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1970s
Britain and centered on 20-30 aged protagonists, differing them from the predominantly period piece horrors of Hammer Films Productions that had gone before. Alan Birkinshaw had begun his career in commercials, moving on to directing and producing Confessions of a Sex Maniac in 1974, and viewed making horror films as a natural progression. "we decided that the horror film (genre) was more up market than a sex comedy" he told
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has broken out in the hotel. Pete finds two other girls in their room, and helps them escape from an upstairs window. Agatha taunts Mr. Trubshaw, distracting him while her friends escape and hide in the woods. Pete attempts to lure Mr. Jones away from the girls, but he chases them and they become separated, eventually strangling one whom he corners against a lake.
571:(BBFC), particularly for its depiction of rape involving minors. Actress Jayne Lester, whose character is sexually assaulted in the film, was mandated by the BBFC to provide her birth certificate to prove she was over the age of 16 when the film was shot. Furthermore, the production company, Rothernorth Films, was ordered to provide proof that no
658:
on DVD in both the US and UK. The film was presented in a new remastered edition created from original materials and garnered critical acclaim. The release included a plethora of extras including director and cast interviews, as well as an audio commentary by director
Birkinshaw, actress JoAnne Good,
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Meanwhile, the other eight girls rehearse their recital before going to bed. Mary ventures downstairs where she finds Smith, Trubshaw, and
Muldoon having killed one of the chaperones. Another of the chaperones, Mrs. Hargreaves, finds Smith sexually assaulting Mary, but they kill her when she attempts
463:
were trying to spice up the much-derided genre of
British horror films. These films would later be dubbed "New Wave" British horror, on account that they pushed the boundaries of taste as much as was possible within the British Board of Film Classification's strict regime and were set in modern-day
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While Mike goes to retrieve a shotgun from his car, Pete travels on foot to the hotel, seeking help, and is confronted by Mr. Jones, who attacks him. Shortly after, the four assailants, still holding Mary captive, attempt to coax Anne, Elizabeth, and Agatha out of their room by shouting that a fire
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A fire breaks out in the basement, diverting the men and allowing the girls to flee with Mike, while Smith, now again believing he is in a dream, allows himself to burn to death. The girls are escorted to a barn by Mike, while Pete returns to the hotel to save Miss Lilac and obtain Mike's shotgun.
286:
After the girls are taken into the hotel, a gamekeeper is brutally murdered with a hatchet. Shortly after, Jones attacks one of the hotelkeepers, who manages to slash him across the face before he strangles her to death. Meanwhile, one of the girls, Sandy, discovers the gamekeeper's body in the
314:
At dawn, Miss Lilac, having regained consciousness, finds Smith's burnt corpse in the basement. Mike and Julie stumble upon the scene shortly after, finding
Muldoon clinging to Smith's body. Agatha accompanies the injured Pete back to the hotel. Pete, Agatha, Miss Lilac, Mike, and Julie, stand
302:
that the men had recently mutilated. Mike arrives and orders Sandy and Julie to depart toward the village. Mike reunites with Pete at the hotel where Smith, Trubshaw, and
Muldoon are raping Anne. Smith comes to the realization that the men are not in a dream, which he declares to Trubshaw and
31:
275:, forcing the girls to take shelter for the night in a remote hotel. Meanwhile, strange and macabre acts of violence are occurring to the locals and their pets, perpetrated by four escaped mental patients—Mr. Smith, Mr. Trubshaw, Mr. Muldoon and Mr. Jones—who have been dosed with
287:
woods, and encounters Mike, a benevolent tourist who is camping nearby with his friends, Julie, and the
American Pete. The two men attempt to calm Sandy, and subsequently find Julie in a disturbed state, having been attacked by the four escaped patients.
615:
received a rare UK cinema screening in 2001 as part of the 'Ten Years of Terror' one-day film convention held at the
Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London. The convention was a tie-in event for the publication of the book
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and Hannah the three legged dog. Hannah the three legged dog in the film, was originally a pub dog who had lost a leg as the result of a shotgun wound sustained during an armed robbery. She was later awarded the doggy
291:
to intervene, and incapacitate chaperone Miss Lilac in the process. Jones arrives at the hotel during the melee. Anne, Elizabeth, and Agatha, discovering the invasion, barricade themselves in their room.
