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In Dreams Are Monsters
Through five mythical archetypes – the zombie, vampire, witch, ghost and beast – we trace how monstrous bodies have been represented and reclaimed by new voices in horror.
Monsters have always been a part of us, in the stories we tell ourselves, our collective imagination and our shared nightmares. Horror films make those monsters real. Since the inception of cinema horror has been the most radical and innovative genre. In this season, we trace how the imagery of our nightmares has been created through films and how stories of monsters have always been political. Through five mythical archetypes – the beast, ghost, vampire, witch and zombie – we trace how monstrous bodies have been represented and how they have been reclaimed by new voices in horror filmmaking. Each archetype doesn’t so much inform a subgenre as it does a taste for horror. There’s something for everyone here: tales of blood and seduction; of glorious, excessive gore; of teenagers turned monstrous; of the dead risen and angry. Horror is the genre of our times, and it speaks both to and for everyone.
- Michael Blyth, Anna Bogutskaya and Kelli Weston
Zombie
City of the Living DeadCity of the Living Dead
Horror198093 minsDirector: Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci’s sensationally gory zombie horror finds undead hordes overtaking a sleepy New England town, with only a reporter and a local psychic to stop them.
RabidRabid
Horror197691 minsDirector: David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg’s classic outbreak horror introduces us to a young woman (Marilyn Chambers) who hungers for human blood after an experimental plastic surgery goes wrong.
[REC][REC]
Horror200782 minsDirector: Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza
A mysterious virus turns the inhabitants of an apartment building into a horde of frenzied ghouls in this hit "found footage" horror.
White ZombieWhite Zombie
Horror193267 minsDirector: Victor Halperin
‘Master of Horror’ Bela Lugosi stars as a satanic hypnotist in the first ever feature-length zombie film.
PontypoolPontypool
Horror200893 minsDirector: Bruce McDonald
Don't say it! The wrong word starts turning people into zombies in this lo-fi Canadian horror.
Vampire
NosferatuNosferatu
Horror192289 minsSilentDirector: F.W. Murnau
This influential Dracula adaptation contains some of the most famous images of expressionist film, and remains shocking and stylish after 100 years.
Ganja & HessGanja & Hess
Horror1973113 minsDirector: Bill Gunn
Bill Gunn’s revolutionary masterpiece about two vampiric lovers received a standing ovation and the Critics’ Choice prize when it screened at Cannes in 1973.
The AddictionThe Addiction
Horror199482 minsDirector: Abel Ferrara
Lili Taylor and Christopher Walken star in Abel Ferrara's raw, intense and intelligent take on the vampire myth - selected for the Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time Poll by The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw.
Evil of DraculaEvil of Dracula
Horror197483 minsDirector: Michio Yamamoto
Vampires stalk a remote girls’ boarding school in Michio Yamamoto’s bloodthirsty horror.
Witch
The Blood on Satan's ClawThe Blood on Satan's Claw
Horror197196 minsDirector: Piers Haggard
Depraved sexual practices and satanic violence envelop a remote country village in this exciting period horror.
SuspiriaSuspiria
Horror1977101 minsDirector: Dario Argento
Dario Argento’s phantasmagoric gothic nightmare blends operatic violence, disorienting dream logic and hyper-real visuals to create a horror classic.
HäxanHäxan
Horror1922106 minsSilentDirector: Benjamin Christensen
Benjamin Christensen’s disorienting and wildly inventive 1922 doc/fiction hybrid charts the history of ancient sorcery and demonology.
Lord ShangoLord Shango
Drama197593 minsDirector: Ray Marsh
A desperate mother (Marlene Clark) unwittingly awakens a vengeful spirit when she turns to a cult for help in Ray Marsh’s religious horror.
A Dark SongA Dark Song
Drama2016100 minsDirector: Liam Gavin
Steve Oram and Catherine Walker excel in this occult chamber piece about a grieving mother attempting to contact her deceased child.
ViyViy
Horror196777 minsDirector: Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachov
The only Soviet horror film ever made.
Ghost
Ring [Ringu]Ring [Ringu]
Horror199796 minsDirector: Hideo Nakata
A journalist sets out to uncover in urban legend about a supposedly cursed videotape, in Hideo Nakata's chilling and highly influential tale of technological terror.
KwaidanKwaidan
Anthology1964183 minsDirector: Masaki Kobayashi
This stunningly beautiful anthology of Japanese ghost stories is one of the most meticulously crafted supernatural films ever made.
