British Chillers
Horror movies were never much of a feature in British cinema. Even with the British Board of Film Censors introducing the ‘H’ classification in 1933 – for films considered horrific – the genre remained largely overshadowed by the influx of American horror imports. That changed dramatically in the late 1950s, when Hammer Films reinvented British horror with a lurid, Technicolor flair. Hammer adapted gothic classics like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and these movies were big enough that Hammer Horror became a genre unto itself – alongside its slightly more 70s cousin, Amicus Productions.
This list isn’t about Hammer or Amicus. It’s about the outsiders – the imitators and innovators who emerged in their wake, in particular, maverick directors of the 1970s, such as Pete Walker and Norman J. who injected fresh blood into the genre, mostly by pushing the boundaries of taste and decency as far as the British Board of Film Classification would allow. These movies reflect a uniquely British tension: the clash between repression and rebellion, propriety and perversity. And while they may not have the prestige of their gothic predecessors, they offer a fascinating glimpse into a darker, more transgressive corner of British cinema.
Links take you to the IMDd. Circled titles: A Point Blank Films fav!
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) 8/10
Vincent Price plays doctor, scientist, organist, and biblical scholar Anton Phibes, and has a field day in this high camp horror.
And Soon the Darkness (1970) 7/10
Modest mystery in the French countryside – beautiful location filming helps, and there is some good tension, but it’s a bit drawn out for classic status.
The Asphyx (1972) 5/10
Good looking British chiller lensed by Freddie Young – but far-fetched and lacking in excitement. aka Spirit of the Dead; The Horror of Death
Assault (1971) 5/10
British attempt at a giallo that is too British to work, with sex and violence off screen, which along with a lack of style and too many prosperous moments make this a fizzer. aka The Creepers; In the Devil’s Garden; Satan’s Playthings
The Comeback (1978) 6/10
A pop singer holes up at a sinister estate to write new songs in pedestrian Pete Walker horror – Sheila Keith, as always, shines in her sinister role.
Corridors of Blood (1958) 6/10
Boris Karloff experiments with anaesthetic in this cheap but atmospheric chiller with good central performance. aka Doctor from Seven Dials
Corruption (1968) 7/10
Peter Cushing takes to murder to restore the face of his fiancée in his darkest ever role in independent production whose sleaziness took swinging 60s audiences and critics off guard. aka Carnage
Craze (1974) 5/10
Jack Palance plays an antiques dealer sacrificing women to an African idol in lively horror that belies its bad reputation, with Diana Dors delivering a superb performance in a supporting role.
The Creeping Flesh (1973) 6/10
If you take the pseudo-science with a pinch of salt, this is an enjoyable British horror with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee doing their thing, though it needed a much better script.
Dark Places (1974) 7/10
Good cast, including Christopher Lee and Joan Collins, a spooky old house and a hidden fortune create a decent thriller, though it is a little predictable.
Dominique (1979) 6/10
Gaslight meets Les Diaboliques in over complicated and slowish horror with good score, self-playing pianos and old fashioned FX.
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) 7/10
More high camp fun, with Art Deco sets, macabre murders, a new Vulnavia, but less invention overall.
Frightmare (1974) 7/10
Pete Walker was not afraid to take his horror movies seriously, and it pays off again with this ghoulish tale of cannibalistic killings set against a 70s milieu. aka Cover Up; Once Upon a Frightmare
The Ghoul (1975) 5/10
This doesn’t have a very good ghoul, but it does have Peter Cushing who is effortlessly cool and John Hurt who tries his best despite being essentially a red herring.
Unnaturally close twins, drugs, transvestites, and murder, all wrapped up in a swinging London setting, that was a bit much for audiences at the time.
A decent thrill ride aboard the Trans-Siberian Express – filmed in Madrid – with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee on hand to lend gravitas, and an interesting plot involving a shapeshifting monster.
Tongue-in-cheek but utterly stupid attempt at youthful horror. aka Computer Killers
House of Mortal Sin (1976) 7/10
A sexually frustrated priest becomes obsessed with a young girl in one of Pete Walker’s best efforts; message a little laboured but the horror is delivered with relish. aka The Confessional; The Confessional Murders
House of the Long Shadows (1983) 6/10
Pete Walker was finally united with genre icons (Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine) in old fashioned comedic horror that harkens back to The Old Dark House.
An old house is a front for a correctional institute in Pete Walker’s attack on moralism which is basically a WIP flick but more respectable thanks to its British cast. aka The Photographer’s Model
Psychosexual drama – coming-of-age story meets serial killer plot – modest but intriguing and worthwhile.
It! (1967) 7/10
Roddy McDowall hams it up in tale of a cursed Golem statue – fun reworking of an old folktale for the 1960s matinée crowd. aka Anger of the Golem; Curse of the Golem
Killer’s Moon (1978) 4/10
LSD-laced lunatics on the lam terrorize the British countryside in sleazy little flick filled with gratuitous nudity – bad but lively.
Madhouse (1974) 7/10
Vincent Price stars as a faded horror movie icon, with Peter Cushing and Robert Quarry lending a hand, in fun and nostalgic horror that also manages to be gory and rather morbid. aka The Revenge of Dr. Death
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly (1970) 6/10
Morbid Freddie Francis-directed black comedy about a demented family that went straight over its audience’s head at the time but remains a dark little treat. aka Girly
Peeping Tom (1960) 10/10
Masterful horror directed by Michael Powell which was harshly rejected upon release but remains a chilling psychological thriller and a clever critique of voyeuristic filmmaking.
Prey (1977) 6/10
Kinky, dumb but fun British horror about a shape-shifting alien infiltrating a country house occupied by two lesbians.
Satan’s Slave (1976) 5/10
A woman becomes involved with Satanists who believe she's the reincarnation of a witch in censor-baiting horror by Norman J. Warren that delivers the sleazy goods (while not being very good). See also Satansploitation
Schizo (1976) 6/10
A recently married woman begins to suspect that someone close to her is responsible for a string of murders in another Pete Walker horror – not too original or exciting, and showing its low budget.
Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) 9/10
Kim Stanley plays one of the great women on the verge while Richard Attenborough shines as her weak husband, in masterful black and white chiller – disquieting, unnerving and different. aka Séance on a Wet Afternoon
The Shuttered Room (1967) 6/10
Spooky goings on at an abandoned mill – good looking but drawn out. aka Blood Island
The Sorcerers (1967) 7/10
Groovy British horror which rises above its hip surrounds for an elderly cast (including Boris Karloff) to take centre stage; a bit gaudy, but not without atmosphere.
Terror (1978) 6/10
A witch’s curse causes mayhem on a movie set and this horror film, while haphazardly made, throws in everything but the kitchen sink, making for a wild ride.
In one of Vincent Price’s best roles, he goes to town as a Shakespearean actor out for vengeance, making for a ghoulish and thoroughly entertaining piece of Grand Guignol. aka Theater of Blood
Christopher Lee’s Grand Guignol theatre is linked to a series of murders in unoriginal but colourful horror. aka Blood Fiend
Tower of Evil (1972) 4/10
Cruddy British horror about a series of mysterious murders on a fog-shrouded island – mostly focussed on sex and violence to cover its lack of plot. aka Horror of Snape Island
Atmospheric folk horror that builds toward a suspenseful climax while tackling interesting themes along the way; Christopher Lee considered this his best role, and it’s not hard to see why.