Top 50 British horror films

Lawrie Brewster has huge plans for the British horror film industry. But can the UK return to the halcyon days of Hammer and Amicus? Horrified's editor, Jae Prowse spoke with the Hex Studios co-owner... 

Devin McGrath-Conwell explores the sophomore effort in Edgar Wright's 'Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy with 2007's Hot Fuzz and finds the film nestling comfortably within the folk horror canon...

Johnny Restall revisits drab, wet London for Séance On A Wet Afternoon, a 1964 psychological thriller with supernatural undertones...

Graham Williamson explores Jonathan Glazer's 2013 unsettling sci-fi horror, Under The Skin...

Ellis Reed returns to the 2013 British horror classic The Borderlands, a found footage film bringing fresh ideas (and scares) to the sub-genre...

Ellis Reed interviews Michael Fausti, director of the psychosexual thriller, Exit...

Andy Roberts climbs aboard the Horror Express to explore the 1972 sci-fi horror favourite, which was not alone in taking inspiration (and plot points) from John. W. Campbell's influential novella, Who Goes There?​

Johnny Restall dares enter Ashley Thorpe's 2017 recreation of Borley Rectory - the Most Haunted House in England...​

Created during a nationwide lockdown in 2020, Host captured the zeitgeist to become one of the most popular and discussed horror films of the year. With its impending release on Blu-ray and DVD (amid another lockdown), James Swanton writes exclusively…

Ellis Reed interviews the indie filmmaker, Kemal Yildirim about his horror film, The Haunting of the Lady-Jane...

The second in a series of essays by K B Morris on the occult writer Dennis Wheatley explores his novel, The Devil Rides Out, and the making of one of the truly great films in Hammer Productions' oeuvre...​

Ray Newman examines Lindsey C. Vickers' obscure 1981 British horror, The Appointment. With a recently announced BFI Blu-ray coming in 2022, the film is notable for being Vickers' one and only feature-length film...​

Rebecca McCallum tackles the controversy of violence and audience complicity through an exploration of the bold and brutal The Last Horror Movie... ​

The infamous 'video nasties' list of the early-80s was in fact two separate lists containing five British films. Graham Williamson inspects them for Horrified...

Paul Lewis' absorbing essay on Ghost Story (1974), takes an in-depth look at Stephen Weeks' independent haunted house film and its profound sense of Englishness...

Caitlyn Downs returns to the films of Ben Wheatley, this time exploring the search for meaning in his 2021 psychedelic folk horror, In The Earth...

In a previously unpublished interview from 2018, Martin Parsons spoke with legendary director Norman J. Warren about the 70s horror industry, dog-faced aliens and women in peril...

Leeroy Cross James takes a retrospective look at the House of Mouse’s dip into the horror genre, and how they used genre tropes to their advantage...​

Nick Bartlett looks back at the 2018 adaptation of Sarah Waters’ gothic novel, The Little Stranger, and posits a theory of who (or what) is haunting Hundreds Hall...

Indie Filmmaker David Bryant talks about his new psychological chiller Kindred and gives the low down on how to craft a DIY genre film.

Carriages, Cannibals & Corrupt Capitalism! Johnny Restall takes a ride through the Tube's tunnels of terror with 1972's Death Line...

Ellis Reed reviews She Lives Alone, a rural gothic short from emerging filmmaker, Lucy Rose. He also discusses the film with Lucy for Horrified...

In the first of a new series, Jonathan Clode explores the monstrous Hammer films icons, beginning with Frankenstein (and his monsters)...​

Top 50 British horror films Top 50 British horror films (honourable mentions) Here are the best of the rest – the films that received votes, but not quite enough to make the top 50.  Recall them, recoil at them, add…

Ellis Reed caught up with author Matt Glasby to discuss his latest work, The Book of Horror: The Anatomy of Fear in Film...​

Emma Platt heads off the beaten track to explore the divergent relationships between the male friends of Dog Soldiers (2002) and The Ritual (2017)...​

Adam Jezard discusses how classic European psychological horror-thriller Les Diaboliques influenced Hammer’s series of psychological dramas...

Graham Williamson digs into the 2021 adaptation of the Arthurian legend...​

Often, somewhat justifiably, derided as a low-rent video nasty, Xtro is a piece of British horror that looks unflinchingly at grief and trauma...

Francis Young explores whether the distant past, in and of itself, can be a source of horror, leading to a distinct fear of the past: archaeophobia...

Andrew David Barker shares this ongoing production diary charting the making of the short film Baby On Board, written by Stephen Volk and directed by Andrew...

Readers of Horrified have come together to choose their favourite British horror films, so here is the ultimate top 50 list of British horror films, as chosen by you.... 

