Horror Channel rebrands as Legend

Horror Channel has rebranded and is now Legend. Legend will still be showing classic horror and sc-fi but its eclectic mix of movies and TV series will now broaden out to include more thriller, action, fantasy and suspense titles.

Saturday nights on Legend gets deadly in July, with four Channel premieres - Don Mancini’s criminally entertaining CULT OF CHUCKY, starring Jennifer Tilly and Brad Dourif as the voice of the iconic deadly doll of destruction, Walter Hill’s neo-Western action thriller, EXTREME PREJUDICE, starring Nick Nolte, Paul Aaron’s murderous crime drama DEADLY FORCE, and Richard Fleischer’s epic sword and sorcery fantasy RED SONJA, starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Plus, returns with the channel premieres of Season 4 and FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER’S WARS, which, following the original series’ cancellation, wraps up the series cliff-hanger with a two-episode conclusion. This Australian-American Sci-Fi TV series, created by Rockne S, O’Bannon, has proved s big hit with LEGEND audiences.

And THE VINTAGE VAULT is back, once again presenting double-bills of classic sci-fi and horror films every Sunday night.

The vault is unlocked on Sunday July 3rd with Terence Fisher’s irresistibly lurid, THE MUMMY (1959), starring Peter Cushing and Christopher. This is paired with 13 GHOSTS, the infectious 1960 supernatural classic, directed by William Castle. Then on Sunday July 10th, we have two of the great British Sci-Fi thrillers, ISLAND OF TERROR, starring Peter Cushing, followed by QUATERMASS AND THE PIT, based on the BBC TV series and directed by Roy Ward Baker.

On Sunday July 17th, the deliciously sinister DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE directed by Roy Ward Baker, hits our screens, followed by another of Hammer Film’s greatest hits, the sensually daring COUNTESS DRACULA, starring Ingrid Pitt. Sunday July 24th sees another stylishly impressive Hammer production double-bill, kicking off with BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB, the swan song for director Seth Holt, . This is paired with TWINS OF EVIL, widely recognised as a masterpiece of gothic and erotic horror.

Finally on Sunday July 31st, the satanic cult masterpiece, TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER, is unleashed on the channel. This adaptation of the 1953 novel of by Dennis Wheatley, stars Christopher Lee, Richard Widmark, Honor Blackman and Nastassja Kinski. This is followed by DOOMWATCH, an eco sci-fi thriller based on the 1970s BBC series, starring Ian Bannen and Judy Geeson.



Full film details in transmission order:

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.

Sat 2 July @ 21:00 – CULT OF CHUCKY (2017) *Channel Premiere

Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) is wrongly convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family. But when her psychiatrist introduces a new therapeutic "tool" to facilitate his patients' group sessions — an all-too-familiar "Good Guy" doll — a string of grisly deaths begins to plague the asylum. Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), Chucky's now-grown-up nemesis, races to Nica's aid. But to save her he'll have to get past Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), Chucky’s long-ago bride, who will do anything to help her beloved devil doll.


Sat 9 July @ 21:00 – EXTREME PREJUDICE (1986) *Channel Premiere

In a small border town between Texas and Mexico, Jack Benteen has a hard time fighting a drug trafficking ring led by his childhood friend Cash Bailey. Wen the town becomes the battlefield between traffickers and mercenaries, the two former friends will finally settle their differences. One on one, they will duel.

Saturday 16 July @ 21:00 – DEADLY FORCE (1984) *Channel Premiere

Stoney who has been fired from the Los Angeles police force and has parted from his wife. He settles down as a freelance detective in New York but his past comes back to challenge him when a friend calls him for help: his niece has become the 17th victim of a serial killer and the Los Angeles police are at deadlock. Stoney's old colleagues are unhappy about his arrival but Stoney persists, determined to hunt the murderer down.

Sat 23 July @ 21:00 – RED SONJA (1985) *Channel Premiere

The peaceful life of Sonja is shattered when her parents are murdered by Queen Gedren, who rules by terror and carries a talisman with which she can annihilate the planet. Sonja sets out to avenge her parents’ death and is granted extraordinary powers by a mysterious vision. But she must vow never to fall in love with a man unless he is stronger than her.

Sat 30 July @ 13:00 – FARSCAPE: THE PEACEMAKER WARS (2004) *Channel Premiere

In this two-part miniseries John Crichton (Ben Browder) is back. A living starship harbours an ensemble of alien fugitives, including a human astronaut in the wrong place at the wrong time. Add the birth of his new starchild, a half-human with untold secrets, and an enemy race set to destroy and conquer them all, and this can only be the beginning of the end.


THE VINTAGE VAULT


Sunday 3 July @ 21:00 – THE MUMMY (1959)

In 1895 Egypt, a team of British archeologists led by John Banning, opens the tomb of Princess Ananka, despite warnings of a death curse which will fall upon any desecrators. Three years later in England, a vengeful Egyptian man arrives and unleashes the living mummy Kharis on the men. This superior Hammer Films production reunites the director, Terence Fisher, with stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.


