Hammer House of Horror

Oh, Martin, did you check the upstairs loo window?

I told you, I checked all the windows.

The lock on that window isn't working properly, you know.

- Janet, stop fussing. - You're always worrying about something,

Mummy.

- All right, which way? - What do you mean?

- Aren't you the navigator? - Yes.

Come on, then, navigate.

I'm giving you no help at all.

Come on.

Is something wrong?

Ah...

- Left. - Right.

- No, left. - Left. Right.

- No, left! - Right, left.

- You'd better be right, that's all. - Oh, Daddy!

I can hardly see a thing.

- Look! - Good God!

- You didn't hit him. - Was he hitchhiking?

I can see him.

Want a lift?

He's standing still.

He can get in the back.

No!

David, hop in the back.

Not going very far, I'm afraid. Where are you heading?

Sorry, I didn't quite catch that.

Martin!

David, David...

David!

Darling.

She's awake! My mother's awake!

Martin...

Martin!

Darling.

How are you feeling?

- My husband... - He's all right.

Where is he?

Oh. You're not wearing a dressing gown.

Wait here, David, would you?

Come along.

Your husband had to have an emergency operation last night.

- For what? - Sit down.

There's absolutely nothing to be alarmed about.

What sort of operation'?

He had glass from the windscreen in his throat.

The w... The windscreen?

He was very, very lucky.

So were you.

Nothing worse than a bad bump on the head.

And some bruising. The most fortunate thing was

that Mr Roberts went out looking for you in the storm.

How is the...

We had a...

another passenger.

Martin?

Darling?

You mustn't try to talk.

Oh, my poor sweetheart.

Well, you had a piece of glass this long.

Missed the carotid by a hair's breadth.

Otherwise, apart from severe bruising, no structural damage to the throat.

He can come off the drip. Now, can you swallow?

Hmm. Hurts a bit, eh?

Well, don't worry, old chap. We'll have you out of here in a jiffy.

He should rest more.

Ah, now, it's very important that he doesn't talk for a few days.

- Doctor... - Mr Cummings.

Mr Cummings, you must realise the cause of those injuries.

- He was attacked. - Oh, I am sorry...

- Please. - I thought a car crash.

If you don't mind, Mrs Lewis.

We picked up a maniac.

- Mrs Lewis! - He made us crash.

Where is he?

- I'm afraid I... - Sorry, sir.

- I want to know what happened to him. - Mr Cummings operated on your husband.

He is not acquainted with the circumstances of the accident.

- But the cause of those bruises? - And he's extremely busy.

Look, Sister, is it really necessary that I...?

Absolutely not.

I apologise.

Thank you very much for what you've done for my husband.

JANET. Where are... our things? Our suitcases.

They're here. In a storeroom.

The police asked us.

The police?

They want to talk to you.

I'll look after David.

Now, don't worry. They're waiting for you.

Well, we've already spoken to your son.

There's not very much he can tell us about the crash.

He may have been knocked out for a while.

Anyway, his memory seems to be a complete blank from just before it happened.

- But he's all right? - Yes.

Don't worry.

It's not unusual. Now...

- Your husband was driving the car? - Yes.

And you ran into the storm last night?

We picked up a hitchhiker who attacked my husband,

causing us to crash.

Can you describe this person?

There wasn't time.

It was dark, it was raining.

He attacked my husband as soon as he got in the car.

- How soon before this did you pick him up? - No distance.

A few hundred yards, a quarter of a mile.

What was he wearing?

A raincoat.

A sort of oilskin.

Th-the kind that fishermen wear.

And a hat, the same material.

After the crash,

do you have any recollection at all of what happened?

I was unconscious.

I woke up in the hospital.

You remember nothing at all?

No.

What happened?

Who...?

Why?

Oh, how could... What does it mean?

Oh...! Ahh! Ahh!

David's favourite toy.

Everything was scattered over a wide area.

Everything-

The hospital will lend you some things to wear.

It would appear that there'd been a...

terrible struggle between your husband

and the other man.

- But Martin... - Your husband was fighting for your lives

against a madman.

What kind of creature?!

He must be found.

You'll have to catch him.

That won't be necessary.

What?

We think we already have him.

You think?

We found a body.

- Dead? - Yes.

It was some distance from the accident.

We need you to identify it.

- No. - We have to be sure.

Unless you can identify it as the hitchhiker,

we don't know if it isn't another innocent...

person.

Where is it,

this body?

Here. In the hospital mortuary.

If you get dressed, I'll take you down.

I'm sorry. I can't.

I can't do it.

Why don't you sit down?

I'm sorry.

If you'd rather wait'?

Oh, no. No.

It's all right. I can do it.

There's all the time in the world.

- I never saw his face. - You might have blanked it out.

One look might bring it back.

It's a formality.

Never...

saw him before. Never!

But he was the hitchhiker?

I... don't know.

His hand.

I could identify his hand.

He had a long fingernail.

On which hand?

The right.

Are you sure?

Yes.

It was the right, without question.

- Uncover it. - We can't.

What?

We don't have the right hand.

What do you mean?

It was severed in the crash. We still haven't found it.

It may have been taken by an animal. A fox or a badger.

Loss of blood at the wrist.

That was the cause of death.

Aaargh!

Please. Don't touch me, please.

David, where's the ward sister?

What?

David... we must see your father.

What?

What? What is it? I've nearly finished my jigsaw puzzle.

- We're still going on our holiday, you know. - I know.

What did the policeman want?

Can I have my airplane back?

Mum?

Come along.

I'm going to get you out of here.

- Can I finish my jigsaw? - No. Wait there.

I don't want any help!

No! I'm doing it myself.

It's a lovely house.

And it's got a thatched roof.