Late Night Horror

Late Night Horror is a BBC horror series shown in 1968 over six 25-minute episodes.

Late Night Horror
Late Night Horror title sequence
GenreHorror
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6 (5 missing)
Production
ProducerHarry Moore
Running time25 minutes
Release
Original networkBBC2
Original release19 April (1968-04-19) –
24 May 1968 (1968-05-24)

An anthology of short horror stories,[1][2] Late Night Horror was cancelled after six episodes due to complaints from viewers, and the majority of the series is now missing from the BBC Archives.[3][4]

Episodes

Series
# Title Directed by Written by Original airdate Viewing Figure
1"No Such Thing as a Vampire"[1]Paddy RussellRichard Matheson11 April 1968 (1968-04-11)1.8 million[5]

Alexis, the wife of Dr. Cheria, mysteriously falls ill, it's believed by the villagers that she is a victim of a vampire. One night, she awakes screaming with blood running from two marks down her neck.

This episode is lost
2"William and Mary"[6]Richard MartinRoald Dahl18 April 1968 (1968-04-18)Unknown

A radiologist discovers a way of preserving the brain after the body has died.

This episode is lost
3"The Corpse Can't Play"[7]Paddy RussellJohn Burke25 April 1968 (1968-04-25)0.8 million[8]

Ronnie's party is going well, but his mother Alice is waiting for her husband Tom to return from the office to help supervise. The doorbell rings, but instead of Tom it's Simon Potter, a strange little boy who Ronnie dislikes, and who knows some unusual and horrifying variations of children's party games.

This episode was recovered as a 16mm black-and-white film telerecording in 2016, and remains the only surviving episode of the series
4"The Triumph of Death"[9]Rudolph CartierH. Russell Wakefield2 May 1968 (1968-05-02)0.95 million[10]

Miss Pendleham has resided in a crumbling Elizabethan mansion for many years with rumours that the mansion is haunted.

This episode is lost
5"The Bells of Hell"[11]Naomi CaponRobert Aickman9 May 1968 (1968-05-09)1.0 million[12]

After three months of marriage, Phrynne and Gerald Banstead stay at the Bell Inn, a picturesque pub in East Anglia. When they arrive, the place seems to be all but deserted apart from the lonely sound of a church bell.

This episode is lost
6"The Kiss of Blood"[13]Richard MartinSir Arthur Conan Doyle16 May 1968 (1968-05-16)Unknown

Lady Sannox is one of the most beautiful and richest women in London. She becomes a mistress of Douglas Stone, an eminent surgeon. Her husband Lord Sannox watches this affair and seeks his swift revenge.

This episode is lost

Archive status

The master 625 line PAL colour videotapes for all six episodes of Late Night Horror were either erased for reuse or junked soon after the series was repeated in 1970. Only the third episode, "The Corpse Can't Play", exists in the BBC Archives — albeit only in black-and-white.

Until 2016, all six episodes were lost until "The Corpse Can't Play" was returned by Kaleidoscope/British Film Institute in the form of a 16mm black-and-white film telerecording made for overseas sales, but the programme was originally made using 2" 625 line PAL colour videotape.[14] The episode was screened on 16 December 2017 at Missing Believed Wiped.[3] Before the recovery of "The Corpse Can't Play", only the opening titles survived on a BBC Graphics reel.[15] The original TV promo presented by Valentine Dyall was uploaded by Kaleidoscope to their YouTube channel in December 2020.[16]

DVD

It was announced 15 February 2022 on Kaleidoscope's Facebook page that "The Corpse Can't Play" will be released onto DVD with a new HD transfer, restored colour and a book about the series.[17] It was due to be released on 1 April 2022 by Kaleidoscope, but was delayed to 15 May. Kaleidoscope had exclusive rights until 1 September 2022.[18]

References
  1. "Late Night Horror: No Such Thing as a Vampire". BBC Genome. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  2. "Late Night Horror (TV series)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  3. BBC Breakfast News (Television). BBC News. 16 December 2017. Event occurs at 1:22.32. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  4. "BFI event celebrates discovery of long lost TV programmes". BBC News. 16 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  5. "Late Night Horror: 01: No Such Thing As A Vampire" (PDF). the-mausoleum-club.org.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  6. "Late Night Horror: William and Mary". BBC Genome. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  7. "Late Night Horror: The Corpse Can't Play". BBC Genome. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  8. "Late Night Horror: 03: The Corpse Can't Play" (PDF). the-mausoleum-club.org.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  9. "Late Night Horror: The Triumph of Death". BBC Genome. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  10. "Late Night Horror: 04: The Triumph of Death" (PDF). the-mausoleum-club.org.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  11. "Late Night Horror: The Bells of Hell". BBC Genome. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  12. "Late Night Horror: 05: The Bells of Hell" (PDF). the-mausoleum-club.org.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  13. "Late Night Horror: The Kiss of Blood". BBC Genome. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  14. "LATE NIGHT HORROR". Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  15. "Late Night Horror (1968)". ravensbourne.
  16. "BBC2 1968 Colour - Late Night Horror - Valentine Dyall". Kaleidoscope/. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  17. "TV Brain exclusive". Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  18. "LATE NIGHT HORROR". Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
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