Sunday 3 July @ 22:45 – 13 GHOSTS (1960)

When occultist Dr Plato Zorba leaves a huge ramshackle house to his nephew Cyrus and his impoverished family, they are shocked to find the house is haunted. Their new residence comes complete with Doctor Zorba’s housekeeper, Elaine Zacharides, plus a fortune in buried treasure and twelve horrifying ghosts. However, there is someone in the house who is also looking for the money and is willing to kill for it…


Sunday 10 July @ 21:00 – ISLAND OF TERROR (1966)

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 10 July @ 22:45 – QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967)

An ancient Martian spacecraft is discovered buried in the ground at the site of an extension to the London Underground. Also uncovered nearby are the remains of early human ancestors more than five million years old. Now uncovered the craft begins to exert a malign influence, resurrecting Martian memories and instincts buried deep within the human psyche. Mayhem breaks out on the streets of London as the alien force grows in strength. Can Professor Quatermass (Andrew Keir) and his team save the day?

Sunday 17 July @ 21:00 – DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE (1971)

It’s London in the 1800’s and Dr Jekyll is experimenting on newly deceased women, determined to discover an elixir for immortal life. Success enables his spectacular transformation into the beautiful but psychotic Sister Hyde who stalks the dark alleys of Whitechapel for female victims, ensuring continuation of the bloodstained research. With each transformation Sister Hyde becomes the more dominant personality, determined to eventually suppress the frail, ineffectual Dr Jekyll forever.

Sunday 17 July @ 22:55 – COUNTESS DRACULA (1971)

When the aging Countess Elizabeth Bathory (Ingrid Pitt) discovers that bathing in the blood of virgin girls will keep her eternally young and beautiful, she devises a master plan. But Bathory's plan goes awry when she runs out of blood and begins to change back into her former self. What will she do next and who will be able to stop her?

Sunday 24 July @ 21:00 – BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB (1971)

An expedition led by Professor Fuchs (Andrew Keir), finds the cursed tomb of an evil Egyptian princess. He takes her preserved, still-bleeding severed hand – which sports a dazzling ruby ring. Several years later, Fuchs gives the ring to his young daughter Margaret (Valerie Leon), whereupon she begins to take on the malevolent traits of its original wearer.


Sunday 24 July @ 22:55 – TWINS OF EVIL (1971)

After being orphaned, two beautiful identical twins move from Vienna to the village of Karnstein. There they are to live with their Uncle, a fanatical Puritan (Peter Cushing). Nearby, the Count of the village is performing a sacrificial rite which raises his ancestor, the vampire Countess. He turns his attention to the twins. One of them is destined to fall under the castle's spell, but which one?


Sunday 31 July @ 21:00 – TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER (1976)

Henry Beddows (Denholm Elliott) asks occult novelist John Verney (Richard Widmark) to protect his 18 year-old daughter, Catherine (Natasha Kinski), who has attracted the attention of ex-communicated priest Father Michael Rayner (Christopher Lee). Rayner wants Catherine to become the incarnation of one of the crowned princes of Hell, Astaroth. Pitted against black magic, ancient rituals and a clan of Satanists, Verney battles to save the young girl from a diabolical fate.

Sunday 31 July @ 22:50 – DOOMWATCH (1972)

Dr. Del Shaw (Ian Bannen), part of the government's investigative environmental organisation Doomwatch, travels to the island of Balfe to examine the potentially adverse effects of a recent oil spill. The villagers are all suspicious of Shaw, especially the menfolk, who seem to have transformed into near-Neanderthals. After teaming up with a local teacher, Shaw discovers that the transformation of the men is due to a disease called acromegaly.

TV: Sky 148 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 41 / Freesat 137

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

Horror Channel celebrates history of genre cinema with THE VINTAGE VAULT

Starting in May, Horror Channel journeys into the history of genre cinema with THE VINTAGE VAULT, which will present double-bills of classic sci-fi and horror films every Sunday night.

The season premieres on Sunday May 1st with THE INVISIBLE MAN, in which Claude Rains delivers a remarkable performance in his screen debut. This is paired with BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, the celebrated sequel to the 1931 classic with Boris Karloff reprising his role as the monster. Then on Sunday May 8th, we have Christy Cabanne’s frightening chiller masterpiece THE MUMMY’S HAND, followed by FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN, featuring the original Wolfman, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster.

On Sunday May 15th the heart-pounding Alien invasion classic IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, hits our screens, followed by pulp-horror favourite TARANTULA. Sunday May 22nd brings us REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, the sequel to Universal's fabulously successful The Creature from the Black Lagoon, twinned with mutant octopus-rampaging IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA. Finally, on Sunday May 29th, Fred F. Sears’ saucer-invading caper EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS, crash lands on the channel, followed by the subterranean monster thriller THE MOLE PEOPLE, ,

Full film details in transmission order:

Sun 1 May @ 21:00 – THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)

Claude Rains plays a mysterious doctor who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, Rains arrives at a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discovery. But the same drug that renders him invisible slowly drives him to commit acts of unspeakable terror. Based on H.G. Wells' classic novel and directed by the master of macabre James Whale, The Invisible Man not only fuelled a host of sequels, but also features some special effects that are still imitated today.

Sun 1 May @ 22:25 – BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)

This celebrated sequel to the 1931 classic finds Mary Shelley's monster alive and well and forcing the good baron to create a mate. Horror film icon Boris Karloff reprises his role as Dr. Frankenstein's fabled creation and Elsa Lanchester co-stars as his monstrous lady love.

Sun 8 May @ 21:00 – THE MUMMY’S HAND (1940)

Two broke archaeologists, Steve Banning (Dick Foran) and Babe Jenson (Wallace Ford), head to Egypt to uncover the legendary sarcophagus of Princess Ananka. Not only is the tomb cursed, it has its own guard - an eternal mummy named Kharis! When expedition members start dying at the mummy’s hand, it’ll take wits and courage to survive the undying horror uncovered under the sands.

Sat 8 May @ 22:20 – FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (1943)

Two of the silver screen's most fearsome creatures battle it out when the Wolfman (Lon Chaney reprising his role) seeking to end his curse, looks to the notorious Dr Frankenstein for a cure. However, his mission pus him on a collision course with Frankenstein’s monster, played by Bela Lugosi.

Sunday 15 May @ 21:00 – IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953)

John Putnam (Richard Carlson), an amateur astronomer, is looking at the skies with his fiancée, schoolteacher Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush), when they see what looks like a huge meteor crash into the desert. As events unfold, various townspeople start to disappear, including Ellen, to be replaced by alien ‘duplicates’ As the townspeople become aware of the danger, the likelihood of bloodshed becomes apparent. Based on a story by Ray Bradbury.

Sunday 15 May @ 22:35 – TARANTULA (1955)

This classic science fiction film featuring screen legend Clint Eastwood, tells the story of a scientist who, while researching the effects of a new synthetic nutrient, releases a giant spider in the American Southwest. Directed by Jack Arnold and starring John Agar, Mara Corday and Leo G. Carroll.

Sun 22 May @ 21:00 REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (1954)

Two oceanographers (John Bromfield and Robert B. Williams) capture the creature and put him on display. Here the hapless Gill-Man is taught a few words of English by compassionate ichthyologists, John Agar and Lori Nelson. Eventually, however, the creature reverts to type, kills one of his captors and goes on a rampage, managing to abduct the heroine and carry her off. Intense underwater photography and practical effects make "The Revenge of the Creature" a horror classic.

Sunday 22 May @ 22:35 – IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1956)

While on a routine mission, Cmdr. Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) runs into trouble when his submarine is nearly sunk by an unknown creature, which is identified as a giant octopus from the nether reaches of Mindanao Deep. The beast has been awakened by nearby nuclear testing and now, radioactive and monstrously huge, the rampaging leviathan is heading toward the North American Pacific Coast.

Sunday 29 May @ 21:00 – EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956)

UFOs from a doomed star system invade Earth with plans of world conquest. Surrender is not an option so the human race must fight to the bitter end. Special effects are by Ray Harryhausen.

Sunday 29 May @ 22:40 – THE MOLE PEOPLE (1957)

John Bentley (John Agar), leads a Middle Eastern expedition in search of a lost tribe of Sumerians. He and his cohorts follow a tunnel deep below the surface of the earth, eventually coming across a tyrannical tribe of albino Sumerians, who use the semi-human Mole People as slaves. Aware of the danger the scientists pose, the subterranean High Priest wants them eliminated.

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

Horror Channel celebrates Sci-Fi B-Movies with a second Classic Sci-Fi Weekend in April

It’s back to terrify once more! Horror Channel once again celebrates the Sci-fi B-movie world of strange creatures, alien invaders and weird science with CLASSIC SCI-FI WEEKEND 2, a follow-up TV special to the popular Classic Sci-fi weekend broadcast in April 2020. The fifties are acknowledged as the Golden Age for Sci-fi movies and Horror Channel has picked ten of the most iconic, which will be broadcast on Saturday16th April and Sunday 17th April.

The season includes five channel premieres: the heart-pounding Alien invasion classic IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, pulp-horror favourite TARANTULA, featuring an uncredited Clint Eastwood, subterranean monster thriller THE MOLE PEOPLE, the beastly mutant classic THE DEADLY MANTIS and THE MONOLITH MONSTERS, in which the world is attacked by thirsty giant crystals!

The season also embraces returning favourites such as mutant octopus-rampaging IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, Fred F. Sears’ saucer-invading caper EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS, Sears’ rampaging alien bird yarn THE GIANT CLAW, Nathan Juran’s Ray Harryhausen inspired 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH and drive-in favourite THE BLOB, starring Steve McQueen.

Full film details in transmission order:

Saturday 16 April @ 13:00 – IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953) *Channel Premiere

John Putnam (Richard Carlson), an amateur astronomer, is looking at the skies with his fiancée, schoolteacher Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush), when they see what looks like a huge meteor crash into the desert. As events unfold, various townspeople start to disappear, including Ellen, to be replaced by alien ‘duplicates’ As the townspeople become aware of the danger, the likelihood of bloodshed becomes apparent. Based on a story by Ray Bradbury.

Saturday 16 April @ 14:40 – EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956)

UFOs from a doomed star system invade Earth with plans of world conquest. Surrender is not an option so the human race must fight to the bitter end. Special effects are by Ray Harryhausen.

