This has always been one of my favorite episodes of Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, and it's a pity that more of them weren't up to this standard.
The plot revolves around a young woman, Eva Bailey (played with perfection by the beautiful Jan Francis), who is being stalked after moving in to her new apartment - where she lives alone.
Her next door neighbor Frank (played by David McCallum) offers to help - he's the security manager at a top auction house and, after an initial reluctance from Eva, goes ahead and installs a CCTV camera in the hallway to monitor her front door. Frank is quite taken with Eva, and is perhaps hoping for a closer relationship - but she politely spurns his advances.
Things take a more sinister turn when the security-obsessive Frank is entrusted with guarding an extremely valuable jewelry collection - the Corvini Inheritance - which is due to be auctioned by his company. The collection is said to be cursed, and has brought nothing but death and misery to its owners over the centuries. Frank seems to become entranced by a huge pendant, the centerpiece of the collection, which is said to change color if the wearer is unfaithful to her husband. Could the curse be real - and could Frank now be somehow under its spell?
This is a very suspenseful and entertaining episode - the two leads are excellent, Jan perfectly portraying Eva's resolve and vulnerability, and David striking just the right balance of Frank's over-efficiency, coupled with his rather odd and obsessive nature. The locations around Maida Vale in West London make an atmospheric backdrop, the direction is superb, and you really do get to feel Eva's fear of the stalker. You can also relate to her slight sense of unease around her new neighbor - the camera outside her door becoming increasingly intrusive as time goes on, which she perhaps regrets ever agreeing to.
I've never got tired of re-watching this episode over the years, and it definitely ticks all the boxes in terms of mystery, suspense and an intriguing storyline.
The plot revolves around a young woman, Eva Bailey (played with perfection by the beautiful Jan Francis), who is being stalked after moving in to her new apartment - where she lives alone.
Her next door neighbor Frank (played by David McCallum) offers to help - he's the security manager at a top auction house and, after an initial reluctance from Eva, goes ahead and installs a CCTV camera in the hallway to monitor her front door. Frank is quite taken with Eva, and is perhaps hoping for a closer relationship - but she politely spurns his advances.
Things take a more sinister turn when the security-obsessive Frank is entrusted with guarding an extremely valuable jewelry collection - the Corvini Inheritance - which is due to be auctioned by his company. The collection is said to be cursed, and has brought nothing but death and misery to its owners over the centuries. Frank seems to become entranced by a huge pendant, the centerpiece of the collection, which is said to change color if the wearer is unfaithful to her husband. Could the curse be real - and could Frank now be somehow under its spell?
This is a very suspenseful and entertaining episode - the two leads are excellent, Jan perfectly portraying Eva's resolve and vulnerability, and David striking just the right balance of Frank's over-efficiency, coupled with his rather odd and obsessive nature. The locations around Maida Vale in West London make an atmospheric backdrop, the direction is superb, and you really do get to feel Eva's fear of the stalker. You can also relate to her slight sense of unease around her new neighbor - the camera outside her door becoming increasingly intrusive as time goes on, which she perhaps regrets ever agreeing to.
I've never got tired of re-watching this episode over the years, and it definitely ticks all the boxes in terms of mystery, suspense and an intriguing storyline.