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Classic Brittish Horror


Guest Shaolin Drunkard

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Guest Shaolin Drunkard

I found myself watching this great film on UK TV late a couple of nights ago called Asylum made in 1972. The only actor I recognised was Peter Cushing. It was an anthology film about a psychologist who went round a mental institude and heard 4 different short stories, one from each patient.. it wasnt particularly scary but there is something about the style of the movie I enjoyed, and it had a classic twist at the end :)

I was wondering if anyone else has seen this film or has any recommendations for similar films?

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Guest kenichiku

There's the British 'Tales From the Crypt' anthology from about this time that also featured Peter Cushing with Joan Collins this time instead of Britt Ekland. Another is 'House That Dripped Blood' with Cushing and Lee. Also Hammer House films, all released a year or two apart.

I guess I liked my limey horror less subdued. Just watched the raunchy British horror film 'Vampyres' lately with lesbian vampires on the rampage played by Playboy playmate Anulka & sexy Miriam Morris (Hubba, Hubba). It was a bloody trashy blast. Love films of this classic period like 'Wicker Man', 'Lifeforce' & 'Liar of the White Worm'.

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Guest Shaolin Drunkard

I have actually seen Tales From The Crypt yeeeears ago when i was little:D I just remember one of the storys was about a killer plant or something!

I think I will start watching more of these classics as they are quite often shown on TV over here....

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Guest kenichiku

And where would that be Shao? You're pretty lucky cuz I haven't seen Hammer films on Creature Feature Tellee shows since I was a kid myself. They show nothing but sh**te on broadcast, cable AND dish here in California now. 'Island of Fear', 'Quartermass' & 'Scars of Dracula' are the ones I recall the best!

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Guest Markgway

Saw this a while back on TV. Is it the one where Robert Powell visits an, er, Asylum? :P

Amicus did a follow-up to Tales From the Crypt called Vault of Horror. More of the same really... famous Brit actors slaughtering one another....

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Guest chingdog

I still have a ton of these on vhs that i watch from time to time...have Asylum and House that Dripped Blood and Scars of Dracula too

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Guest krazykoolkat

@Shaolin

You should really go watch Dr. Terror's House of Horror then ( imdb ), which features Peter Cushing as well (next to Christopher Lee and a very young Donald Sutherland) and is produced by the same company as Asylum (Amicus).

It's an anthology film as well, with several short stories with a certain EC Comics flair. At the end there is some nice twist which sums up all the movie.

Director Freddie Francis also was director of photography in several Lynch movies. So Dr. Terror's is a very "visual movie" with nice lightings and use of camera.

very moody, not scary. recommended!

@kenichiku

Just for info, Asylum is not by Hammer but by Amicus. A smaller company who tried to reach Hammer's success with smaller films feat. the typical "Hammer people".

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Guest kenichiku

Krazy:

Just for info, Asylum is not by Hammer but by Amicus.
Duly noted! 'House of Horror' sounds interesting. Then, the Amicus films do have less of that Hammers gloss as I recall.
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Guest krazykoolkat
Then, the Amicus films do have less of that Hammers gloss as I recall.

They're a little different but nevertheless pretty cool. :)

(in fact, I think Dr.Terror's House of Horrors is one of the best British genre classics and Lee's and Cushing's performances in this little gem are truly of their best's :) )

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Guest kenichiku

Then 'Dr.Terror's House of Horrors' and 'Witchfinder General' are my next vintage Lee horror titles on my 'to see' list.

Any opinions on the Italian import 'Witchfinder' for those who's seen it?