Saturday 16 April @ 16:20 – TARANTULA (1955) *Channel Premiere

This classic science fiction film featuring screen legend Clint Eastwood, tells the story of a scientist who, while researching the effects of a new synthetic nutrient, releases a giant spider in the American Southwest. Directed by Jack Arnold and starring John Agar, Mara Corday and Leo G. Carroll.

Saturday 16 April @ 17:55 – IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1956)

While on a routine mission, Cmdr. Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) runs into trouble when his submarine is nearly sunk by an unknown creature, which is identified as a giant octopus from the nether reaches of Mindanao Deep. The beast has been awakened by nearby nuclear testing and now, radioactive and monstrously huge, the rampaging leviathan is heading toward the North American Pacific Coast.

Saturday 16 April @ 19:30 - 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 17 April @ 13:00 – THE MOLE PEOPLE (1957) *Channel Premiere

John Bentley (John Agar), leads a Middle Eastern expedition in search of a lost tribe of Sumerians. He and his cohorts follow a tunnel deep below the surface of the earth, eventually coming across a tyrannical tribe of albino Sumerians, who use the semi-human Mole People as slaves. Aware of the danger the scientists pose, the subterranean High Priest wants them eliminated.

Sunday 17 April @ 14:30 – 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 17 April @ 16:05 – THE DEADLY MANTIS (1957) *Channel Premiere

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 17 April @ 17:40 – THE MONOLITH MONSTERS (1957) *Channel Premiere

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 17 April @ 19:15 – 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.

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

Horror Channel reveals raft of UK TV premieres for April

Rob W King’s gripping dystopian thriller THE HUMANITY BUREAU, starring Nicolas Cage, and Rob Grant’s twisted survival drama, ALIVE, starring Angus MacFadyen, are amongst the raft of Saturday night UK TV premieres on Horror Channel during April. Also in prime-time 9pm slots are the UK TV premieres of Owen Egerton’s supernatural horror MERCY BLACK and Jonathan Zarantonello’s sinister, psychological thriller THE BUTTERFLY ROOM, starring Barbara Steele and Ray Wise.

Plus, Padraig Reynolds’s suspense-filled neo slasher OPEN 24 HOURS, starring Vanessa Grasse, gets its channel premiere.

Full film details in transmission order:

Saturday 2 April @ 21:00 – THE BUTTERFLY ROOM (2012) *UK TV Premiere

Ann, a reclusive and butterfly-obsessed elderly lady (played by Barbara Steele), suffers from bipolar disorder. When she meets Alice, a mysterious but seemingly innocent young girl, she is lured into a twisted world and discovers that Alice has other strange friends.

Saturday 9 April @ 21:00 – ALIVE (2018) *UK TV Premiere

A man and woman awake in an abandoned sanatorium to discover that a sadistic caretaker (played by Angus MacFadyen) holds the keys to their freedom and the horrific answers as to their real identity. Directed by Rob Grant (Harpoon).

Saturday 16th April @ 21:00 – MERCY BLACK (2019) *UK TV Premiere

Fifteen years after a shocking incident, Marina Hess (Daniella Pineda) is coming home. Believing that a supernatural force was behind her dark crime, Marina works to discover the truth behind a dark phantom known as Mercy Black. What she discovers is a very real and very deadly horror that will stop at nothing to claim her and those she loves.

Saturday 23 April @ 22:50 – OPEN 24 HOURS (2018) *Channel Premiere

Mary (Vanessa Grasse) knew her boyfriend James was the Rain Ripper serial killer. But she felt powerless to act until he forced her to watch another victim being slaughtered before her eyes – and then she set him on fire. On parole from prison despite everyone thinking she was guilty by proxy, and on medication to control her paranoid hallucinations, Mary gets a graveyard shift job at the remote Deer gas station. Then the killings begin….

Saturday 30 April @ 21:00 – THE HUMANITY BUREAU (2017) *UK TV Premiere

Set in the year 2030, global warming turns parts of the American Midwest into a desert. In its attempt to take hold of the economic recession, a government agency called The Humanity Bureau exiles members of society deemed unproductive and banishes them to a colony known as New Eden. A caseworker, Noah Kross (Nicolas Cage) investigates a case appealed by a single mother and her son. Knowing the unjust fate of the innocent boy, Kross sets off to save them. But in doing so goes up against the entire Bureau.

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

Horror Channel announces Killer Thriller week for March

Horror Channel turns up the tension in March with KILLER THRILLER WEEK, featuring the UK premiere of mystery thriller PARADISE COVE, staring Mena Suvari and the channel premiere of cat-and-mouse road thriller COP CAR, starring Kevin Bacon. The ultimate 7-day suspense ride also includes Gus Van Sant’s revival of the Hitchcock classic PSYCHO (1988), the 2014 version of erotic thriller THE LOFT starring Karl Urban, Colin Minihan’s deliciously warped WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE, Rod Lurie’s 2011 pulsating remake of STRAW DOGS and BAD SAMARITAN, starring a cunningly murderous David Tennant.

