Andrew Parkinson's three features to be re/released

September 19, 2013, 1:03 pm

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Jinga Films, the fine label run by Julian Richards, is planning to release three features by Andrew Parkinson next year, and all of them are excellent films worthy of your attention.

I, Zombie is still, after all these years, one of the very best British horror films of the past 20 years, a bleak, powerful tale of horror, introspection and social realism. And of historical interest as the debut credit for the UK's number one prosthetic make-up guy (and now director too) Paul Hyett, who was just a teenager when he worked on Andy's film.

Dead Creatures was the follow-up (but not sequel) and is a second brilliant slice of post-modern zombie horror: a study in contrast between dark, brutal savagery and caring companionship. Not as iconic as I, Zombie but just as good. A superb example of the burgeoning millenial rebirth of British horror cinema.

Both zombie films have been released before (I, Zombie was originally on VHS!) but this will be the first release of Parkinson's third feature. Enigmatic, Cronenbergian body horror science fiction set in an evocatively desolate British seaside locale, Venus Drowning is an extraordinary film, sort of The Brood meets Liquid Sky.

The success of Little Deaths has raised Andrew Parkinson's profile recently. If you haven't seen these earlier features, buy them when released. And hopefully we won't have to wait five years for the next Andy Parkinson movie.

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Webkam: teaser trailer for 'lost' 2008 Eleanor James film

November 23, 2013, 2:17 pm

≫ Next: Tons of new British horror at Horror-on-Sea 2014

≪ Previous: Andrew Parkinson's three features to be re/released

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Here's a treat which I've just found - a teaser trailer for Webkam. This feature was shot way back in August 2008 in Birmingham by a chap named James D Layton, and until now pretty much all that has existed to prove the film is a real thing have been these three stills which I was sent at the time.

You will probably recognise BHR regular Eleanor James there. The film also stars Kim Sonderholm (Deadly Pursuit) and Joanne Gail (When Evil Calls). The synopsis I was sent in 2008 reads as follows: "Victoria is a bit sad due due to a break-up with her boyfriend, Matt. Her best friend Lilly tries to cheer her up, but fails. One day a strange character wearing a clown mask appears on her computer screen. He calls himself Kam and he wants to play a game - it is the beginning of grueling nightmare for Victoria."

I have long wondered whether this was ever completed and what happened to James D Layton. Well, casual googling tonight revealed this teaser posted by Layton on YouTube in August this year. This raises my hopes that Webkam could one day actually see the light of day.

Tons of new British horror at Horror-on-Sea 2014

November 26, 2013, 1:29 pm

≫ Next: Robert Englund stars in The Last Showing

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The second Horror-on-Sea festival has a bunch of brand new British horror features, several of which even I have never heard of. The festival runs 17th to 19th January 2014 in Southend on Sea and the programme includes:

• The Haunting of Harry Payne (Martyn Pick) - UK premiere "Ex-gangster Harry Payne confronts his violent past by taking vengeance from beyond the grave."
• Lock In (Mark Howard) - world premiere "An ambitious young executive, working through the night, realises she’s not alone."
• Evil Bread (Andy Ward) - world premiere "A film crew awakens an ancient evil, dormant for millennia and eager for souls."
• The Casebook of Eddie Brewer (Andrew Spencer) "Eddie Brewer, an old-school paranormal investigator, is trailed as part of a documentary."
• Molly Crows (Ray Wilkes) "Jess and her alcoholic mother are easy targets for bullies. But there's something different about Jess."
• All the Fear of the Fair (Chris Jupp) "After a roller-coaster accident the ghosts of the dead children torment an unscrupulous developer."
• KillerKiller: The Special Edition (Pat Higgins) "In a secure facility for captured serial killers, someone, or something, is picking off the inmates." (This is a brand new cut of Pat's terrific film from 2006.)
• C.A.M. (Steve Du Melo/Larry Downing) "Police are deployed when a rare parasite contaminates a meat processing plant."

Plus the following British shorts:

• Dystopia St. (David Cave) "Lost in a nightmare world, a man must unravel the mystery of his plight before he can escape."
• Rats! (Stewart Sparke) - world premiere "When a young woman tackles a rat infestation she gets more than she bargained for."
• Frostbite (Stewart Sparke) "Faux trailer: An Arctic research vessel discovers a submarine lost during World War II."
• Sleepworking (Gavin Williams) "A ‘sleepworker’, programmed for menial labour while she is asleep, suffers disturbing side effects."
• Somebody to Love (Phil Haine) "Love has found Sebastian. It just wasn’t the love he was expecting."
• Grime Horror Trilogy (Richard Elson) "Three tales of terror – short but deadly."
• Belly of the Wolf (Mark Fisher) "On an abandoned airbase, a young boy stumbles across a blood stained jacket."
• Doll Face (Louis Paxton) "On a dinner date, Lilly expects Henry to declare his love. But he has an unsettling confession to make."
• One Careful Owner (Mike Tack) - UK premiere "At Hammers Motors, has Terry the salesman met his match in Chris the awkward customer?"

All this plus numerous other new features and shorts from around the world and the brand new live show from the legendary Pat Higgins, Fake Blood and Real Guts! Writing and Filming Your Horror Classic. By all accounts last year’s Horror-on-Sea was a terrific event and I’d love to get there one year but not with my current family commitments alas.

The following weekend, the same folks are organising two days of ‘Salty Shorts’, plus another brand new British horror feature: Return of the Ghost (Jason Wilcox) "In a haunted mansion, a couple realise it isn’t only ‘occupied’ by the dead."

British short films on offer over 24th/25th January include:

• The Collector (Sarah Goodall)
• You are going to Die (Cameron Richardson)
• Television (Graham Gunner)
• Voodoo Moustache (Louis Paxton)
• Profile in Darkness (Graeme Noble)
• Sticky Fingers (Grahem Gunner)
• Sweet 6Teen (Pantelis Hapeshis)
• Pinot Rouge (Jordan Cochrane)
• Yule (Steven Lancefield)
• Monomania (Ben Vokes)

and a brace from my old pal Molly Brown: Haunted Hospital and Your Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

Robert Englund stars in The Last Showing

November 26, 2013, 1:47 pm

≫ Next: Gyles Brandreth stars in new British horror feature!