Paul Lewis explores the oddly prescient The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue, Jorge Grau's 1974 zombie film that explores both the urban and the rural, centre and periphery - the motivation for a significant proportion of English supernatural fiction...

Celebrating the British influence in Universal's Classic Monster stable, Johnny Restall explores James Whale's 1933 adaptation of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man...

Andy Roberts dives head-first into the schlock-and-gore of Norman J. Warren's alleged 'Alien knock-off', 1981's Inseminoid...

Ellis Reed examines Ben Steiner’s short horror films, available now via YouTube, and speaks to the British filmmaker about his work...

Andy Roberts revisits Norman J. Warren's 1977 Sci-Fi horror, Prey, to discuss the film's 'contrasting depictions of gender, sexuality and the role of animals' amid an exploration of human nature...

Steve Kilpatrick conducts a whistle stop tour of avant-garde composer Elisabeth Lutyens’ musical scores for British horror cinema giants, Hammer and Amicus...

Eleanor Miller discusses 'Hoodie horror', Eden Lake and the media demonisation of British youth for Horrified...

Joe Howsin explores the 'social horror' of Rose Glass' excellent British horror debut film, 2019's Saint Maud...​

Jane Nightshade looks at 10 British ghost stories that deserve adaptation for the big (or small) screen...​

Jane Nightshade revisits Eye of the Devil: an early, often overlooked example of folk horror cinema…

Huw Lloyd presents his argument in defence of the 1981 horror anthology, The Monster Club...​

Graham Le Neve Painter dissects a classic of British Horror, 1987's Hellraiser...

In the final part of Jonathan Clode's ode to Hammer films monsters, he looks at their one-and-done take on the werewolf legend with The Curse of the Werewolf...

Jane Nightshade recounts the story of Marlon Brando's strange sojourn into British horror for Michael Winner's The Nightcomers...​

Nick Bartlett returns to The Awakening, finding a subtle and affecting ghost story beyond the genre tropes...​

Lauren Jane Barnett explores the filmic horrors of North London and Highgate Cemetery...

As the folk horror anthology Rewilding lands on Prime Video, its director Ric Rawlins discusses ten of its key inspirations – from Moomins to M.R James…

Jane Nightshade looks back at possibly the best cinematic ghost story ever made, Jack Clayton's 1961 masterpiece, The Innocents...​

Johnny Restall celebrates 45 satanic years of British horror classic, 1976's The Omen...​

An interview with Rubicon Films' George Popov, director of Hex (2017) and The Droving (2020)...

James Fleming unpacks the alienating experience of Robin Hardy's 1973 folk horror classic, The Wicker Man...

Lauren Jane Barnett explores how the Thames of horror films is given agency, acting on the narrative aiding both good and evil in films from Hitchcock’s 1927 silent, The Lodger, onwards...

Horrified catches up with Charlie Steeds, the man behind Dark Temple Productions, for an exclusive interview with the wunderkind of neo-retro British horror...

Should comedy and horror ever occupy the same space? David Evans-Powell believes so and presents his case with a look at 1973's The House in Nightmare Park...

Graham Williamson inspects the late author Angela Carter's Vampirella, its abandoned cinematic dramatisation and how more of her exquisite horror tales remain curiously unmade...

At once sublime and horrifying, the English countryside is increasingly the backdrop in horror that explores a growing unease about our place in the world. Melissa Elborn digs deeper into why the ground beneath our feet is revealing our darkest…

Graham Williamson looks at the career of the great Tom Baker, including his tenure as the Doctor...

David Evans-Powell tackles displacement, trauma and ghosts in His House, the 2020 debut film from writer/director, Remi Weekes...​

HOST was the horror phenomenon of 2020, not least because it reflected our own status quo. Here are Andy Roberts' thoughts on the brilliant British horror...

Jane Nightshade goes behind the camera to take a closer look at the cinematographers who helped give Hammer its 'bright, bold and scary' visual appeal...

Peter Strickland has forged a career from a desire to reconfigure whichever genre he works in. In this essay, Graham Williamson discusses the British director's work...​

Johnny Restall explores Roger Corman's UK Poe Films: When American Gothic met festering English Arcadia...​

Unfairly maligned or a Hammer film low point? Johnny Restall heads back to swinging London for Dracula A.D. 1972...

Johnny Restall grows horns and takes a personal look at the Satanic highlights of British horror cinema...​

Jenny Davies recalls fond memories of 1957 classic Night of the Demon and how trouble behind the scenes have not detracted from a piece of perfectly crafted storytelling...​

Ellis Reed chats to director Grant McPhee about his film, Far From the Apple Tree, low-budget filmmaking, and collaboration...

