So there have been a couple of big milestones in this project over the last few weeks. But now it's the big one. It's time to really go "behind the sofa".
That phrase has been attached to Doctor Who for so long now that it always gets trotted out along with all the other tired old lazy journalist clichés about wobbly sets, sink plungers, jelly babies and falling ratings. It's been the title of essays, museum exhibitions and fan blogs. So I guess it's apt that we are now at the point in the show's history where the producers and writers specifically set out to scare their audience.
The Robert Holmes / Philip Hinchcliffe era of the show is universally considered to be one of the best. Certainly the change in tone they introduced, with the series becoming darker with "gothic horror" influences, was immensely popular and produced a host of memorable new monsters and villains.
Just look at the creatures that first appeared just during the early part of their tenure: the Wirrn, Davros, the Zygons. Creatures that have become part of Doctor Who legend. All very scary, and certainly I hid behind my hands and peeked out between my fingers on occasions, but it wasn't enough to make me scurry out of my chair.
To be honest I am not sure how many fans really did (or still do) hide behind the sofa, but in 1975 Robert Holmes wrote a story that would make me do just that. The strange thing is, it wasn't a bug-eyed monster that caused me to be so frightened - it was a man...
Planet of Evil is a mix of influences from Forbidden Planet to Jekyll and Hyde. Invisible Anti-Matter monsters and transformations caused / restrained by smoking potions. It's an excellent story with some marvellous acting (no Prentis I'm not looking at you) and movie quality jungle sets. But it was one single scene that terrified me, perhaps just one image really -
Silly isn't it? It's just a man in pain with glowing red eyes. But for some reason this simple effect absolutely terrified me. Like a shot I was behind that sofa, peering out to check if it had gone yet.
Maybe it was something about the loss of humanity those malevolent orbs signified - the eyes are the window to the soul the saying goes. Maybe it was the accompanying soundscape. All I know was that I found it too horrible to look at. Even watching it now 40-odd years later I still feel odd looking at Sorenson and his anti matter eyes.
What's even odder is that I was fine with the invisible Anti-Matter creature or Anti-Man himself. Those didn't scare me half as much. After all those were just "monsters". I was brave enough to cope with monsters any day of the week (although that Target book cover is still pretty horrible).
No - it's Professor Sorenson and his eyes of evil that did it.
Thank goodness it was all over quickly. I wouldn't have to look at staring red eyes ever again. Oh look, today it's Pyramid's of Mars Part 2, what's that....?
No! No ! Aaaaagggggghhhh !!!!!!!
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