Unforgettable opening sequence: the fact that this is so memorable over 40 years later is testament to the talent that existed back then. ITV was once a watchable channel.
This scene haunted me more than any other from when I saw it to this day, and still gives me goosebumps. Serves me right for secretly watching from behind our settee. :)
Hahahaha you must be British if you were watching from behind the SETTEE!!! I have lived in the states for over 25 years but I will never forget the first 20 years in London. Watching armchair thriller, hammer house of horror and tales of the unexpected were part of my childhood. I hid behind my mum when she sat down and watched it, it would feel more creepy if it was a dark and gloomy rainy day.😄
This used to be shown at 8.00 on Thursday nights. These were the days when ITV didn't rely on soaps and cheap reality shows and made intelligent dramas that millions wanted to watch.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, usually at 8:30! This one is the very first story, Rachel In Danger, which recounted the tale of a girl who goes to stay with her father, whom she hasn’t seen since she was younger - the man she thought was her father had, in fact, killed her father and was pretending to be him!
Spent many a sleepless night as a child due to this intro. It used to be on in the early afternoon. The episode that featured that creepy nun used to haunt me at night. Used to imagine she was sitting in the chair in my bedroom - spend many a hot stifling night under the bedclothes afraid to look out.
OMG... I loved the programme but it scared the shite out of me... This was the TV era of hammer house of horrors and tales of the unexpected.... Great times....they certainly knew how to spook you back then.. ✌️
When a programme that would start with the Night time Thames Television Ident always gave you the indication that either a Hammer House Of Horror was about to start or this Armchair Thriller. "Didn't this really put you in a commerce of fear??!!"
weird, can't tell is the guy walking towards the chair or away from it. My favorite show , even though me n my sisters used to be petrified when the music started. Really good childhood memories............
I read somewhere apparently this was filmed in reverse so when played forwards that shadow would have a juddering motion and be even scarier.It fucking worked!
Just imagine - you're watching this straight after the 'Dark and Lonely Water' or some other obscure, scary public information makes an appearance, in the Yorkshire region. Very unnerving.
This title sequence sh*t me up no end when I was a kid. Absolutely terrified me. I'd still watch it though, screaming my head off, clinging onto any family member near me. Right now, I'm alone and having to pause the video to write this comment.
@kegsy73 man you are really bringing me down memory lane. I cant believe I can remember this so clearly as soon as you typed crown court I knew I wasn't tripping. I was only about 4 or 5 back in the very early 80s only bbc 1,2 itv(utv here in ireland) ch4 and rte1,2. Thanks for the memorys mate.
Remember being sent to bed directly after Armchair Thriller finished. I was only 7 or 8 at the time. I fucking had nightmares about that Red screaming face sliding down the chair that was once used to advertise the new story which came after Rachel in Danger. I crapped myself to say the least.
I was 6, I always had one episode in my head, it had something to do with a little white poodle drowning or something, I use to think it was eaten and spat out.
@@softshallow7435 a dogs ransom it was called the episode was a man had his dog stolen when out in the park at night ...very good episode and quite emotional if your a pet lover like myself...
Put me down as another preschooler who stumbled upon these opening titles and then had nightmares for absolutely ages. In my memory, the shadow literally jumps out of the chair to get you. It's not quite as intense as that but still creepy AF.
This used to make me terrified when I was 4yrs old,I remember this programme was on in the afternoon as my sister used to babysit me as I was too young to go to nursery in those days. I am now 39 and still that chilling finger shadows on the arms of the chair still send shivers down my spine.
I remember this from when i was young ,I got some fright from the bit at the end when the shadow suddely rushes towards the screen when i saw it for the first time.
i really cant believe this stuff is still available. If my memory serves me right this used to be on in the afternoon it had to be or else I wouldnt remember how much this used to frighten the life out of me. Between the thames scene at night or the shadow sitting on the chair I dont know what one was worse.
