12 British Horror Films You Need To See

By Ian Watson /

9. Witchfinder General (1968)

Witchfinder General is one of the most downbeat horror films ever made in Britain, so it follows that its central character, real-life witch hunter Matthew Hopkins, should be one of the most coldblooded people Vincent Price ever played. There€™s no underlying campiness to Hopkins, no sassy one-liners and certainly no nudge-wink acting from Price (in one of his most commanding performances) to let you know that it€™s all in jest. Whether inserting needles into the back of a suspected witch (in order to locate €œthe Devil€™s mark€) or allowing his assistant to torture a young woman (after raping her first), Hopkins is not someone you take lightly. The approach to the character reportedly caused tension on the set, with Price telling director Michael Reeves, €œI€™ve made 87 films €“ what have you done?€ To which the 24-year-old filmmaker replied, €œI€™ve made 3 good ones.€