and some bread with salt, please?, 15 December 2006
7/10
Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls

Whoever said that horror wasn't an educational film genre, huh? Thanks to this marvelous Hammer short movie, I now at least know NEVER to offer a strange visitor any wine and a slice of bread with salt in my own house, because he might just be hypnotist and this combination will give him the power to control my thoughts & mind forever! Thank you Hammer! The tenth episode in the House of Horror series is another one I've been looking forward to seeing, mainly because the guy in the director's chair was Don Sharp; one of Britain's finest filmmakers but still sadly underrated. Sharp was responsible for some very cool Hammer films, like "Kiss of the Vampire" and "Rasputin: The Mad Monk", as well as some overlooked independent productions like "Dark Places" and "Psychomania". His contribution to House of Horror is easily one of the best in the series, with a complex yet fascinating plot outline and revolving on delightful occult themes. The plot centers on two antique dealers that stumble upon a strange object resembling a mirror, but it's actually an ancient scrying device that can be used to summon Choronzhon; the demonic guardian of the abyss. The mirror is heavily desired by a satanic cult since they need it for their ceremonies, but Michael is reluctant to sell it before knowing the real value of the device. When he picks up a clearly petrified girl who's running from the cult to avoid being sacrificed, Michael is drawn even deeper into an occult conspiracy. Satanic cults and the carnal sacrifice of young women are typical British horror topics, but David Fischer's screenplay is never dull and offers plenty of neat plot twits, among which a highly inventive climax. There's also plenty of tension to admire, the dialogs are wit and the acting performances are splendid (especially John Carson as the leader of the cult is genuinely eerie). Recommended!

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Occult mirrors, black magicians and a racy bedroom scene in this amusing Hammer hokum, 23 December 2006
Author: J. Spurlin from United States

Michael Roberts (Roy Lonnen) joins his friend Laura Stephens (Barbara Ewing) at an auction and talks her out of selling her newly-acquired mirror to a mysterious man (Simon Andrews) who seems excessively eager to have it. When Michael takes it from her to have it appraised, its occult powers put him in the path of Allison (the china doll-like Rosalyn Landor), who has just run away from a secret society that wants to sacrifice her in order to conjure up a powerful devil. The head of this society is Charles Randolph (John Carson), an evil hypnotist whom Michael will find extremely dangerous.

Don Sharp directs a script by David Fisher and delivers this amusing Hammerfied nonsense. It features sinister faces appearing in mirrors; a devil with a slimy, scaly green face; a racy bedroom scene; chicken blood; voodoo; a young woman in a revealing white dress that has two upside-down black crosses over the breasts; and a not entirely satisfying trick ending. Just remember that if you find yourself offering bread, salt and wine in your own house to an elegant stranger, he's probably hypnotizing you into performing a ritual that will give him possession of your soul. You wouldn't want that, would you?

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Hammer House Of Horror: Guardian Of The Abyss (Don Sharp, 1980) (TV) **1/2, 29 October 2007
6/10
Author: MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta

Hammer probably regretted not getting the cult classic THE WICKER MAN (1973); this, then, was their chance to make amends (the plot may be closer to the company's own THE DEVIL RIDES OUT [1968], but the revelation is straight out of the Anthony Shaffer/Robin Hardy chiller). However, the result isn't exactly special, if eminently watchable (as all of their work still is after all these years). It does feature three past contributors from the horror outfit's heyday: director Sharp (KISS OF THE VAMPIRE [1963]), imposing villain John Carson (PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES [1966]) and ex-starlet Barbara Ewing (DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE [1968]). Then again, lovely leading lady Rosalyn Landor makes as good an impression (and not just for the obvious reason).