The Nun without a face & Black Poodle.. Frightened me & still very vivid in my mind. The Nun without a face had the most impact as my primary school was next door to a Catholic primary school our football field merged we was that close. They had some Nun Teachers at the time, after that episode i poo my pants passing the school gates 😂😅gr8 memories 👍🏿
There was a particular story about a nun who lived in the roof of a stables. One scene frightened the hell out of me! Can anyone remember this episode please?
Yep, Scared the stuffing out of me as a kid, I've been thinking of this armchair and the fingers for years. I don't know, I'd be 6 or 7 watching this and no one cared, but it would be looked down on these days. Parents let me watch the Carrie movie as a kid too, but I'd be sent to bed at the credits and not allowed to watch the scene after the credits.
I could imagine the parents saying to especially the younger children “It’s time to go to bed now go on go on climb up the stairs right night night godless love you “ Then going downstairs and relaxed that the children didn’t have to see this p
This intro spooked me when i was a child. To this day, gives me chills.
Same here.
Me too
Unforgettable opening sequence: the fact that this is so memorable over 40 years later is testament to the talent that existed back then. ITV was once a watchable channel.
Sooooooooooooo nostalgic! Watched this as a kid gave me the willies then and still does today. Stuff back then was just better!
Me too!
Still gives me goosebumps!
Am over 50 still creeps me out...🤣🤣🥺
This scene haunted me more than any other from when I saw it to this day, and still gives me goosebumps. Serves me right for secretly watching from behind our settee. :)
Hahahaha you must be British if you were watching from behind the SETTEE!!! I have lived in the states for over 25 years but I will never forget the first 20 years in London. Watching armchair thriller, hammer house of horror and tales of the unexpected were part of my childhood. I hid behind my mum when she sat down and watched it, it would feel more creepy if it was a dark and gloomy rainy day.😄
Me too as a young 70s uk child...still scared now lol
Haha me too. I seem to remember it aired on a Sunday night right before mum made us have a bath.
This used to be shown at 8.00 on Thursday nights. These were the days when ITV didn't rely on soaps and cheap reality shows and made intelligent dramas that millions wanted to watch.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, usually at 8:30! This one is the very first story, Rachel In Danger, which recounted the tale of a girl who goes to stay with her father, whom she hasn’t seen since she was younger - the man she thought was her father had, in fact, killed her father and was pretending to be him!
The armchair, the silhouette, those hands. Truly the stuff of nightmares! 😱😅
The long fingernails coming over the arm of the chair used to send shivers down my spine (I was 13 at the time)!
Thats what i remember & it scared the shit out of me.
Yeah same.
Same. I was only about 5 or 6. Was so scary.
This gave me nightmares when I was a kid!
😁 You took the words out of my mouth
Me too
Still gives me them
My dad showed me and my brother this when I was 8, scared us half to death
Same. My mum used to cover my eyes a with her hands, I was that terrified of the opening and the music.
I was still really young when this was on, and the opening sequence really scared me. It's still pretty unnerving all those years later
Later on they repeated it in the afternoons which was even more terrifying if you were off sick from school
Still gives me the chills 40 years later 😰😰😰
Idea for a programme: 'Behind The Armchair Thriller'. An in-depth look at the making of the seminal series.
Those opening titles used to scare the shit out of me
me too and hammer house of horror and tales of the unexpected
same here, my dad showed it to me when i was 8 and i shit my pants
And me. It used to be on after something I watched as a kid. Glad now I know what show it was that scared of shit out of me.
I kind of remember my dad watching this and those titles even now are horrible.
we used to watch this as early teens babysitting the kids down the road used to scare the hell out of us that armchair!!.
I was just 5 years old when this was being aired and it still does me up even now as a near 50 yr old!...
Same
Spent many a sleepless night as a child due to this intro. It used to be on in the early afternoon. The episode that featured that creepy nun used to haunt me at night. Used to imagine she was sitting in the chair in my bedroom - spend many a hot stifling night under the bedclothes afraid to look out.
OMG... I loved the programme but it scared the shite out of me... This was the TV era of hammer house of horrors and tales of the unexpected.... Great times....they certainly knew how to spook you back then.. ✌️
Absolutely screamed if I saw this when my Mum watched the opening credits. I've just shown my kids and they laughed at it!