Plus, there are four additional UK TV premieres, highlighted by the late Johnny Kevorkian’s last film, AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS, a powder keg of throat-grabbing suspense, Cronenbergian intensity and mind-bending body horror, starring Sam Gittins, David Bradley, Grant Masters and Holly Weston, slasher thriller WIRED SHUT, CASTLE FREAK, Tate Steinsiek’s reboot of the 1995 Stuart Gordon film by the same name and Jesse Thomas Cook’s dark zombie thriller DEADSIGHT.

There are also channel premieres for Abner Pastoll’s superbly crafted urban crime story, A GOOD WOMAN IS HARD TO FIND, which showcases a tour-de-force performance by Sarah Bolger, murderous high-school horror comedy COOTIES, starring Elijah Woods, and German survival horror thriller PREY.

Full film details in transmission order:

Saturday 5 March @ 21:00 – PREY (2021) *Channel Premiere
After his father is tragically killed, Toby is left stricken with guilt. He is begrudgingly enrolled in a program, in which he will spend three days on a remote jungle island. Toby soon finds that this uninhabited island is not so lonely when he meets a mysterious girl. It soon becomes clear that neither of them are safe and time is running out. Someone or something bloodthirsty lurks in the jungle..

Sunday 6 March @ 21:00 – WIRED SHUT (2021) *UK TV Premiere
A disillusioned famous novelist, Reed Rooney, unable to talk while recovering in his remote mountain home from major reconstructive jaw surgery, is exposed to a life-threatening secret when he receives an unexpected visit from Emma, his estranged daughter.

Friday 11 March @ 21:00 – A GOOD WOMAN IS HARD TO FIND (2019) *Channel Premiere
Recently widowed mother of two Sarah (Bolger) is desperate to know who murdered her husband in front of their young son, rendering him mute. Coerced into helping low-life drug-dealer Tito (Andrew Simpson) stash narcotics stolen from the local Mr. Big, she’s forced into taking drastic action to protect her children while learning the awful truth about her spouse.

Saturday 12 March @ 21:00 – AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS (2018) *UK TV Premiere
It’s Christmas Day and the dysfunctional Milgram family wake to find a mysterious black substance surrounding their house. Something monumental is clearly happening right outside their door, but what exactly – an industrial accident, a terrorist attack, a nuclear war? All their limited information now comes from the television. But as the ominous gogglebox exerts an ever more sinister grip on their psyches, their terrified paranoia escalates into bloody carnage.

Friday 18 March @ 22:55 – CASTLE FREAK (2020) *UK TV Premiere
After she’s permanently blinded in a tragic car accident, it seems like Rebecca’s young life has ended just as it was beginning. However, a second chance arises when she’s told that her long-lost-mother has recently passed away, leaving her their family’s ancestral castle in her will. Rebecca hopes that it will be an opportunity for her to reconnect with a past she never knew, and a mother who seemingly left her behind. As mysterious happenings begin to occur, she must unravel her family’s secrets before she falls prey to… the Castle Freak.

Saturday 19 March @ 21:00 – COP CAR (2015) *Channel Premiere
When two rebellious young boys stumble across an abandoned cop car hidden in a secluded glade they decide to take it for a joyride. When the small town sheriff (Kevin Bacon) goes looking for his missing car, the boys find themselves in the center of a deadly game of cat and mouse and the only way out is to go as fast as their cop car can take them.

Sunday 20 March @ 21:00 – PARADISE COVE (2011) *UK TV Premiere
A contractor (Todd Grinnell) and his wife (Mena Suvari) move to Malibu to rebuild his mother's beach house but Paradise Cove is far from paradise as they are terrorised by the deranged homeless lady living under the house. Also stars Kristin Bauer van Straten of True Blood fame.

Friday 25 March @ 23:10 – DEADSIGHT (2018) *UK TV Premiere
A man with partial blindness and a young pregnant police officer must work together to escape from a deadly virus that has spread across Grey County. Starring Adam Seybold and Liv Collins, director Jesse Thomas Cook’s take on the zombie genre explores an unthinkable question – how would one survive the apocalypse without eyesight?

Saturday 26 March @ 21:00 – COOTIES (2014) *Channel Premiere
Elijah Wood stars as the substitute teacher Clint Hadson whose first day on the job at his new elementary school turns into a killer...Literally! A virus spawned from a diseased chicken nugget quickly spreads through the school turning all the children into a swarm of savages. This murderous high-school horror comedy is directed by Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion.

Horror Channel ushers in New Year with zombie invasions

January weekends on Horror Channel are invaded by the undead with the UK TV premiere of Lin Oeding’s newly-flavoured zombie horror-comedy OFFICE UPRISING, and the two highly acclaimed Zombie apocalypse road movies – STAKE LAND, receiving its Channel premiere, and the sequel THE STAKELANDER, enjoying a UK TV premiere.

Plus, there are channel premieres for the bone-chilling THE WRETCHED, directed by The Pierce Brothers, Sam Raimi’s classic EVIL DEAD 2, once again starring the demon battling Brue Campbell and the original Dolph Lundgrem / Jean-Claude Van Damme futuristic thriller UNIVERSAL SOLDIER.

Full film details in transmission order:

Saturday 8 January @ 22:25 – UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (1992) *Channel Premiere

Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren play embattled Vietnam soldiers who killed each other in combat and are revived 25 years later as semi-android "UniSols" in a high-tech army of the near future. This popular science fiction thriller, directed by master of disaster Roland Emerich, hits home with energetic action sequences and explosive tough guy performances from its two powerhouse leads.

