Greatest British Horror Films?

[The_Late_Peter_Cook]

Well, just of the top of my head:

NIGHT OF THE DEMON (aka CURSE OF THE DEMON)
DON'T LOOK NOW
DRACULA (aka HORROR OF DRACULA)
THE SKULL
BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (aka SATAN'S SKIN)
DEATHLINE (aka RAW MEAT)
CITY OF THE DEAD (aka HORROR HOTEL)
HANDS OF THE RIPPER
NIGHT OF THE EAGLE (aka BURN WITCH, BURN)
THE BRIDES OF DRACULA
THEATRE OF BLOOD
FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN
FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED
TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA
THE TOMB OF LIEGIA
WITCHCRAFT
THE CREEPING FLESH
THE SORCERORS
INCENSE FOR THE DAMNED (aka BLOOD SUCKERS)
DEAD OF NIGHT

I've included a few of the American titles, as sometimes they are listed under them (especially if your buying the R1 version)

[fantomas 2]

And...

Kiss of the Vampire - one of the best Hammer films
The Face at the Window - the Tod Slaughter version of course
The Ghoul - 1933 - uneven, but unforgettable horror sequences
Blood of the Vampire - particularly the Continental version
The Flesh and the Fiends - the definitive version of the Burke & Hare story

[paulsroom]

"Dead of Night" is my contender for best horror, although it is more psychological horror, than blood-letting horror! The mirror sequence always makes my flesh creep, no matter how many times I watch the film. But probably the best sequence is Michael Redgrave and Hugo Fitch.

In the blood-letting category, there was a portmanteau film of which one sequence had the character walking down a corridor in the dark, and the walls had razor blades jutting out from them. It was meant to be a punishment for an act against a blind person. But I can't remember the name of the film - sometime in the 1960s/70s.

[paulsroom]

Originally posted by Lord Brett@Mar 16 2004, 01:46 PM ......and I wonder if Roger Corman’s British-shot Masque of the Red Death (1964) might count?

The most memorable sequence that I found in "The Masque of the Red Death" was when Vincent Price guides Jane Asher through a series of rooms, each of a total colour - red, yellow, purple(?) - I forget the order. This seemed so erie given the events outside the castle and yet very contemporary with the 1960s psycheldelic style.

[smudge]

Originally posted by paulsroom@Jun 1 2005, 12:56 PM "Dead of Night" is my contender for best horror, although it is more psychological horror, than blood-letting horror! The mirror sequence always makes my flesh creep, no matter how many times I watch the film. But probably the best sequence is Michael Redgrave and Hugo Fitch. In the blood-letting category, there was a portmanteau film of which one sequence had the character walking down a corridor in the dark, and the walls had razor blades jutting out from them. It was meant to be a punishment for an act against a blind person. But I can't remember the name of the film - sometime in the 1960s/70s.

The film you're thinking of is the last segment of Amicus' portmanteau piece TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972), with Nigel Patrick who takes over as the keeper of a home for the blind. He is mean and sadistic to his charges and they get their revenge (amongst other ways) as you've said.

Owww ! All those blades ! Nasty...

SMUDGE

[sanndevil]

I think I must be immune to theatrical scares - I can think of only one film which did the trick - THE SHINING - that managed to scare the bejesus out of me, probably because of the maniacal Jack. Saw it at the cinema when it first came out and still can't watch it on TV - I'm too scardey-cat for it!

[paulsroom]

Originally posted by smudge@Jun 1 2005, 06:55 PM The film you're thinking of is the last segment of Amicus' portmanteau piece TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972)

Thanks - I shall add that to my list of films now. Always good to be in a forum where everyone knows so much!!!

[smudge]

Originally posted by sanndevil@Jun 2 2005, 07:03 AM I think I must be immune to theatrical scares - I can think of only one film which did the trick - THE SHINING - that managed to scare the bejesus out of me, probably because of the maniacal Jack. Saw it at the cinema when it first came out and still can't watch it on TV - I'm too scardey-cat for it!

PSYCHO scared the daylights out of me when I was a kid. I vividly recall leaving virtually every light in the house on that night (Parents were away - Gran lived next door...)

EVIL DEAD gave me a shiver the first time I saw it. I saw THE EXORCIST underage and took a short cut home over an old demolished factory site. Unknown to me a mate was wating for me at home when I got back. My brother told him where I'd been and the beggar waited behind the front door...

I jumped out of my skin !

