10 British Horror Films You've Probably Never Seen

7. Hands Of The Ripper

Hammer Productions were almost single handedly responsible for how the world saw British horror. Actors such as Peter Cushing and Christoper Lee are the definition of a British horror star. One of Hammer’s lesser known films is Hands of the Ripper from 1971, and this is a great shame.

A title as provocative as this would lead you expect lots of gore. However, by Hammer standards of the early 70s, this film is a pretty tasteful affair. That is, apart from the scene when a hat pin and an eyeball meet; it was never going to end well.

What sets this film apart are its leanings towards a psychological study of the murderer, in this case Jack the Ripper’s daughter, who has been traumatised by witnessing her father killings and how the psychiatrist, Dr Pritchard tries to cure her of her murderous intentions. Also the level of production design raises this film above the usual Hammer horror fodder. This is mostly down to the producers being able to reuse the sets from the big budget The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, made by United Artist in the previous year.

With a compact running time of only 89 minutes, and a dramatic conclusion, Peter Sasdy’s film never outstays its welcome.

6. The Asphyx

Have you come across The Asphyx, released in 1972? No? Go on, give yourself a treat and find a copy of this film. Hammer were not the only production company making British horror movies in the 60s and 70s, and this downbeat film about a Victorian scientist’s search for immortality was made by Glendale Film and was the last film the studio ever produced.

The Aspyhx is a true genre bender; with its mixture of horror, sci-fi and Victorian melodrama, and as the story unfolds, the movie becomes a sad and reflective meditation on the nature of forever.

This was the only film directed by Peter Newbrook, who worked for many year as a cinematographer and as a second unit director on films such as Lawrence of Arabia.

Don’t be mistaken, this movie is fun and features some very nasty ideas about the best way to dispatch the victims of their research. However this film also hints at some much bigger ideas about mans search to extend his existence.

5. Death Line

Death Line from 1972, or to give it its US title Raw Meat, is a deliciously dark and gory British horror flick. Not only does it star horror stalwarts Donald Pleasance and Christopher Lee as two officials looking into a series of mysterious disappearances on the London Underground, but Death Line also features some very nasty practical effects work by an uncredited John Horton.

However, what sets this film apart from other British films of the period is its commitment to the portrayal of decay and it is much closer in tone to the Italian zombie and cannibal movies that would follow. This is reflected by the rotten bodies which litter the second half of the film and echoed by cinematographer Alex Thomson’s choice of grainy film stock. Thomson would later go on to work with the likes of David Fincher on Alien 3 and Ridley Scott with 1986’s Legend.

This is a small and unique British film and with its seedy view of London life, could only have been made in the early seventies. Amusingly, it includes amongst its many delights a cannibal with the catch phrase! ‘Mind the doors’.