Horror films on terrestrial TV in the 1990s

BrianD3

I was a teenager in the 1990s and have great memories of watching late night horror films on BBC, Channel 4 etc. Much of it was classic Hammer horror from the 60s and 70s but there was plenty of other stuff too plus various "banned" and "forbidden" seasons, BBC 2's Moviedrome etc. Two other seasons that I remember were the Movie Nightmares on Channel 4 and the Meet the Killer season (Boris Karloff) also on C4.

I seem to remember films - sometimes double bills - being shown every Friday or Saturday night and and occasionally during the week too. But maybe they weren't on as often as I think they were? I suppose this could be easily checked by going through TV listings in newspaper archives.

It seems to me that many of these films have not been shown since the 90s and with the way the media, technology and people's expectations and tastes have changed, are unlikely to be shown again on terrestrial TV.

googled eyes

Totally agree with you there. Hoping that the lead up to Halloween will bring some good horror films to tv ( Non-Sky )

mike65

This is talked about on digitalspy forums every month or so, it seems plenty look back to the 80s and 90s as a golden period for good horror films on tv, they are still being shown but they are not on the main channels and so tend to slip beneath the radar. Horror Channel SKY 319/320 does have, among the DVD dross, some good films - they have got hold of Dario Argento titles, the likes of Hellraiser (and sequels), Martyrs and Haute Tension and are currently running a Hammer Season.

Corkfeen

mike65 wrote: »

This is talked about on digitalspy forums every month or so, it seems plenty look back to the 80s and 90s as a golden period for good horror films on tv, they are still being shown but they are not on the main channels and so tend to slip beneath the radar. Horror Channel SKY 319/320 does have, among the DVD dross, some good films - they have got hold of Dario Argento titles, the likes of Hellraiser (and sequels), Martyrs and Haute Tension and are currently running a Hammer Season.

I've slowly begun to appreciate Zone Horror more, there's always some gems hidden amongst the ****e they show.

mike65

They are doing a short "video nasties" run in November, but I think only one title is new to Horror - The Exterminator.

I remember when C4 I think used to show horror films throughout Christmas. In our house there was a no TV rule on Christmas day and I remember one year sat at the VCR player with my finger hoovering over the record button waiting for Hellraiser or Bad Taste to start. I had dozens of VHS tapes with 3 and 4 horror films on each all recorded from one of the many, many horror seasons.

Shame that over here no station every really screened horror films over Halloween. You'd get one or two but there have been years when there wasn't a single horror film on Halloween night. Used to always annoy me as there's nothing funner that sitting up late on Halloween alone watching Michael Myers stalk some pretty young things.

Nolanger

It's not just horror films they don't show any more. People are missing out big time because TV channels only screen new movies.

Simon Adebisi

mike65 wrote: »

They are doing a short "video nasties" run in November, but I think only one title is new to Horror - The Exterminator.

Island Of Death is on too. First showing for that as well. And it will be uncut too.

losthorizon

BrianD3 wrote: »

I was a teenager in the 1990s and have great memories of watching late night horror films on BBC, Channel 4 etc. Much of it was classic Hammer horror from the 60s and 70s but there was plenty of other stuff too plus various "banned" and "forbidden" seasons, BBC 2's Moviedrome etc. Two other seasons that I remember were the Movie Nightmares on Channel 4 and the Meet the Killer season (Boris Karloff) also on C4.

I seem to remember films - sometimes double bills - being shown every Friday or Saturday night and and occasionally during the week too. But maybe they weren't on as often as I think they were? I suppose this could be easily checked by going through TV listings in newspaper archives.

It seems to me that many of these films have not been shown since the 90s and with the way the media, technology and people's expectations and tastes have changed, are unlikely to be shown again on terrestrial TV.

Yes BBC used to show also the Universal Horror movies from the 1930s which were class and relied on good stories and atmosphere rather than gore for their atmosphere. Brilliant stuff.

I agree with Nolangers comment about the lack of movies from times gone by on our screens now - a sad loss. That and no proper music shows. Just reality TV junk.

mike65

BBC2 at the weekend and Channel 4 have oldies at around lunchtime

Kess73

mike65 wrote: »

They are doing a short "video nasties" run in November, but I think only one title is new to Horror - The Exterminator.

