The British horror renaissance
by Mighty_Emperor | created - 26 Aug 2012 | updated - 1 week ago | PublicInspired by this piece from the Garudian:
Interest in homegrown horror was rekindled by Danny Boyle's film 28 Days Later in 2002 and grew with the success of Shaun of the Dead, Neil Marshall's The Descent and Christopher Smith's two films Creep and Severance.
So this list deals with the last decade (and counting) revival in the fortunes of the British horror movie (you can monitor new releases here, and there is one for short films), I'm sure the creative people were out there but it was 28 Days Later than got the purse strings loosened. Defining "British" is always going to be subjective, Hammer, for example, made a return in 2007 but some of the films they've produced have been co-productions filmed abroad (like Let Me In), but we'll include them as this this list is partly to show the strength of the British film industry when it comes to horror films. For that reason I will also include movies filmed in the UK as it all helps bolster the home-grown efforts (like World War Z).
Of course, that isn't to say that all these films are great, some of them are awful, but the level of quality is higher than I've found on most of my other lists.
Also making 2002 a cut-off is pretty arbitrary as it includes Dog Soldiers and Deathwatch that can't have benefited much from the 28 Days Later effect, and it excludes many interesting films that pre-date it, like The Bunker and Lighthouse, but it is still a good line in the sand if we want to look at recent British horror films and it does seem to be a genuine phenomena.
See also: Contagious violence, it shouldn't be a surprise, given the film that kickstarted everything that a lot of the films here also feature over there but the sub-genre (and zombie films) are easy to do with simple make-up and effects, and there is also an explosion in them in general. Also hoodie horror films feature strongly as a reflection of modern concerns. In addition there are quite a few films that fit into the backwoods horror and folk horror, both of which are undergoing a resurgence too (both of which can also be done on a limited budget). In fact, in most sub-genres I've been tracking, a big hit film has combined with improved distribution and cheaper technology to give a spike in the number of films produced.
Links: British horror revival blog from MJ Simpson, the co-founder of SFX magazine and the author of the upcoming book Urban Terrors: New British Horror Cinema 1997-2008, a guide to the 114 key films of that period. I only found it part-way through making the list but it has proved invaluable for filling in the gaps here (it also helped confirm I was on the right lines with the list name), so if you like this list follow his blog and be sure to pick up his book (if it goes well there is chance of a sequel - there are clearly going to be more films in the few years after 2008 than in the decade before). He has also provided round-ups of the releases in 2010 and 2011, noting that in 2001 there were 3 British horror films but in 2010 there were 48 (the 2010 round-up only includes 32 because he discovered more afterwards) and in 2011 there were 41 (not counting further revisions), my count below is different but the proportions are similar. There were more again in 2012, 14 of them zombie films, more than one a month and more than the annual total for most years (in fact so many I made a list for British zombie films). Which does flag up that something is going on here. Frightfest is also worth keeping an eye on, it is the UK's leading horror film festival (I have yet to attend but I will one day) with a strong focus on British movies and, even if you can't make it, because it is run in conjunction Film4, they run a week's worth of films and interviews on their TV channel (it is where I first heard about Kill List, for example).
The count: I have gone through and counted all the full length British horror films and put them into a spreadsheet and graph.
Which really does show an upwards trend, from less than one a month to one ever 3 days, just in the noughties - rapidly passing the levels of the boom period for British horror: the 60s and 70s. If you look back further you'll see that horror film production in the 90s were often down to similar levels to the early 50s when we were shaking off the effects of a world war (the chilling effect of the video nasty era? after all hardline BBFC chief James Ferman retired in 1999 and it was only then that a lot of the banned movies started to be passed uncut). A really impressive upswing , although it makes it impossible to keep up with all of them even if you wanted to. However, the number do suggest the renaissance was under way before 28DL, even if the success of films like it (Shaun of the Dead, etc.) have inspired film-makers and made financiers take British horror films seriously, helping to build momentum. I'd also flag up my comments above, as the growth in some horror sub-genres parallels what we see here, suggesting that the ease of film-making and distribution now means there will be more films but there is also clear evidence for successful films have an important effect on the types of films being made (the best example of zombie films - the first 3 Romero films created a spike in zombie movies with a lag of a year or two - I have rather a fine graph to prove my point).
I did also stumble across this piece about horror fiction and Tory governments:
A cursory glance at the points where horror fiction did enjoy periods of resurgence do tend to follow an upward graph with Tory fortunes.
...
Now, after two years of government by coalition of the Conservatives and the Lib Dems, horror is on the rise again.
