Horror Channel continues to unlock THE VINTAGE VAULT this June with four more Sunday night classic genre double-bills

This June, Horror Channel once again journeys into the history of genre cinema with THE VINTAGE VAULT, presenting double-bills of classic sci-fi and horror films every Sunday night.

The vault is unlocked on Sunday June 5th with Nathan Juran’s Ray Harryhausen inspired 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH. This is paired with Fred F. Sears’ rampaging alien bird yarn THE GIANT CLAW. Then on Sunday June 12th, we have THE MONOLITH MONSTERS, in which the world is attacked by thirsty giant crystals, followed by the beastly mutant classic THE DEADLY MANTIS.

 

On Sunday June 19th, the brilliantly lurid THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957), directed by Terence Fisher, hits our screens, followed by drive-in favourite THE BLOB, starring Steve McQueen. Finally on Sunday June 26th, a Terence Fisher double-bill as the hypnotically sensual and gory DRACULA (1958) swoops onto the channel. This adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic launched Cushing and Christopher Lee into global stardom. This is followed by Fisher’s equally successful adaptation of the classic Universal monster movies, THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, again starring the incomparable Peter Cushing.

 

Full film details in transmission order:

Sunday 5 June @ 21:00 – 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)

A manned space flight from Venus crash lands in the Mediterranean, losing its most precious cargo: reptilian eggs from the planet's surface. Italian zoologist (Frank Puglia), his American granddaughter, Marisa (Joan Taylor), and returned astronaut Calder (William Hopper) must battle to the creature before it destroys everything in its path.

 

Sunday 5 June @ 22:35 – THE GIANT CLAW (1957)

When a strange flying object is spotted, it is believed to be a UFO. However, it turns out to be an extraterrestrial bird made of anti-matter which leaves a trail of death and destruction in its wake.

 

Sunday 12 June @ 21:00 – THE MONOLITH MONSTERS (1957)

A meteor crashes in the desert, leaving behind huge black chunks. While being analysed in a science lab, the crystalline stones are accidentally drenched with water and begin to grow to gargantuan dimensions. A sudden rainstorm further exacerbates the situation, causing the monoliths to grow to hitherto unimagined heights. Can the world be saved by the saline solution which the scientists are hurriedly developing in the lab?

Sunday 12 June @ 22:30 – THE DEADLY MANTIS (1957)

When a giant insect attacks several people in a remote Arctic region, Col. Joe Parkham (Craig Stevens) swings into action. Parkham and his associates, Dr. Ned Jackson (William Hopper) and Ned's assistant Margie Blake (Alix Talton), track the predatory mantis as it heads southward to Washington DC.

Sunday 19 June @ 21:00 – THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)

Scientist Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) will stop at nothing in his quest to reanimate a deceased body and assembles a hideous creature (Christopher Lee) out of dead body parts. He succeeds in bringing it to life, but the monster is not as obedient or docile as Frankenstein expected…

Sunday 19 June @ 22:40 - THE BLOB (1958)

Two teenagers, Steve (Steve McQueen) and his best girl, Jane (Aneta Corseaut), notice a shooting star fall to earth, destroying an elderly man and growing to a terrifying size. The blob continues to grow, killing many, until the teenagers, with the, initially reluctant aid, of policeman Dave (Earl Rowe) discover a way to stop it.

Sunday 26 June @ 21:00 - DRACULA (1958)

On a search for his missing friend, Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen), vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is led to Count Dracula's (Christopher Lee) castle, where he finds an undead Harker in Dracula's crypt and discovers that the count's next target is Harker's ailing fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh). With the help of her brother, Arthur (Michael Gough), Van Helsing is determined to protect Lucy and put an end to Count Dracula's parasitic reign of terror.

Sunday 26 June @ 22:35 - THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)

Having escaped execution and assumed an alias, Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) transplants his deformed underling's brain into a perfect body, but the effectiveness of the process and the secret of his identity soon begin to unravel. Directed by Terence Fisher, this was a sequel to THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and the second instalment of Hammer’s Frankenstein series.