Loved that film and it's sequel when I saw them on VHS in the mid 80's. Must try to catch it to see how it views now.

The King of Moo

Yeah, I miss this too.

I remember the thrill of secretly staying up late to watch The Fog late on RTE1 on a Friday night, and being absolutely terrified!

Even up until fairly recently Channel 4 used to show good ones at fairly primetime hours, like the great Prince of Darkness at about 10 or 11pm on a Saturday night. Then they became a wall-to-wall Come Dine with Me and property programme channel, and never show good films anymore, only pretty big films I've usually already seen in the cinema or on DVD.

BBC 2 used to be very reliable for showing great old horrors like the 40s Val Lewton classics (Cat People, Isle of the Dead etc) very late at night, and especially around Christmas time.
BBC 4 seem to have carried on this tradition a bit. They showed a few good horrors around the time of the Mark Gattis horror documentary, and showed the fantastic old BBC adaptations of The Signalman and Whistle and I'll Come to You a few years ago around Christmas (both are fantastic and worth checking out). But they seem to be going in for newer programmes like Crooked House and last year's remake of Whistle and I'll Come to You, which just don't have the same atmosphere.

But it's especially not the same around Halloween, knowing that the best you can probably hope for is something like Constantine or the remake of Halloween or Friday the 13th.

p to the e

Deleted User wrote: »

I remember when C4 I think used to show horror films throughout Christmas. In our house there was a no TV rule on Christmas day and I remember one year sat at the VCR player with my finger hoovering over the record button waiting for Hellraiser or Bad Taste to start. I had dozens of VHS tapes with 3 and 4 horror films on each all recorded from one of the many, many horror seasons.

I remember this. It was a double bill and I convinced my younger brother to sit down with me. He had heard Bad Taste was funny so he did only Hellraiser was on first. He didn't find it funny:) I love nothing more than coming across some random horror film late at night on the weekend and watching it through

BrianD3

Thanks for the responses. I think that there is an element of nostalgia here for times past. TV and film viewing habits, the media, entertainment etc. have changed dramatically since the early-mid nineties. Obviously I'm also older and more "sophisticated" (LOL) now and I'm not sure if I'd now want to stay up till 2 am watching Horror Express or The Blood Beast Terror or The Man They Could Not Hang.

But even if I was a teenager now and had not seen these films - I'm not sure I'd be into them.

The last good Christmas I remember for horror films on terrestrial TV was 2001. Theatre of Blood and an extended cut of The Wicker Man were shown on I think Channel 4. There were probably others too.

Kinski

The early 90s was a golden age for films on TV in general, not just horror. I remember that C4 used to show a season of films every summer. I distinctly remember one year where it is was all SF/Horror stuff. And good stuff too, proper cult classics, not like now when they'd show Scream 3 as part of a horror season.

Simon Adebisi

Kess73 wrote: »

Loved that film and it's sequel when I saw them on VHS in the mid 80's. Must try to catch it to see how it views now.

Its as good as ever. Actually you will be surprised at just how sleazy and violent it is.

BrianD3

Just did some googling and mike65 is right, this topic is regularly brought up on various forums.

Someone has gone through TV listings and posted at length about it here
http://www.avmaniacs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23832&page=3

Some good posts about the Karloff season. I still have some of these on tape from 1993 - think I have The Black Room, The Walking Dead and The Man The Could Not Hang. Had some of the others as well but taped over them
http://www.cultmovieforums.com/forum/showthread.php?12959-The-Man-They-Could-Not-Hang-(Nick-Grinde-1939)&

Also as Kinski says, the 90s wasn't just a rich period for horror films on TV but for other genres too. I only saw a fraction of the films mentioned in the first link above. There are probably lots on there that have not been shown since.

mike65

Here is a bunch more (it something that a smart TV channel would be aware of!)

http://www.classichorrorcampaign.com/tag/horror-double-bills/

http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/38859/B-B-C-Horror-double-bill-s-of-the-70-80s

http://cobwebbedroom.blogspot.com/2006/10/horror-double-bills.html

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1250650

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbTiPwonrx4