British horror television
Television - it's the drug of the nation. Or so someone once said.
But what drug? Well, what with all the sleep-inducing drivel they're
currently showing (The new Doctor Who excepted - it is rather
good, isn't it?) I'm plumping for Night Nurse.
Of course, it hasn't always been so. The 70s in particular proved
to be a fertile breeding ground for some pretty good stuff. In fact,
it's safe to say that if it hadn't been for the gogglebox, 90 per
cent of British horror film fans would never cultivated their love
of all things British and scary. And I'm not even talking about
the Beeb's Saturday night horror double bills.
Yup, if you were a kid during that decade and you wanted to experience
raw terror, pretty much all you had to do was turn on the telly
(and wait for it to warm up, of course). There may only have been
three channels which didn't even bother showing anything until lunchtime,
but once they started, it was a never ending stream of horror. Children
Of The Stones, Sapphire & Steel, The Tomorrow
People (no? Just me, then), Thriller, The Nightmare
Man, Hammer House Of Horror (don't begrudge me a year
or two, I'm on a roll) and of course Pertwee / early Baker Who
all had us cowering behind the furniture. Or in my case, peering
through the gaps in the louvered doors between the lounge and the
dining room.
But enough about me, because for once, that's not what this part
of the site is about. Yes, in a precedent-busting move (and because
I can't be arsed) I've thrown the doors of the BHF website open
to all comers. What you'll find on these pages are reviews written
by other genre fans about great British horror telly. Enjoy. But
don't enjoy as much as you enjoy my reviews, okay?
Christof
Horror television reviews
Thriller - Possession
David Dent takes an in-depth look into one of the more scary episodes
of Brian "fisherman's cap" Clemens' variable stab at kitchen
sink horror, Thriller.
Sapphire & Steel
Sinister Ornament (no, I don't think that's his real name either)
does a frankly impressive and astonishingly in-depth critique of
one of the weirdest shows ever made, complete with sources and appendix.
Blimey.
Schalcken The Painter
Derek Johnston gets all literary on us as he dissects this high-brow
Omnibus treat from the 70s. The rest of us wonder what "Schalcken"
is worth in Scrabble.
The Exorcism
David Dent peers through his fingers at what is generally regarded
as the scariest TV programme ever made.
Ghostwatch
Obviously a man who doesn't know fear, David Dent ignores Craig
Charles' hamster-cheeked annoyingness and gives us the low-down
on what is actually the scariest TV programme ever made.
The Picture Of Dorian Gray
Derek Johnston takes a look at what happens when the Beeb mix up
a high camp blend of horror, literature, and "unmarried"
young men.
The Persuaders!
Harmless bit of Sunday afternoon misogyny? Well, yes - usually.
But this one episode has a Brit horror director and its fair share
of genre credentials. Darrell Buxton raises his wineglass to the
bird in the orange bikini.
The Stone Tape
Sinister Ornament explains why wandering up a half finished staircase
is never a good idea with his review of a possible contender for
third scariest TV programme ever made.
By the way, a massive thanks to all the contributors for this section,
who are regular users of the British horror films
web forum. This section will be updated as and when new reviews
find their way into my mailbox. Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer?
Money not that important (eg. I can't actually pay you anything)?
Why not drop me a line telling me what
you'd like to review?
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