The Cutprice Guignol

So, at the start of this month, I posted an article recommending some Halloween TV for all you looking to indulge in a little of this seasons spookiness. But, as we close in on Halloween itself, you might not have time to jump into a whole show. So how about a few single horror episodes of TV to stir up a little of that spooky spirit? Outside of the big hitters like Inside No. 9 and Cabinet of Curiosities, here are a few of my favourite standalone horror TV episodes to enjoy with the leftover guising sweeties this year. To the list!

Murder Most Horrid: Murder at Teatime

I have a huge soft spot for the Dawn French-led anthology mystery series Murder Most Horrid, even if it is spectacularly patchy – it’s inventive and consistently trying new things, even when they don’t entirely work, and I appreciate that. But when they do work? Honestly, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this deliciously nasty episode since I first saw it. French plays a beloved but behind-the-scenes bitchy children’s TV presenter who clashes with new hire Colin (Dexter Fletcher), and decides to exact revenge on him for usurping her former glory. Set against the cheerful pastel backdrop of 90s kid’s TV, the twist and turns this gleeful little story takes lead it to a jaw-droppingly horrible finale that is all the more nasty for the teatime TV backdrop it takes place against.

The Treasure of Abbot Thomas

One of the my first exposures to horror was through the short stories of the brilliant MR James, and there are plenty of great adaptations of his work on TV (not least the amazing Whistle and I’ll Come to You with John Hurt a few years ago), but this particular take on The Treasure of Abbot Thomas really works for me. It’s one of the series of short horror movies Lawrence Gordon Clark produced for the BBC in the 1970s as fearful festive fare, and, though Clark takes some liberties with the original story, the version he brings to screen here is surprisingly eerie and captures that mordant sense of humour that James brings to most of his shorter pieces. It’s definitely dated a little, but the old-fashioned setting and style gives it a distinct flavour and a creeping, unsettling dread fills out the entire runtime.

Into the Dark: Pooka!

In this house, we stan Nacho Vigalondo, and his entry into the anthology series Into the Dark is no exception to his brilliant work. I love anything that twists up signifiers of childhood, like the titular toy of the title, into a horror premise, and Pooka! is such a great example of getting that right. Vigalondo blurs the lines between reality and fantasy as Wilson (Nyasha Hatendi) loses himself to a new job performing as the mascot for a toy brand, and against a backdrop of twinkling fairy lights and cheerful kid’s toys, finds a few really unsettling moments as niceness turns into naughtiness for Wilson and Pooka.

What standalone horror episodes do you love most? Are there any you’ll be watching this Halloween season? Let me know in the comments!

(header image via IMDB)