≪ Previous: Tons of new British horror at Horror-on-Sea 2014

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Here are some stills from a new British horror, The Last Showing, which stars Robert Englund, making his second UK frightflick after Strippers vs Werewolves (or third if your count The Killer Tongue). Written and directed by Phil Hawkins (The Butterfly Tattoo), the film also stars Keith 'Lilly's Dad' Allen with special effects from Scott McIntyre (The Holding, Dead Cert, Tower Block etc).

Synopsis: When a young couple, Martin (Finn Jones: Hollyoaks, Game of Thrones, Wrong Turn 5) and Allie (Emily Berrington), have a night out at their local cinema, they become unwitting stars of their own horror story at the hands of Stuart (Robert Englund), a disturbed projectionist. Trapping them in the cinema complex, Stuart uses hidden cameras to play his two victims off against one another, directing them to a finale where there can only be one survivor.

Set for release next year. More at www.facebook.com/thelastshowing

Gyles Brandreth stars in new British horror feature!

November 27, 2013, 11:32 am

≫ Next: Jake West and Alex Chandon contribute to The Sleeping Room

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Rock Band vs Vampires is a new British horror feature shooting this year for release in 2014, written and directed by, and starring, Malcolm Galloway who is apparently lead singer with an actual rock band. He previously directed a sci-fi short called Mask.

The cast also includes Paul Beaumont (who was in shorts Evil of the Vampires and Vampire Gang Origins), Dani Thompson (Monitor, Three's a Shroud, Forest of the Damned 2, Zombie Women of Satan 2), Angela Holmes (The Crypt, I am Cursed) and - apparently - the chunky-jumpered legend that is Gyles Brandreth. There is a Facebook thing at www.facebook.com/RockBandVsVampires

Here is some concept art by Jake Rundle:

A couple of stills:

The brand new trailer:

And I believe that this, thought it may look like a cross between Ozzy Osbourne and Emperor Palpatine, is actually the Gylester!

Jake West and Alex Chandon contribute to The Sleeping Room

December 2, 2013, 1:35 pm

≫ Next: Primeval star faces Somerset crocodiles in The Hatching

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Production Company Movie Mogul (Panic Button, Shortcuts To Hell) announced today that shooting on supernatural thriller THE SLEEPING ROOM begins on Wed Dec 4, for a three-week shoot on location in Brighton.

Starring Leila Mimmock (Becoming Human), Joseph Beattie (Hex) and Julie Graham (Tower Block), this intense tale of Victorian revenge is written by Ross Jameson, Alex Chandon and John Shackleton and directed by Shackleton with Jake West directing the ’Mutoscope’ action sequences. Director of Photography is Simon Poulter (Panic Button).

Set in present day Brighton, THE SLEEPING ROOM is the story of Blue (Leila Mimmock), a call girl who falls for a new client, Bill (Joseph Beattie) But the real attraction for Blue is Bill’s apartment and a mysterious room that seems to hold the key to the dark secrets of her family’s past – a room that is about to unleash terrible physical and supernatural forces. Nobody will escape unless a score for a heinous crime is settled.

The cast also includes David Sibley, Chris Waller (Inbred, Fright Night 2), Mike Altmann and the legend that is Chris Adamson (Lighthouse, Razor Blade Smile, Evil Aliens, The Last Horror Movie, F). A Movie Mogul production, it is produced by Gareth I Davies and John Shackleton. Production Designer is Lorna Gay Copp, Costume Designer is David Blight, Production Manager is Tansi Inayat. Editor is John Gillanders and Bang Post Production are handling picture and sound.

John Shackleton, said today: “Support for the film has been first rate and we are immensely proud to be surrounded by such a talented cast and crew, particularly given the huge budget restraints, which we are operating under. Brighton is proving to be not only a wonderfully cinematic place in which to shoot, but also a very accommodating town in which to house a production”.

THE SLEEPING ROOM is the first film to be crowd funded for equity over at
https://www.seedrs.com/startups/the-sleeping-room (whatever that means...).

Primeval star faces Somerset crocodiles in The Hatching

December 2, 2013, 3:10 pm

≫ Next: Art of Darkness released in Germany

≪ Previous: Jake West and Alex Chandon contribute to The Sleeping Room

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The Hatching is a new British horror feature wrapping production this month: On the death of his father, Tim Webber returns to his childhood village in Somerset to find something sinister is disturbing the idyllic peace of the villagers. As people disappear and gruesome body parts mount, the horrific truth emerges that crocodiles are hunting on the moors.

Directed by Michael Anderson (not the guy who made The Dambusters), it stars Andrew Lee Potts from Primeval and Strange (plus Freakdog and The Bunker) and Laura Aikman (Casualty, Virtual Sexuality) plus Thomas Turgoose (Eden Lake) and... Justin Lee Collins(!).

Here's a set report from the Central Somerset Gazette.

Art of Darkness released in Germany

December 6, 2013, 12:18 pm

≫ Next: The Addicted becomes Rehab, March release

≪ Previous: Primeval star faces Somerset crocodiles in The Hatching

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For some reason, my review of Art of Darkness (which I saw as Art House Massacre) has been getting a lot of traffic lately. This turns out to be because the film has finally had a release, albeit (in the manner of these things) in Germany. Over there the movie (which was shot as Art House) is known as The Painter. Crikey, it's got more titles than a Jess Franco film!

The DVD and blu-ray were released on 7th November by Sunfilm Entertainment with both German and English soundtracks so if you're keen to see the film you can order it from amazon.de. The Amazon page has a quote from my  review, which suggests it's probably on the back of the DVD too. And that's why I've been getting the traffic.

'The Painter' also played the big screen last month at the week-long After Dark festival in Germany.

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The Addicted becomes Rehab, March release

December 8, 2013, 4:33 am

≫ Next: Sleeves for 'The Andrew Parkinson Trilogy'

≪ Previous: Art of Darkness released in Germany

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Sean J Vincent's The Addicted is lined up for a UK DVD release next March under a new title. Safecracker Pictures will put the film out as Rehab and it's up for pre-order on Amazon now.

Vincent is in post-production on his horror/gangster feature Seven Cases, starring the unlikely pairing of top thesp Steven Berkoff and page 3 stunna Samantha Fox(!), and is planning to shoot his next film after that early next year. With the working title The Chronos File, this will be a sci-fi-conspiracy-thriller.

