The TARDIS lands The Doctor in the Hammer House of Whorror.

Doctor Who has never been afraid to tip the hat to other great British institutions and if anything, it’s a wonder it took the series so long to go full-on Hammer House of Horror. If your tastes run to the gothic with a vampiric bite and a dash of sci-fi shenanigans then Terrance Dicks’ State of Decay is just what the Time Lord ordered. Airing in late 1980, this story from Tom Baker’s final season plunges us into a world of medieval superstition, star-faring vampires, and ancient Time Lord history. It’s Doctor Who’s take on Dracula, but with a side order of technobabble and Gallifreyan backstory. So, grab your garlic and sharpen a sonic stake – it’s time to confront the ancient horrors lurking in State of Decay.

The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Lalla Ward) are still stuck in E-Space (yes, that mystical alternate universe no one ever quite understood), where they land on a planet ruled by a trio of sinister overlords who live in a castle (naturally). The local peasants are kept technologically impoverished under the overlords’ thumb, believing their masters are immortal gods. But the Doctor soon uncovers the truth: these “lords” are the last remnants of an ancient race of vampires that fled Gallifrey after being defeated by the Time Lords in a battle of truly mythic proportions. And as if all that wasn’t enough, there’s a stowaway onboard: soon-to-be-beloved companion [ /s] Adric (Matthew Waterhouse).

State of Decay takes its cues from classic vampire lore, mixing in Time Lord mythology to brew a heady Hammer cocktail of undead creatures waiting to avenge themselves against the undying. The Doctor and Romana, alongside a frequently sidelined K-9 and the bumbling Adric, find themselves in a race against time to stop the vampires from awakening their leader, the Great Vampire, who’s been buried beneath the planet for centuries, waiting to rise and feast on the universe.

By this point in the series, Tom Baker’s Doctor is undergoing a transformation of sorts, alongside the series’ new look for the 1980s. In his final season, his performance takes on a brooding melancholy, with the trademark twinkle in his eye dimming under a more serious and sombre tone. Part of this shift can be attributed to the arrival of new script editor Christopher H. Bidmead, who favoured more hard science and serious drama. But it’s also clear that Baker himself was growing weary of the role, even as he railed against the inevitability of having to relinquish it. Still, his Doctor remains captivating, particularly in the gloomy, gothic setting of State of Decay. Baker’s blend of quiet intensity and weary heroism gives this vampire tale an extra layer of gravitas, adding to the sense that the stakes (pun fully intended) couldn’t be higher.

Lalla Ward’s Romana is every bit as sharp and resourceful as you’d expect and by this point, she’s well beyond playing second fiddle. Her dynamic with Baker remains one of the best Doctor-companion pairings in the show’s history and Ward delivers her lines with cool confidence, cutting through the eerie atmosphere with gently aristocratic ease. Together, they bring a much-needed irreverence to the gothic gloom, even as the story itself plunges into darker territory.

Adric, on the other hand, is… just there. Matthew Waterhouse’s young stowaway feels like an unnecessary tag-along in this particular story, and while he doesn’t add much to the action, at least K-9 is around to throw in some deadpan robotic humour, when the outdoor forest-set scenes don’t prohibit his involvement, that is.

State of Decay really nails the gothic horror vibe, making the most of the BBC’s deep costume and prop resources. Crumbling castles, eerie corridors, and mist-drenched landscapes abound, with the vampire lords (played by Emrys James, Rachel Davies, and William Lindsay) exuding the perfect air of sinister authority for both horror and Whovian sci-fi. There’s a palpable sense of entropy throughout, both in the setting and in the way the vampire lords cling to their former power, tying State Of Decay into the deeper theme of Season 18. Even within the BBC’s famously parsimonious budget limitations, this serial manages to craft an atmosphere dripping with dread and tension.

Of course, these vampires can’t be your run-of-the-mill bloodsuckers, though. Instead, they’re ancient aliens, survivors of a long-forgotten war with the Time Lords, and they’ve been hiding in the shadows of an alternative pocket universe, waiting for the right moment to strike. It’s a neat twist on the usual vampire mythology, blending the gothic with Doctor Who’s larger sci-fi lore. The Doctor’s delve into Gallifreyan history, complete with a reference to the ancient war between the Time Lords and the Great Vampires, adds depth to the story, making it more than just another monster-of-the-week romp, as well as adding yet another race to the increasingly long list of mortal enemies who are mad at the Time Lords.

The looming threat of the Great Vampire’s resurrection gives the story a conveniently imminent ticking clock, as the Doctor races to stop the ancient evil from rising again but State of Decay still struggles with its pacing. Like many four-part serials, the middle episodes tend to drag, with long stretches of exposition and a lot of talk about ancient prophecies. While the buildup is fascinating, it sometimes feels like the story is spinning its wheels. Thankfully, the final episode kicks into gear, delivering a satisfying climax that sees the Doctor at his heroic best. The Great Vampire itself, built up as a cosmic-level threat, doesn’t quite live up to the hype when we finally see it. The effects aren’t exactly convincing, but hey, this is classic Doctor Who—we’ve come to love the charm of wobbly sets and budget monsters.

Of the E-Space trilogy, State of Decay is by far the strongest entry. Its blend of gothic horror, vampire lore, and Time Lord mythology sets it apart, making it a standout story in Tom Baker’s final season. While the E-Space trilogy as a whole can feel a bit uneven, State of Decay delivers the most cohesive and engaging narrative, balancing its gothic atmosphere with larger sci-fi stakes.

For fans of classic horror and Doctor Who’s deep mythos, State of Decay is a must-watch. It’s one of the show’s finest forays into gothic horror, with enough atmosphere and vampire drama to sink your teeth into even when the pacing feels a little anaemic.