Horror Beyond Measure:

The Exponential Rise of Modern

British Horror Cinema

MJ Simpson
What is a British horror film?

• 60 minutes or more
• Not made specifically for television
What is a British horror film?

“The vast array of movies under the catch-all title of ‘British horror cinema’
… all have … an over-riding feeling of ‘Britishness’ about them.”
Steven Gerrard, The Modern British Horror Film, 2017
What is a British horror film?

“how it has been approached industrially (by production companies and

through marketing), textually (in terms of key tropes and themes, and a
historical understanding of horror) and extra-textually (in terms of fan
communities and audience demographics).”
Johnny Walker, Contemporary British Horror Cinema: Industry, Genre and Society, 2016
Assigning a date to a film: production
 Assigning a date to a film: release

UK VHS/DVD, 2000 French VHS/DVD, 2000 US cinemas, 2000 UK cinema, 2000

US DVD, 2005 US DVD, 2004 US DVD, 2000 UK VHS/DVD, 2000
UK cinemas, 2002 US DVD, 2005
UK DVD, 2003
825
81 = 9.8%
46 = 5.6%
50 = 6.1%
78 = 9.5%
48 = 5.8%
36 = 4.4%
Historical 34 LGBT 10
Sequels 33 Porn 6
Anthologies 24 Other languages 4
Adaptations 20 Westerns 4
Werewolves 19 Dinosaurs 3
Animated 3
TV spinoffs 3
Musicals 3
Philip Gardiner 16 Pat Higgins 7
Andrew Jones 12 George Clarke 6
Jason Impey 12 Jonathon Ash 5
Johannes Roberts 9 MJ Dixon 5
Paul TT Easter 8 Adam Mason 5
Richard Mansfield 8 Steven M Smith 5
Unreleased films 115
Unreleased films directed by women 13 (= 11.3%)
Uncompleted films 217
Completed presentations 1
Thank you
MJ Simpson
mjs2000@ntlworld.com
@brithorrorrev