K B Morris explores Night of the Eagle where a college professor vies with his wife who has turned to witchcraft to further his career. The article examines rationality versus the irrationality of superstition and the supernatural in a battle…

Jane Nightshade considers Alfred Hitchcock's last great film, 1972's Frenzy, and examines how this took him home literally, thematically, and stylistically...

Horrified's Dean Newman interviews award-winning British horror writer and director Pat Higgins about his forthcoming horror musical, Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead...

It's safe to say, British exploitation shocker, Corruption, was not a favourite of its star, Peter Cushing. Jamie Evans looks at Cushing's turn as the damaged doctor, Sir John Rowan...

Graham Williamson speaks with filmmaker, photographer and lecturer, Dean Puckett about his work, particularly the five folk horror shorts including the recently completed, The Devil's Footprints..

Horrified's Kira Comerford chats with co-writer and Executive Producer of HOST, Jed Shepherd, about the lockdown horror phenomenon.

Slaughter High was Britain's answer to the influx of US-made slashers during the 1980s, but was it actually any good? Chris Andrews goes behind the mask...

Director Marcus Anthony Thomas, speaks with Christina Brennan about his short film, The Retreat, and the impact of online platforms...​

Johnny Restall celebrates 50 years of Dr Anton Phibes - Malevolent Master of Music & Murder...​

Paul Lewis dives deeply into Urban Ghost Story, an undeservedly obscure film set in Glasgow...

Nick Bartlett returns to one of the great British horror anthologies, 1945's Dead Of Night, in this article for Horrified...​

The most celebrated of ‘serious’ British directors have taken detours into horror over the years, often producing some of the most thoughtful, nuanced and impactful genre highlights committed to celluloid. Matt Rogerson takes a look at the UK’s long lineage…

Dom Rotheroe's EXHIBIT A (2007), isn't often the first found-footage title that springs to mind, but Duncan Gates argues that it stands head and shoulders above a number of better-known contemporaries...

Grace Britten explores Ben Wheatley's Kill List (2011) through a contemporary lens, highlighting the brutal discourse and exposing its neo-folk commentary...

Parody or pastiche? Nick Bartlett revisits Shaun of the Dead to explore the balance between horror and humour, finding it a heartfelt homage to Romero's vision...

Paul Lewis latest essay for Horrified is an extensive exploration of the work of director Pete Walker and his collaboration with screenwriter David McGillivray, focusing on three of the former's best-known films...

Gavin Whitaker takes a very deep dive into the infamous 1983 shot-on-video British horror, Suffer Little Children...​

Blurring the line between hero and villain, monster and human. Emma Louise Platt examines the gendered duality of 2005's The Descent….

We talk to Terry Cooper about his forthcoming horror comedy, Bloody Students, which is now in development...

Jane Nightshade explores the rich, red tapestry of horror that is Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now...

Alex Secker discusses how Roman Polanski’s 1965 horror has been recontextualised by the Coronavirus pandemic...​

With the festive season upon us, what better way to celebrate than with MJ Simpson's curated selection of British Christmas horror? There's one each for the 12 days of Christmas, so plenty to add to your yuletide watchlist...

Andy Roberts enters the world of Norman J. Warren once again, this time exploring his 1978 descent into Terror...​

Sarah Johnson presents a personal reflection on the films that contributed to her appreciation of the horror genre.

Lakkaya Palmer examines how The Company of Wolves subverts the conventions of the traditional fairytale...​

In this in-depth essay, Paul Lewis examines Tigon Productions' penultimate film, Fred Burnley's 1972 'coastal gothic', Neither the Sea Nor the Sand...

Johnny Restall examines Richard Fleischer's seminal 1971 British murder masterpiece, 10 Rillington Place...​

Matt Rogerson asks: is Edgar Wright’s surreal psych-horror Last Night in Soho a love letter to Swinging Sixties’ London or a celebration of the giallo?

The mild-mannered serial killer who is obsessed with his parents is such a prevalent horror trope it's easy to overlook how it came into being. Here, Hollie Starling looks at the origin myth of Peeping Tom's gentle voyeur Mark Lewis…

After decades in the shadows, the legendary Amicus Productions is set for a grand revival thanks to the team at Hex Studios. Their upcoming film, 'In the Grip of Terror', seeks to honour the classic studio's legacy while forging a…

Emily McQuade celebrates the absurd delights of the cultish, kitsch and unique Psychomania (1973)...

Filmmaker Sarah McGregor discusses the trials, tribulations and creative joy of making feature-length folk horror film, The Fable of Isabella...