So we can see a big spike in British horror films after 2010 (a jump of 50%) but there is usually a lag of a few years between inspiration and realisation, plus the Thatcher/Major years (1979-1997) saw a real dip in output between high points of the 60s/70s and the current upswing. So I'm not buying this when it comes to films, and if we are talking about fiction then... show me your numbers - I've shown you mine after all.
Caveats: There could be a recentist bias to an internet movie data base but IMDB has been going since 1990, so you'd imagine that'd be smoothed out by now and the British horror film industry isn't that large, but does attract a lot of rabid fans, so you'd imagine it'd be difficult for too many films to fall through the gaps. The opposite might also be a problem - there might be a bias against more recent movies as it can take a while for information to trickle through. However, this seems to largely apply to tagging and working out what sub-genres films fit into which are user added features and can be a bit arbitrary and subjective, while the location of production company is going to be a well-defined fact and much more likely to be properly registered here when the film is added (I have found a couple of examples so far when compiling this list, but not many). So I suspect neither is so serious to make a mockery of the numbers, as is a big enough sample that a few films won't make any difference (famous last words, I'm sure). One factor I do think might have an impact on the current year peak is that I've already seen some unreleased films shifted back to the following year or just whenever. So I expect the patter of each year is the peak will grow, as the full slate of films in production becomes clear, and then it will drop a bit as some get rescheduled or disappear into development hell, never to be seen again. Which means the current year is always going to be provisional until we reach the end and perhaps do a little tidy up too, so there might be a drop off of a dozen or so, but that might be compensated for after the inclusion of some films that might not get listed here until they're released.
Other films: There are some adult films that I'm wary of listing as they seem to cause problems for the list: Cathula 2: Vampires of Sex.
Length: Sorry it is a long list and this might be a little off-putting but you can use the filters to break it down if you don't want to browse through all the pages (even if I recommend you do it at least once). So you can, for example, rank only the feature films by quality if you were perhaps looking some of the better movies on the list to watch (even then you should do your homework, because some obscure films don't have many votes which can lead to people gaming the system).
Videos: I've tried to provide links to online videos of films where they appear to be official, if you want me to add a video or remove/swap a link then leave a note in the comments.
Comments: As I don't have a Facebook account I cannot interact with the new comments system, so have switched it off and replaced it with a thread on the message board.
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1. 28 Days Later (2002)
R | 113 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Alex Palmer
Votes: 445,470 | Gross: $45.06M
The film that kicked everything up a notch. Not only did it help generally boost the British horror industry and really boost the profile of the fast "zombie", it is on of the first British contagious violence films (beaten to the punch by 1986's Nightmare Weekend and 2001's Dead Creatures, but it wouldn't be the last as similar British films are now in double figures.
2. Dog Soldiers (2002)
R | 105 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scottish wilderness.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham
Votes: 65,634
3. Resident Evil (2002)
R | 100 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
A special military unit fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Ryan McCluskey, Oscar Pearce
Votes: 288,340 | Gross: $40.12M
Not an obvious one but it is a a British/French/American/German co-production mainly filmed in Germany, so it gets in on a technicality.
4. Deathwatch (2002)
R | 94 min | Drama, Horror, War
In the middle of World War I, nine British soldiers caught behind enemy lines seek refuge in a complex network of German trenches. What they soon discover is that they aren't alone - and it isn't a German soldier that's hunting them down.
Director: M.J. Bassett | Stars: Jamie Bell, Rúaidhrí Conroy, Mike Downey, Laurence Fox
Votes: 13,257
5. Close Your Eyes (2002)
R | 108 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A hypnotherapist is caught up in the pursuit of a serial killer.
Director: Nick Willing | Stars: Goran Visnjic, Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Miranda Otto
Votes: 3,238 | Gross: $0.04M
6. Black Plague (2002 Video)
R | 115 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
In 1348, with the horrors of the Black Death haunting Europe, English soldiers return home from war with a French nobleman as hostage. When people in their home village soon after begin to ... See full summary »
Director: Alberto Sciamma | Stars: Lena Headey, David La Haye, Jason Flemyng, Christopher Fairbank
Votes: 961
7. Fallen Angels (2002)
R | 97 min | Horror, Thriller
Abandoned and filled with a mysterious past, Holy Angel School for Girls is about to reveal its secrets of betrayal, jealousy, and vengeance. Rumours of haunting, paired with the desire to ... See full summary »
Director: Ian David Diaz | Stars: Michael Ironside, Jeff Fahey, Kai Wiesinger, Esme Eliot
Votes: 320
8. Alone (2002)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Experience the fear as you're sucked into the disturbed mind of Alex. Tormented by harrowing voices of the past Alex searches for the one girl who can silence the horror of a tortured soul.... See full summary »
Director: Phil Claydon | Stars: Miriam Margolyes, John Shrapnel, Laurel Holloman, Isabel Brook
Votes: 666
9. The Barber (2002)
R | 94 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Town barber Dexter Miles is surprised to overhear, while cutting the hair of police chief Vance Corgan, that the body of a woman he murdered a few days before has been recovered. He had hope that the body would not be found until spring.