307:
Pete is confronted by
Trubshaw, who shoots him, injuring him. Trubshaw chases Pete into the woods and attempts to stab him to death, but is killed by Agatha, who has come to his aid armed with a
642:", but the title was later changed because it was felt that the reference was too obscure. A motif of a three-legged dog, however, appears at the beginning of each chapter.
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during the making of the film, as it depicts the abuse and mutilation of a cat, as well as a three-legged dog. Once these requirements were met, the film was granted an
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film. However, by adding (faked) animal cruelty and the flippant treatment of rape, Birkinshaw created what was described in
Matthew Sweet's book
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in 2003 carried a lengthy article on the film (‘Hungry in a Dream’) followed by an interview with Alan Birkinshaw.
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Jones stumbles upon the campsite where a terrified Sandy and Julie hide in a tent, but is killed by a three-legged
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as a support feature. It also played in some cinemas as a supporting feature to the 1977 William Devane film
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Muldoon. Pete, meanwhile, hides the girls in the basement where the attackers soon locate them.
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as part of their treatment. The four men, roaming the area, are convinced they are living a
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and moderator James Blackford. The film was passed uncut by the BBFC for the DVD release.
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Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979
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in which they are free to engage in their demented fantasies of rape and murder.
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870:"From top to bottom Killer’s Moon gets a superb release from Redemption Films."
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in 2003. Birkinshaw's film has been cited as combinings elements of Kubrick's
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opened theatrically in London on 8 December 1978. It was screened alongside
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trip who are terrorized by four escaped psychiatric patients on
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Censoring the 1970s: The BBFC and the Decade that Taste Forgot
626:, a book format look at horror and fantasy films published by
252:
231:, with uncredited dialogue written by his novelist sister,
860:. 22 December 1978. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
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outside the hotel in a daze as a police officers arrives.
781:. 8 December 1978. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
455:
During the mid-to-late 1970s, maverick directors such as
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966:. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
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805:
801:. 8 December 1978. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
751:. 8 December 1978. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
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as the most tasteless movie in British cinema history.
688:
Ten Years Of Terror: British Horror Films of the 1970s
618:
Ten Years of Terror: British Horror Films of the 1970s
947:. Cambridge, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
817:
16:
1978 British horror film directed by Alan Birkinshaw
695:
Creeping Flesh Vol. 1: The Horror Fantasy Film Book
755:
504:in the Lake District. The eclectic cast includes
1057:
999:Review of the film from britishhorrorfilms.co.uk
670:under their Redemption Films sub-label in 2012.
271:A coach full of schoolgirls breaks down in the
916:"Killer's Moon - 1978 British Horror Thriller"
235:, and starring Anthony Forrest, Tom Marshall,
601:began to receive write-ups in magazines like
29:
251:. It follows a group of schoolgirls on a
914:Thompson, Nathaniel (21 February 2012).
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259:while staying in a remote hotel in the
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838:
826:
811:
508:, Jane Hayden (sister of cult actress
403:as Carol (credited as Christina Jones)
743:"Week commencing Sunday, 10 December"
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474:, the notorious American sleaze epic
961:
896:British Board of Film Classification
761:
638:, in honor of "Hannah, the pooch in
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569:British Board of Film Classification
13:
1186:English-language independent films
1141:Films about violence against women
708:
673:
634:was originally going to be titled
567:was met with controversy from the
480:(which was released in Britain as
14:
1197:
1146:Films directed by Alan Birkinshaw
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928:from the original on 17 May 2022.
1086:Animal cruelty incidents in film
681:Nekrofile: Cinema of the Extreme
607:Nekrofile: Cinema of the Extreme
1166:Obscenity controversies in film
883:
864:
587:
484:), and a low-rent, late-period
1156:Films set in the Lake District
1116:Films about child sexual abuse
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767:
1:
1106:English-language horror films
701:
645:
559:
450:
1171:1970s English-language films
1131:Films about mental disorders
1044:Lovelock and Load DVD review
852:"'Jaws 2' brings new terror"
779:Westminster and Pimlico News
7:
683:(Midnight Media Publishing)
10:
1202:
1091:British exploitation films
936:
793:"West London Cinema Guide"
592:
536:
1126:Films about hallucinogens
1096:British independent films
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176:8 December 1978
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50:
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1076:1970s exploitation films
1027:Mondo Digital DVD review
1022:Armathwaite Hall Website
227:written and directed by
1037:13 January 2010 at the
1004:21 October 2021 at the
962:Cook, David A. (2002).