TV: Sky 317 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 70 / Freesat 138

COMPETITION: Win The Terror: Season 2 "Infamy" on Blu-ray

The Terror: Season 2 "Infamy" - Released from 23rd May

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and a copy on Blu-ray to give away.

Synopsis: 

Lauded series The Terror garnered international acclaim from critics and viewers alike and now with a brand-new premise and setting but with the same stunning production values and gripping story lines, the second series The Terror: Infamy is set to hit our screens. Following its run on BBC2, the series is set for its Blu-ray, DVD, and digital release from Acorn Media International on 23 May 2022. The Terror One and Two Box set will also be available on Blu-ray and DVD.

 

The Terror: Infamy is a thrilling supernatural series set against the backdrop of World War II and the Japanese internment camps and boasts powerful performances from an outstanding cast of international talent. The line-up includes a stand-out turn from renowned actor George Takei (Star Trek) who himself spent time in an internment camp as a child and acted as a historical consultant on the drama.  

Chester (Derek Mio – Grey’s Anatomy, Geek) lives with his family on Terminal Island, a few miles south of Los Angeles, just off the coast of California. He and his father, Henry (Shingo Usami – Unbroken), are fishermen but Chester seeks more. He’s in love with a Spanish-American student named Luz Ojeda (Cristina Rodlo – Miss Bala, Too Old to Die Young) and doesn’t understand why his immigrant mother, Asako (Naoko Mori – Torchwood) and father choose to remain confined to a small swath of the big world – especially after travelling so far in the pursuit of freedom.

In the aftermath of Pearl Harbour, the family’s comfortable life is about to change forever as they’re forcibly uprooted and shipped off to an internment camp, where fear lurks in both supernatural and human form.

A string of relentless, brutal and bizarre deaths haunts the community, and Chester and his family are menaced by a mysterious and murderous shapeshifting entity. What spirit lies behind The Terror, and can the family overcome it and save those dearest to them?

Craftily weaving a semi-historical narrative with modern parallels, co-creators Max Borenstein (Godzilla) and Alexander Woo (True Blood) deliver an enthralling and potent exploration of monstrosity – both mythical and man-made. The Terror: Infamy is an unsettling, compelling and captivating must-watch.

Pre-Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3LbyslS

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 30-05-22
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

Horror Channel launches assault of premieres for June plus further seasons of FARSCAPE

Ryan Simon’s British supernatural chiller DEMON EYE, starring Darren Day, and Liam Fox, and Brad Baruh’s Coen-sequel mystery thriller NIGHT DRIVE, starring AJ Bowen and Sophie Dalah, both receive Friday night UK TV premieres on Horror Channel.

There are also channel premieres for John Carpenter’s cult classic ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and Finnish-German sci-fi Nazi horror spoof IRON SKY: THE COMING RACE, directed by Timo Vuorensola (Iron Sky) and starring Udo Kier, reprising his role as Adolf Hitler.

Plus, cult classic FARSCAPE returns with the channel premieres of Season 3 and 4. This Australian-American Sci-Fi TV series, created by Rockne S, O’Bannon, has proved s big hit with Horror Channel audiences.

Full details in transmission order:

From Thurs 2 June @ 18:00 – FARSCAPE: SEASON 3 (2001) *Channel Premiere

Crichton remains a virtual prisoner in the Ice Planet lab. Now that the chip – and the clone - implanted in Crichton's brain have been removed, Scorpius is free to examine the secrets of the wormhole technology. However, something is awry. An imprint of the Scorpius Clone remains trapped inside Crichton's mind. Faced with this intolerable existence, the clone tells John that there is only one way to escape the unholy partnership – Crichton must die.

Fri 3 June @ 21:00 – DEMON EYE (209) *UK TV Premiere

Inspired by the 1850’s tale of the Saddleworth Witch, a young woman returns to her father’s country house on the moors, following his mysterious death, and finds a cursed amulet, connected to local witchcraft. She discovers the amulet has dark powers and will grant you your greatest wish, but in return, she must unlock two deadly demons…

Sat 4 June @ 21:00 – ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976) *Channel Premiere

An LA gang’s revenge-fuelled killing spree leads them to a half-abandoned police station in the throes of closing down. Under siege with power and phone lines cut, a lone cop and his skeleton staff recruit a condemned killer from the cells in a desperate battle to survive the night. As the gang close in the tension escalates to boiling point in John Carpenter’s brutal and unrelenting cult classic.

Friday 10 June @ 22:45 – NIGHT DRIVE (2021) *UK TV Premiere

Russell (AJ Bowen) is a taxi driver in LA, who’s reeling from a series of bad decisions. While his life seems to be caught in a downward spiral, a business proposition from an enigmatic passenger (Sophie Dalah) proves too good to turn down. A simple ride turns deadly, catapulting Russell into an even darker place, but his alluring passenger may be the key to the second chance he thought he’d never have...if he can make it through the night.

Fri 17 June @ 21:00 – IRON SKY: THE COMING RACE (2019) *Channel Premiere

Twenty years after the events of Iron Sky, the former Nazi Moonbase has become the last refuge of mankind. Earth was devastated by a nuclear war, but buried deep under the wasteland lays a power that could save the last of humanity - or destroy it once and for all. The truth behind the creation of mankind will be revealed when an old enemy leads our heroes on an adventure into the Hollow Earth. To save humanity they must fight the Vril, an ancient shapeshifting reptilian race and their army of dinosaurs.

From Thurs 30 June @ 18:00 – FARSCAPE: SEASON 4 (2002) *Channel Premiere

Continuing work on his theories of wormhole technology, Crichton ekes out an existence on board Elack - an old, dying Leviathan. The peace is shattered by the intrusion of a female alien, Sikozu, and a squad of Grudek mercenaries intent on harvesting Elack's neural tissue. Crichton fights to save his new home, his struggle hindered by the Grudeks' pet: a vicious and deadly alien canine called the Brindz Hound.

TV: Sky 317 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 70 / Freesat 138

COMPETITION: Win Wyrmwood: Apocalypse on Blu-ray

Wyrmwood: Apocalypse  - Released from 16nd May

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies on Blu-ray to give away.

Synopsis: 

Having thrilled UK audiences – and sated horror fans’ thirst for bloody-bedlam on its UK premiere at FrightFest Glasgow, now Wyrmwood: Apocalypse is set for its Blu-ray, DVD, and digital release on 16 May from 101 Films. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead and Wyrmwood: Apocalypse will also be available as a Blu-ray double set.

Australian brothers Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner have penned another gut-splattering sensation with this fantastically frenzied feature, so get set for a hellish, high-octane return to the Aussie outback for some outlandish, blood-oozing rampaging zombie action in Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, the highly anticipated sequel to cult-classic Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead.

In a zombie infested Australian wasteland, hard-edged soldier Rhys (Luke McKenzie – Jack Irish) – who uses zombies as fuel for his barbie – dedicates his days to tracking down and capturing survivors of the Zombie apocalypse for the Surgeon (Nicholas Boshier – The Moth Effect) in hope of finding a cure for the zombie plague. But all is not as it seems, and Rhys’ moralistic misadventures are much more macabre than he knows...

This playfully deranged zombie-action thrill-ride will leave audiences with little time to catch their breath, but plenty of time to savour the spectacle.

Wyrmwood: Apocalypse is gory good fun at its most explosive.

Pre-Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3LTjt14

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 23-05-22
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

Interview with Stewart Sparke

Ahead of Horror Channel’s UK TV Premiere of BOOK OF MONSTERS, on May 14, director Stewart Sparke talks about the influence of horror fans, his obsession with the Alien franchise and collaborating with horror icon Nicholas Vince.