Director: Micheal Bafaro | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Jeremy Ratchford, Garwin Sanford, Brenda James
Votes: 1,343
10. The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century (2002)
83 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Rock star Roddy Usher's wife is murdered and Rod is sent to a lunatic asylum in this gothic-comedy-horror-musical.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: James Johnston, Elize Tribble Russell, Marie Findley, Ken Russell
Votes: 371
11. The Last Great Wilderness (2002)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
Two men meet while travelling north on separate missions. Charlie wants to catch up with the man who has stolen his wife, while Vicente is trying to escape a contract castration. After ... See full summary »
Director: David Mackenzie | Stars: Alastair Mackenzie, Jonny Phillips, Ewan Stewart, David Hayman
Votes: 515
Not listed as a horror film here but there are spooky overtones and some violence - it threatens to go all Kill List on our asses but never does. Worth a watch though.
12. My Little Eye (2002)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Five people are offered one million dollars to spend six months together in an isolated mansion, with cameras watching their every move.
Director: Marc Evans | Stars: Sean Cw Johnson, Kris Lemche, Stephen O'Reilly, Laura Regan
Votes: 12,893
13. Feardotcom (2002)
R | 101 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
A New York City detective investigates mysterious deaths occurring 48 hours after users log onto a site named feardotcom.
Director: William Malone | Stars: Stephen Dorff, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Rea, Udo Kier
Votes: 22,690 | Gross: $13.21M
14. Long Time Dead (2002)
R | 94 min | Horror, Thriller
A young college student and his friends use an Ouija board to hold a seance, triggering a chain of mysterious deaths that may be caused by an otherworldly force.
Director: Marcus Adams | Stars: Joe Absolom, Tom Bell, Lara Belmont, Melanie Gutteridge
Votes: 6,029
15. Nine Lives (2002 Video)
R | 85 min | Horror, Thriller
Nine friends staying in an isolated Scottish manor house must fight for their lives when a centuries-old spirit is unleashed.
Director: Andrew Green | Stars: Rosie Fellner, Vivienne Harvey, Paris Hilton, Patrick Kennedy
Votes: 3,718
16. The Forgotten Ground (2002)
50 min | Horror
In 1878 a whole township were murdered by a neighboring town. Their bodies were buried in what's known as 'The Forgotten Ground'. Only the spilt blood of a virgin could bring them back to seek revenge on those who took their lives.
Director: Shaun Robert Smith | Stars: Daniel Dolby, Nicola Creasey, Shaun Robert Smith, Andy Monaghan
17. Nine Tenths (2002)
80 min | Horror, Thriller
Director: Jon Gritton | Stars: Sarah Cartwright, Phil Craven, Luke Goss, Elisabeth Heaney
Votes: 26
18. Revenge of the Unhappy Campers (2002)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
At an anger management camp for teenagers, someone is getting rid of the counselors and campers using very sharp instruments. By nighttime only a few are left, but who can they trust when they know one of them is the killer?
Director: Shawnee Mercer | Stars: Suzanne Hart, Jill Meyers, Candice Sharp, Lynne West
Votes: 86
19. Until Death (2002)
R | 80 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Young artist is torn between her male best friend, who's secretly obsessed with her, and her jealous abusive ex who died in a car crash and now apparently haunts her.
Director: Charles Buchanan | Stars: Clemency Burton-Hill, Jamie Bower, Gyuri Sarossy, Margaret Tyzack
Votes: 64
The vengeful dead
20. Zombie Ferox Zero (2002)
61 min | Horror
After escaping from the police, Doctor Fogger finds a new building belonging to the Toliman Corps and returns to bring the dead back to life.
Director: Jonathon Ash | Stars: Kimberly Kensington, Steven Ash, Jonathon Ash
21. Zombie Ferox (2002 Video)
70 min | Horror
From deep inside Hell house, Doctor Fogger Medical Deviate has his staff on the look out for fresh corpses for his new zombie army.
Director: Jonathon Ash | Stars: Jimmy Alder, Gavin Ash, Jonathon Ash, Steven Ash
22. Sentinels of Darkness (2002 Video)
73 min | Horror
Some vampire clans chase other vampire clans and in between they have erotic fights, jealousy and intrigue.
Director: Manos Kalaitzakis | Stars: Charly Barber, Dani Biernat, Donna Chiappini, Nena Chronopoulou
Votes: 55
Anglo-Greek vampire anthology.
