Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible

Time has been neither kind nor cruel to this relatively obscure Steve Coogan series (only 15 imdb reviews to date). Watching in 2020, I still have the same likes and problems with it as I did when it went out.

Of the 6 episodes, two are bona fide tv classics. One, And Now The Fearing, is a perfect pastiche of early 70s Amicus portmanteau horrors - every single cliché gets thrown into the mix with fantastically cheesy results. The way it's all crammed into 30 minutes is also impressive.

The other, The Curse Of The Blood Of The Lizard Of Doom is a deliriously silly yet engaging sci-fi tinged 19th Century body horror. The slew of knowingly horrendous one-liners in this episode had me creasing, the attention to detail of the sets (and the bad-on-purpose special effects) were spot on, and even the newspaper headlines were genius. Everything about this episode is great, and I wish it had been a full length movie.

Then there's one decent episode, Voodoo Feet Of Death. The premise/set up here is original, and the script has some funny moments, but overall it felt a bit drawn out and convoluted. Worth watching though.

The remaining 3 episodes were a bit of a slog to get through and Coogan seemed to be stuck on autopilot in all of them. Frenzy Of Tongs was especially weak, almost the entire episode seemingly taking place in a big dark cupboard. The other two were historical period pieces and vaguely forgettable, although in fairness all 3 of these had at least one moment that made me laugh.

As a series overall, I'd say of Steve Coogan's non-Partridge tv work this ranks below Paul Calf's video diaries and Coogan's Run, but above Saxondale (overrated), The Trip (yawn) and Tony Ferrino.

I am somewhat bemused by the relatively luke warm reaction that this sublime series has received. Yes it is all nonsense but that is the idea. The most common, and most ill informed, criticism is that it is merely parodying old Hammer films. This is true of the first story "Vampire Lovers of Lesbian Lust". As the title unsubtley suggests it is a pastiche on those latter day, early seventies Hammer films, such as The Vampire Lovers and Lust for a Vampire, which mixed vampirism with lesbianism, and briefly stayed Hammer's commercial decline. Other installments have found other targets. And Now the Fearing, the best episode, brilliant takes the mickey out of those sixties/seventies Portmanteau films made by British horror studio Amicus (a series that included Doctor Terror's House of Horror). Scream Satan Scream is a spoof of witchhunting, non Hammer films such as The Witchfinder General and The Mark of the Devil. Hand of Tongs takes its starting point from the Fu Manchu stories though it does share many plot similarities with the 1977 Doctor Who story The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Rather than disguising its roots the series does give nods to its influences. The linking story in And Now the Fearing is set in an office complex known as Amicus House. Scream Satan Scream features a dwarf named Tigon, that being the name of the production company responsible for The Witchfinder General. The opening shot of Hand of Tongs shows a sign reading Talon Street E.14. The Talons of Weng-Chiang featured in Doctor Who's classic fourteenth season. Doctor Terrible was without doubt a televisual highlight from 2001. If you disagree with me all I can say is - "You, Sir, are a big crab!

This show is so funny and well written.

The jokes are so obviously but the audiences don't actually expect them thus resulting in laughter once said, one that would stick with me is 'I kicked her head in...the fire'

This is one of Steve Coogans best bits.

Like many other TV shows however, it has its bad bits, but the hilarity of the show and the plots will let make you forget about that in no time soon!

At least give it a try, it's like one of those things which you need to watch, just to say you have seen a classic piece of comedy, especially because of Coogan in his prime!

I quite liked DHHT. I picks up motives from popular horror films and turns them into spoofs. So one has to bear in mind that it's a different concept from Allan Partridge and also a complete different kind of humour. It certainly beats Carry on Screaming. Anyway, the writers really have a very good knowledge of the classic English horror film and portray it very lovingly with a lot of detail. That clearly shows in the quality of the sets, the costumes etc. Although funny it's never disrespectful. The stories are absurd but they work quite well as opposed to being just a series of one liners. That's difficult to achieve with a genre parody. It's also quite comprehensive in taking on all aspects of the horror film. So if you're a Hammer fan you'll enjoy this. If you're looking for "typical" Coogan, forget it. BTW: Honor Blackmann still cuts a nice figure at well over 70.

Great stuff. The parodies are spot on, and with a class cast, this makes for a far more subtle vignette than can be seen at first glance. If you are an 'appreciater' of the late 60s, early 70s Hammer films (often with either Mr Lee or Mr Cushing), you should find much in this to enjoy. Of course Steve Coogan hams it up, but why else are you watching it? It's a little telling when you realise that it's no less ridiculous than the films it is sending up, and Dr Terrible is always a source of mirth.

I have not seen all the episodes, but the ones I have often encapsulate a whole sub-genre within the horror theme. There is only the one series, and it is a shame the BBC (once more) didn't have strength of character enough to commission more.

The title tells it all - and the series lives up to it admirably. It's the sort of thing you will like, if you like this sort of thing.