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Horror Films

I just discovered this 1974, British folk horror film Penda's Fen which looks brilliant, it was shown as part of the 70s BBC series Play for Today. I'm just downloading it now to watch later tonight.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penda's_Fen

Quoting from IMDb:
''Through a series of real and imagined encounters with angels, demons, and England's pagan past, a pastor's son begins to question his religion and politics, and comes to terms with his sexuality.''
 
The Story Behind Nightmarish Unused Death Scene from JAWS

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Recently, the rare image you see above – from the set of Jaws – began circulating around the net, and it’s been labeled everything from “the scariest thing ever” to “pure nightmare fuel.” Indeed it is terrifying and nightmarish, but what’s the full story behind the photo? I took it upon myself to do a little digging.

The second victim in Jaws is Alex Kintner, a young boy who is literally consumed while lounging on a raft. The death scene, one of the most memorable moments in horror history, is nothing short of terrifying, as Kintner helplessly thrashes around in the shark’s mouth while a geyser of his blood colors the water red.
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http://ihorror.com/rare-image-from-jaws-production-is-pure-nightmare-fuel/
 
FrKadash said:
I just discovered this 1974, British folk horror film Penda's Fen which looks brilliant, it was shown as part of the 70s BBC series Play for Today. I'm just downloading it now to watch later tonight.
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If you hang on a couple of months, the BFI are releasing the complete works of Alan Clarke, including a fully restored Penda's Fen, on Blu-ray and DVD. Better than downloading someone's ancient VHS copy.
 
GNC said:
If you hang on a couple of months, the BFI are releasing the complete works of Alan Clarke, including a fully restored Penda's Fen, on Blu-ray and DVD. Better than downloading someone's ancient VHS copy.
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It was an interesting film. Worth watching but takes some effort.
 
I was quite pleased to find a Hammer Horror movie box set (fifteen films) - but it is only available on Blueray, not on DVD, which caused a conundrum - buy the box set and a blue ray player, or put the box set down and save my money. Which is what I did. Once can hardly find any Hammer Horror on DVD these days, and I refuse to buy anything over the internet!
 
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Tigerhawk said:
I was quite pleased to find a Hammer Horror movie box set (fifteen films) - but it is only available on Blueray, not on DVD, which caused a conundrum - buy the box set and a blue ray player, or put the box set down and save my money. Which is what I did. Once can hardly find any Hammer Horror on DVD these days, and I refuse to buy anything over the internet!
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Hammer was quite trendy in it's day. Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and crew made a lot of great Gothic horror with just a bit of tongue and cheek. I still love: The Horror of Dracula, The Gorgon, The Mummy, The Devils Bride, etc....
 
I've seen a few Hammer or Hammer-esque movies over the years, and have been thoroughly delighted in the whole daftness of it all!
 
The Curse of Frankenstein was my favourite shocker out of the crop ... it was leaps and bounds melodramatic and gory ahead of its time :).

 
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Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed was Hammer's best Frankie movie for me, lots to interest. Created Woman is kind of weird in its trying to find something different to do with the basic story, worth a look.
 
Video Nasties: The Darkest Films of Yesterday
Nigel Honeybone 02/07/2016

‘Video Nasty‘ was a term coined in Britain around 1982 which applied to certain films distributed on video cassette that were criticised by the media and various religious organisations for their violent content. While cinema violence had been regulated by the British Board of Film Censorship for many years, the lack of regulations for video sales (combined with the claim that any film could be viewed by impressionable kiddies) sparked a massive public debate. Most Video Nasties were low-budget horror films produced in Italy and America. Several major studio productions were banned on video, falling under the legislation designed to control the distribution of violent videos. Major film distributors were slow to embrace the new medium of video tape so, like the drive-in market of the fifties, the video market became flooded with low-budget horror films. Some of these films were passed by the BBFC while others were refused certification, defining ‘obscenity’ as any film that might “deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it.” This definition was open to wide interpretation and the choice of titles seized appeared to be completely arbitrary – one raid confiscated hundreds of copies of the Dolly Parton musical The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (1982) mistaking it for a p*rno.
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http://horrornews.net/48545/video-nasties-dark-films-of-yesterday/
 
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Ah, the Young Ones episode! "A vampire!
"in The parcel"
"in the kitchen!"
"Hate mail!"
 
Sonny Boy, I don't think this is a straightforward horror film at all, though it does have horror bits and pieces in it, it's like one of those Harry Crews novels, a Southern Gothic where a baby's parents are murdered and the group responsible bring him up as a trained killer madman, only he's supposed to be nice because he's not responsible for his actions. Difficult to describe, and stars David Carradine dressed a woman as the orphan's adoptive "mother". Ends up like Mad Max. Very strange, not for everyone, but if you like it weird it's right up your street. Also features a cop being exploded by a howitzer early on, as a taste of what you're in for.
 
Buy the Hammer set and a Blu-ray, you'll be forever grateful.

Not from Hammer, but to my mind the greatest film ever made. Any year that December 11 is on a Friday, i watch this film at 2.43pm. Any other year, I just watch this film.

To quote QI, two seconds in and you're nursing a semi...

 
Hammer's take on the folk horror genre...The Witches (AKA The Devil's Own):
 
And this is what happens when the BBC gets its hands on the idea...
It pre-dates Penda's Fen by about three years but does help show that Britain in the 70s could be quite scary!
 
skinny said:
I put forward The Conjuring for worthy viewing. (if it hasn't been already)
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The Conjuring, and the upcoming The Conjuring 2, is from Blumhouse Productions, the company that probably is the finest inheritor of the Hammer House ethos of making scary films. Though most Blumhouse Productions' films are excellent and beautifully scary, I think the best thing they have made (so far) is Sinister...
 
I saw Goosebumps this evening, pretty good for YA comedy horror. Monsters escape from an authors books. Some great monsters especially the levitating poodle and the Werewolf.
 
You know, I just cannot stand Jack Black - he's not as funny as he thinks he is...
 
Psycho is my favourite film of all time, so that puts it out of contention for being my favourite horror film. That honour goes to The Haunting...
 
EyronRen said:
Psycho is my favourite film of all time, so that puts it out of contention for being my favourite horror film. That honour goes to The Haunting...
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The original The Haunting is a brilliantly crafted horror film, still very effective today.

.. and I'll take any chance I can get to pimp Bruce Campbell so here he is inbetween his Evil Dead films in The Haunting tribute/spoof segment of Waxwork II: Lost In Time :cool:

 
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Forteans may well be interested in Out of the Dark (currently on Netflix UK), which I saw last night as a last mi ute replacement for Blackfoot Trail when our Amazon connection went tits up.

An Irish couple, driving through Co. Offaly, break down and have to seek help at a local farm house... unaware that earlier that evening the house's owner happened to accidentally dig up a vampire while cutting peat.

Low budget, but very nicely shot, with good performances and plenty of grue, it comes over reminiscent of Dog Soldiers, Pitch Black, Texas Chainsaw and Nosferatu, all at once, while carving its own identity.

Played absolutely straight, making great use of "rules" and suspense, and with an impressive monster, I can heartily recommend it for lovers of unexpected rural horror.
 
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