23. The Incredibly Strange People Show (2002 Video)
70 min | Comedy, Horror, Music
An unrelenting, psychotronic rollercoaster ride, revolving around the sedentary existence of Max and Moritz, two oddball males in their late-20's whose lifestyle is a rabid telethon of epic proportions.
Director: Jason Delorme | Stars: Max Day, Kevin Neil, Nick Ewans, Haruka Kuroda
24. The Long Night (2002 Video)
12 min | Horror, Short
Director: Isabelle Defaut | Stars: Naomi Martin, Bart Ruspoli, Treva Sealy, Ben Shafik
25. The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002 TV Movie)
100 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate after being told an heir's estate is plagued by a ghostly dog.
Director: David Attwood | Stars: Richard Roxburgh, Ian Hart, Richard E. Grant, Matt Day
Votes: 2,633
26.
Strange (2002–2003)
Episode:
Pilot
(2002)
60 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
John Strange (Demon hunter and defrocked priest) and Canon Black investigate the mysterious happenings in a hospital ward.
Director: Joe Ahearne | Stars: Richard Coyle, Samantha Womack, Ian Richardson, Timmy Lang
Votes: 169
Pilot for the 2002 series.
27. Red Lines (2002)
7 min | Horror, Short
Doug Bradley (PINHEAD from HELLRAISER) stars in a chilling horror short about a school dentention gone horribly wrong.
Director: Frazer Lee | Stars: Doug Bradley, Kirsty Levett, Leone Hanman
Votes: 101
Watch here on IMDB
28. The Visitor (II) (2002)
11 min | Drama, Short, Fantasy
Gail has seen a ghost in her house on the same date, at the same time, in the same room, for three years in a row. She is certain it is counting down to something terrible. To ease her fears, her husband organises a midnight drinks party for the night the ghost is due to appear again. What happens is more disturbing than anyone could've imagined.
Director: Steve Hughes | Stars: Lena Rae, Madeleine Collins, Alexis Conran, Barry Cooper
Votes: 16
29. My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117 (2002)
12 min | Short, Comedy, Fantasy
Disaster after disaster, an already frail man descends into madness after his talking dog announces that he is actually his defence lawyer.
Director: Christopher Morris | Stars: Paddy Considine, Miranda Pleasence, Simon Greenall, Richard Lumsden
Votes: 1,246
Expanded from a segment on Brass Eye.
30. Pandora (I) (2002)
Unrated | 4 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Director: Antonio Campos | Stars: Andrew Keegan, Stephen H. Bogart, Antonio Campos, Mario Cantone
Votes: 37
31. Overture (2002)
43 min | Short, Horror
A woman escapes a captivity of uncertain circumstances, only to bring aspects of her ordeal into her marital life.
Director: João Paulo Simões | Stars: Elizabeth Ballinger, João Paulo Simões
32. Sleep (2002)
10 min | Drama, Horror, Short
A businessman is on his way to a conference when he decides to stop at a service station to get some sleep rather than drive on. While drinking coffee he spots Freya, the girl whom was in ... See full summary »
Director: Ian Cottage | Stars: Josephine Butler, Danny John-Jules, Kirk D. McKinney
Votes: 16
Watch on Dailymotion and blip.tv
33. Jackanory: The Curse of Karrit Poor (2002 Video)
20 min | Short, Comedy, Horror
Dr. Edmund Chinnery narrates the story of how he and his descendants were cursed to have any animal they touch "meet a dreadful end".
Star: Mark Gatiss
Votes: 10
Made for the LoG Christmas Special DVD.
34. The Cicerones (2002)
13 min | Horror, Short
A naïve tourist visits a cathedral to view it's paintings, only to find that it is a portal to a grotesque and disturbing realm of distorted time and reality.
Director: Jeremy Dyson | Stars: Mark Gatiss, Jane Bertish, Lily Power, Oliver Lavery-Farag
Votes: 150
More LoG-related oddity.
35. Magic Hour (2002 TV Movie)
29 min | Drama
Director: Steve Barker | Stars: Daniela Denby-Ashe, John Simm, Mark Webb
Votes: 27
Information on this is a little thin on the ground but it seems that John Simm plays a diabetic vampire.
36. More Than Meets the Eye (2002)
11 min | Short, Horror
Director: Andrew Hearn | Stars: Jason Barnett, Nicola de St. Croix, Conor Fox, Matthew Hearn
37. I'm Disappearing (2004)
Short, Horror
Director: Philip Barnard | Stars: Alec Bastin, Michael Wade
39. Chasm (2002)
12 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Short
When Reuben buys a black-market cure for his unusual chest complaint, Jenny is forced to make a terrible sacrifice. Chasm is a black comedy, set in a time when trading body parts has become... See full summary »
Director: Christian D'Adda | Stars: Oliver Milburn, Daisy Beaumont, Richard Bremmer
40. Green (2002)
8 min | Short, Horror
Lorna who is starved by her brutal husband, Frank, exacts a suitable revenge.
