The second episode in this obscure Polish-made TV-series from the early seventies lives up even less to the "macabre" in the title, but it's a fun and compelling short story, nevertheless. Based on a tale by Marc "Tom Sawyer" Twain, the plot revolves around a mysterious stranger who arrives in a small town called Hadleyburg and leaves a bag full of gold at the first house where he stops. He claims the gold is a donation for the local good Samaritan who helped him out 20 years earlier. Since Hadleyburg takes pride in supposedly being an honest and virtuous place, the stranger claims he's confident the gold will end up with the righteous owner. Of course, nobody remains honest & unselfish when this much money is involved.
Host Christopher Lee masterfully summarizes the moral of the story during his pleasant introduction: "the only thing that keeps most people honest is the fear of getting caught". Right you are, Mr. Lee.
Of course I wish for the next upcoming episodes to become slightly more dark and sinister, like in the series' obvious role-model "The Twilight Zone", but so far I didn't regret seeing the first two.
Host Christopher Lee masterfully summarizes the moral of the story during his pleasant introduction: "the only thing that keeps most people honest is the fear of getting caught". Right you are, Mr. Lee.
Of course I wish for the next upcoming episodes to become slightly more dark and sinister, like in the series' obvious role-model "The Twilight Zone", but so far I didn't regret seeing the first two.
