Ep 5. CHARLIE-BOY

Charlie-Boy is the fifth episode of the first season of the British television series Hammer House of Horror. The episode initially aired on October 18, 1980, as part of a thirteen-episode anthology horror series created by Hammer Studios.

The episode begins when a family moves into an old mansion in the English countryside, where they find a strange doll hidden in a secret room. The doll, which turns out to be a cursed object, quickly starts to influence the family's youngest daughter, who becomes obsessed with it.

As the days go by, the family starts to experience strange occurrences, with the doll seemingly becoming more and more powerful. The family's teenage son becomes especially concerned about his sister's behavior, and tries to investigate the mysterious origins of the doll.

Through his investigation, the boy learns the tragic history of the doll and the family who once lived in the mansion. He discovers that the family's son had died during World War II, and that they had used dark magic to try and bring him back to life.

Driven by grief and desperation, the family had performed a ritual that involved transferring the boy's soul into the doll, which turned out to be a grave mistake. The boy's soul had become trapped in the doll, and he had become a vengeful spirit that haunted the mansion for years to come.

With the help of a local historian, the boy uncovers the only way to stop the curse of the doll: to perform another ritual that will release the boy's soul and allow him to pass on to the afterlife.

The episode ends with a dramatic climax, as the family confronts the evil spirit and tries to put an end to its reign of terror. The episode features impressive special effects and a genuinely creepy atmosphere, making it a standout episode in the series.

Overall, Charlie-Boy is a classic example of the haunted doll subgenre, with a unique and compelling spin on the trope. It offers a haunting and suspenseful story that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats until the very end.