Sleeves for 'The Andrew Parkinson Trilogy'

December 9, 2013, 4:04 pm

≫ Next: Supernatural horror film Haunting of Harry Payne marketed as generic gangster film

≪ Previous: The Addicted becomes Rehab, March release

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That's how it's being billed in the blurb on Amazon.com: 'Part 1/2/3 of the Andrew Parkinson Trilogy. Here are the sleeves for the US re-releases of I, Zombie and Dead Creatures and the first ever release anywhere of Andy Parkinson's extraordinary Venus Drowning. All three are out on 18th February next year.

Supernatural horror film Haunting of Harry Payne marketed as generic gangster film

December 19, 2013, 2:23 pm

≫ Next: Whatever happened to those 140 unreleased British horror films? (Part 1)

≪ Previous: Sleeves for 'The Andrew Parkinson Trilogy'

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Martyn Pick's horror/gangster mash-up The Haunting of Harry Payne was originally scheduled for a UK DVD release in August 2013 with this rather groovy cover.

But someone has decided that more people buy gangster films than horror movies so it has been bumped to January 2014, given the generic new title Evil Never Dies and packaged as a straightforward gangster geezer picture in a generic sleeve design that gives no clues at all that this is a supernatural horror film. Thus ensuring that anyone who buys it will be pissed off and the sort of punters who might actually want to see this sort of film will pass it by. Smart marketing.

Synopsis: Ex-London gangster Harry Payne retires to Norfolk to be close to his wife, driven mad when he was forced to kill his best friend, psychopathic gang boss Eugene McCann. Immediately he is drawn into a murder mystery in which an obsessive local police detective targets him as the killer. Unknown to anyone, Harry has psychic abilities he has always suppressed with alcohol. Now he must confront the supernatural and his own personal demons to save his wife and free the tormented souls of the ghosts that haunt him.

Whatever happened to those 140 unreleased British horror films? (Part 1)

December 21, 2013, 2:10 pm

≫ Next: Whatever happened to those 140 unreleased British horror films? (Part 2)

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Two years ago I posted a list of 140 unreleased British horror films produced since 2000 (actually there were only 139 films but I wanted a snappy headline). So I got to wondering: how many of these have now had a release? I'm going to split this over five daily posts.

1. Airborne (d.Dominic Burns) - Released on UK disc in July 2012, US disc October 2012. 
2. Alien Rising (d.Nigel Moran) - Turns out this had an uncertificated UK release in July 2007 through the director’s own website. I found this out just in time to squeeze it into my book Urban Terrors. 
3. Ambition (d.Nicolas Forzy) - There was a US disc in May 2009. 
4. Animal Soup (d.David VG Davies) - It seems there was an uncertificated UK release in November 2008 so it should have just scraped into Urban Terrors but I found out too late. 
5. Bad Place (d.Darren Winter) - Released online in August 2012. 
6. The Battersea Ripper aka Manilla Envelopes (d.Nick Tyrone) - Remains unreleased, possibly uncompleted. Here’s some more details.
7. Beast in the Basement aka Conquering Heroes (d.Robbie Moffat) - Most of Moffat’s films are available online through his euroflix website. It’s hard to determine when they were posted but my best guess for this is that it’s been up there since July 2013. 
8. Before Dawn (d.Dominic Brunt) - A terrific film released in the UK theatrically and on disc in February 2012. Check out my review. 
9. Bicycle Day aka Bad Trip (d.Damian Morter) - Remains unreleased but Damian kindly sent me a screener so you can read my review. He is currently planning a remake. 
10. Blood Army aka Nephilim (d.Will Moore) - Shot in 2009 and remains unseen. I don’t think this has ever even had a festival screening. Possibly uncompleted? 
11. The Box (d.Jason Wilcox) - Never been opened. 
12. Cockneys vs Zombies (d.Matthias Hoene) - This had a fairly high profile UK theatrical release in August 2012 and also played some US screens one year later. Now available on DVD. 
13. Collateral Consequences (d.Paul TT Easter) - Camcorder auteur Easter remains a mysterious figure. The IMDB lists this as horror but the trailer and synopsis suggest otherwise so I’ve taken it off my list. 
14. Comedown (d.Menhaj Juda) - This saw a UK release in January 2013. 
15. Community aka Final Project (d.Jason Ford) - Released on UK disc in February 2013 - check out my review. 
16. Creepsville (d.Michael J Dixon) - Back in March Mike told me this was “a couple of months away” from completion. The Facebook page still says ‘Coming soon.’ I guess we get it when we get it. 
17. The Dark Hunter (d.Duncan Cowan, Mark Jackson) - This had a UK DVD release in October 2006 which everyone missed. Shame I found out too late to get it into my book. 
18. Dark Journey aka Parkside Hell House (d.James White) - Released online in March 2011. 
19. Dark Night (d.Daniel Grant) - Can’t see anything. 
20. Dead Crazy (d.Frank Scantori) - Dear old Frank passed away recently leaving this unfinished but one of his friends is hoping to complete it. 
21. Dead Dog Blues (d.Aimee Stephenson) - Another one which would have been in Urban Terrors had I found it in time, this had a US release way back in March 2004! 
22. Dead Frequency (d.Rob Burrows) - Probably the first British horror film to premiere on Spanish television (in June 2011). No sign of a disc yet though. 
23. The Dead Inside (d.Andrew Gilbert) - Finally made it to UK DVD in October 2013.
24. Deadtime (d.Tony Jopia) - I watched this on telly the other night! Released on UK disc in May 2012 and in the States two months later. 
25. Dead Time (d.Jason Wilcox) - Another film from the director of The Box which has likewise disappeared completely. 
26. Death (d.Martin Gooch) - Now retitled After Death, this was released online in June 2012. 
27. Demon (d.Mark Duffield) - Despite a few festival screenings, this gothic horror from the director of The Ghost of Mae Nak remains unreleased. 
28. The Demon Within (d.Harold Gasnier) - Lost in limbo, but I did get to see a screener a few years ago and reviewed the film. 
29. The Devil’s Business (d.Sean Hogan) - August 2012 saw this playing a few UK theatres before its DVD release. 
30. Dreaming of Screaming (d. Lee Burgess, John Ninnis, Tuesday Burgess) - Still dreaming of a release. 
31. The Dungeon Moor Killings (d.Jim Hickey) - No sign of life. 
32. A Dying Breed (d.Katharine Collins) - VOD release in April 2010. 
33. Eldorado (d.Richard Driscoll) - This one got released twice! In January 2012 and again a few months later in a different edit as Highway to Hell. The director is currently serving three years at Her Majesty’s Pleasure... 
34. Ellie Rose aka Not Alone (d.Tristan Versluis) - Disagreement between the director and the producers means we’re unlikely to see this 2009 feature debut from my mate Tris anytime soon. 
35. Entity (d.Steve Stone) - A UK disc in June 2013.

