episode #20 - Black Magic

episode #7 of 2nd season / Air Date: 11/10/76 written by Arthur Rowe Directed by Barry Crane

An episode with a certain amount of coolness for those into Old Dark House-type films and Vincent Price frightfests. This takes place in Louisiana, in the middle of a swamp. Price guest stars along with Julie Newmar, William Windom and Abe Vigoda as the butler. Price actually plays two roles - brothers; the older brother is about to die at the start of the episode; the younger one is among those who arrive to hear who gets what in the will. Jaime is sent in impersonating a niece who ran away 18 years ago to join gypsies. She's after a formula for a new tough alloy which is coveted by foreign enemies. The story turns into a scavenger hunt inside the big house, as the family members get nabbed one-by-one by some creep.
This was mostly done tongue-in-cheek, similar to a few of the later Price films in the sixties and Price hams it up big time. This episode has almost like an all-star guest cast so most of the charm is simply watching these actors go through their paces, in the middle of a silly and spooky Halloween-type episode (this was originally broadcast a week after Halloween). Some of the set pieces are familiar - the sudden drop of a large object from the roof on persons near the entrance to the house (see also the film Murder By Death-1976). It's amusing. Jaime doesn't use her bionics much this time, except to avoid falling stuff like that or give chase - though she does push a huge block of stone near the end. BoG's Score: 6.5 out of 10