Did you know from a young age that you wanted to be a film director?

I remember first realising that I wanted to make films during one of many viewings of ‘The Mummy’ (1999) on VHS in my bedroom on an old 15” TV. I became quite obsessed with the film and tried to make all my friends come over to watch it because I wanted to share all the amazing trivia about how they made the special effects. This sparked the idea that perhaps I could make my own films and so my first effort was to remake the entirety of the Phantom Menace in my bedroom with myself and my friends miming along to the audio of the VHS being played in the background. I didn’t even have a camcorder back then, so we shot the whole thing from a webcam mounted to the top of my computer monitor! Things escalated from there and I have been making films ever since, although I’m glad to say that we upgraded from the fixed webcam long ago!


How did Book of Monsters come about?

Book of Monsters was the result of myself and writer Paul Butler’s love of all things 80s horror. We love movies like Evil Dead 2, The Monster Squad and Fright Night. We developed a story designed to be filmed on a low budget in a single studio set over just a few weeks and doubled down on our commitment to practical effects, bringing in the fantastic team from DDFX Studio to create our monsters!

The movie was also heavily influenced by the horror community who, via Kickstarter, actually chose which monsters showed up in the movie and how some of our hapless characters were brutally dispatched! I’m still really proud to say that Book of Monsters is very much a movie made for horror fans, by horror fans as they had a huge hand in the way everything turned out on screen!


It’s very different to you first feature, The Creature Below, was this a deliberate choice?

As a psychological horror movie, ‘The Creature Below’ took itself very seriously which was something of a blessing and a curse to shoot. On the one hand, Paul and I loved drawing upon the Lovecraft mythos for inspiration and playing with the serious themes of madness and motherhood in a very domestic setting. At the same time however, we had so much fun with the practical effects creatures in the film that we felt somewhat shackled by the serious tone which restricted us from doing some of the more camp, 80s inspired, silly fun that you can have with a killer squid monster that you’re keeping in your basement. Which is why, when it came time to make ‘Book of Monsters’ that we fully committed to going all out on a practical effects driven movie with lots of opportunity to have some Gremlins 2 style fun!


Did it take long to cast?

We already knew going in that we wanted to bring back some of the fantastic cast that we’d had the pleasure of working with on The Creature Below but this time in very different roles. Anna Dawson (Arya), Michaela Longden (Mona) and Daniel S. Thrace (Gary) all returned to be splattered with buckets of fake blood and were fully on board for the shift to a more comedic tone this time round. Lizzie Arryn-Stanton had previously auditioned for our last film and we immediately thought of her for the role of Beth, making our job very easy! For our lead Sophie, the incredibly talented Lyndsey Craine came on very early in development as we knew immediately that she could convey the sweet and unassuming nature of our final girl who could swing a chainsaw with the best of them.


What was it like working with the legend that is Nicholas Vince?

Working with Nick was an absolute dream come true! We were lucky enough to have met him a few times at FrightFest and had the pleasure of being guests on his horror themed interview series Chattering with Nicholas Vince when we were promoting ‘The Creature Below’ (he is now hosting the brilliant The Chattering Hour on YouTube which is well worth checking out!). As someone who is known for playing horrific monsters on film, we really wanted to give Nick a completely different role in ‘Book of Monsters’ and he excelled in the movie as Sophie’s father.

Was it a tough shoot as it takes place in just one location?

 

Having the single location of Sophie’s house made things an absolute dream to shoot! We built the entire interior of the house at Prime Studios in Leeds which is just next to ITV’s old Emmerdale studios. Having a set build rather than an actual location meant that we had so much more control over lighting and could do whatever we wanted when it came to flinging fake blood and guts all over the walls! With everyone being confined to the studio for two weeks the set almost started to feel like home by the end of the shoot and it was sad to see it all taken down when we wrapped shooting.


It has a cool retro vibe to it; was the feeling and tone of the movie influenced by horror from the 80s and 90s?