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Guest venoms5

WITCHFINDER GENERAL does not star Lee. It's a Vincent Price film and definitely worth picking up. Some other great Brit horror flicks are CITY OF THE DEAD aka HORROR HOTEL(get the VCI DVD, it's uncut and has some great special features, FRIGHT a very suspensful pre-HALLOWEEN horror from Peter Collinson starring Susan George and Honor Blackman, CIRCUS OF HORRORS, a very disturbing horror film from 1960 starring Anton Diffring, Donald Pleasance and Yvonne Monlaur from BRIDES OF DRACULA. It's amazing what this film got away with for the time. Most assuredly pick up HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD arguably the best of the Amicus anthologies and THEATER OF BLOOD with Vincent Price if you haven't already seen it. Without a doubt Prices' best film whose character encapsulates what a lot of critics thought of him in real life. The PHIBES films with Price are also must haves and a Peter Cushing film that's not British but is still a must have is SHOCK WAVES also with John Carradine and Brooke Adams. An intense ghost film about underwater Nazi zombies terrorizing vacationers stranded on an island whose only living inhabitant is a slightly insane Peter Cushing as a Nazi commander. This movie has one of the best soundtracks for a horror film ever. Also for somewhat cheesy horror but still fun nonetheless is THE BEAST MUST DIE a sort of Blaxploitation-werewolf picture featuring Peter Cushing and Anton Diffring. One I almost forgot even though it's not a British film is HORROR EXPRESS an all time favorite of mine starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Telly Savalas. To say anything about this one would give too much away. This film has so much going for it- a very inventive story, lots of quirky characters and two of the best performances by Cushing and Lee ever. You can tell by their scenes together that they are definitely having a good time with the material and both utter several memorable lines. BTW does anyone know if and when BRIDES OF DRACULA and CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF will make there way to DVD?

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Guest irons

Ahh, another Amicus fan. Amicus were famed for their anthologies, the man who was Amicus's main man (Milton Subotsky) was an editor in his early days. He always said that he could cut a film by 3/4 and it would be better, and so the Amicus anthologies were born. Most Amicus films are set in 'modern' times, Hammer films were more concerned with 'period' films. (17th century Transylvania) that's the easiest way to tell the diffirence. The best Amicus anthologies are:

Tales From The Crypt.

Asylum

Vault of horror

Dr Terrors House Of Horrors.

The House That Dripped Blood.

They also did a few feature length films, but they weren't in the same class as their short stories.

Some other good British Horror films that might be of interest, many of them have the same 'feel'.

Try:

Blood on Satans Claw.

The Creeping Flesh.

The Wicker Man.

The 2 Dr Phibes films

Witchfinder General.

Theatre Of Blood.

That should keep you busy for a while. I actualy prefer Hammer, but many prefer Amicus. I'd say try both, the Hammer films are far easier to come by, and I love every one of them.

Dunno where you're from but there's a Region 2 box set of Amicus films still available. It might be worth picking up, Asylum's included in the set.

Venoms 5, I wish I knew! 'Brides' is like the Holy Grail of Hammer films just now, and from what I heard we could be in for a long wait. Hopefuly I heard wrong.

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Guest leung jarn

You forgot to mention "From Beyond The Grave" another excellent Amicus production.

The British compendiums were very popular in the 70's.

Dr Terror's IS a classic horror flick. It features a very young Donald Sutherland. I also quite like the Monster Club. (based on stories by R Chetwynd-Hayes as was FBTG)

If it wasn't Amicus or Hammer< Tigon also did some rather good horror films. The Creeping Flesh is one of my faves featuring Cushing and Lee.

Another good one from the 70's was The Uncanny ,a Canadian co-production starring Cushing, Milland, Pleasance. Puts you right off cats!

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Guest irons

Didn't forget about it Leung, just don't think it's quite as good as the others. Torture Garden is another film anthology that didn't quite reach the heights of the ones I mentioned.

Did you like The Uncanny? Not a big fan of it, thou I could watch Susan Penhaligon in pretty much anything. I thought the stories were a bit weak. Just my humble opinion thou.

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Guest leung jarn

Nice to see another Hammer fan.

I used to think I knew a fair bit about Hammer but one of my work colleagues was THE man.

He had every film taped off tv (EVERY one), film posters, scripts, he even has some of Roy Ashton's make up sketches/notes.

He also so had a large collection of the model kits.

U know, Godzilla, frankenstein etc,etc.

Don't see him now he moved darn sarf dinne?

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Guest KidwiththeGoldenArm

Another great British spooker from the `70's in The Legend of Hell House. It's good.

Hammer's are tremendous (like Shaws in their way) and are available on the cheap at deepdiscountdvd as I have recently discovered.

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Guest leung jarn

I have seen em.

Why they don't record commentaries for them is beyond me.

Christopher Lee wont live forever.

A wasted opportunity. IMO

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Guest Chinatown Kid

Christopher Lee sure could play a good Dracula! Dracula Has Risen From The Grave is one of my favorites of Lee. Also liked the Frankenstein movies with Cushing. And who could forget Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, the Shaw/Hammer co-production.

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Guest leung jarn

Some Hammer films have audio commentaries from Anchor Bay. Eg. Scars of Dracula & Prince of Darkness.

Thanks for that.

Will have a look for the Anchor Bay dvds.

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