28 Days Later
If there is one genre that British cinema seems to excel at then it is horror; this country really has made some cracking films in this genre over the years.
The last decade has also been great for British horror movies and we are looking back at some of the best as In Fear hits the big screen.
- 28 Days Later (2002)
Now I know that 28 Days Later was released eleven years ago but this is too good a movie to overlook. 2002 saw Boyle return to the horror genre with the zombie movie that really put British horror back on the map.
The zombie movie was considered pretty old news when this movie was released and yet 28 Days Later breathed new life into a rather tired genre.
From start to finish Boyle just brought a freshness to it as he balanced horror, gore and comedy elements to bring his own unique style to this genre.
28 Days Later remains one of the best British horror movies of all time and it really did see Boyle back on top.
- Dog Soldiers (2002)
Another movie that falls just out of decade time frame is Dog Soldiers - but this happens to be one of my favourites and so it has been included.
The movie marked the directorial debut of Neil Marshall as he brought together a great cast that included Sean Pertwee and Kevin Mckidd.
From the opening scene to the closing credits, Dog Soldiers is a rip-roaring horror comedy that sets out to entertain… and it does exactly that.
Marshall has the perfect mix of comedy and horror as this is a blood-pumping and hair-raising movie - it really is terrific fun.
- Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
It is hard to believe that Shaun of the Dead is almost ten years old - yes it really was released back in 2004 - and remains one of the best British horror/comedies in many a year.
This movie kicked off the Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright film partnership and it is their best film to date. Wright is one of the most exciting British directors and he really does show all of his skill here, as Shaun of the Dead is a perfect blend of laughs and gore.
Shaun of the Dead does pay homage to George Romero movies and yet it is a zombie movie in its own right - Wright and co really did put a new spin on a story that we have seen on the big screen many times.
We have seen a whole host of movies try to copy this formula, but not a single movie has got anywhere close to being as good as this.
The movie was a critical and box office smash both here in the UK as well as in the U.S. and really did help launch the careers of Pegg, Wright and Frost.
- The Descent (2005)
We have already looked on Neil Marshall film in the form of Dog Soldiers, and he followed it up with another gem - of course, I am talking about The Descent.
What is so great about this movie is its intensity - quite a lot of horror movies fail to make it twenty minutes before the intensity dies away, Marshall manages to sustain it all the way through The Descent.
The cave setting gives the film a very claustrophobic feel as you quickly discover that the women have nowhere to run or hide, and that just notches the tension up even further.
The Descent is bold, gory and brutal and really did cement Marshall as a top quality horror film director. It went on to perform incredibly well at the box office.
- Severance (2006)
Another of my personal favourite horror movies of recent years is Severance - this was released at a time when Danny Dyer actually made good movies.
Directed by Christopher Smith, the movie follows six employees of an international arms supplier who are sent on an Eastern European mountain retreat as a reward for all of their hard work. But their team-building weekend takes a turn for the worst when it turns into a life of death game.
From start to finish Severance really is a hell of a lot of fun as it is packed with scares, gore as well as plenty of laughs. I tend not to be a huge fan of films of this ilk but this movie does bring together an intriguing bunch of characters that does make it more interesting.
More often then not, you tend to want all the annoying character to be killed off as soon as possible, but the spunky Maggie (Laura Harris) and slightly drugged up Steve (Dyer) make it well worth the watch.
- The Awakening (2011)
We have also had a series of great British horror movies hit the big screen in the last couple of years; The Awakening is just one of them.
Directed by Nick Murphy, the movie is set in 1921 and follows Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) who has devoted her life to uncovering supernatural hoaxes. However, when she is called to an all boy’s boarding school has she come face to face with the real thing.
The Awakening is a terrific old school ghost story that is packed with chills as well as plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing right to the end.
The top-notch cinematography helps to create tension and suspense - not to mention the movie really does have a beautiful eeriness in the way that it looks.
- The Woman In Black (2012)
However, there is one British horror movie of late that really has stood out… and that is the big screen adaptation of The Woman In Black. I must admit that I am not a big fan of the book, but director James Watkins has made this a very chilling and skin crawling watch.
This is a good old-fashioned horror movie that doesn't rely on guts and gore for scares - instead is chills you to the bone with images that are at the edge of the fame.
The Woman In Black is a real menace and a threat - something that she doesn't really have in the book; or it's something that is glossed over.
She is a terrifying figure who is haunting the locals by having a hand in the deaths of their children - and idea that strangely isn't explored in the original story.
On top of that, you have a great performance from Daniel Radcliffe - the sequence in the middle of the film when it is just him alone in the house really is gripping stuff - he has not other actors to feed off and he is quite brilliant.
The Woman In Black was a massive box office success and is one of the most successful Hammer Horror films of all time.
In Fear is out now.
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