1. Space:1999 - The Dragon's Domain
Space:1999 may have lost out to Star Trek in terms of respectability, popularity and critical recognition, but the one area where Gerry Anderson's sci fi classic has Star Trek beat is on the gruesome deaths of their guest stars and background characters. From being sealed alive in a tube, disintegrated and cannibalized by aliens or being subjected to the desiccated corpse of Brian Blessed, Space:1999 was a pretty gory, gruesome affair for a TV show. Season One's Dragon's Domain features a genuinely creepy story, chilling imagery and the gruesome deaths one comes to expect from Space:1999. Previously unseen crewman and redshirt of the week, Tony Cellini is wracked with guilt and possibly suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after the failed 1996 deep space Ultra Probe. The sole survivor of that mission, he claimed that his crew had been killed by a "monster," but further investigation revealed that he had most likely bungled the decompression process and accidentally killed his crewmates himself. Now a member of Moon Base Alpha's, Reconnaissance team, Cellini insists that the monster is out there and is determined to confront it. Soon, the Alphans are confronted with the reality of Cellini's claims in the person of a seemingly invincible, tentacled creature that drags its victims into its mouth and spits out their steaming remains. From the impossible discovery of the grave yard of alien space ships mentioned in Cellini's report, to the visually disturbing manner in which the monster disposes of its victims, Dragon's Domain is a terrifying toast to the unexpected dangers lurking in the universe. Dragon's Domain director Charles Crichton would go on to receive an Academy Award as Director of A Fish Called Wanda Let me know of any other tales told on television that have helped to get you in the Halloween mood!