British horror films have provided many entertaining and terrifying moments over the years. From fighting zombies to cult rituals, the industry has introduced memorable characters and given audiences many frights along the way.
An example of British horror at its finest is School’s Out Forever, which is available on digital download now. The film stars Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey, Goldeneye), Alex MacQueen (The Thick of It, The Inbetweeners), Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Oscar Kennedy in his debut lead role.
The action-packed dark comedy follows 15-year-old Lee Keegan, who has been expelled from his private school. During this time, a pandemic has spread like wildfire around the globe. With his father dead and his mother trapped abroad, Lee is given one instruction: go back to school. But safety and security at St. Mark’s School for Boys are in short supply. Its high walls can’t stop the local parish council from forming a militia and imposing marshal law, while inside the dorms the end of the world is having a dangerous effect on his best friend and his unrequited crush on the school nurse isn’t helping him concentrate on staying alive.
To celebrate the release of School’s Out Forever, we examine other horror classics to come out of the UK.
SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)
Edgar Wright’s horror-comedy, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, earned high praise when it came out in cinemas in 2004. Audiences regard it as one of the most memorable films due to its funny one-liners and surprisingly gory moments. The film follows Shaun (played by Simon Pegg), an unassuming salesman with no direction. However, when a zombie virus plagues the UK, his life takes a sudden turn when he takes charge of the fight against the living dead.
THE WICKER MAN (1973)
This British folk horror classic changed the face of horror in the early 70s. Directed by Robin Hardy and starring the legendary Christopher Lee, the film centers around Police Sergeant, Neil Howie (played by Edward Woodward), who visits an isolated island for a missing person case. Howie discovers that the locals practice a form of paganism and later witnesses some strange rituals. The more he uncovers about the strange practices, the closer he gets to cracking the case of the missing girl.
28 DAYS LATER (2002)
Directed by Danny Boyle, 28 Days Later is considered to be one of the most iconic horror films of the 21st Century. It also played a key role in catapulting the UK back into the horror film scene. Starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, and Christopher Eccleston, the film follows survivors trying to find sanctuary after an incurable virus has spread throughout the UK four weeks earlier.
HELLRAISER (1987)
Based on the novella, The Hellbound Heart, Hellraiser is a supernatural horror film created by British novelist and director, Clive Barker. The film follows a woman who starts killing on behalf of her newly resurrected brother-in-law to regenerate his body. The cult classic film introduced an iconic horror character, Cenobite Pinhead, and became one of the strangest horror franchises of all time.
HORROR OF DRACULA (1958)
It wouldn’t be a ‘Best of British Horror’ list without including a film produced by the classic British horror film studio, Hammer Films. HORROR OF DRACULA was released in 1958 and introduced the fanged Dracula played by horror legend Christopher Lee. The story follows vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (played by Peter Cushing), who ends up at Count Dracula’s castle in search of his missing friend.
Hammer Films went on to produce a further six films based on Dracula, cementing the character as the figurehead of the film studio.
SCHOOL’S OUT FOREVER AVAILABLE NOW TO BUY OR RENT – ALSO COMING TO DVD & BLU-RAY ON 12TH APRIL
