Nurse Will Make It Better - Series 4 Episode 2, Saturday 11th January 1975 (ITC movie title "The Devil's Web")

The story... 

Charley Harrow - daughter of an American diplomat - is left paralyzed from the waist down after a riding accident, Charley finds it very difficult to cope with her condition and her depression and violent outbursts make her unmanageable for the nurses brought in to care for her. That is until the arrival of Bessie Morne who somehow connects with Charley, lifts her mood and gives her hope. Amazingly one day - and seemingly thanks to Bessie - Charley is able to walk again. A miracle cure - but one that comes with a devastating price...

Diana Dors as Bessie

Review

A great episode, certainly the best of Series 4 for me. While this may not be cited as an ultimate favourite as often as other supernatural outings such as Someone at the Top of the Stairs or One Deadly Owner it also doesn't attract critics in the way those episode sometimes do. It has some minor limitations but it does very little wrong and deserves its fine reputation.

Witchcraft had been previously covered in Spell of Evil but the results were less than outstanding. This is far better in all regards - story, characters, performances and direction. Maybe it is the tale of evil inveigling itself into a family which makes such an impact. The Harrows are happy and prosperous and then Charley suffers her terrible accident. Unsurprisingly she becomes upset, bitter and almost unmanageable. Into this transformed situation comes Bessie. Her warmth and kindness are evident. She does not get ruffled by her new charge and starts to make progress but the viewer can tell that all is not well and Charley's sister Ruth is alive to trouble. Against seemingly impossible odds Bessie works wonders - with a little help from down below. The price to be paid for Charley's miracle cure will be immense.

Ruth & Suzy Harrow look up in amazement as their sister Charley stands at the top of the stairs. Their father & Carson are also astounded.

This is a very dark and disconcerting tale. Bessie's mild-mannered personality makes her evil-doing all the more unsettling. At no point does she get angry or raise her voice. Even under challenge she responds in a taunting and utterly confident manner. Charley is a headstrong character even before her accident and she provides ready material for Bessie who transforms her into something very deceitful and destructive. 

Edgar Harrow provides a familiar role as a sceptic, failing to see Bessie's Satanic work until it is almost too late. Security man Carson initially has a similar position but very soon he starts to sense all is not well. Ruth, however, in true heroine mode (and typically for an American guest star!) is alert to danger right from the start and she proves to be a formidable opponent for Bessie. 

The character of the drunken priest Lyle is maybe surprisingly absent for the great majority of the episode, particularly given Patrick Troughton's profile as an actor. Aside from the teaser and two brief wordless scenes he does not appear until the final ten minutes. Carson and Simon are two more fine characters while the briefly seen Fullers (especially the wicked Mrs. Fuller) are memorable. The only let-down is Suzy who is a little annoying, unaided by a hideous bubble perm. These characters still need strong performances and they get them. Diana Dors is marvellous and shows that behind her celebrity image lay a very capable and under-rated actress. Undoubtedly she is the chief reason for the episode's high reputation. Andrea Marcovicci is one of the best American guests and plays the heroine part beautifully. Ed Bishop, Patrick Troughton and Michael Culver are all very impressive. Ed was restricted to guest appearances after UFO but his display here shows his great ability which deserved starring parts. Although Linda Liles's legs seem to move more as the paralysed Charley than any able-bodied character - and her American accent is almost non-existent - she is still in fine form. The direction is excellent, with the spells and scenes when Bessie's book and box are examined especially unnerving. Astutely we never know the contents - the looks of horror say it all.

The climax is generally good - like that in Spell of Evil it is not wholly convincing due to limitations in special effects but it's still better done than in the earlier episode. Earlier on the off-screen killing of Carson's dog Porter is rather unpleasant. It is intended to signify the evil spirit brought into the house (& that the dog - unlike most of its human counterparts - senses something wrong with Bessie) but it would have been best avoided and is maybe the only real fault.  Despite this though, one of the very best and most memorable stories.

Notes

It's been speculated that the name "Simon Burns" may well be a pun on the theme of fire in this story. It may even be a hint of the possible fate for him if Bessie is not thwarted. Most likely it is sheer coincidence but an example of how the show opens up such readings to viewers. Burns was a surname used very frequently in Thriller and Brian Clemens said he often picked names simply because they were earlier to type (!) than for any narrative reason although it's not impossible he may have felt it an appropriate story to use it again.

