The penultimate episode of "The Frighteners" is a fun little chiller which whilst still not the horror I was looking for from the series as a whole, was darker and more unsettling than most of the rest of the series.
A married couple, Anthony (Ian Hendry) and Olive Ashworth (Wendy Gifford) pull up outside an isolated house in Scotland. Anthony screws a "Bed and Breakfast" sign to the wall and then drives up, demanding a room for the night. The Cartwrights (John Welsh and Gabrielle Daye) are angry and then bemused at the situation, but eventually let them in when Olive's health appears to be fading. Despite saying they understand the situation, the Ashworth's act like the house is a B & B still demanding service. Then there is another knock at the door.
There's a sense of dread about the episode that I found really well done. The Ashworths aren't violent but there's something about their demeanours and refusal to accept the Cartwrights at their word that, combined with the fact we know that they have planted the sign makes them very threatening. It's a home invasion story almost, although the victims do let them in.
The ending reveal, when it comes, is nicely layered into the story and makes sense, even if it's a little bit of a stretch to accept that it would actually happen. (I'm keeping things vague to avoid spoilers). It might have been nice to have seen the story stretched a little longer, maybe even to an hour. I can see the story working as the bones for a stage play even, especially as it's essentially one location.
One more episode of "The Frighteners" to go.