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Atmospheric Occult H.H.H. Episode, 25 August 2009
7/10
Author: Benjamin Gauss from Salzburg, Austria

I love occult Horror, and the great British Hammer Studios, who delivered one of their greatest films with "The Devil Rides Out" (1968), have proved to be more than capable in this field of Horror. This occult tenth episode of Hammer's short running TV-series "Hammer House of Horror" (1980), "Guardian of the Abyss", is indeed a creepy entry to the series. Director Don Sharp, who had previously enriched the Hammer oeuvre with "The Kiss of the Vampire" (1963) and "Rasputin: The Mad Monk" (1966) and furthermore directed two "Fu Machu" movies starring Christopher Lee, is doubtlessly one of the better-known names among the HHH directors, and he also delivers here. Antiques dealer Michael (Ray Lonnen) stumbles over a mysterious old scrying glass. The scrying glass happens to be the object of desire of a devil-worshiping cult, who want to use it for their satanic rites. When he shelters a beautiful young girl named Allison (Rosalyn Landor), who is to be sacrificed by the cult, Michael gets into deeper trouble with the cult and their sinister leader (John Carson)... While this is not one of my absolute favorite episodes of "Hammer House of Horror" (the best one clearly is the brilliant seventh episode, "The Silent Scream"), it is a very creepy and atmospheric one. The plot has several interesting twists, and stays suspenseful and uncanny throughout the film. Ray Lonnen makes a good lead, young Rosalyin Landor is convincing as the innocent beauty, and John Carson is truly creepy as the leader of the Satanists. Overall, "Guardian of the Abyss" is another interesting and creepy HHH tale, and my fellow Hammer fans should not miss it.

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0 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
The second duff Hammer House of Horror story in a row!, 26 June 2007
5/10
Author: Paul Andrews (poolandrews@hotmail.com) from UK

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Hammer House of Horror: Guardian of the Abyss starts as small time antiques dealer Laura Stephens (Barbara Ewing) buys an inconspicuous box of junk at a local auction house for the princely sum of £3.50, there doesn't seem to anything of any great worth until she notices an antique scrying mirror. Laura is then offered a lot of money for it from another dealer named Simon Andrews (Paul Darrow), she refuses & lets her friend Michael Roberts (Ray Lonnen) take it to be appraised who happens to be, yes you've guessed it, an antiques dealer as well. However his day soon takes a turn for the worse when while driving Michael almost runs over a young girl named Allison (Rosalyn Landor) who is on the run from the sinister Corinson society who just so happen to need the mirror because it serves as a gateway to call a powerful demon called Corinson the Guardian of the Abyss & the protector of the gates to hell...

Guardian of the Abyss was episode 10 from the one & only season of this made-for-TV British horror anthology series produced by Hammer studios, directed by Don Sharp I must admit I thought this was average at best & after episode 9 which was Carpathian Eagle I've lost a little faith in the show since both have been pretty standard & forgettable fare. The script by David Fisher tells a tale of devil worship & black magic which is fine but I felt there wasn't anything new here, the tight 50 minute running time didn't actually help matters here & it felt a bit rushed with a frustrating ending as the film just finishes. The basic premise is good, it moves along at a reasonable pace, there are a couple of nice scenes but I thought the twists were way too predictable & it's nothing I haven't seen before. The character's are OK as is the dialogue but when all said & done Guardian of the Abyss didn't really do much for me & considering the excellent episodes of Hammer House of Horror I'd seen before Carpathian Eagle & this I can only feel a sense of disappointment.

Like the other 12 episodes Guardian of the Abyss was shot entirely on 35mm film & on location which means it looks pretty damned good especially when you compare it to other British TV show's at the time. I doubt the budgets were that big, in fact the entire series cost just under $4,000,000 to make which when divided between 13 episodes comes out as about $300,000 each. Many of the same locations & props are used throughout the series but they do look very good & could almost be cinematic features. There's no real gore in this one but there is a decent make-up job on Corinson demon. This has a good atmosphere about it & a few creepy moments. The acting is OK, if you take Paul Darrow's first name & his character Simon Andrews last then you'll get Paul Andrews which is my name! How pointless was that? Sorry.

Guardian of the Abyss is an OK episode dealing in black magic rituals but I thought it was just too predictable, too scatter-shot & uneven for my liking. Average at best & there are better Hammer House of Horror episodes out there waiting to be seen...

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0 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Boy, I really dig these "Hammer" classics., 7 July 2000
7/10
Author: (p166) from The Abyss, Australia

There's something about every "Hammer" movie I see that really takes me into a new fantasy world. In the world of "Hammer" movies, anything can happen. "Guardian of the Abyss" is one of those types of movies. It adventures deep into the occult and hypnosis to bring a different type of horror fantasy. All in all, an unforgettable movie. 7.5/10.

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