I'll post the fate of films 36-70 tomorrow.

Whatever happened to those 140 unreleased British horror films? (Part 2)

December 22, 2013, 3:14 am

≫ Next: Whatever happened to those 140 unreleased British horror films? (Part 3)

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Continuing my look at the various fates of the unreleased 21st century British horror features which I listed two years ago. Here is the second batch of 35 titles.

1. Every Picture (d.Tobias Tobbell) - Tobell is still making movies but this 2005 feature remains unreleased.
2. Expiry Date (d.Karen Bird) - Seems there was a UK disc of this in November 2007, making it another refugee from my book. (Seriously, I did find 114 films - give me a break.)
3. The Fallow Field (d.Leigh Dovey) - It took four years but I was delighted that this terrific film eventually hit UK disc in March 2013. Check out my review.
4. A Fantastic Fear of Everything (d.Chris Hopewell, Crispian Mills) - Savaged by critics when it was released to UK cinemas in June 2012.
5. Le Fear (d.Jason Croot) - Released online in February 2012.
6. Forest of the Damned 2 (d.Ernest Riera) - Still no sign of this sequel.
7. For One Night Only (d.Belinda Greensmith) - Now here’s an odd one. Although not officially ‘released’, the full film was made available in an ‘online film market’ so it’s there to watch if you want. I did - here’s my review.
8. The Found Not Missing (d.Luke Massey) - Missing not found.
9. Fragments (d.Ross Dickson) - Still no sign of this one, but I did find this sort-of-update from June 2013.
10. Furor: Rage of the Innocent (d.Victor Marke) - Not entirely sure how much this is ‘horror’ or whether it’s just action. Unless it ever gets a release, I think we’ll have to keep on wondering...
11. The Glass Man (d.Cristian Solimeno) - This really puzzles me. This Andy Nyman-starrer got good word-of-mouth when it played festivals in 2011 but since then, nada.
12. Gozo (d. Miranda Bowen) - Scripted by Mum and Dad helmer Steven Shiel but as yet unseen by anyone.
13. Grabbers (d.Jon Wright) - Although this UK/Irish monster movie did get a release, I’ve taken it off my list because it seems to be more Irish than British. But I may change my mind again.
14. Graders (d.David Hutchison) - Released online in August 2012
15. A Grave for the Corpses (d.SN Sibley) - Still on Steve Sibley’s shelf, as far as I can tell.
16. Grave Tales (d. Don Fearney) - Retro anthology had a UK release in June 2013.
17. Graveyard Shift: A Zomedy of Terrors (d.Sapphira Sen-Gupta, Denise Channing) - Still nothing...
18. The Great Ghost Rescue (d.Yann Samuell) - There was a US disc in November 2011.
19. Guinea Pigs (d.Ian Clark) - Retitled The Facility, this had a well publicised British DVD release in May 2013.
20. Hacked Off (d.Andrew Weild) - Another one that passed us all by. Apparently this came out in October 2004. Of course, that doesn’t mean anyone has actually seen it.
21. Hard Shoulder (d.Nicholas David Lean) - February 2013 was the UK release date for this one under the new title Dead End.
22. Harmony’s Requiem aka Silent Terror (d.Mark McDermott) - Released online in March 2011.
23. Harold’s Going Stiff (d.Keith Wright) - Keith scored a big festival success with his second feature which was released in the UK in September 2012. Check out my review.
24. The Harrowing (d.Tim Burke) - Aka The Lucifer Effect. As far as I know, it remains unreleased under either title.
25. Haunted (d.Steven M Smith) - VOD release in October 2013.
26. The Haunting of Harry Payne (d.Martyn Pick) - This is set for a UK release in January 2014 although, as noted, it has been retitled Evil Never Dies and marketed as a straight gangster film.
27. The Haven (dir.Ray Kilby) - Unfinished 2001 feature from the director of Never Play with the Dead. Doubt we’ll ever see this.
28. HellBilly 58 (d.Russ Diaper) - I don’t honestly think this ever got made and have now taken it off my list.
29. Heretic (d.Peter Handford) - Catch it on UK DVD in January 2014.
30. High Stakes (d.Peter Ferris) - This Welsh vampire picture finally turned up online in September 2011. I reviewed it back in 2008.
31. The Holding (d.Susan Jacobson) - Seems I had missed the British theatrical/DVD release in September 2011.
32. Hollow (d.Michael Axelgaard) - American DVD/VOD release in February 2013.
33. Horrorcide (d.Rakie Keig) - I can’t find any trace of this anywhere! Keig is now a horror author.
34. The Horror of the Dolls (d.Shane Davey) - Released online in October 2012. Check out my review.
35. The Hounds (d.Maurizio & Roberto Del Piccolo) - This seems to have been released online in July 2011, with a UK disc in November 2012 and a US one in January 2013.

Whatever happened to those 140 unreleased British horror films? (Part 3)

December 23, 2013, 2:37 pm

≫ Next: Whatever happened to those 140 unreleased British horror films? (Part 4)

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And here are the next 35 entries in that list of unreleased British horrors from two years ago. Which ones were released? Which remain unseen?