Director: Martyn Pick | Stars: Eira Griffiths, Tim Barlow, Jim Bywater
41. Cry (I) (2002)
8 min | Short, Horror, Mystery
Lia is terrified. She's covered with blood and the walls aren't clean either. A mysterious voice is calling out from the other room.
Director: Steven Sheil | Stars: Micaiah Dring, Katherine Morrant
Votes: 23
42. The Last Horror Movie (2003)
R | 80 min | Horror, Thriller
A serial killer uses a horror video rental to lure his next victim. What begins as a teen slasher transforms into a disturbing journey through the mind of Max Parry, a mild mannered wedding photographer with a taste for human flesh.
Director: Julian Richards | Stars: Kevin Howarth, Mark Stevenson, Antonia Beamish, Christabel Muir
Votes: 4,067
If this list demonstrates anything, it is how wrong the title was.
43. Penetration Angst (2003)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Horror
Helen suffers from a psychotic dread of penetrative sex; her lovers are 'consumed' by a 'vaginal monster' that leaves only their clothes behind. Fleeing to London, she does well picking off sleazy punters until virginal Dennis finds her.
Director: Wolfgang Büld | Stars: Paul Conway, Fiona Horsey, Philip Hayden, Jonnie Hurn
Votes: 713
44. Octane (2003)
R | 91 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
While on a late night road trip home, a woman must save her rebellious teenage daughter who runs off with a bizarre group of blood-letting psychos.
Director: Marcus Adams | Stars: Madeleine Stowe, Norman Reedus, Bijou Phillips, Mischa Barton
Votes: 3,283
Interesting trippy start but a weak, conventional ending.
45. LD 50 Lethal Dose (2003)
R | 97 min | Horror
A group of seven young animal rights activists get more than they bargained for when they enter a lab that performs dangerous experiments.
Director: Simon De Selva | Stars: Katharine Towne, Mel B, Tom Hardy, Ross McCall
Votes: 1,003
46. Devil's Harvest (2003)
R | 92 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Evil awaits artist Daniel when he accepts an invitation to return to his hometown. Soon Daniel's recurring nightmares return, disturbing events begin to occur, and his long-forgotten secret rides in on the coattails of a vengeful demon.
Director: James Shanks | Stars: Brian Blessed, Julie T. Wallace, Chris John, Lara Clancy
Votes: 162
47. The Gathering (2002)
R | 92 min | Horror, Thriller
Amnesiac Cassie Grant has a premonition that someone or something wants the family that's helping her recover dead. She investigates the secrets of the town they live in and uncovers darkness, both human and supernatural.
Director: Brian Gilbert | Stars: Christina Ricci, Ioan Gruffudd, Stephen Dillane, Kerry Fox
Votes: 8,702
48. The Bone Snatcher (2003)
R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After miners disappear in the Namib Desert, scientists find their remains and seek to find what killed them.
Director: Jason Wulfsohn | Stars: Scott Bairstow, Rachel Shelley, Warrick Grier, Patrick Shai
Votes: 2,830
49. The Dark Hunter (2003)
75 min | Comedy, Horror
A Comedy/Horror feature film about two dysfunctional filmmakers who go out to uncover the truth behind sightings of a black panther in the English countryside
Directors: Duncan Cowan, Mark Jackson | Stars: Mark Jackson, Duncan Cowan, Johnnie Oddball, Rachel Rose Reid
Votes: 31
50. Ghost Rig (2003)
R | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Environmental activists encounter a mysterious and deadly presence.
Director: Julian Kean | Stars: Jaason Simmons, Bryan Carney, Juliet Diamond, Kerry Norton
Votes: 693
53. Banshee (2003)
60 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A girl (Palmer) has a pigs heart flung at her chest by a mumbling old lady (Jackman) on the subway, she thinks she's been cursed. She slowly goes crazy and ends up killing someone. Was she really cursed or was she always crazy?
Director: Ben Cobb | Stars: Iris Palmer, Damien Wilson, Le Bas, Damien Le Bas
Votes: 31
54. El Chupacabra (2003 Video)
R | 89 min | Adventure, Horror
The world seen through the eyes of two people, the inequities of society exposed and examined in depth in a most surreal manner.
Directors: Brennon Jones, Paul Wynne | Stars: Eric Alegria, Elina Madison, Anthony 'Treach' Criss, Jerry Rodriguez
Votes: 328
Despite the title, this was filmed in Aberdeen.