Sunday 9 January @ 21:00 – OFFICE UPRISING (2018) *UK TV Premiere

Desmond, an underachiever working at a major weapons manufacturing firm finds that his co-workers have been “weaponized” by Zolt, a new energy drink designed for the military. He must then set off to rescue his one true love from an office building full of psychotic zombie co-workers armed with tomorrow’s deadliest tech

Saturday 15 January @ 21:00 – STAKE LAND (2010) *Channel Premiere

America has fallen. A vampiric scourge sweeps the nation, turning brother on brother and parent on child as the blood-hungry beasts take deeper and deeper hold upon the land. It’s hard for the survivors to know whether to be more afraid of the creatures themselves or the violent religious groups that have sprung up in response, but there is clearly only one choice: fight or die. This is where we find Martin (Connor Paolo), a young man traveling with only his taciturn mentor – a hardened fighter known simply as Mister – as protection against this blasted earth in search of the rumoured safe haven of New Eden.

Saturday 22 January @ 21:00 – THE STAKELANDER (2016) *UK TV Premiere

When his home in New Eden is destroyed by a revitalized Brotherhood and its new Vampire leader, Martin finds himself alone in the badlands of America. Roaming the wilderness of a steadily decaying country, Martin searches for the one man who can help him exact revenge - his mentor, the legendary vampire hunter Mister. Once reunited, they prepare to confront the ravenous Brotherhood and its monstrous overlord. But it’ll take more than the two of them to battle this terrifying new threat, and with the future of humanity hanging in the balance, the stakes are higher than ever before.

Sunday 23 January @ 21:00 – THE WRETCHED (2019) * Channel Premiere

A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parent's imminent divorce, faces off with a thousand year-old witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman next door. Directed by The Pierce Brothers (Deadheads, the film enjoyed a run of five consecutive weeks at the top of the US box office,

Saturday 29 January @ 21:00 – EVIL DEAD 11 (1997) *Channel Premiere

In this sequel of the original cult classic, Bruce Campbell again stars as brawny wise guy Ash, as he and a group of people are trapped in a cabin while ancient evil lurks outside and threatens a fate worse than death. Can Ash save the day, or will his dead girlfriend come back to cause more trouble? Director Sam Raimi once more gleefully stomps on the entrails of good taste with his unique blend of black humour and horror.

Horror Channel invaded by week of Sci-Fi Horror

 

Horror Channel goes extra-terrestrial with SCI-FEAR WEEK (Saturday 20th to Friday 26th, 9pm), in which strange science, terrifying tech and insidious invasions takes control, highlighted by the Channel premiere of jolting sci-fi thriller THE LAST DAYS ON MARS, starring Liev Schreiber, Romola Garai and Olivia Williams. It also includes the channel premieres of 1980 British science fiction movie SATURN 3, which stars Farrah Fawcett, Kirk Douglas and Harvey Keitel and XTRO, an unsettling slice of Sci-Fi Horror and one of the few British films that landed on the UK film censors' infamous 'Video Nasty' list.

Full film details in transmission order:

Saturday 20 November @ 21:00 – THE LAST DAYS ON MARS (2013) *Channel Premiere

On the last day of the first manned mission to Mars, a crew member of Tantalus Base believes he has made an astounding discovery - fossilised evidence of bacterial life. But a routine excavation turns to disaster when the porous ground collapses, and he falls into a deep crevice. His devastated colleagues attempt to recover his body. However, when another vanishes they start to suspect that the life-form they have discovered is not yet dead.

Sunday 21 November @ 21:00 – SATURN 3 (1990) *Channel Premiere

Adam (Kirk Douglas) and Alex (Farrah Fawcett) are scientists stationed deep beneath the barren surface of Saturn's moon, Titan, seeking new forms of food for an exhausted planet Earth. Captain James, a murderous psychopath, reaches Titan and cuts off communication with the rest of the solar system. Aided by his 'helper robot' James reduces life at the space station to one of survival. For Adam and Alex their only hope is to flee the planet, but the homicidal robot stands in their way. Also stars Harvey Keitel.

 

Monday 22 November @21:00 – CELL (2016)

Best-selling horror author Stephen King’s acclaimed tech-inspired apocalyptic nightmare.

Tuesday 23 November @ 21:00 – SCANNERS (1981)

Considered one of David Cronenberg’s early genre classics,

 

Wednesday 24 November @ 21:00 – EXTRATERRESTRIAL (2014)

An alien onslaught chiller, directed by Colin Minihan and starring Brittanty Allen,

Thursday 25 November @ 21:00 – KILL COMMAND (2016)

Steven Gomez’s superior Brit sci-fi action thriller

 

Friday 26 November @ 21:00 – XTRO (1982) *Channel Premiere

Three years ago young Tony watched with horror as his father was taken into the night sky by a mysterious blinding light and never seen again. Until now. His father is coming home but he's not the man he used to be. Now considered a cult classic and one of the most bizarre horror films of its time

 

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

Horror Channel unveils an unholy host of premieres for November

Long weekends just got scarier as Horror Channel announces eleven premieres for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights across November, including five UK TV premieres, three by emerging female directors.

