Short Sharp Shocks Vol. 4 Blu-ray
'Short Sharp Shocks Vol. 4' BFI 2-Disc Blu-ray | 12 films
A fourth compelling collection that revisits the heyday of the supporting programme with a compendium of eerie and eccentric British short films. Settle in for a strange cinematic journey through uncanny stories, twists in the tale, low-budget weirdness and oodles of atmosphere.
The Fatal Night (Mario Zampi, 1948):
A nightmarish tale of a man pledged to stay overnight in a Mayfair haunted house.
Death in the Hand (A. Barr-Smith, 1948):
Palmistry, predestination and the uncanny pervade this acclaimed feature that eerily paralleled a real-life tragedy.
Strange Experiences: Halloween Party and The Laughing Clown (Derick Williams, 1955/56):
Two peculiar microbudget episodes of unease from a long-forgotten television show.
Night Ride (Denis Meikle, 1967):
Bloody murder, psychedelic occultism and Cormanesque conflagrations collide in an ingenious 8mm love letter to gothic from a renowned horror historian.
Mirror Mirror (Gary Parsons, 1969):
An ostentatious amateur work crafted by horror aficionados from the Eastbourne Cine Group.
Scarecrow (John Sharrad, 1972):
Drought-stricken 1930s Ireland is the setting for this oddly unsung ecological bird-terror, folk-horror mood piece.
Red (Astrid Frank, 1976):
This boldly bloody, poetic horror of lusty travelling troubadours and obscene occult ritual just barely scraped past the BBFC.
Sanctum (Bill Davison, 1976):
Once banned, this edgy 8mm-shot exploration of dual personality and religious obsession re-emerges with an outstanding newly created score by The Begotten.
Play Safe: Frisbee and Play Safe: Electricity (David Eady, 1978):
Frightening, flares-afire Public Information Films from that most dangerous of decades: the 1970s.
Black Angel (Roger Christian, 1980):
Mistily set amid Scottish mountains, this dreamlike fighting-fantasy mini epic was handpicked by George Lucas to play before The Empire Strikes Back.
Special features include:
- Interview with Mario Zampi Jr., son of the director of The Fatal Night
- Interview with John Attfield, actor in Night Ride
- Behind-the-scenes of Night Ride
- Interview with Red writer and director Astrid Frank
- Images and ephemera from the personal collection of Astrid Frank
- Interview with Black Angel writer and director Roger Christian
- Rare images and ephemera from The Fatal Night, Death in the Hand, Sanctum and Black Angel
