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Original introductions
Re-printed
below are the original introductions to the book versions of ‘Pass The
Marmalade’, self-published in January 1999 and August 1999.
Original
introduction to ‘Pass The Marmalade’ (printed version)
“I Think We Should Give
His Head A Decent Burial”
It’s fitting that the land which spawned
Shakespeare, Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, M.R.James, Jack The Ripper, Ozzy
Osbourne, Matthew Manning, and Frederick & Rosemary West, should have
embraced horror as a suitable subject for the medium of the cinema. British
horror is identified by and with all of the above, and our home-produced frighteners
seem to take on a peculiar feel all of their own – perhaps only the strain of
Italian gothic from the directorial hand of Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava has
come close to capturing the otherwise unique atmosphere of the home counties
horrors, northern nightmares, and coastal carnage devised by our own
filmmakers. At times you almost believe that the British landscape/environment
itself infuses the celluloid with some unquantifiable quality – a theory
strengthened when one considers the evidence tendered by foreigners filming on
these shores. John Landis’ AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, Sergio Martino’s
TUTTI I COLORI DEL BUIO and Gary Sherman’s DEATH LINE are virtually
indistinguishable from the output of, say, Don Sharp or Freddie Francis in
terms of tone, mood, or just plain damned Britishness.
The concept of compiling a ‘complete’
filmography of U.K. horror films, resulting in the listings presented here, was
in the main inspired by two trailblazers. My good friend Andy Boot penned
Creation Books’ ‘Fragments Of Fear’, a lively and very entertaining examination
of this country’s penchant for macabre motion pictures; and Harvey Fenton’s
pioneering work in his superb magazine ‘Flesh And Blood’ has seen a variety of
genre critics (myself included) contributing to on-going, detailed coverage of
British horror films from 1970 to date in a year-by-year reference which is
always one of the highlights of this excellent publication. For all the obscure
titles uncovered in ‘Fragments’ (Andy is red-hot on pre-war and early 60s
material), however, the book omits a number of notable Britsploitation gems –
James Kenelm Clarke’s EXPOSÉ, for instance, or the labours of that gentleman of
gore, Norman J.Warren; in turn, Harvey and his researchers seem to have
overlooked many relevant titles, particularly borderline entries with
significant genre content (Bruce Beresford’s hilarious vampire comedy BARRY
McKENZIE HOLDS HIS OWN and Lindsay Anderson’s scathing ‘state of the nation’
satire BRITANNIA HOSPITAL, for example).
I hope to have covered all of this and
more. Herein, you’ll find everything from primitive silent one-reelers (dreams
about attack by giant lobsters seems to be a prevalent theme in early British
cinema!); through the classic era when Hammer, Amicus, and Tigon ruled the
roost, churning out half-a-dozen lurid shockers per year; and on to the closing
days of the 20th century, where, encouragingly, young tyro directors
seem to be emerging from all corners of these isles to follow in the footsteps
of Terence Fisher, Pete Walker, Clive Barker et al.
Enjoy browsing through the lists – one
for feature films, one for shorts (a much-neglected area), and a third covering
borderline or problem titles (horror films which may or may not have British
production involvement, non-horror films with brief horror scenes or
references, unfinished productions, and so on) – and please contact me with any
comments, arguments(!) or additional information.
And remember – beware the beat of the
cloth-wrapped feet…
D.P.B.
January 1999
Dedicated
to Sheila Keith and Michael Ripper.
Original
introduction to ‘Pass The Marmalade – supplementary edition’ (printed version)
Since ‘Pass The Marmalade’ was published,
at the beginning of 1999, a handful of new British horror films have already
been coaxed into the world, BRIDES OF DRACULA-style, while much new information
has come to light regarding titles from the past. Additionally, I’ve been
persuaded to consider including some material on feature-length t.v.
productions, since many of the U.S. reference books I’ve sourced include these
as ‘movies’. This supplement will hopefully make ‘Pass The Marmalade’ as
complete as possible a record of British horror, and related, cinema, at least
for the time being. I’m delighted to say that the situation in terms of new
product appears healthier now than at any time in the U.K. since the heyday of
Norman J.Warren, Pete Walker, David McGillivray and gang; with young filmmakers
churning out our kind of movies with increasing frequency, a fully updated and
expanded edition of ‘Marmalade’ is a near-certainty for the future. For now, I
trust these appended notes will suffice.
DB (August 1999)
This
supplement is dedicated to Michael Gough
“I suppose there were times when wigs
were fashionable…” – THE CORPSE (1969)
As always, any additional information, or
comments on ‘Pass The Marmalade’, are welcomed – in particular, I would love to
hear details of any shorts or features recently completed or currently in
progress which may be suitable for inclusion. Contact me at 34 Wild Street,
Derby, DE1 1GN, or by e-mail at Darrell@buxton.freeserve.co.uk