Being shown for the first time on the small screen are Elle Callahan’s allegorical paranormal thriller WITCH HUNT, Amelia Moses’ lyrical lycanthrope horror BLOODTHIRSTY and Coralie Fargeat’s directorial debut, the slickly gruesome REVENGE. Also getting their first showings on TV are Nicolas Pesce’s smartly sadistic PIERCING and John Berardo’s subversive slasher INITIATION.

Neil Marshall makes a welcome return with the channel premiere of DOOMSDAY, as do The Soska Sisters, with the channel premiere of their stand-out body horror hit AMERICAN MARY. Plus, there is a channel premiere for Katie Aselton’s intense battle-of-the-sexes thriller BLACK ROCK and for three remakes – the 2009 version of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, with Wes Craven in a producing role, the 2007 version of THE HITCHER, with Sean Bean reprising the Rutger Hauer role and the 2014 version of erotic thriller THE LOFT, again directed by Erik Van Looy and starring Karl Urban.

Full film details in transmission order:

Friday 5 November @ 21:00 – WITCH HUNT (2021) *UK TV Premiere
Witch trials have come to life in modern day America and no one is safe from persecution or execution. Claire (Gideon Adlon) and her mother (Elizabeth Mitchell) are part of an underground movement in charge of ferrying women accused of witchcraft to safety. All is well in their world until a new charge brings the witch hunters to their door. Will they escape with their lives or will they also be charged with the ungodly crime of being a witch?

Friday 5 November @ 23:00 – PIERCING (2018) *UK TV Premiere
Reed (Christopher Abbott) is going on a business trip, but in lieu of a suitcase filled with clothes, he's packed a toothbrush and a murder kit. Everything is meticulously planned: check into a hotel and kill an unsuspecting victim. Only then will he rid himself of his devious impulses and continue to be a good husband and father. But Reed gets more than he bargained for with Jackie (Mia Wasikowska), an alluring call girl who arrives at his room.

Saturday 6 November @ 22:45 – DOOMSDAY (2008) *Channel Premiere
In this action-packed thriller from writer/director Neil Marshall (The Descent), authorities brutally quarantine a country as it succumbs to fear and chaos when a virus strikes. The literal walling-off works for three decades--until the dreaded Reaper virus violently resurfaces in a major city. Starring Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, and Malcolm McDowell.

Sunday 7 November @ 21:00 – BLACK ROCK (2012) *Channel Premiere
Three childhood friends set aside their personal issues and reunite for a girls' weekend on a remote island off the coast of Maine. One wrong move turns their weekend getaway into a deadly fight for survival. Stars Katie Aselton, Lake Bell and Kate Bosworth

Friday 12 November @ 23:05 – AMERICAN MARY (2012) *Channel Premiere
Medical student Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle) becomes increasingly disenchanted by the school she studies at and the established doctors she once admired. The allure of easy money to solve her debt problems sends her into the twilight world of body modification and underground surgeries where obsessed flesh artists will pay anything to get their unusual procedures done. But Mary finds that her new ‘profession’ leaves more marks on her own psyche than on her freakish clientele. Also stars Jen and Sylvia Soska.
 

Saturday 13 November @ 22:50 – THE HITCHER (2007) *Channel Premier
When two travellers pick up a hitcher on the side of the road, they immediately discover that their worst fears have come true - this Hitcher is a murderous psychopath. However, it's only after the young couple barely escape with their lives that the real trouble begins. A new take on the 1986 classic starring Sean Bean.

Sunday 14 November @ 21:00 – THE LOFT (2014) *Channel premiere
Five married men conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft in the city - a place where they can indulge in their deepest extramarital fantasies. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realise one of the group must be involved. Stars Karl Urban and James Marsden.

Friday 19 November @ 21:00 – BLOODTHIRSTY (2020) *UK TV Premiere
When an offer to record with one of the greatest music producers of all time comes along, singer Grey can’t refuse. Moving cross country to record her new album in a remote location, Grey begins to realise there’s a beastly secret lurking within her new home. Will her own humanity be the price for fame and how much blood will be shed to secure a hit?

Friday 19 November @ 22:40 – REVENGE (2017) *UK TV Premiere
Three wealthy married men get together for their annual hunting game in a desert canyon. One of them is accompanied by his young mistress, who quickly arouses the interest of the two others, and things get dramatically out of hand.

Saturday 27 November @ 22:30 – THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (2009) *Channel Premiere
This remake brings one of the most notorious thrillers of all time to a new generation, as it explores how far two ordinary people will go to exact revenge on the sociopaths who harmed their child. As producer, Wes Craven revisits the landmark film that launched his directing career and influenced decades of horror films to follow:

Sunday 28 November @ 22:55 – INITIATION (2020) *UK TV Premiere
One night, at Whiton University, a star-athlete is murdered in the wake of a buried assault allegation, kicking off a spree of social media-linked slayings. As a masked killer targets students across campus, a trio of sorority sisters race to uncover the truth behind the school's hidden secrets - and the horrifying meaning of an exclamation point - before they become the next victims.

