Feature Films : Bloody Blighty: The New Wave Of British Horror Cinema

The British horror film has long been celebrated for its penchant towards character driven pieces that rely on strong ensemble performances and evocative atmosphere to bring credibility to even the loopiest of scenarios. The UK genre films of the 50’ and 60’s operated in stark contrast to their often light or campy American contemporaries, taking vampires, werewolves and the like into real-world, often working class environments, populated by wholly believable characters. These films seldom made light of their subjects and their lead performers, who regularly hailed from theater backgrounds, often lent the productions a quality that bordered on the Shakespearian.

Today’s new wave of UK genre filmmakers have upheld their country’s tradition for intelligent character-driven horror, fusing it with the visceral ferocity being seen in the current US crops. The results are often breathtaking, and several of this year’s UK genre films rank among the strongest works of their kind produced anywhere in the last 12 months. - Mitch Davis

Sponsored by the

Broken Simon Boyes, Adam Mason England 2006 | 110 min English language	Descent, The Neil Marshall England 2005 | 99 min English language	Duck Children Sam Walker England 2001 | 7 min English language
Evil Aliens Jake West England 2005 | 92 min English language	Isolation Billy O’Brien Ireland 2005 | 95 min English language	Living And The Dead, The Simon Rumley England 2006 | 84 min English language
Wilderness Michael J. Bassett England 2006 | 110 min English language	Worlds Of Wounded Clay: The Films Of Robert Morgan Robert Morgan England 1997-2004 | 75 min English language