1. Inbred (d.Alex Chandon) - Chandon’s long-awaited return proved to be a gloriously funny cannibal tale when it hit UK cinemas in September 2012, with a DVD shortly after. Check out my review.
2. In the Dark Half (d.Alastair Siddons) - UK theatrical release in August 2012, DVD four months later. 
3. Invisible Eyes (d.Olivier Cohen) - Not visible yet. 
4. Jacob’s Hammer aka Jacob (d.Angie Bojtler) - Still in Jacob’s toolbox, apparently. 
5. Lady of the Dark: Genesis of the Serpent Vampire (d.Philip Gardiner) - US release in May 2012. Gardiner has a deal with Chemical Burn so all his films tend to turn up eventually. 
6. The Last Blood Line (d.John Evans) - No sign of this yet. 
7. The Last Zombi Hunter (d.SN Sibley) - Or this. 
8. Legend of the Alleyman (d.Mike Jelves) - Nothing on this either. 
9. The Legend of the 5ive (d.James P Weatherall) - Nor this one. 
10. Lethal (d.Darcia Martin) - Crikey, we’re not have a good run under ‘L’ are we? 
11. Liberty Bleeds (d.Stuart Wood) - Ah, here’s one. This turned up online in March 2003. 
12. The Lost (d.Johan Neethling) - Still not been found, it seems. 
13. Martyr (d.Shaun Troke) - No sign of this, although Troke’s feature ‘untitled’ was released online at Halloween 2013. 
14. May I Kill U? (d.Stuart Urban) - A limited UK theatrical release in January 2013. 
15. Monitor (d.David VG Davies) - Has played festivals but I’m not aware of a release. 
16. Myth (d.John Aldridge) - Possibly aka Fable. Remains purely mythical. 
17. A Night in the Woods (d.Richard Parry) - There was a British DVD release in September 2012. 
18. Night is Day (d.Fraser Coull) - Released online in September 2012, I think this is a feature edit of a web serial. 
19. Occasional Monsters (d.Sam Addison, Michael Cox) - A UK disc in December 2008 means this should have just scraped into my book Urban Terrors if I had known about it. 
20. Old Blood (d.Sapphira Sen-Gupta, Denise Channing) - The sequel to Graveyard Shift: A Zomedy of Terrors remains equally unreleased. Channing is that goblin woman who appeared on Dragon’s Den in 2007. 
21. One Hour to Die (d.Philip Gardiner) - Chemical Burn released this in the States in August 2012. Gardiner’s unrelated Awesome Killer Audition was released in May 2013 as One Hour to Die 2! 
22. Patient 17 (d.Tuyet Le) - This may have had a VOD release in February 2013 but there is a question mark next to it on my list. 
23. The Perfect Burger (d.Todd Carty) - Tucker’s out of luck. 
24. Piggy (d.Kieron Hawks) - A UK release in May 2013. 
25. The Power (d.Paul Hills) - Power cut. 
26. Psychosomatic (d.Andrew C Tanner) - US disc in June 2009. Here’s my review.
27. Purgatory (d.Stuart Wood) - This is one of those where I don’t even known where I read about it... 
28. A Reckoning aka Straw Man (d. AD Barker) - Reckon it’s still on the shelf. 
29. Re-evolution (d.Andrew Walkington) - Hasn’t evolved into anything yet. 
30. The Reverend (d. Neil Jones) - UK theatrical/DVD release in August 2012. Check out my review.
31. Rising Tide (d.Dawn Furness, Philip Shotton) - VOD release in April 2012. 
32. Rock and Roll Fuck’n’Lovely (d.Josh Bagnall) - Turned up online in May 2013. 
33. Sacrificed (d.Keith Bradley) - There was a self-released DVD in July 2012, then five months later the film turned up again as The Download Horror with Bradley doing a sort of MST3K demolition of his own film. Truly bizarre! 
34. Sawney: Flesh of Man (d.Ricky Wood Jnr) The UK disc was released in August 2013 but a couple of months earlier it was released in the States as Lord of Darkness. 
35. Scopia (d.Chris Butler) - Nada.

Whatever happened to those 140 unreleased British horror films? (Part 4)

December 24, 2013, 5:41 am

≫ Next: 200 unreleased British horror films produced since 2000

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Two years ago I listed 140(ish) unreleased British horror films produced since 2000. Here's the final batch of 'whatever happened to' information:

1. Screen (d.David P Baker) - Although Baker is British, this is an American film so has been removed from the list. 
2. Season of the Witch (d.Peter Goddard) - Still unreleased but I was sent a screener so you can read my review.
3. Seven Crosses (d.Robbie Moffat) - This went online in August 2013 (give or take...). 
4. Showreel (d.Ross Birkbeck) - No show. 
5. Simon and Emily (d.Lee Isserow) - UK disc in Sptember 2009. 
6. Slasher House (d.MJ Dixon) - This made it to UK disc in April 2013. Check out my review. 
7. Slumber Party (d.Martin Marshall) - Still asleep. 
8. Sparrow (d.Shaun Troke) - This UK-Polish co-production actually played Warsaw cinemas in October 2010. No sign of a DVD yet though. 
9. Stag Hunt (d.James Shanks) - Still at bay, although it has definitely been completed because Jim invited me to a screening. 
10. Stitches aka The Killer Gloves (d.Trevor Fleming, Lee Isserow) - UK disc in August 2010. Not to be confused with the Ross Noble clown horror which is widely described as British but is actually 100% Irish. 
11. Strippers vs Werewolves (d. Jonathan Glendenning) - UK disc in May 2012 after a brief theatrical dalliance, with a US disc following in September. 
12. Telephone Detectives (d.Mark Reynaud) - No dial tone. 
13. Third Contact (d.Simon Horrocks) - No contact yet with this sci-fi/horror 
14. Three’s a Shroud (d.David VG Davies, Dan Brownlie, Andy Edwards) - I have seen this and reviewed it but there is still no sign of a release. 
15. Through the Looking Glass (d.Craig Griffith) - October 2012 saw this appear on UK disc. 
16. Tied in Blood (d.Kevin McDonagh) - Emerged on US disc in June 2012. 
17. Till Sunset (d.David Woods) - The US release in April 2013 seems to have been on blu-ray but not DVD, for some reason. 
18. Transylvanian Express (d.Kirby Leitko) - Still in the station. 
19. Truth or Dare (d.Robert Heath) - British theatrical/DVD release in August 2012, followed by a US disc in September which was for some reason retitled Truth or Die. 
20. Tuck Bushman and the Legend of Piddledown Dale (d.Chris Lumb) - Seems there had actually been a US disc in October 2010. Check out my review. 
21. UFO (d.Dominic Burns) - ‘Jean-Claude Van Damme vs aliens’ played theatrically (in Derby) in December 2012 when it was also released on DVD. The US disc followed 12 months later retitled Alien Uprising. Here's my review.
22. Unwelcome (d.Keith R Robinson) - There was a US disc in April 2012, retitled Aggresive Behavior.
23. The Urge (d.Chris Andrews) - Not urgent, apparently. 
24. Venus Drowning (d. Andrew Parkinson) - Eight years after I watched and reviewed this, Andrew Parkinson’s third feature will finally get a (US) DVD release in February 2014. 
25. A Very Grimm Fairy Tale (d.Scott Johnson) - No happy ever after. 
26. Voodoo Lagoon (d.Nick Cohen) - There was a UK disc in April 2011. 
27. Warhouse (d.Luke Massey) - Now called Armistice, this is set for VOD and US theatres in January 2014. 
28. Webkam (d.Ibraheem James Layton) - Shot in 2008, a teaser trailer finally appeared in August 2013. Could we see the film soon? 
29. When the Lights Went Out aka Speak No Evil (d.Pat Holden) - Played UK cinemas in September 2012, with a DVD in January 2013. 
30. Wilby Park (d.Ian Fielding) - US disc in December 2011. 
31. Within (d.John A Curtis, Merlin Ward) - Without. 
32. Within the Woods (d.Luke Massey) - There have been numerous films released called Within the Woods. This isn’t one of them. 
33. The Zombie King (d.Aidan Belizaire) - Released on German DVD in April 2013. 
34. Zombies of the Night (d.Stuart Brennan) - According to Stuart this will probably remain unreleased.