Writer Paul Butler and I were hugely influenced by 80s and 90s horror. Since the movie came out people have likened it to everything from ‘Spookies’ to ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and they’re not wrong! We drew inspiration from the entire spectrum of horror from those decades, specifically creature features which we absolutely adore. A huge part of my childhood was wearing out VHS copies of ‘Tremors’, ‘Gremlins’ and ‘Aliens’ which all burned into my brain and influenced so many moments in Book of Monsters!


There’s a lot of practical effects here for fans of old school horror, was this a deliberate choice?

We made a commitment to have all of the film’s monsters realised with practical effects as soon as we had settled on the basic concept of the movie. As huge fans of old school horror, it was incredibly important to us that we paid tribute to the genre and did things how they would have been done in the 80s. CGI has its place and we did end up using it to enhance a few effects but when it came to the monsters themselves, we knew it could only be practical. The beauty of practical effects creatures is that they are a real, tangible presence on set that the actors can interact with and react to. Even if it’s a performer in a rubber suit, once you get the lighting right and slather on the slime, the monster comes alive in a way that CGI can never realise. It’s also an amazing feeling to see everyone on the cast and crew light up with joy every time we had an actual monster on set!


Did you have much budget to play with?

The entire budget for ‘Book of Monsters’ was probably the equivalent to what a Hollywood movie would spend on just a single shot so I’m proud of what our amazing cast and crew were able to achieve on such a tiny budget. We have the incredible international horror community to thank for making the film a reality in the first place as most of the film’s budget was raised on Kickstarter. Without their belief in us and the movie, I wouldn’t be talking about it with you right now, so I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who backed the Kickstarter campaign and the outpouring of support that we’ve seen for the film since its release!


Are you a big fan of monster movies and do you have a favourite?

I absolutely adore monster movies and my all-time favourite is ‘Aliens’! I’m obsessed with the Alien franchise in general and the Lovecraft-esque mystery of the Xenomorph as a monster is so intriguing to me. ‘Aliens’ really expanded that mythology with the Queen and it’s a movie I can watch repeatedly without ever getting bored. Coming in at a close second is ‘The Thing’ with a creature design that is just stunning in every way. Rob Bottin’s work on that movie is timeless and the monster is truly terrifying. The defibrillation scene completely blew my mind when I first saw it and it's movies like that which inspire me every day.


You’re a multi-talented creative, do you have a favourite job?

Directing is certainly my favourite role as there’s nothing quite like being on set with passionate, like-minded people who love monsters as much as you do. The reward of seeing something you’ve spent months (or sometimes years) visualising in your head suddenly materialise in front of you is unparalleled. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have directed two features and on both I was blessed with cast and crew who poured everything into making the films the best they could be.


So, what are you up to at the moment?

Since ‘Book of Monsters’, myself and Paul Butler have been busy working on the script for our next movie which will be produced by our studio, Dark Rift Horror. We’re excited to start shooting the movie this summer and whilst we can’t reveal anything just yet, fans of old school, practical effects driven monster movies will be very happy!

Dark Rift Horror is also working with the wonderful Nicholas Vince to adapt his one-man stage show I Am Monsters into a feature film which has been such a privilege for us. Those who were lucky enough to see the show during its run will know how witty, fascinating, and uplifting Nick’s story is and we’ve had a blast working with him to give it a cinematic feel that does justice to his incredible journey.

Finally, we’ve been working with some hugely talented indie horror filmmakers to bring their movies to Blu-ray later this year under our new Dark Rift Presents label. We had great success when we released ‘Book of Monsters’ as a UK exclusive Collector’s Edition Blu-ray last year and that inspired us to give more indie horror movies the premium physical media release they deserve. We will be announcing our first two titles later this year, but horror fans can expect plenty of practical effects driven blood and guts with a darkly comedic edge!

BOOK OF MONSTERS will be broadcast on Horror Channel on Saturday May 14, 10.55pm.