55. Halloween Party (2003 Video)
Horror
Director: Rusty Apper | Stars: Daniel Bennett, George Middleton, Rusty Apper
56. Macabre (2003 Video)
46 min | Horror
Director: Rusty Apper | Stars: Rusty Apper, Daniel Bennett, Callum Wilson
57. Night of a Thousand Screams 2 (2003 Video)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
Maggie, the only survivor from the bloodbath is found unconscious in the woods by a group of campers who innocently take her back to the house where it ALL happened!!!
Director: Shawnee Mercer | Stars: Kimberly Hillman, Marie Wilson, Reuben Rox, Norma Sherwood
Votes: 67
58. Ghosts of Albion: Legacy (2003)
Animation, Horror
Stars: Rory Kinnear, Jasmine Hyde, Joe McFadden, Emma Samms
Votes: 51
59. Strange (2002–2003)
60 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
John Strange is an ex-priest who had dedicated his life to hunting down demons and the darker side of the church, a task which some of his former bosses stand in the way of.
Stars: Richard Coyle, Samantha Womack, Ian Richardson, Samuel Barnett
Votes: 429
60. Spine Chillers (2003– )
30 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Anthology series of black comedies, which sets out to deliver excellent stories with a darkly comic twist. A second installment aired under the title, Twisted Tales.
Stars: Mackenzie Crook, Bruce Mackinnon, Emma Pierson, Tim Plester
Votes: 75
61. Jemima: Dating Is Murder (2003)
9 min | Comedy, Short, Horror
Jemima is the story of a woman who is void of any real depth of emotions. Focusing on her relationships we join Jemima at the point of ritual that befalls any man who she thinks view her as nothing more than a sexual object...
Director: Uisdean Murray | Stars: Joy McAvoy, Al Mariotti, Ronni Menzies-Stirling, Reshad Ramjan
Votes: 39
Watch on Vimeo, Openfilm and Film Annex
62. Dummy (2003)
8 min | Short, Horror
A lonely man responds to magazine advert offering friendship and recieves an unexpected delivery
Director: Paul Fuller | Stars: John Andrew, Simon Andrew, Sam Bandah Jr., Mark Windows
Votes: 14
Watch here on IMDB and on Vimeo
63. The Separation (2003)
9 min | Animation, Short, Horror
The separation of conjoined twins and its extraordinary consequences.
Director: Robert Morgan
Votes: 692
64. This Place (2003)
23 min | Short, Horror
Trapped and alone in a world of pure terror, haunted by nightmarish visions, what has he done in 'This Place'.
Director: Shaun Robert Smith | Stars: Clayton Fussell, Simon Rippin, Shaun Robert Smith, Rachel Stringfellow
Votes: 24
65. Paw (2003)
10 min | Horror, Mystery, Short
A man and woman discover a severed bear's paw in a park and it unearths dark thoughts and strange perversions.
Director: Duncan Nicoll | Stars: Lisa May Cooper, Christopher Liam, Neil Benedict
Votes: 12
66. Prey (2003)
18 min | Horror, Short
Master cake decorater and all-round family man, John (Bub) Morris, has a secret. He likes to hunt and stalk his prey. Woman.
Director: Adam Mason | Stars: Casey Clark, Nadja Brand, Malin Johansson, Marla Johansson
Votes: 34
Watch on YouTube - not the same length as listed on here
67. Pool Shark (2003)
8 min | Short, Horror
Things ain't cool at the local pool.
Director: Sam Walker | Stars: Nathan Hughes, Jacob Anderson, June Bumford, Colin Coulter
Votes: 20
68. Seconds Before Dreamwake (I) (2013)
28 min | Short, Horror
The film follows a woman who unceremoniously dumps her boyfriend in order to date another guy. In a flash of blinding light, the woman is confronted by a ghostly apparition who literally ... See full summary »
Director: Ian Weeks | Stars: Steve Cornthwaite, Samantha Sanns
Watch on YouTube - not the same length as listed on here
69. The Shoe Collector (2003)
3 min | Short, Horror
Director: Justin Smith | Stars: Rhianydd Wynne, Christopher Tudor
Votes: 15
70. The Reckoning (2002)
12 min | Short, Horror
Director: Chris Barfoot | Stars: Mark Chapman, Mark Christopher Collins, Mark Hill, Susie Lumley
Votes: 32
71. The Hairy Fairy (2003)
Short, Horror
Director: Armando Garcia | Stars: Ian Kaye, Katy Lewis, Jonathan Nefydd, Charlotte Seymour
72. Doorstep Delivery (2003)
5 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Short
Rogue agent Dave Kelsey can prove aliens are living on Earth and wants to go public. But someone is keen to ensure that no-one sees his photos.
