Gatiss visits the old Bates house...
I’ve been a fan of Mark Gatiss for a very long time – ever since my uni days, in fact, when I tuned in every week for a new installment of ‘On The Town With The League of Gentlemen’ (the dark comedy radio show that was later to take TV by storm). Since then I’ve come to admire his work, both as an actor and a writer in such pet projects as ‘Doctor Who’, the live remake of ‘The Quatermass Experiment’, ‘Sherlock’ and ’Crooked House’ (see my 2008 three-part interview with Mark over at the Horror Reanimated website where he speaks about his passion for the old Amicus portmanteau horror movies of the ’60s and ’70s - movies with titles like ’Dr Terror’s House of Horrors’ and ‘The House That Dripped Blood’!).
Since early childhood, Gatiss has always held a special place in his heart for all things macabre, and this love of horror has found its way into his work time and time again, from the eerie gaseous aliens of Doctor Who’s ‘The Unquiet Dead’ to the disturbing grotesques of Royston Vasey and the MR James tribute that is ‘Crooked House’.
Now Gatiss is presenting a 3-part programme for BBC Four (starts Monday 9pm) called A History of Horror in which he celebrates the greatest achievements of horror cinema. From Bela Lugosi’s Dracula (1931) right up to the the infamous Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Gatiss will explore every grisly twist and turn in the art of celluloid spine-tingling. I’m particularly looking forward to his interview with the recently deceased Gloria Stuart about her early role in James Whale’s ‘The Old Dark House’ ( a witty horror comedy from 1932), as well as interviews with legends like John Carpenter and his visit to the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s game-changing masterpiece ’Psycho‘! I’m sure that Gatiss will cover personal favourites like the shocking horror ‘musical’ ‘The Wicker Man’ and Robert Wise’s brilliant black-and-white haunted house movie ’The Haunting’, but I can’t wait to see what other gruesome gems he will unearth…
18/10/2010 at 9:21 am Permalink
Who is the bloke in the dinner jacket at the beginning of the trailer. It’s driving me mad trying to remember.
19/10/2010 at 11:31 am Permalink
Interesting to see your programe 18th. Oct. I started my career with Hammer in 1958, you were rght, once we left Bray the atmosphere was gone….so sad, but time moves on!!!!!! Frox……
19/10/2010 at 4:02 pm Permalink
Loving this History series , about time we had some Horror around Halloween time. Being a major fan of the Hammer Films I was intrigued by that wonderful looking shop Mark was in looking at the mags. Anyone know of its whereabouts ??
19/10/2010 at 8:36 pm Permalink
Andy,
It looks like Mark is at a collector’s fayre in the scene you describe – I took my six year old boy to one in Milton Keynes earlier in the year and we got our Star Wars books signed by Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker! It was held at the MK Dons Stadium and had a plethora of stalls with all that kind of gear on sale; film cells, models, memorabilia, fanzines and the like. I think Collectormania (the organisers) have a website with upcoming events and they usually have some cult film stars in attendance for signings and such. Free to get in, but watch out for the autograph fees – Peter Mayhew was £10 and I nearly fainted at what Patrick Stewart was charging for a handshake and a squiggle! Hope that helps…
20/10/2010 at 4:40 pm Permalink
Thanks , will check it out.
20/10/2010 at 4:47 pm Permalink
The guy in the DJ at the start of the programme is, I think, Peter Noble who was a well known film critic in the 50s and 60s.
I agree with the comments. The series is very good – don’t always agree with all of the conclusions that Mark G arrives at but always thought-provoking and inspiring.
Can’t wait for the third part.
20/10/2010 at 9:06 pm Permalink
Would LOVE this to get a DVD release
21/10/2010 at 10:13 am Permalink
i am curious as to the name of the music and the artist behind it used on the end credits for programme 1,but more particularly programme2 of a history of horror-please does someone know.
22/10/2010 at 12:42 pm Permalink
Richard,
The music at the end of episode two is by the Italian prog rock band Goblin, and was used by Dario Argento in Suspiria, It is I’m sure available as a sound track download.
The music to episode one escapes me at the moment although I do recognise it, may be someone else knows?
23/10/2010 at 3:25 pm Permalink
Hello,
is there a way to get the episodes on DVD ? I am from Germany, so I can’t watch it on BBC website.
Thanks for any help!
Nadir.
27/10/2010 at 11:18 am Permalink
Just watched the final episode of this fantastic series. I really think he missed out on an opportunity for a fourth episode (he skimmed through posters), looking at foreign horror films that capture some of the psychological aspects of early American and British horror particularly Japanese such as the Ring and the Grudge, and the fantastic spooky films by Guillermo del Toro. C’mon, let’s have some more!
27/10/2010 at 11:55 am Permalink
A thoroughly enjoyable series, although I think it finishes four years too early with “Halloween” in 1978. One year later the game-changing ‘Alien’ appeared, and then the early 1980s ushered in the ‘video nasty’ era. It would have been interesting for Gatiss to have dissected the media furore this caused, and to have compared them with the genuinely disturbing ‘torture p0rn’ that the ‘video nasty’ precipitated. I think finishing on “the Evil Dead” would have allowed him to make some interesting comparisons with the horror world today.
27/10/2010 at 11:55 pm Permalink
Interesting and enjoyable series, and I now feel like finding ‘Blood On Satan’s Claw,’ but as far as the third instalment is concerned, I agree with Spondit and would like to have seen him devote a little time at least to the early ’80′s. For one thing, it’s the decade that gave us ‘The Shining,’ and even (in light of Gatiss’ taste for portmanteau movies) ‘Creepshow.’
29/10/2010 at 10:46 pm Permalink
I really enjoyed these programmes. Just the right mix of clips and information. Really would love to see more though. Theres so many films that I want to know more about. Definately a great genre of film.
31/10/2010 at 8:29 pm Permalink
In ep 1 there is a haunting Violin piece played during the sequence on Bela Lugosi’s death…what is the name of it?
01/11/2010 at 11:37 am Permalink
Brilliant series!.
It was great to have a series that dealt with this series with the right mixture of affection and respect it deserves.
My only criticism, it should have been a longer series and given the opportunity to cover the genre in more detail right up to the present day.
Fingers crossed, a second more detailed extended series?, of course with Mark Gatiss again who shares my love and fascination with this style of film, particularly the vintage ones.
02/11/2010 at 1:38 am Permalink
Really enjoyed this series, and I too can identify with Gatiss in that I sneaked up to see many of the films featured late at night when I was supposed to be in bed.
One thing slightly puzzled me though. They used the magnificent theme tune from Suspiria at the end of episode 2 but yet that film didn’t get a mention in episode 3 (I had thought it might get mentioned alongside The Omen).
Another couple of suggestions that would have fitted in nicely to episode 2 would be The Abominable Dr Phibes and Theatre of Blood. My first horror film nightmares were due to the head rolling off the bed scene in Theatre of Blood! Then when you watch that movie again as an adult you realise it’s as much black comedy as it was horror and wonder to yourself why it originally scared you!
In episode 3 I had expected Friday The 13th and the very similar (but sicker) The Burning to get mentions, but Gatiss made it clear what his thoughts were on the video nasty slasher movies! And in fairness I agree with him that you probably do grow out of the gore movies somewhat and that Halloween is the best of that genre.
Anyway, well done Mark Gatiss and BBC4!