In common with Spell of Evil this is one of the small number of Thriller episodes not to feature either a police officer or private detective. The security man Carson does handle some of the investigations and protection duties that an officer might have done but against a supernatural threat the characters realise that they need help rather different than conventional law enforcement.

Patrick Troughton contends with David de Keyser in Someone at the Top of the Stairs and Ralph Bates in Murder Motel (Series 5) for the star character in Thriller who appeared for the least screen time although unlike those characters he did feature at both the beginning and end of the episode.

Spell of Evil - Series 1, Episode 10, Saturday 16th June 1973

The story....

The action starts with the sudden and mysterious death of businessman Tony Mansell's wife. Some months later he unexpectedly decides to write to Modernmates, a marriage bureau. Almost as soon as he sends the letter he receives a reply from the seductively-voiced, glamorous Clara Panton. When they meet they immediately hit it off. That same afternoon Tony asks her to marry him.

The marriage seems a happy one. However Tony's housekeeper Mrs Roberts and secretary Liz are both suspicious of Clara whose background is a mystery. There are a few strange events and small accidents. However later things take a much more violent turn. Tony's secretary feels she must investigate while he seems totally unaware of the terrible danger he faces.

Review

This was the final episode in the UK of the first series of Thriller. I first saw it as part of the Bravo repeats in 1996 and remember having high hopes thanks to an enticing story premise. However it didn't live up to that promise and that underwhelmed response is common among fans. Subsequent viewings over many years didn't much change my feelings but on the last couple of occasions I have felt more positive and feel it has more to offer. While it's never been one of the big fan favourites it is fondly viewed by some. What can explain these contradictory opinions?

There are some powerful elements in place but generally the episode has suffered in comparison to the later witchcraft episode Nurse Will Make It Better, one of the best-remembered Thriller outings and certainly one of its most positively regarded supernatural tales. The contrast between the witch characters and actresses playing them in each has been seen as key. In the later story the deeply sinister character of Bessie is played by Diana Dors with remarkable aplomb. Despite the actress's reputation for glamour Bessie is played as a dowdy, androgynous figure and her seeming gentleness and lack of anger make the evil that she does seem much more disturbing. 

By contrast in Spell of Evil, Clara (Diane Cilento) is glamour and sultriness personified and the performance is anything but low-key.  Clara can be extremely warm - indeed seductive - but she is very quick to anger and far more likely to ring alarm bells. This isn't just in terms of personality but also outfit and her clothing make-up and jewellery is distinctly over-the-top - she literally rattles at times! Clara can still be very disturbing, notably when she is casting her spells (these scenes are very skilfully directed) - but the histrionic nature of her character can make her seem hard to take seriously.

An unnerving meeting with Clara for Tony's employees Liz (Jennifer Daniel) and Suzy (Linda Cunningham)

However more recently I've tended to see Clara and the very broad performance of her as much of a virtue as of a vice. The character can be a lot of fun and maybe there is an element of the pantomime villain about her which isn't always a drawback. There's some appealing humour. When Tony's colleague George first hears Clara on the phone he is clearly enthralled but warns Tony "I had an uncle with a voice like that"! Later when Tony tells Clara he's puzzled Modernmates never followed up their meeting she replies jokingly "You mean you got me for nothing!" Most teasingly when he enquires how she managed to find his ex-directory number she tells him, "Don't you know darling I'm a witch? All women are." There's some amusing frostiness between Clara and the other females in Tony's life, most notably housekeeper Mrs Roberts and secretary Liz who are both highly and rightly suspicious of her. Late on there is some black humour with the eccentric witchcraft expert with a broad Welsh accent - it was very unusual to hear any regional accents in Thriller. Actor William Dexter wasn't Welsh so there was a deliberate plan to use the accent for the part. 

Perhaps there is a something of an "end of term" feel to this story. Series 1 was concluding and had been a success and maybe this feeds through into a more carefree approach here. Earlier in the series or maybe in later series this story might have been focused in a much darker, more intense way, not unlike Nurse Will Make It Better. It would be wrong to think that this is a fairly frivolous affair and there is certainly still menace, most notably late in the proceedings, but on the whole it does offer some lightness of touch, whether that is appreciated is very much in the eye of the viewer and even that as in my case can vary over time. Even when one sees an episode can shape its rating. I saw this after Nurse Will Make It Better and it did seem to suffer by comparison but back on original transmission it is this story that came first and for some viewers the later witchcraft tale may have been the one seen as wanting. Whatever the case it's probably for the best that the producers turned out two very different takes on the subject rather than making both very dark - or somewhat light.