Probably because it's very cheesy. I think the Tales from the Darkside Intro is much creepier.
Credit to the director, music composer and arranger for such a short chilling intro... brilliant. So memorable and chilling after all these years.
I don't know which was the more terrifying - this or the keyboard player from Sparks.
The staring keyboard player from sparks definitely lol....ha ha. 👍
I'm 39 too. And this is the most terrifying thing I can recall seeing in my childhood; apart from that end scene in Carrie.
I had nightmares when i was a kid on this intro think it was the fingers at the end lol
Paul Wadsworth me too I watched that sequence in the dark and it scared the shit or of me.....
Yeah I also was terrified of this intro as a 5 year-old. Still gives me chills.
I was scared to death by this series
I just watched this and my kids are not home to comfort me...I`m a grown ass man as well, lol
When a programme that would start with the Night time Thames Television Ident always gave you the indication that either a Hammer House Of Horror was about to start or this Armchair Thriller. "Didn't this really put you in a commerce of fear??!!"
This scared the sh@t out of me as a kid, just watched it again and it still scares me now!
issyboom me too! :(
Awesome....This would shit me right up back then... loved it
I'm 52.... and this used to scare the shit outta me as a kid!!! Almost as bad as the public safety commercials. 🤦♂️😂
weird, can't tell is the guy walking towards the chair or away from it. My favorite show , even though me n my sisters used to be petrified when the music started. Really good childhood memories............
The intro for this scared the hell out of me when I was kid!
This is one freaky music.
It was scary then, and it still does the job even today
used to be scared stiff of the opening still makes me shiver now
The episode I remember so well ' As quiet as a nun' Creeped me out like crazy I was like 9 or ten years old then.
This brings back some memories as a kid 😆
This always scared the hell out of me as a kid. It was the shadow of the hands at the end. Aaaaaarggghh!!!
I was scared shitless of this when I was a kid!
When I was a kid, it scared me stiff. Still does....
I used to watch this when i was a kid back in the day.
that shadowy man and the movie when i was a kid scared me
Scared the bejesus out of me back in the day. I'm 50 now. Blimey !!
The credits was more scary than the story.
I read somewhere apparently this was filmed in reverse so when played forwards that shadow would have a juddering motion and be even scarier.It fucking worked!
Just imagine - you're watching this straight after the 'Dark and Lonely Water' or some other obscure, scary public information makes an appearance, in the Yorkshire region. Very unnerving.
Spooky even now.
fantastic film making!
had to sleep with mum after seeing these in the 70s
This title sequence sh*t me up no end when I was a kid. Absolutely terrified me. I'd still watch it though, screaming my head off, clinging onto any family member near me. Right now, I'm alone and having to pause the video to write this comment.
@kegsy73 man you are really bringing me down memory lane. I cant believe I can remember this so clearly as soon as you typed crown court I knew I wasn't tripping. I was only about 4 or 5 back in the very early 80s only bbc 1,2 itv(utv here in ireland) ch4 and rte1,2. Thanks for the memorys mate.
Remember being sent to bed directly after Armchair Thriller finished. I was only 7 or 8 at the time. I fucking had nightmares about that Red screaming face sliding down the chair that was once used to advertise the new story which came after Rachel in Danger.
I crapped myself to say the least.
I was 6, I always had one episode in my head, it had something to do with a little white poodle drowning or something, I use to think it was eaten and spat out.
@@softshallow7435 a dogs ransom it was called the episode was a man had his dog stolen when out in the park at night ...very good episode and quite emotional if your a pet lover like myself...
Put me down as another preschooler who stumbled upon these opening titles and then had nightmares for absolutely ages. In my memory, the shadow literally jumps out of the chair to get you. It's not quite as intense as that but still creepy AF.
The intro is so scary 😳 😫 as a kid it kept me awake all night 🌙 I was 4 years old
I don't remember any of the episodes but Its hard to describe how scary just this opening was when it came on telly as a kid.