Director: Jason Korsner | Stars: Madeleine Collins, Paul Conway, Vern Ellison, Patricia Grey
73. Break (2003)
8 min | Short, Drama, Horror
From darkness an unknown man arrives at an isolated cabin. On entering he discovers a dormant old man. Leading his guest through the cabins changing structure, the old man promises to cook him a meal he will never forget.
Director: Ian Waugh | Stars: Mike Duffy, Keith Hutcheon
74. Beating the Dog (2003)
Short, Horror
Beating the Dog, follows the attempts of DCI Bob Costigan in his relentless pursuit of the serial killer known as the Dog. As the body count grows, Costigan is forced to use increasingly ... See full summary »
Director: Lawrence Gough | Stars: Alan Ready, Tina Earl, Alan Pattison, Nichola McHugh
75. Clinic (2003 Video)
14 min | Short, Horror
Director: Fiona O'Donnell | Stars: Rosie Alvarez, David McAllister, Kathryn Grey, Canelle Hoppe
76. Inside Out (2003)
20 min | Horror, Short
Director: Oliver Knott | Stars: Aden Gillett, Sarah Hannah, Bob Mercer, Louiza Patikas
Votes: 14
77. This Old House (2003)
Not Rated | 10 min | Comedy, Horror, Short
Three young friends agree to spend the night in a haunted house.
Director: Jack Lothian | Stars: Katie Brown, Lewis Macleod, Drew McCusker, Craig Steele
Votes: 17
79. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Horror
The uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.
Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis
Votes: 593,775 | Gross: $13.54M
Again a seriously influential film, not only make the zom-com (Hell the rom-zom-zom) popular but it'd result in dozens of British zombie films when before this we had... what? The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (a Continental production filmed in the UK)? Hammer's Plague of the Zombies, which pre-dates Romero's NotLD that changed the game for zombie films so much. Womaneater, the first British zombie film? The Frozen Dead? I, Zombie: The Chronicles of Pain? Zombie Toxin? No real classics of the genre there, not until Shaun of the Dead.
80. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
R | 94 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Alice wakes up in the Raccoon City hospital after the area has been overrun by zombies, and must now make it out of the city before a nuclear bomb is dropped.
Director: Alexander Witt | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Eric Mabius, Oded Fehr
Votes: 209,917 | Gross: $51.20M
81. Creep (I) (2004)
R | 85 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Trapped in a London subway station, a woman who's being pursued by a potential attacker heads into the unknown labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city's streets.
Director: Christopher Smith | Stars: Franka Potente, Sean Harris, Vas Blackwood, Ken Campbell
Votes: 31,731
82. Pact with the Devil (2003)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
A modern retelling of the Oscar Wilde novel.
Director: Allan A. Goldstein | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Ethan Erickson, Victoria Sanchez, Ron Lea
Votes: 793
83. London Voodoo (2004)
Not Rated | 99 min | Horror, Thriller
When a young man relocates his family from New York to London his wife discovers a new sexuality and power that threatens to tear the family apart. As his wife's behaviour becomes more ... See full summary »
Director: Robert Pratten | Stars: Doug Cockle, Sara Stewart, Grace Sprott, Vonda Barnes
Votes: 443
84. Trauma (I) (2004)
R | 94 min | Mystery, Thriller
Shortly after waking up from a coma and discovering that his wife has been killed in a car accident, Ben befriends his beautiful young neighbor. But just as Ben begins to turn his life around, he is haunted by visions of his dead wife.
Director: Marc Evans | Stars: Colin Firth, Naomie Harris, Mena Suvari, Alison David
Votes: 3,539
85. Lovesick: Sick Love (2004)
R | 94 min | Crime, Horror
O'Ryan loves Julia. Julia loves Istvan. Istvan loves Julia. Julia falls in love with O'Ryan. Julia falls out of love and ends up hating O'Ryan. O'Ryan hates Istvan. Istvan hates O'Ryan. O'Ryan hates his mother. His mother hates everyone!
Director: Wolfgang Büld | Stars: Fiona Horsey, Paul Conway, William Rowsey, Jessica Barnes
Votes: 399
86. Incident at Loch Ness (2004)
PG-13 | 94 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
A documentary exploring the myth of the Loch Ness monster.
Director: Zak Penn | Stars: Werner Herzog, Kitana Baker, Gabriel Beristain, Russell Williams II
Votes: 4,421 | Gross: $0.04M
87. Hellbreeder (2004)
R | 81 min | Horror, Mystery
Five years ago Alice's son was murdered. Every day is consumed with the need to find his killer. The arrival of a mysterious stranger leads Alice to suspect him to be the killer and coincides with a renewed spate of horrific child murders.
