Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook (7 Feb. 1961)

On the Welsh Border, an old man suspected of witchcraft is gruesomely murdered with a hay-fork and bill-hook. The Scotland Yard inspector investigating has to wade through a morass of ... See full summary »

Director:

Herschel Daugherty

Writer:

Alan Caillou

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Kenneth Haigh, Audrey Dalton

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Boris Karloff	...	Himself
Kenneth Haigh	...	Detective Insp. Harry Roberts
Audrey Dalton	...	Nesta Roberts
Alan Napier	...	Constable Evans
Alan Caillou	...	Sir Wilfred
Doris Lloyd	...	Mother Evans
J. Pat O'Malley	...	First Pub Patron
Lumsden Hare	...	Thomas Watson
Ronald Long	...	Mr. Jonas
Basil Howes	...	Librarian
Kendrick Huxham	...	Second Pub Patron
Richard Peel	...	First Soldier
Gilchrist Stuart	...	Second Soldier (as Gil Stuart)
Barry Bernard	...	Senior Officer
Iris Bristol	...	Maid

Storyline

On the Welsh Border, an old man suspected of witchcraft is gruesomely murdered with a hay-fork and bill-hook. The Scotland Yard inspector investigating has to wade through a morass of superstition to uncover the killer, but when his wife starts having visions of the Black Dog, harbinger of death, the locals focus their suspicions on her.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 1961 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Revue Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hubbell Robinson Productions, National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

"You cannot fight the powers that fight the powers of darkness!"

I rather enjoyed this 'Thriller' entry; it uses ancient superstition and the power of suggestion to good effect creating a sense of dread in the viewer. The whole time we're being set up for Mrs. Roberts (Audrey Dalton) to be revealed as a witch; quite clever the way the story interjects the black dog and the true parentage of Constable Evans (Alan Napier). The opening scene gets the story's title out of the way quickly, with a pitchfork to the chest and a cross carved on the throat of victim Watson by that brush cutting gadget known as a bill-hook. It's actually pronounced as a single word sounding like 'billook' with a silent 'h' which I didn't know when I first saw the title.

As the story goes on we hear a lot of talk about evil spirits and evil people, and hidden, powerful forces dating back to the age of the Druids and human sacrifice. There's also a more recent legend of a black dog turning into a headless woman, a witch as it were. So by the time we see the black dog in Mrs. Roberts' room at the inn, at first as a reflection in the mirror, we're about ready to accept the idea that this is going to be the honeymoon from hell.

However newlywed Inspector Roberts (Kenneth Haigh) has a pretty level head and gets things sorted out on his end rather professionally. He's just in time to make the save for the Mrs. when it looks like she's about to be burned for this witch business, in a wicker basket no less. As for the black dog, I had to chuckle when he made his appearance known to the Inspector - he wasn't the least bit scary looking or ferocious - just your average playful mutt who wanted his share of attention. Could it be he's the one Led Zeppelin sang about?