This film is part of Rentals
That's the Way to Do It
A malevolent Mr Punch puppet goes on a murder spree after a teenage delinquent torments a seaside entertainer.
Director: Stanley A. Long
Overview
A teenage hoodlum (played by Jonathon Morris, later to appear regularly in television comedy Bread) gets his fatal comeuppance after attempting to destroy his stepfather's Punch and Judy puppets in this blood-spattered seaside horror short, sharply shot in windswept Eastbourne by UK screen exploitation maestro Stanley Long.
Originally shot as a supporting short for UK cinema screenings by Stanley Long's own Alpha Films, That's the Way to Do It was subsequently trimmed down for inclusion in one of the last great British portmanteau horror films, Screamtime, released in the UK on video only in 1986. The film was scripted by Long's regular collaborator Michael Armstrong, while legendary Punch and Judy man John Styles provided the puppets and the voice of Mr Punch.
Related
The Beta Test The Beta Test
Horror 2021 93 mins Director: Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe
After hit Thunder Road, Jim Cummings returns with a thriller about a Hollywood agent who becomes ensnared in a sinister world of sex, lies and murder.
Alpha Alpha
Horror 2025 128 mins Director: Julia Ducournau
Julia Ducournau follows her Palme d’Or-winning Titane with this powerful family drama starring Tahar Rahim and Golshifteh Farahani.
The Severed Sun The Severed Sun
Horror 2024 80 mins Director: Dean Puckett
A pastor’s daughter in an isolated religious community kills her abusive husband, unleashing the force of a supernatural Beast.
The Woman in Black The Woman in Black
Horror 2012 95 mins Director: James Watkins
A young solicitor, administering the will of a recently dead old lady, is drawn into a sinister web of events centring on her abandoned house.
Tiger Stripes Tiger Stripes
Horror 2023 95 mins Director: Amanda Nell Eu
Nothing is quite as scary as puberty in this exuberant feminist pre-teen body horror from first time Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu.
Late Night with the Devil Late Night with the Devil
Horror 2023 93 mins Director: Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes
Like Ghostwatch reimagined as a cheesy 1970s chat show, this deviously clever found-footage horror has scares to spare.
Psychomania Psychomania
Horror 1973 91 mins Director: Don Sharp
The greatest zombie-biker, toad-worshipping-Satanists horror in British cinema is an undisputed cult classic brimming with exciting action and fantastical mayhem.
Midnight Breaks Midnight Breaks
1988 113 mins Director: Laurens C. Postma
Big Audio Dynamite’s Don Letts made his acting debut in this gripping, gritty 1990 drama of dreads, drugs, and music business corruption.
Extremes Extremes
Documentary 1971 81 mins Director: Anthony Klinger and Michael Lytton
In-your-face 70s documentary exploring the lives of Hell's Angels, hippies, skinheads, rudeboys, mods and drug addicts.
Some People Some People
Drama 1962 90 mins Director: Clive Donner
Cult 1960s musical drama about a leather boy who forms a Shadows-style guitar band.
Other Worlds Are Watching Us Other Worlds Are Watching Us
1957 14 mins Director: Geoffrey Hughes
Do you believe in flying saucers? Intrepid investigator Dan Farson weighs up the evidence in this fascinating TV film.
Camp in Camden Camp in Camden
Documentary 1971 25 mins Director: Dick Foster
Eye-opening record of an alternative summer camp for Camden youth by community group Inter-Action.
The Spy's Wife The Spy's Wife
Drama 1971 28 mins Director: Gerry O'Hara
Tom Bell stars in this short film about a spy's wife who shows herself to be rather adept at espionage, while her husband is away on a mission.
Clemency Clemency
Drama 2019 112 mins Director: Chinonye Chukwu
Alfre Woodard is quietly devastating as a weary prison warden presiding over her twelfth execution, in this Sundance-winning death row drama.
Rodeo Rodeo
Drama 2022 106 mins Director: Lola Quivoron
French debut director Lola Quivoron revs up with a ferocious tale of a woman kickstarting a new life in the world of guerrilla motocross racing.
Ida Ida
Drama 2014 82 mins Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
An exquisitely shot, moving drama about a Polish nun exploring her family past, which won a BAFTA for director Pawel Pawlikowski.
Plan 75 Plan 75
Science Fiction 2022 113 mins Director: Chie Hayakawa
Faced with a rapidly ageing population, a government in near-future Japan rolls out an unsettling agenda.
Cairo Conspiracy Cairo Conspiracy
Drama 2022 126 mins Director: Tarik Saleh
A fisherman’s son is offered a place at a prestigious Islamic school in Cairo and finds himself drawn into a religious and political power struggle.
The Night of the 12th The Night of the 12th
Drama 2022 114 mins Director: Dominik Moll
A newly promoted detective is assigned to a young woman’s chilling murder in this deeply arresting crime thriller based on true events.