The final entry in the Chiller television horror anthology, Number Six, ensures the series finishes on a high note.
The small town of Helsby in Yorkshire exists under a dark cloud of fear. Five of its children have been murdered over the last two years, each stabbed to death on the night of a full moon by an unknown maniac.
A town gripped by fear
Detective Jack Taylor (Kevin McNally) is a man under extreme pressure. He is feeling the heat from his superiors as another full moon is imminent and the police are no closer to identifying, let alone apprehending, the murderer.
To compound matters, Jack’s personal life places him under further strain as he struggles to afford alimony payments to his estranged wife, Susan (Lorraine Ashbourne), co-parent their young son Johnny (Patrick McGuire) and maintain a relationship with current girlfriend Emma (Maggie O’Neill), one of Johnny’s teachers.
As the dreaded night draws closer, paranoia builds in the town, with an increased police presence prepared and parents making plans to safely shepherd their offspring home as soon as school finishes.
Meanwhile, in an effort to aid Jack’s investigation, child psychologist John Meybourne (Don Warrington) seeks clues to the killer’s identity by analysing pictures painted by the previous victims.
Young Johnny is also under stress. He is plagued by a nightmare in which his father is running through the nearby woods with five shadowy figures seemingly pursuing him to the accompaniment of the ominously chanted “Number Six”.
At school, he is pestered by a gang of fellow schoolchildren who eventually coerce him into joining them in a foreboding game of “Eeny meeny miny moe”.
Meanwhile, the sense of dread prevalent in Helsby has spread to Emma. She informs Jack she is living in a state of fright and believes there is “something happening” at the school with the kids obsessively playing their sinister game.
She explains the school is located on a former druidic site, and the nursery rhyme the pupils recount incessantly is in fact derived from a ritual used by the druids to select sacrificial victims.
Unbeknownst to Jack and Emma, the latest round of the game results in Johnny being named by his peers “Number Six”.
As tensions in the area mount, various potential suspects emerge as the possible murderer, including shifty plumber Keegan (John McEnery), who secretes a deadly knife in his toolbox, creepy estate agent Tim (Mark Chatterton) and convicted child abuser David Franklin (Barry Houghton).
Jack, accompanied by Emma, combs the streets desperately searching for any sign of the predator. The stakes increase dramatically when he is made aware of just how close to home the deadly threat has become.
Will the beleaguered detective be in time to prevent the culprit claiming their sixth victim?
Is Number Six worth watching?
Number Six is by far the strongest episode of the series. It proves an extremely effective mix of psycho-thriller, whodunnit and supernaturally tinged folk horror, with director Rob Walker maintaining a tense, unsettling atmosphere throughout.
The clever juxtaposition of a modern urban environment tainted by the resurfacing of an ancient menace is deftly handled, and the supposedly innocent schoolchildren’s chilling collaboration in the grisly events is genuinely disturbing.
The cast are first-rate. There are no overtly theatrical performances on display, and this downbeat, real-world approach imbues the piece with a gritty and believable edge.
Overall, this closing episode is a highly involving horror drama that will keep the viewer fully engaged until its shocking conclusion.
Chiller (1995) episode reviews
- Episode 1: Prophecy
- Episode 2: Toby
- Episode 3: Here Comes the Mirror Man
- Episode 4: The Man Who Didn’t Believe in Ghosts
- Episode 5: Number Six
