"Guardian of the Abyss" was episode 10 of the wonderful TV series "Hammer House of Horror", first aired in 1980. I was a pre-teenager at the time but my parents allowed me to stay up and watch them, this played a huge part in forming my lifelong love of all things horror. This episode concerns a coven of black magicians who want a mysterious mirror (actually an Elizabethan scrying mirror that once belonged to real occultist John Dee) that has been acquired by a couple of antique dealers. The demon that is trying to be summoned is called Choronzon, guardian of the Abyss, both Dee and later on Aleister Crowley both attempted to conjure it, I have some knowledge of the occult and it is good that the writers did their research on the topic rather than just make up a load of fictional mumbo jumbo. The cult leader is excellently played by John Carson and his character reminded me of the black magicians in both Night of the Demon (1957) and The Devil Rides Out (1968). The mesmerising Rosalyn Landor is stunning as an escaped member of the cult and Paul Darrow is very creepy as a rival antique dealer/cult member. Good use is made of the shooting locations and there are some cool demonic special effects at the end.
Review of Guardian of the Abyss
