British Cult Cinema: Mind the Gap | Offscreen
Mind the gap is more than just a warning phrase on the London Underground, it's also the favourite saying of the troglodyte cannibalistic killer in the British horror film Raw Meat. Mind the gap: you could also consider it a warning when it comes to watching cult films, a collective term for those films that hide in the deepest recesses of the mainstream. Unclassifiable and transgressive, these are the beloved bastard children of cinema: guilty pleasures, sentiments of youth or unsung masterpieces adored by fans, freaks and film fetishists. Offscreen has compiled a fine selection of hidden pearls, low-budget rarities and offbeat genre-excursions: from the B-films of the early 60's, the Hollywood-financed productions of the 70's, to the exploitation films of the 80's that provided the grindhouses and video stores of their weekly stock. Some have finally gained their rightful spot in the British film canon, while others still remain hidden in the dark cellar of English production houses, only saved from oblivion by a bevy of cult film aficionados and admirers of superior trash.
Raw Meat (aka Death Line)
An inspector enquires over mysterious disappearances, which include that of an important politician within the tunnels of the London metro. The always awesome Donald Pleasence plays an audacious cop who fights against a family of troglodyte cannibals.
Village of the Damned
The inhabitants of a small country village become victims of bizarre phenomena. Children with white hair and telepathic powers decide to take the reins in this perennial horror classic.
The Damned
An American tourist makes a stopover in a small British port where he fixates over a beautiful local. After fighting with her brother, the lovers hide in a cave where they discover strange children enrolled in a top secret military program. A Hammer sci-fi wonder!
Bunny Lake is Missing
A young single mother tries to pick up her daughter, Bunny Lake, after her first day of school. But to her horror, the child has gone missing and nobody seems to remember her existence. A psychological thriller directed by the masterful Otto Preminger.
The Reckoning
After the death of his father in a quarrel, a London golden boy tries to reconnect with his Irish roots in the slums of Liverpool. Crazy for revenge, he decides to honor his father’s memory by executing his killer.
The Squeeze
Following his divorce, inspector Jim Naboth withers under the crushing weight of depression and alcoholism. But when his daughter and ex-wife are kidnapped, he snaps out of his funk. This time, it’s personal!
Journey to the Far Side of the Sun
A group of scientists discovers a new planet hidden behind the sun. A team of explorers is sent to investigate, but they have no idea what awaits them. A film by the crew behind cult shows Thunderbirds and Cosmos 1999.
Psychomania
A gang of psychotic motorcyclists decide to make a pact with Satan, who will give them eternal life if they accept to lose their current one first. Freshly undug from their graves, zombie bikers are out to start their reign of terror in the neighborhood.
Horror Hospital
A young hippie decides to take some down time at Dr. Storm’s Health Hotel, a seemingly peaceful and isolated community retreat. He will quickly realize that his only reason for being accepted there is to play guinea pig to Dr. Storm’s sickening experiments.
Killer's Moon
Four violent mental patients escape their institution during an experimental LSD treatment and break into a motel where an entire busload of nubile schoolgirls is staying. One of the sickest British exploitaition movies ever made!
Slave Girls
An adventurer stumbles on a mysterious statue in the jungle which takes him back in time. He finds himself in a prehistoric society where women warriors have the upper hand. However, two gangs are constantly in each other’s hair: the blondes and the brunettes. Let the camp fest roll!
Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde
Robert L. Stevenson’s classic tale gets an unexpected twist – because when Dr. Jekyll drinks that infamous potion, he turns into a gorgeous yet deadly femme fatale! An excellent Hammer horror classic with sharp camera work and Martine Beswick in a starring role.
The Wicker Man
When a young girl mysteriously disappears, Police Sergeant Howie travels to a remote island to investigate. But this pastoral community is not what it seems, as the devout Christian detective soon uncovers a secret society of wanton lust and pagan blasphemy... The cult classic finally in its definitive version!
The Bed Sitting Room
Directed by Richard Lester (The Beatles’ A Hard Days Night and Help!), this is an utterly weird and offbeat look at post-nuclear-holocaust England in the British absurdist comedy tradition of the Goon Show and Monty Python.
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