THE CHANGELING - the night we watched it we had an airlock in the pipes..BANG BANG BANG all night from within the bedroom wall !! And we (girlfriend & I) didn't suss it.... (What the hell was that !?)

SMUDG

[ollie]

When i was about 10/11 yrs old, i caught this film on late night tv,sneaked downstairs and joined it half way through,it had the actress karen black in it,and it terrified me at the time. it was called TRILLOGY OF TERROR, and when i joined the filum karen black had been given a voodoo type doll as a gift,but was warned not to take the amulet from around it's neck .guess what? she took the amulet from around it's neck to wear as a braclet any way the doll comes to life and proceeds to chase her all over the appartment slashing her with a huge kitchen knife ,at the climax of the film covered in blood she manages to get the doll in to the oven to fry the little blighter but she stupidly decides to then open the door the spirit of the doll goes in to her and the last shot i remember is of her jabing the knife in to the floor on the phone to her mother i think saying "COME ON OVER" !!!!
While all this was going on me nans cat :cat: got in to the room and you can guess the rest i nearly SHAT myself and proceeded to wake the whole house up...
i bored people with this tale for years trying to find out what the filum was, to no avail,(pre internet,imbd) it is available now on dvd, once again i am SCARED to get it but cause after the passage of time i know it's going to be a load of old crap and may spoil a dear memory.

cheers Ollie.

[aaron]

Originally posted by lambchopnixon@May 21 2004, 11:46 AM Anyone tried the DVD bonus disc of Wicker Man - wonderful! A five star set for extras culminating in the film with everything that still exists restored to the print. An even greater piece of work as a result.

Seems strange to me that on the restored 'directors cut' version of the film, two scenes from the original 'theatrical' short version are omitted (the night-time grave-watering scene, and Willow waking Howie the morning after her 'dance')..

Anyway, 'Dead of night' gets my vote In complete contrast, i'm going to mention 'the monster club' The Monster Club | 1980 Not a great film (in fact embarassing in places) but the first and last of the three tales in this film are first class, and i believe the 'quality' of these two tales, gets overlooked in the eclectic presentation of the rest of the film.

[smudge]

Originally posted by aaron@Jun 3 2005, 12:51 AM Seems strange to me that on the restored 'directors cut' version of the film, two scenes from the original 'theatrical' short version are omitted (the night-time grave-watering scene, and Willow waking Howie the morning after her 'dance').. Anyway, 'Dead of night' gets my vote In complete contrast, i'm going to mention 'the monster club' The Monster Club | 1980 Not a great film (in fact embarassing in places) but the first and last of the three tales in this film are first class, and i believe the 'quality' of these two tales, gets overlooked in the eclectic presentation of the rest of the film.

I've always been a fan of THE MONSTER CLUB ; I took oodles of the Chetwynd-Hayes compilations out of the library when I was a nipper

Fave bits are Stevie Lange's CRACKING voice on 'STRIPPER' ; the ballroom sequence in Shadmoch and the brilliant sequence with John Bolton's amazing artworks in HUMEGHOUL...

A little light in places, but still fairly enjoyable.

SMUDGE

[aaron]

Originally posted by smudge@Jun 3 2005, 03:26 PM Fave bits are Stevie Lange's CRACKING voice on 'STRIPPER' ; the ballroom sequence in Shadmoch and the brilliant sequence with John Bolton's amazing artworks in HUMEGHOUL... SMUDGE

Yeah, it was that artwork in Humeghoul that stayed with me the first time i saw the film. Just a few sketches - But genuinely chilling!

[Diane Blackwell]

Dead of Night I reckon is one of the best, if not the best. I like The Sorcerors too, and I think I've got most of the Amicus fillums (the ones that are split into 4 or 5 stories - whatever they're called) - "Asylum" and "From Beyond the Grave" I think are possibly the best. I also like The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973?), sister fillum to the awful Dracula AD 1972 (best thing about that one was the band Stoneground at the beginning). Has anyone seen Razor Blade Smile? Made on a silly budget of about £20,000 or some such, it's pretty gory and full of bad language, but it's just amazing ....

[jacobean]

I just love those 1960's & 1970's Amicus Production horrors like Tales from the Crypt and Asylum. Short stories based around a central theme.
www.britishhorrorfilms.co.uk is a great site for this subject.

[Steve Crook]

It's not my favourite genre, if I want to be horrified I just watch the news.
But nobody seems to have mentioned Horrors of the Black Museum (1959) yet.
Filmed in Hypnovision (whatever that was - apart from a gimmick) and with that great trick with the opera glasses.

Steve