UK Horror: The Best of 300 Features
After indulging in 300 UK horror films, finding the best of the bunch was easy. Yes, there are three co-productions with other countries, but the UK spread-headed each project.
Notably missing from the Top 10 Uk horror films are the oft beloved Hammer Studio features. Although my favorite from the studio is Plague of Zombies from 1966, and though I certainly appreciate many of the films featuring the legendary Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, none were strong enough in my mind to make this ultimate list.
As with most lists at Crash Palace, the films are presented by year. They are all “the best” and to choose one over another would be folly, though Triangle is something special on many levels.
Enjoy…
Peeping Tom 1960 4.5 stars
Michael Powell’s powerful film, in both story and cinematography, tops Hitchcock’s Psycho by a large margin. With solid and eerie storytelling, we watch a madman capture his kills on film.
The Haunting 1963 (UK/USA) 4.5 stars
A perfect accompaniment to Shirley Jackson’s novel, Robert Wise delivers a strong haunted house tale centering on the fall of poor Nell (Julie Harris) and her rattled brain.
The Legend of Hell House 1973 4.5 stars
Another haunted house masterpiece, a group of researchers try to prove that life exists after death by proving spirits are real. In this atmospheric piece, they get more proof than they signed up for.
The Shining 1980 (UK/USA) 4.5 stars
Kubrick took an overwrought and boring novel by Stephen King and it something moody, atmospheric, special, and downright crazy.
Lifeforce 1985 (UK/USA) 4.5 stars
A favorite B-movie epic, the film takes the dull The Space Vampires from Colin Wilson and turns it into a crazed action/horror. Patrick Stewart gets his first on-screen kiss at the lips of Steve Railsback.
Hellraiser 1987 4.5 stars
Clive Barker outshines his own novel with a dirty and visceral foray into the cenobites and their sadomasochistic search “in the further realms of experience.” Long may Pinhead (Doug Bradley) reign.
Lair of the White Worm 1988 4.5 stars
A weird horror from the haphazard mind of Ken Russell, the ho-hum novel from Bram Stoker comes alive in ways he never could have imagined.
Dust Devil 1992 5 stars
Richard Stanley’s sparse existential journey carries audiences through a desert of emotional dissonance. Just beware of hitch-hikers wearing a jacket festooned with bones.
Dog Soldiers 2002 5 stars
One of the greatest werewolf tales ever told, we follow a group of soldiers on a weekend exercise that becomes a fight for life. Isolated and running out of ammo, they confront the uncanny.
Triangle 2009 5 stars
In Christopher Smith’s mind-bending film, Jess (Melissa George) must determine how to escape an abandoned cruise ship and save her son.
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Billy Crash
Also known as William D. Prystauk, he loves great, in-depth characters and storytelling in horror, and likes to see heads roll, but if you kill a dog on screen he’ll cry like a baby. Crash, an award-winning screenwriter and novelist, co-hosts THE LAST KNOCK horror podcast on iTunes, and can also be found on Twitter, LinkedIn, IMDb, Amazon, Behance, YouTube, and Instagram. He’s currently in pre-production on a dramatic thriller feature while working on the third novel in his #KinkNoir crime thriller series.
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(Triangle image for Top 10 UK Horror Films from FilmBoy.)