12 Classic British Horror Films You Need To See

Late-period Hammer movies come in for criticism, what with all those silly and repetitive monster films, but in amongst them were some entertaining movies that deserve to be better known.

Written and directed by Brian Clemens, Captain Kronos is as quirky and eccentric as Dr Jekyll And Sister Hyde, Clemens’ previous script for Hammer. It’s a new spin on an old idea, with Kronos chasing vampires across Europe, armed not with stakes but his trusty sword (and accompanied by his hunchbacked manservant, no less).

A swashbuckling vampire movie, you say? Yes, because Clemens has turned his back his back on Hammer’s creaky franchise monsters in favour of a more unconventional approach, as you’d expect from a former scriptwriter for the TV series The Avengers.

Also around, and debuting as a leading lady, is Caroline Munro as a wayward gypsy girl, but don’t go thinking that this is another period piece with beasts, blood and boobs – the movie’s sophisticated enough to eschew those trappings.