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200 unreleased British horror films produced since 2000

December 28, 2013, 5:09 am

≫ Next: Spirital Phantoma - new UK horror filmed in Romania

≪ Previous: Whatever happened to those 140 unreleased British horror films? (Part 4)

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Before Christmas I rounded up what had happened to the list of 139 unreleased British horror films which I posted here in December 2011. What we found was that

• 23 had already received some form of release sufficiently obscure that I was not able to find it.
• 55 have since received a release.
• 4 have been removed from the list for not meeting the criteria after all.
• 57 remain unreleased.

That’s not a bad result, frankly: it means that there were actually 112 unreleased British horror films and 50% of those have achieved a release in the subsequent two years. In those two years, many other British horror features have been produced and released - but many others have been produced and taken their own place in film limbo. Plus I have discovered a few more oldies.

This means the current list runs to... 216 unreleased British horror feature films.

So: can you help with this? Can you provide information on a 'release' for any of these titles (ie. something more than a one-off/festival screening)? That could be online, VOD, DVD or even theatres, anywhere in the world. Even if the film-maker just sold uncertificated copies through his/her own website, that's a release.

Alternatively, can you confirm that any of these films were never actually made? To the best of my knowledge, everything here at least entered production, but I'm happy to be proved wrong. There are 56 films marked with an asterisk which I know were completed because they have had at least one screening and/or I have watched them myself. I will also take off this list any of these which can be shown to be 'not horror' or 'not British' (or indeed, 'not a feature film'). Persuade me.

There are a number of well-publicised films here which I know are still in post like Crying Wolf and Cute Little Buggers, or still being made like The Wrong Floor (I'm in that one!). But what about all these others? And of course, I have to ask this: is this list complete? Do you know of any unreleased (for whatever reason) British horror film produced since 2000 which is not here?

Leave comments/updates/suggestions below.

Amy Goes to College

Addict (d.Geoff Harmer)*
All the Fear of the Fair (d.Chris Jupp)*
Amy Goes to College (d.Alasdair Macleod)
Any Minute Now (d.Peter Goddard)*
Argon Green (d.Tom Craig)
Arkham Asylum (d.Andrew Morgan)
Ascension (d.James Hart)
Back2Hell (d.Richard Driscoll)
The Battersea Ripper aka Manilla Envelopes (d.Nick Tyrone)*
Beautiful (d.Veeder)
The Bench (d.Sean Wilkie)
Benny Loves Killing (d.Ben Woodiwiss)* - see comment below

Benny Loves Killing

Bicycle Day aka Bad Trip (d.Damian Morter)*
Birthday (d.Alex McCall)
The Bizarre Life and Crimes of Spring-heeled Jack (d.Chris Maudsley)
Blackwood (d.Adam Wimpenny)
Bleach (d.Jason Bradbury)
Blood Army aka Nephilim (d.Will Moore)
Bloodless (d.Richard Johnstone)
Blood Rush (d.Dean Meadows)
The Box (d.Jason Wilcox)
CAM (d.Steve Du Melo, Larry Downing)*

The Caves

The Caves (d.Jack Delaney)
Christian (d.Matthew Bland)
The Circle (d.Peter Callow)
The Cobra Lily (d.Graham Guy)
Cold Blood (d.Mumtaz Yildirimlar)*
The Convent aka The Crypt (d.Mark Murphy)
Convention of the Dead (d.Kelvin Beer)
Coven (d.John Mackie)
Creepsville (d.MJ Dixon)
Crux (d. Bashar Al Issa)
Crying Wolf (dir. Tony Jopia)
Cute Little Buggers (d.Tony Jopia)
Daddy Issues (d.Gary J Hewitt)

A Date with Ghosts

Dark Matter (d.Mol Smith)
Dark Night (d.Daniel Grant)*
Dark Vision (d.Darren Flaxstone)*
A Date with Ghosts (d.Jason Brown)
Days of Infection (d.Tom Nicholls & Ranjeet S Marwa)
Dead Crazy (d.Frank Scantori)
Dead Love (d.Chris Gallagher)
Deadly Intent (d.Rebekah Fortune)
Dead of the Night (d.SJ Evans)
Dead Room (d.Julian Boote, Ian David Diaz etc)
Dead Time (d.Jason Wilcox)
Dead Wood (d.Paul Knight)
Death Walks (d.Spencer Hawken)
Dementamania (d.Kit Ryan)*