Directors: James Eaves, Johannes Roberts | Stars: Lyndie Uphill, Dominique Pinon, Darren Day, Tina Barnes
Votes: 593
88. Blessed (2004)
R | 98 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A fertility clinic visit becomes an unfathomable nightmare for a woman who's impregnated with the devil's DNA.
Director: Simon Fellows | Stars: Heather Graham, James Purefoy, Fionnula Flanagan, Alan McKenna
Votes: 2,356
89. Mindhunters (2004)
R | 106 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
A group of FBI trainees are taken to a remote island for simulation training. However, once there, they realize that they are being hunted by a serial killer, who might be someone amidst them.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Val Kilmer, LL Cool J, Christian Slater, Eion Bailey
Votes: 64,191 | Gross: $4.48M
90. The Eavesdropper (2004)
R | 97 min | Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi
A highly classified government experiment to restore hearing to the deaf leaves one frightened patient fighting for her life.
Director: Andrew Bakalar | Stars: Lucy Jenner, Costas Mandylor, John J. York, John de Lancie
Votes: 635
91. Ripper 2: Letter from Within (2004)
R | 89 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Sequel to the hugely successful Ripper:Letter from Hell.
Directors: Jonas Quastel, Lloyd A. Simandl | Stars: Erin Karpluk, Nicholas Irons, Mhairi Morrison, Jane Peachey
Votes: 441
92. Parasite (2004)
R | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A cleaning fluid experiment on an oil rig turns disastrous when a worker goes missing and eco-activists seize the rig, before a dangerous new creature forces workers and activists to band together.
Director: Andrew Prendergast | Stars: Gary Condés, Saskia Gould, Conrad Whitaker, G.W. Stevens
Votes: 686
93. Darkhunters (2004)
Not Rated | 83 min | Horror, Mystery
They say the only thing you can depend upon in life is death. Charles Jackson is about to find out that isn't true. Dying is a tricky process and mistakes get made. How many ghost stories ... See full summary »
Director: Johannes Roberts | Stars: Dominique Pinon, Susan Paterno, Dan van Husen, Jeff Fahey
Votes: 619
94. Seed of Chucky (2004)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
Chucky and Tiffany are resurrected by their innocent gender-confused child, Glen/Glenda, and hit Hollywood, where a movie depicting the killer dolls' murder spree is underway.
Director: Don Mancini | Stars: Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, John Waters, Billy Boyd
Votes: 49,861 | Gross: $17.08M
A surprise entry.
95. Romasanta (2004)
R | 90 min | Drama, Horror
An uproar is caused when some mutilated cadavers are discovered, giving way to the legend of the "Werewolf of Allariz". A traveling vendor rolls through the forest in his old wagon. A woman... See full summary »
Director: Paco Plaza | Stars: Julian Sands, Elsa Pataky, John Sharian, Gary Piquer
Votes: 3,667
A rather good Spanish/British co-production.
96. Freak Out (2004)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
Two best friends, Merv Doody (James Heathcote) and Onkey (Dan Palmer), take a hapless escaped mental patient under their wing and attempt to teach him how to become a real serial killer.
Director: Christian James | Stars: James Heathcote, Dan Palmer, Nicola Connell, Yazz Fetto
Votes: 631
Dreadful low budget film that is a great example of friends running around with a camera messing around (and perhaps nerds realising that if they become "directors" then girls will take their tops off for you). One of the few DVDs I have which I feel like burning.
97. Zombie Graveyard (2004)
90 min | Horror
Campers run into nut-case killers and zombies, Two convicts help stranded kids fend off the Living Dead.
Director: Jonathon Ash | Stars: Jonathon Ash, Paul Fletcher, Bob Note
98. Jelly Dolly (2004)
94 min | Horror
The story of a woman who's inability to end a relationship causes her belly button to mutate, not to mention her mind.
Director: Susannah Gent | Stars: Rachael Walton, Ashley Barnes, Stuart Laing, Litza Bixler
Votes: 39
99. Evel Cat: The Return (2004)
75 min | Horror
Satan returns to Earth and takes a living soul with the help of a Evel cat, will the people of a small town named vanilla bay be able to stop the end of the world.
Director: Jonathon Ash | Stars: Jonathon Ash, Evel, Kimberly Kensington, Bob Note
100. The Return of James Battle (2004)
92 min | Adventure, Comedy, Horror
James Bataille escapes from prison to find his fiancée Concia. But on his return, octopussy like aliens come to play bloody spoilsport. After lucky battle James and Concia escape to parallel world.
Directors: Didier Poiraud, Thierry Poiraud | Stars: Vanessa Paradis, Jason Flemyng, Benoît Poelvoorde, Jean-Pierre Marielle
Votes: 1,503
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