877:13 January 2010 at the
500:was shot off season at
343:Alison Elliott as Sandy
318:
266:
1081:1978 independent films
1032:10k Bullets DVD review
721:British Film Institute
690:(FAB Press, Guildford)
662:It was re-released on
516:, future restaurateur
445:as Government Minister
1161:Films shot in Cumbria
1101:British slasher films
943:Barber, Sian (2011).
921:Turner Classic Movies
798:The Fulham Chronicle
693:Kerekes, David 2003
686:Fenton, Harvey 2001
1181:1970s slasher films
1176:1970s British films
1151:Films set in hotels
1111:Films about camping
1049:2 July 2008 at the
857:Kilmarnock Standard
841:, pp. 109–110.
814:, pp. 109–111.
728:on 26 October 2008.
597:In the late 1990s,
573:animals were harmed
533:award for bravery.
1121:Films about dreams
492:Shepperton Babylon
471:A Clockwork Orange
419:Elizabeth Counsell
415:as Mrs. Hargreaves
223:is a 1978 British
1071:1978 horror films
973:978-0-520-23265-5
954:978-1-443-83397-4
679:Jones, Alan 1997
583:Critical response
547:The Last Hard Men
300:Doberman Pinscher
243:, Nigel Gregory,
216:
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163:Rothernorth Films
154:Rothernorth Films
35:Theatrical poster
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1136:Films about rape
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899:. Archived from
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652:Redemption Films
636:Three Legged Dog
502:Armathwaite Hall
461:Norman J. Warren
401:Christine Winter
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603:Flesh and Blood
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553:Rolling Thunder
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518:Lisa Vanderpump
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439:as Psychiatrist
389:Lisa Vanderpump
367:as Mr. Trubshaw
326:Anthony Forrest
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249:Lisa Vanderpump
229:Alan Birkinshaw
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510:Linda Hayden
497:
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482:The Sizzlers
481:
475:
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431:Chubby Oates
407:Lynne Morgan
385:as Elizabeth
383:Jayne Lester
379:as Mr. Jones
361:as Mr. Smith
332:Tom Marshall
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289:
285:
281:shared dream
270:
225:slasher film
219:
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192:Running time
169:Release date
122:Arthur Lavis
86:Tom Marshall
18:
839:Barber 2011
827:Barber 2011
812:Barber 2011
697:(Headpress)
668:Kino Lorber
524:, comedian
522:Hilda Braid
514:JoAnne Good
457:Pete Walker
437:James Kerry
427:as Mrs. May
425:Hilda Braid
371:Paul Rattee
353:JoAnne Good
338:Jane Hayden
241:JoAnne Good
237:Jane Hayden
131:David White
104:JoAnne Good
91:Jane Hayden
59:Produced by
41:Directed by
1066:1978 films
1060:Categories
1012:UK Trailer
702:References
646:Home media
560:Censorship
451:Production
413:Jean Reeve
397:as Deirdre
233:Fay Weldon
196:90 minutes
180:1978-12-08
147:Production
762:Cook 2002
654:released
650:In 2008,
628:Headpress
443:Hugh Ross
349:as Agatha
128:Edited by
1047:Archived
1035:Archived
1002:Archived
926:Archived
875:Archived
666:through
577:X rating
487:Carry On
340:as Julie
209:Language
136:Music by
76:Starring
1017:YouTube
937:Sources
775:"Films"
664:Blu-ray
593:Revival
537:Release
391:as Anne
355:as Mary
334:as Mike
328:as Pete
212:English
201:Country
178: (
149:company
970:
951:
409:as Sue
309:sickle
253:choir
994:IMDb
968:ISBN
949:ISBN
605:and
459:and
319:Cast
267:Plot
247:and
1015:on
992:at
512:),
277:LSD
257:LSD
1062::
924:.
918:.
893:.
854:.
819:^
795:.
777:.
745:.
734:^
718:.
609:.
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556:.
520:,
311:.
263:.
239:,
976:.
957:.
182:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