Ghostwatch: Behind the CurtainsGhostwatch: Behind the Curtains
Documentary201290 minsDirector: Rich Lawden
Documentary revisiting a British TV phenomenon, featuring exclusive interviews with the show's main cast and crew, and never-before-seen material.
Beast
KuronekoKuroneko
Horror196899 minsDirector: Kaneto Shindo
A murdered mother and daughter return from the dead as vampiric cat spirits intent on revenge, in Kaneto Shindô's companion piece to Onibaba.
PossessionPossession
Horror1981124 minsDirector: Andrzej Zulawski
Andrzej Zulawski’s out-of-control horror masterpiece is one of cinema’s most bare-souled and open-veined accounts of a broken relationship.
SocietySociety
Horror198999 minsDirector: Brian Yuzna
A teenager uncovers an elite ritualistic society in Brian Yuzna's stomach-churning mix of body-horror and social commentary.
Good MannersGood Manners
Fantasy2017130 minsDirector: Marco Dutra and Juliana Rojas
Disney fairytale meets body horror in this Brazilian marvel about Clara, who accepts a nanny position from Ana, a wealthy mother-to-be. Quite possibly the greatest contemporary horror film you’ve never seen.
Horror Rentals
Night of the EagleNight of the Eagle
Horror196284 minsDirector: Sidney Hayers
A sceptical professor falls prey to diabolical evil when he burns his wife's protective magic charms.
Under the ShadowUnder the Shadow
Horror201684 minsDirector: Babak Anvari
Babak Anvari’s Tehran-set ghost story has been acclaimed as a modern horror masterpiece.
The TransfigurationThe Transfiguration
Horror201697 minsDirector: Michael O’Shea
Milo isn't your usual introverted, strange teenager; he also believes he's a vampire. Michael O'Shea's dark drama presents a transgressive twist on the teen vampire tale.
The Curse of FrankensteinThe Curse of Frankenstein
Horror195783 minsDirector: Terence Fisher
Meddling with nature has devastating consequences in Hammer's first Gothic horror, a visceral take on Mary Shelley's novel.
The Company of WolvesThe Company of Wolves
Fantasy198495 minsDirector: Neil Jordan
Angela Carter and Neil Jordan's magical, radical take on Little Red Riding Hood.
Night of the Living DeadNight of the Living Dead
Horror196896 minsDirector: George A. Romero
Landmark film from 'zombie godfather' Romero, whose makeshift heroes fight for their lives against a new and terrifying enemy.
Free Horror
Hand in GloveHand in Glove
Amateur film197612 mins
To carry on his important work the ego-maniacal scientist Dr Kelly must obtain another hand … a hand which begins to take on a life of its own.
The Fifth MinuteThe Fifth Minute
Amateur film19769 mins
Nightmarish visions become a reality in this imaginative production that mixes live action, animation, and special effects.
VampireVampire
Horror196410 mins Location: Soho
Soho 'glamour' filmmaker George Harrison Marks plays girl-hungry vampire Count Dracula III in this strange striptease short
The Tomb of FrankensteinThe Tomb of Frankenstein
Amateur film196426 mins Location: Comber
A strange old hermit uses witchcraft to give life to the Frankenstein monster. Will the creature be his instrument of revenge, or will it turn on its creator?
Whistle and I’ll Come to YouWhistle and I’ll Come to You
Amateur film195610 mins
A decade before the BBC's version of M R James supernatural classic came this chilling version from the North Downs Cinematograph Society
Fangs for the MemoryFangs for the Memory
Student film19708 mins Location: Durham
A vampire with a taste for the demon drink prowls the dark alleys and subterranean cellars of Durham in the 1970s.
Feature collections
In Dreams Are Monsters
Through five mythical archetypes – the zombie, vampire, witch, ghost and beast – we trace how monstrous bodies have been represented and reclaimed by new voices in horror.
Fantastique
Incorporating fantasy, horror and science fiction, the French fantastique genre offers many weird and wonderful delights.
J-Horror
Ghost cats, killer children and cursed videotapes comprise just some of the terrors that Japan has gifted our nightmares.
Horror
Uncommon terror – and a few laughs – links them, and they show vintage names such as George A. Romero and Hammer Films, alongside perverse visions minted much more recently. Served chilled.
Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film
Gothic horror and romance tales feed on our darkest fears and desires, and conjure the creatures of the night into being.