Through a post at Zombos Closet of Horror I became aware of a great documentary on horror films produced and aired in the UK. It is titled A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss. Gatiss is an actor, screenwriter, and novelist who has been involved a number of comedy and genre projects. Some of his most recent television work in 2010 included an adaptation of H. G. Wells’s First Men in the Moon, in addition to A History of Horror.
This three-part documentary is well worth watching. It represents Gattis’s personal journey in the probing of the horror he loved as a child, and continues to reflect on as an adult. In this way, while the program is ideosyyncratic in that it explores the history of horror from the films of Universal Studios in the 1930s and 1940s, leaping past the American science fiction/horror of the 1950s, and resuming the journey with Hammer Films and other British horror in the 1950s, before concluding the exploration with American horror of the 1960s and 1970s, nevertheless, it is the personal ideosyncracies in film choices highlighting various periods and the evolution of horror that adds to the documentary’s charm. I found myself in agreement with much of the film selection and horror preferences that Gatiss has personally.
In addition to the elements discussed above, A History of Horror includes some interesting interviews with directors and producers, such as those associated with Bray Studios and Hammer Films, and actors, such as Barbara Steele, as well as visits to the locations where key scenes of horror films were shot. He also looks at props from the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi, and returns to the home town of Peter Cushing where a small museum maintains elements from the actor’s career and personal life.
A History of Horror appeared on BBC Four, but unfortunately the BBC iPlayer associated with it is not available in America. Segments of the three episodes can be found on YouTube. An excerpt is reproduced below. Let’s hope this documentary receives greater exposure beyond the U.K. as it makes an important contribution to the legacy of the history of horror films.
I watched all three episodes last night after intending to only watch one. It was very enjoyable and informative. I learned a lot about British horror, including the history of Hammer and those portmanteau films (now the name of the studio is escaping me–at least one was written by Robert Bloch). I also love the portmanteau structure in horror films–I wish there was a lot more of that. I was also astounded by the opening scene of Black Sunday with spiked mask–what a horrifying image, and I had never heart of Blood on Satan’s Claw. I learned a lot from the documentary.
Chad, I’m glad you enjoyed the series. Black Sunday was and Blood on Satan’s Claw are now on my list, as is Curse of the Demon. By the way, you can find Black Sunday in its entirety on YouTube. I’m finding that most of my present tastes in horror are increasingly hard to find on DVD in the mainstream, so places like YouTube are helpful.