London Horror Movie Club

Drama, The Wrath of God, and Brussels Sprout liquour. This month we watch the psychedelic Vincent Price masterpiece The Abominable Dr. Phibes. As doctors and nurses are dying all over London in recreations of the Biblica plagues, the answer seems to lie in the graves of the recently deceased Dr. Anton Phibes and his wife. When it came out in 1971, the film was a hit, showing off stars like Price, Terry Thomas, and Hugh Griffith alongside a mechanised band, a technicolor set, and some of the most creative kills in horror cinema. Join Chris and Lauren as they talk through the film from its best moments, to how it holds up today and the inspiration you can still see in other horror movies.

London Horror Movie Club watches "American Werewolf In London" - the classic comedy horror directed by John Landis and beloved by horror fans and directors. 

A clever, modern werewolf film starring David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, and Jenny Agutter, this is a classic everyone should consider watching once.  Chirs and I explore our favourite moments, imagine a recasting today, and, of course, consider the huge role London has in the film.  And there's even mention of a were-Loch Ness Monster.... :-p

This month's movie is the 2012 "Cockneys vs Zombies" an East End/Shaun of the Dead/Bank Heist comedy mashup starring Alan Ford,  Matthias Hoene, Rasmus Hardiker. With some of the craziest kill scenes of any zombie movie, lots of heart, and a dash of social commentary, we had great fun watching this one! Join us to hear the best bits, the funniest lines, and if it taught us anything about how to survive (or not) a zombie apocalypse.

Frenzy is the story of Dick Blaney (Jon Finch), a grumpy barman who has a very bad week, leading to him becoming the chief - and only - suspect in the Necktie serial killings.  With the help of his girlfriend Babs (Anna Massey) and his friend Bob (Barry Foster) he tries to avoid being hanged for the murder of several women,  including his ex-wife.  

This was famously Hitchock's most violent film, and styled as his triumphant return to London after twenty years of filmmaking; but was it enough to grab our attention and become a London Horror classic? Or has it put Chris off ever watching another Hitchcock? Listen to find out.

Happy Friday the 13th!  To kick off 2023 Chris and I interviewed the fantastically fun Tony Mardon. An actor and horror director, he has worked with horror legends like Ian McCulloch (It!), Pauline Peart (The Satanic Rites of Dracula), and Linzi Drew (American Werewolf in London).

Join us as we ask Tony everything from directing tips, horror starter movies, and stories and insight on his latest works - Libra, Don't Sit On His Face and Witches of the Sands.   The rating is "explicit" for sexual content in the film/plot context.

Tony's latest shorts will be premiering at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival and you can follow film updates on Instagram @the_witches_of_the_sands.

This month I take Chris out of his usual horror groove with one of the best British Horror Films of the 1950s:  "Night of the Demon".  A favourite of Martin Scorsese, and  starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins and Niall MacGinnis, this occult horror film is a forerunner to the more well known Folk Horrors of the next decade.  With a satanic cult, druidic runes, curses and the full range of dark and light magic, we have a lot to sink our teeth into with this gripping and unique horror film... including the potential for a remake

Intro/Outro sound design by Cucurbit.

Chris is back as our permanent co-host and to welcome him we are talking about a favourite of his,  the Hughes Brothers' 2001 Jack the Ripper horror From Hell, starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham and a stellar supporting cast including Ian Holm and Robbie Coltrane.  The film is part of a long history of Ripper-inspired horror films going back to Hitchcok's 1927 The Lodger, and it is also based on Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's graphic novel of the same name.  With a stellar cast and an intricate plot, it's a film that is steeped in legend and wears it well, like a shadowy figure in the London night. 

Intro/Outro sound design by Curcurbit.

Day of the Triffids is a 1962 alien-invasion/ apocalypse horror, staring the incomparable Howard Keel and smouldering Nicole Maurey. After a meteor shower blinds most of the world, the few left with their sight intact struggle to survive the takeover of Earth by cannibalistic Triffid plants. Naval officer Bill Masen and student Susan leave desolated London in search of survivors, while biologists on an offshore lighthouse try to find the Triffids’ weakness. 

Based on the novel by John Wyndham, this sci-fi horror has a long-lasting imprint on horror cinema, and many interesting parallels with Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. In this episode, we look at this unique film as an adaptation including the many changes, that famous scene of empty London, what worked and what didn't, and finally why this underdog film made it into horror history.

This season is all about London horror films adapted from books, beginning with the 1977 "Full Circle" starring Mia Farrow and Keir Dullea (known for 2001: A Space Odyssey).  This is a beautiful adaptation of Peter Straub's haunting story "Julia". After the death of her daughter, Julia Lofting moves into a new home, which is haunted by the ghost of a little girl. Julia is torn between the girl’s violent history while alive and her motherly instincts.  

To kick off season three I have a very special guest joining me from America, my brother Chris! We talk about Edgar Wright's remarkable and hilarious "Shaun of the Dead", the Cornetto Trilogy, "American Werewolf in London", London Horror, and why there has yet to be a truly brilliant Jack The Ripper movie.  Sit back, relax (maybe get a pint at the Winchester) and join us for this special episode crammed full of the best London horror cinema has to offer.

Intro/Outro sound design by Curcurbit.