User Reviews

Teacher Craig Miller is taking a lesson when pupil Rodney Blake is involved in an altercation with another boy . The other boy then leaps through a window . Does Rodney have supernatural powers ?

JOURNEY TO THE UNKNOWN was produced by Hammer Films and the better episodes of the show show their Hammer roots and this is certainly one of the better episodes . The one problem viwers might find with it is that the " demonic child " plot became overused after the success of THE OMEN in the mid 1970s therefore the plot would have been much fresher on this episode's initial broadcast

The audience are one step ahead of the Miller so the story is in danger of becoming staid and insipid but thankfully it mutates in to something slightly different in the second half which contains all the hallmarks of a traditional Hammer horror film with Michael Ripper in the role of an Innkeeper who effectively says " Strangers sir ? We don't get many strangers here sir "

If you found any charm or hold any affection for those old corny Hammer horror movies then you'll like this episode

Teacher Craig Miller is surprised when his pupil Rodney Blake makes an unusually good sketch. The boy had previously displayed no artistic ability whatever.

When Blake is attacked in class, he stares at his attacker in an unnerving manner - the terrified boy crashes through a window.

Miller and another teacher, Jill Collins, explore Blake's background. His parents came from Australia, and adopted Rodney when they moved to England.

Rodney is one of identical quins, each living with different families, each blessed with a remarkable talent, such as the ability to draw, or play the piano. A psychic link connects the boys - when one feels anger, they all do. Rather more worryingly, they are equipped with terrifying mental powers - they can make people believe they are seeing what is not really there.

Steven, one of the boys, lives in the wilds like an animal, and terrorises the local community. He is thoroughly evil, and appears to be controlling his brothers...

Unusually, this episode was adapted not from a short story, but a novel - and a rather good one - by Leslie P.Davies. Watching it now its hard not to be reminded of 'Village Of The Damned' or 'The Omen' - although that latter movie was a good six years in the future when this was made. Rather than turning out to be sons of Satan, the boys are the product of Nazi genetic experiments. Roderick and Barnaby Shaw play the quins ( with a little help from nifty camera trickery ).

Michael Tolan is the teacher 'Craig Miller'. He was no stranger to sci-fi, having appeared in the 'Outer Limits' classic 'The Zanti Misfits'. Nanette Newman, very pretty but alas the worst actress of all time, is 'Jill Collins' - her performance seems to be a dry run for the one she gave in 'The Stepford Wives'. Good old Michael Ripper, a Hammer regular, plays ( what else? ) a publican.

Directed by James Hill, responsible for 'Born Free' and one of the best episodes of 'The Avengers' - 'A Touch Of Brimstone'.