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

Horror Channel presents a Classic Horror Halloween weekend on 30-31 October.

 

Famous monsters rise again! To celebrate the Halloween weekend on Sat 30 October and Sunday 31st October, Horror Channel presents CLASSIC HORROR HALLOWEEN, two diabolical daytime marathons highlighted by five channel premieres, including BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, the celebrated sequel to the 1931 classic with Boris Karloff reprising his role as the monster, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN, featuring the original Wolfman, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster, THE INVISIBLE MAN, in which Claude Rains delivers a remarkable performance in his screen debut, Christy Cabanne’s frightening chiller masterpiece THE MUMMY’S HAND and REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, the sequel to Universal's fabulously successful The Creature from the Black Lagoon, which is also part of the weekend’s monstrous menu.

Other immortal classics featured are Ted Browning and Karl Freund’s DRACULA, starring Bela Lugosi as the infamously seductive Count, James Whale’s genre-defining FRANKENSTEIN, starring Boris Karloff, Karl Freund’s mesmerising THE MUMMY, with Boris Karloff further establishing himself as one of the great horror stars in film history, THE WOLF MAN, with Lon Chaney, Jr. as the original werewolf and the pulp horror classic CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON.

Full film details in transmission order:

Sat 30 October @ 13:00 – DRACULA (1931)

This horror classic stands as the most famous and celebrated film version of the popular vampire story. Bela Lugosi delivers a star-making performance as the titular villain – his erudite, refined Dracula is at once alluring and terrifying. While director Tod Browning an effectively and haunting atmosphere. Also stars Edward Van Sloan as Dracula’s arch enemy, vampire-hunter Van Helsing.

Sat 30 Oct @ 14:30 – FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

Considered by many to be the greatest horror film of all time, director James Whale’s masterpiece tells the story of a maniacal scientist whose obsession with creating a living being from dead body parts leads to a tragic and shocking end. Adapted from the gothic novel by Mary Shelley, the film made Karloff a star and ushered in a new era of horror. It’s been selected by many critics as one of the top hundred films of all time.

Sat 30 Oct @ 15:55 – BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) *Channel Premiere

This celebrated sequel to the 1931 classic finds Mary Shelley's monster alive and well and forcing the good baron to create a mate. Horror film icon Boris Karloff reprises his role as Dr. Frankenstein's fabled creation and Elsa Lanchester co-stars as his monstrous lady love.

Sat 30 Oct @ 17:25 – THE WOLF MAN (1941)

Lon Chaney, Jr. is the original Wolf Man, forever cursed to roam the countryside as a werewolf. The atmospheric direction and moody soundtrack make "The Wolf Man" as frightening today as it was when it was released. This chilling film introduces another iconic character into the pantheon of classic horror film monsters and villains.

Sat 30 Oct @ 18:50 – FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN  (1943) *Channel Premiere

Two of the silver screen's most fearsome creatures battle it out when the Wolfman (Lon Chaney reprising his role) seeking to end his curse, looks to the notorious Dr Frankenstein for a cure. However, his mission pus him on a collision course with Frankenstein’s monster, played by Bela Lugosi.

Sun 31 Oct @ 13:00 – THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) *Channel Premiere

Claude Rains plays a mysterious doctor who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, Rains arrives at a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discovery. But the same drug that renders him invisible slowly drives him to commit acts of unspeakable terror. Based on H.G. Wells' classic novel and directed by the master of macabre James Whale, The Invisible Man not only fuelled a host of sequels, but also features some special effects that are still imitated today.

Sun 31 Oct @ 14:25 – THE MUMMY (1932)

Boris Karloff solidifies his status as one of the greatest horror stars in film history with his terrifying yet surprisingly poignant performance as high priest as Imhotep, a 3,700 year old mummy who wreaks havoc upon the members of the British field expedition that disturbed his tomb. Featuring ground-breaking innovations in make-up that are used to chilling effects, the film earns its place in the canon of classic horror cinema.

Sun 31 Oct @ 15:55 – THE MUMMY’S HAND (1940) *Channel Premiere

Two broke archaeologists, Steve Banning (Dick Foran) and Babe Jenson (Wallace Ford), head to Egypt to uncover the legendary sarcophagus of Princess Ananka. Not only is the tomb cursed, it has its own guard - an eternal mummy named Kharis! When expedition members start dying at the mummy’s hand, it’ll take wits and courage to survive the undying horror uncovered under the sands.

Sun 31 Oct @ 17:15 CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)

American scientists get more than they bargained for on an amazon expedition when a dark tributary turns up a prehistoric man with gills. The half man/half amphibian breaks free after being captured, stealing away the only woman on the crew. This well-crafted creature feature introduces us to one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time.

Sun 31 Oct @ 18:50 REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (1954) * Channel Premiere

Two oceanographers (John Bromfield and Robert B. Williams) capture the creature and put him on display. Here the hapless Gill-Man is taught a few words of English by compassionate ichthyologists, John Agar and Lori Nelson. Eventually, however, the creature reverts to type, kills one of his captors and goes on a rampage, managing to abduct the heroine and carry her off. Intense underwater photography and practical effects make "The Revenge of the Creature" a horror classic.

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