The Devil's Punch Bowl

Demon (d.Mark Duffield)*
The Demon Within (d.Harold Gasnier)*
The Devil’s Interval (d.Anthony & Patrick Turner)*
The Devil’s Punch Bowl (d.Tim Hewitt)
The Devil’s Primate (d.SN Sibley)
Devil’s Tower (d.Owen Tooth)
The Devil Went Down to Islington (d.Daniel Wilson)
District Nurse (d. Wm B McClure)
Dreaming of Screaming (d. Lee Burgess, John Ninnis, Tuesday Burgess)
The Dungeon Moor Killings (d.Jim Hickey)*
Dwellings Close (Jorge Cuaik)*
The Dying Seconds (d.Kris Rennie, Morgan Black)
Eden Lodge aka Breakdown (d.Andreas Prodromou)*
Elemental Fear (d. Alan de Pellette)

Eva's Diamond

Ellie Rose aka Not Alone (d.Tristan Versluis)
Enchantress aka The Death of Merlin (d. Ian Lewis)*
The Eschatrilogy aka Book of the Dead (d. Damian Morter)*
Eva’s Diamond (d.Ice Neal)*
Evel Cat: The Return (d.Jonathon Ash)
Every Picture (d.Tobias Tobbell)*
Eve’s Demons (d.Paul Trigwell)
Evil Apparation (d.Brel Offkel)
Evil Bread (d.Andy Ward)*
Exorcism (d.Lance Patrick)
Forest of the Damned 2 (d.Ernest Riera)

Fragments

The Forewarning (d.Andy Robinson)*
The Forgotten (d.Oliver Frampton)
The Found Not Missing (d.Luke Massey)
Fragments (d.Ross Dickson)
Furor: Rage of the Innocent (d.Victor Marke)*
Glass Eyes (d.Luke Tedder)
The Glass Man (d.Cristian Solimeno)*
Gozo (d. Miranda Bowen)
A Grave for the Corpses (d.SN Sibley)
Graveyard of Death Part II (d.Jonathon Ash)
Graveyard Shift: A Zomedy of Terrors (d.Sapphira Sen-Gupta, Denise Channing)
Grindhouse 2wo (d.Richard Driscoll)
Happy Day (d.Tony Davis)
The Harrowing aka The Lucifer Effect (d.Tim Burke)

Invisible Eyes

The Hatching (d.Michael Anderson)
The Haven (dir.Ray Kilby)
Horrorcide (d.Rakie Keig)
Hunters of the Kahri (d.Ali Paterson)
I am Cursed (d.Shiraz Khan)
Inferno (d.Alan Gibbs)
Invisible Eyes (d.Olivier Cohen)*
Isle of Dogs (d.Tammi Sutton)*
Jack, the Last Victim (d.Phil Peel)
Jacob’s Hammer aka Jacob (d.Angie Bojtler)
Judas Ghost (d.Simon Pearce)*
Killer Conversation (d.David VG Davies)
The Lark (d.Steve Tanner)*
The Last Blood Line (d.John Evans)
The Last Showing (d.Phil Hawkins)

The Legend of the 5ive

The Last Time She Lived (d. Dominic Holmes)
The Last Zombi Hunter (d.SN Sibley)
Legacy of Thorn (d.MJ Dixon)
Legend of the Alleyman (d.Mike Jelves)
The Legend of the 5ive (d.James P Weatherall)*
Lethal (d.Darcia Martin)
Lock In (d.Mark Howard)*
Lone Walker (d.Paul TT Easter)
The Lost (d.Johan Neethling)
Low (d.Ross Shepherd)*
Making Ugly (d. Andrew Niblo)*
Martyr (d.Shaun Troke)
Meet the Cadavers (d.David VG Davies)
The Midnight Horror Show (d.Andrew Jones)
The Missing Day aka The Night the Creatures Came Alive (d.Stuart Dunlop)*
Molly Crows (d.Ray Wilkes)*

Nightmare Box

Monitor (d.David VG Davies)*
Monsters: Dark Continent (d.Tom Green)
Myth aka Fable (d.John Aldridge)
Newgate (d.William Alvin/Carter?)
Nightmare Box (d. Jon Keeyes)*
Nuryan (d.Ben Myers)*
OAZ: Nan from Hell (d.Craig T James)
Old Blood (d.Sapphira Sen-Gupta, Denise Channing)
Ouija (d.Darren Lynch)
Paper, Scissors, Stone (Philip Goodhew)
Passengers (d.John Hales)
Penitentiary Stroll aka Hero Shy (d.Oskar Jon)

Rearview

The Perfect Burger (d.Todd Carty)
Pounce (d.Keith R Robinson)
The Power (d.Paul Hills)
The Psychiatrist (d.David Hoyle)
Psychotic aka Asylum aka Shadows of Bedlam (d.Johnny Johnson)
Purgatory (d.Stuart Wood)
The Quiet Ones (d.John Pogue)
The Rapture (d.William Steel)
The Reaper (d.Alan Gibbs)
Rearview (d.Avril E Russell)
A Reckoning aka Straw Man (d. AD Barker)
Red Kingdom Rising* (d.Navin Dev)*
Re-evolution (d.Andrew Walkington)
Requiem (d.Jon Kirby/Mitchell Morgan)*
Return of the Ghost (d.Jason Wilcox)*
Rock Band vs Vampires (d.Malcolm Galloway)
Rogue: A Vampire Chronicle (d.Stuart Brennan)
Scareycrows (d.Jamie Spear)

Scar Tissue

Scar Tissue (d.Scott Michell)*
Scintilla (d.Billy O’Brien)
Scopia (d.Chris Butler)
Season of the Witch (d.Peter Goddard)*
The Secret Path (d.Richard Mansfield)
Serial Kaller (d.Dan Brownlie)
Seven Cases (d.Sean J Vincent)
The Shadow of Bigfoot (d.Philip Mearns)
Shadows of a Stranger (d.Chris Clark, Richard Dutton)
Showreel (d.Ross Birkbeck)
Sleep (d.John Aldridge)
The Sleeping Room (d.John Shackleton)
Slumber Party (d.Martin Marshall)
Soldiers of the Damned (d.Mark Nuttall)