Just the theme alone 😭.. I do remember the Nun without a face also and episode with a black poodle
This used to make me terrified when I was 4yrs old,I remember this programme was on in the afternoon as my sister used to babysit me as I was too young to go to nursery in those days. I am now 39 and still that chilling finger shadows on the arms of the chair still send shivers down my spine.
the tv progam-me is fear,.......
Saw this as a small boy and didn't sleep that night.
I remember this from when i was young ,I got some fright from the bit at the end when the shadow suddely rushes towards the screen when i saw it for the first time.
Exactly, the same :)
Ridiculously scared of this when I was 6. Used to run out of the room.
Brilliant theme tune.
The best 'Shit-yourself' T.V. theme by far.
...yeah but what about the lips opening and screaming to a shattering sound? And the end tune was terrifying as well.
Superb..
i really cant believe this stuff is still available. If my memory serves me right this used to be on in the afternoon it had to be or else I wouldnt remember how much this used to frighten the life out of me. Between the thames scene at night or the shadow sitting on the chair I dont know what one was worse.
absolutely 💩 myself as a child watching this when the shadow would dive onto the armchair terrifying just before bed .
This used to scare the crap out of me when I was a kid
Bloody hell I remember this. Still scary.
Totally agree Glann. Great post.
Cheers
ATV Midlands
scared me shitless then and still does now.
I remember being a kid and this music used to freak me out.
Andy McKay from Roxy Music wrote the theme tune
Those titles were fecking scary as a kid...
Gave me nightmares. Listen to your parents and dont watch after hours. Great story telling.
Couldn’t sit on an armchair for months after watching this.
Have never sat on an armchair since
Childhood nightmares relived 😱
Glad I'm not the only one, I was scared Sh**less of them opening titles when I was a kid (4 or 5 at the time)!!
the opening titles to armchair thriller used to scare the shit outta me when i was a kid and it used to be on on an afternoon lol
the beginning was scarier than the actual show
As a kid I had nightmares couldn't sleep at night
This still gives me the creeps especially the talon like fingernails
UUUUUuuggggghh!!!! Sends shivers down your spine doesn't it!
This really creeped me out when I was a young kid
This use to scare me when i was young, it was the fingers popping out that did it.
Ultimate childhood nightmare. Freaked me out big time. And everyone else I knew said the same.
The Nun without a face & Black Poodle.. Frightened me & still very vivid in my mind. The Nun without a face had the most impact as my primary school was next door to a Catholic primary school our football field merged we was that close. They had some Nun Teachers at the time, after that episode i poo my pants passing the school gates 😂😅gr8 memories 👍🏿
But most all it was this theme song.. Butterflies and Genuine being scared wow this just brought me back to being an 8 year old😅😂🤣 👍🏿
There was a particular story about a nun who lived in the roof of a stables. One scene frightened the hell out of me! Can anyone remember this episode please?
It's called Quiet as a Nun.
Yep, Scared the stuffing out of me as a kid, I've been thinking of this armchair and the fingers for years. I don't know, I'd be 6 or 7 watching this and no one cared, but it would be looked down on these days. Parents let me watch the Carrie movie as a kid too, but I'd be sent to bed at the credits and not allowed to watch the scene after the credits.
I was terrified as a kid look 👀 under the bed light on
this used to come on at 4 oclock after school
This used to scare the B’jesus out of me as a 11 year old in 1978!
shit, just watching this still made me shudder, and I was 7 when this was originally on
The original one had blood coming down it which was deemed to scary at the time
still as creepy as it was 45 years ago
I could imagine the parents saying to especially the younger children
“It’s time to go to bed now go on go on climb up the stairs right night night godless love you “
Then going downstairs and relaxed that the children didn’t have to see this p
freaked me out when I was young
Am sure this was on in the afternoons 😲
This used to give me nightmares as a child
this or tales from the unexpected?? omg both equally scary back in the day !
AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!! Royal jeeeeeeeelly....
Scared the shit out of me as a kid
I have Quiet As A Nun in my possession yet not seen it K
Uuuuhhhh!!! Spooookyyyy!!!
Still scary
Still scares the 💩 out of me now