Soulmate

Soulmate (d.Axelle Carolyn)*
Spidarlings (d.Salem Kapsaski)
The Spirit of Albion (d.Gary Andrews)*
Stag Hunt (d.James Shanks)*
Suburban Fairytale (d.James Crow)
Succubi aka Ancient Succubi (d.Aquinas)
Survivors (d.Adam Spinks)
Tag (d.Sam Walker)
Tainted Love aka Tainted Love: Gypsy (d.Will Moore)
Taken from Sherwood (d.Richie Jon Mason)
Tales of the Supernatural aka Six Tales of the Supernatural aka Disturbance (d.Steven M Smith)
Telephone Detectives (d.Mark Reynaud)
Territory (d.Tom Saville, Robert Vassie)
Third Contact (d.Simon Horrocks)*

Territory

The Third Testament: The Antichrist and the Harlot (d.Ali Paterson)*
This Changed Earth (d. Ross Bradley, David Hinds)*
Three’s a Shroud (d.David VG Davies, Dan Brownlie, Andy Edwards)*
Tick Tock Trick (d.Bronwyn Edwards)
Torn: A Shock Youmentary (d.Justin Carter)
Transylvanian Express (d.Kirby Leitko)
The Trap (d.Fergus March)
Twisted - The Devil in Her Mind (d.Eddie Bammke)
Under the Skin (d.Jonathan Glazer)*
The Unseen (d.Kevin Gates)
Untitled Horror Film (d.JP Bankes-Mercer)

The Urge (d.Chris Andrews)

Valley of the Demon

Valley of the Demon (d.Rhodri Jones)
Valley of the Witch (d.Andrew Jones)
Vampire Dawn (d.David Gunstone)*
Vampire Mermaids from Mars (d.Joseph Tan)
A Very Grimm Fairy Tale (d.Scott Johnson)
The Vessel (d.John-Martin White)
Voodoo Magic (d.Elom Bell)
The Warning aka Ward 8 (d.Alexander Williams)
Wasteland (d.Tom Wadlow)*
The Watcher Self (d.Matt Cruse)
Webkam (d.Ibraheem James Layton)
Welcome to Essex (d.Ryan J Fleming) - see comment below
Welcome to the Majority (d.Russell Owen)*
Whispers (d.Tammi Sutton)
White Settlers (d.Simeon Halligan)
The Whistler (d.Russ Diapper) - see comment below
Who is Coming (d.Richard Mansfield)

The Wrong Floor - who's that handsome devil?

The Wine Dancers (d.Dave Lewis)
The Wish (d.Marcel Mandu)*
Within (d.John A Curtis, Merlin Ward)
Within the Woods (d.Luke Massey)
Wraith (d.Dave Hyde, Ed Botham)*
The Wrong Floor (d.Marc Hamill)
Zombie Graveyard (d.Jonathon Ash)
Zombie Resurrection (d.Jake Hawkins)*
Zombies of the Night (d.Stuart Brennan)
Zombie Women of Satan 2 (d.Chris Greenwood)

Spirital Phantoma - new UK horror filmed in Romania

December 30, 2013, 5:06 am

≫ Next: Urban Terrors US edition available

≪ Previous: 200 unreleased British horror films produced since 2000

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Here's one which lists itself as a UK/Romanian/Hungarian production but looks like it could be British enough to qualify as part of the BHR. Unlike most UK/Romanian movies, it's not actually a US production shooting in Eastern Europe.

Spirital Phantoma - a title that seriously needs changing - is the debut feature from Rares Ceuca, a Romanian model/actor now based in Bradford. Ceuca wrote and co-directed with producer Ash Khan (who may be British). Shot in Romania, the film has a British cast with horror credentials headed by Sahira Mohamed Ali (Molly Crows) with Trent Owers (Exorcist Chronicles), Helen Holman (Jacob's Hammer,Aggressive Behavior) and Mhairi Calvey (Any Minute Now).

• "Seven friends go camping in the local woods, little do they know that a demon spirit is released and takes over one of their own but who is it?"

According to the film's Twitter/Facebook thing, this was released on US Netflix on 1st November this year, although I can't find any independent confirmation of this.

Here's the trailer:

Urban Terrors US edition available

December 30, 2013, 5:12 am

≫ Next: British horror shopping list, first quarter 2014

≪ Previous: Spirital Phantoma - new UK horror filmed in Romania

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My book Urban Terrors: New British Horror Cinema is now available in an American edition. It has been published by Midnight Marquee with a cover price of $25 but available now for 15 bucks!

The only differences from the UK edition (as far as I know!) are a different cover and the correction of a few typos.

This is part of a deal between Hemlock Books and MidMar which also includes US editions of Christopher Koetting's Mind Warp! and John Hamilton's X-Cert.

British horror shopping list, first quarter 2014

January 4, 2014, 11:06 am

≫ Next: Shell Shocked: Dominic Brunt's war/horror short

≪ Previous: Urban Terrors US edition available

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Here's what's coming up on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, over the next three months:

• 6th January: Heretic (UK)
• 7th January: Amityville Asylum (USA), Dead of the Nite (USA)
• 13th January: Evil Never Dies (UK)
• 21st January: Splash Area: Night of the Freaks (USA)
• 10th February: Amityville Asylum (UK)
• 11th February: A Night in the Woods (USA), The Reverend (USA)
• 17th February: Stalled (UK)
• 18th February: I, Zombie (USA), Dead Creatures (USA), Venus Drowning (USA), Silent Night: Bloody Night: The Homecoming (USA)
• 4th March: The Facility (USA)
• 10th March: Rehab (UK), Outpost III: Rise of the Spetsnaz (UK)
• 24th March: Dead of the Nite (UK)

Shell Shocked: Dominic Brunt's war/horror short

January 29, 2014, 3:02 pm

≫ Next: Bordello Death Tales US sleeve - and one that got away

≪ Previous: British horror shopping list, first quarter 2014

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Dominic Brunt, who previously brought us the marvellous zombie feature Before Dawn, has directed a short war/horror film which is available to view online. Shell Shocked premiered at last year's Frightfest and is now on YouTube.

Written by Joanne Mitchell (ie. Mrs Brunt) from an idea by their six-year-old son, Shell Shocked stars Geoffrey Newland as a British squaddie and Anthony Mark Street (Where Seagulls Cry a Song, Stormhouse) as a German soldier. Set in a claustrophobic trench, the last inhabitant of which is still lying in a bloody mess, this is a bleak and powerful film, a sobering consideration of the inhuman horrors of war with an unexpectedly horrific twist. Check it out.