Peter Strickland, a leading voice in British horror, returns to cinemas in June 2022 with his new horror-comedy Flux Gourmet. Strickland's enigmatic style of horror storytelling has been a mainstay of British cinema in recent times, but alongside many of his contemporaries in the genre, his most popular films with critics emerged in the 2010s.
The 2010s was, in many respects, a groundbreaking decade for British horror, and with distribution companies such as A24 pushing new and provocative styles of horror filmmaking, the British horror film has become world-renowned once again after its heyday in the 1970s. From the haunting trappings of rural verdant landscapes to gritty visions of dystopian apocalypse, British horror of the 2010s has been beloved and championed by critics worldwide.
Apostle (2018) - 79%
Welsh director Gareth Evans made a name for himself directing the cult-classic The Raid franchise, but 2018's Apostle saw a remarkable change in tone for the filmmaker. Apostle is a throwback to the distinctive voices that emerged during the genesis of the 1970s British folk horror scene.
Paying homage to films such as Witchfinder General and The Wicker Man, Apostle follows the story of a man who travels to a remote Welsh island that is governed according to archaic theocratic law in order to rescue his sister from a cult. The movie is a blood-drenched fright-fest that rarely loses its momentum and was looked upon favorably by critics.
In Fear (2013) - 81%
There is something about the British countryside that has fascinated directors of horror films for generations and Jeremy Lovering's In Fear took a well-worn slasher movie concept and placed it within a pastoral setting. Lovering's intriguing take on a cat-and-mouse stalker horror is a thrilling film that rarely lets up in suspense.
The movie follows a couple who take a wrong turn on the way to a music festival and are put through a hellish ordeal by a violent assailant. In Fear was generally well-received by critics upon its release and is a fine example of what can be achieved on a shoe-string budget.
Under The Skin (2013) - 84%
Starring Scarlett Johansson as an extra-terrestrial who feeds off the bodies of her lovers, Jonathan Glazer's Under The Skin is a remarkable movie that was released towards the beginning of A24's emergence as a powerhouse in indie-film distribution.
Glazer's previous work, including the Ben Kingsley starring Sexy Beast, has granted the director considerable gravitas within filmmaking circles, and his hauntingly methodical approach in making Under The Skin made for an exhilarating viewing experience. Needless to say, the movie was universally well-received by critics and to this day is still highly regarded in the horror genre.
Sightseers (2012) - 85%
Ben Wheatley's sophomore film Kill List, released in 2011, gripped audiences with its original take on the folk horror sub-genre, and it established the director as an exciting new voice in British cinema. His third film, a collaboration with its two leading actors Steve Oram and Alice Lowe, Sightseers, is a horror-comedy that is unrelenting in its gruesome hilarity.
Sightseers follows a fledgling romance between two misfits who develop a taste for murder on a sightseeing camper-van holiday. In the movie, Wheatley takes a traditional Bonnie And Clyde concept and imprints it with a distinct Britishness where horror and comedy set-pieces become meshed together to glorious effect.
Berberian Sound Studio (2012) - 85%
Peter Strickland's second feature film Berberian Sound Studio is a sensory nightmare that is at once claustrophobic in design and far-reaching in scope. The movie bewitched critics with its art-house flare at the time of its release, and continues to be namechecked in conversations regarding both the horror genre and British film as a whole.
The movie, which stars Toby Jones as a technician who is tasked with engineering the soundtrack to a horror movie, pays homage to the video nasty films of the 1970s and even takes some of its cues from classic Italian Giallo horror.
The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) - 85%
No British zombie movie will likely top Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later in the annals of critically revered horror, but Colm McCarthy's visceral and unflinching The Girl With All The Gifts has garnered plenty of critical acclaim since its release in 2016.
The movie is set in a familiar dystopian world that is reeling from a virus that has turned much of the population into flesh-eating zombies. However, a select few children who have managed to stymy the virus' ability to challenge perceptive thought are carefully monitored by British soldiers in the hope of finding a cure. The Girl With All The Gifts takes a conventional zombie story and puts a humanist spin on it and was a critical hit as a result.
Ghost Stories (2017) - 85%
Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson's 1960s-inspired portmanteau horror movie Ghost Stories is a nightmarish experimental masterpiece of contemporary horror that is distinctly British in design. The movie is an adaptation of Nyman's own stage play of the same name and sees the director reprise his starring role from the theatre production.
Ghost Stories is an anthology movie that was well received by the majority of critics upon its release and was praised for its ambitious restyling of traditional British Amicus Production movies. Nyman and Dyson's film is a low-budget horror gem and well worth digging out for repeat viewings.
A Field In England (2013) - 86%
Ben Wheatley followed his 2012 movie Sightseers with the abrasive and elliptical nightmare A Field In England. The movie could not have been more of a departure from Sightseers in tone, but despite polarizing audiences, it was an overwhelming critical success in 2013.
A Field In England explored conventional folk horror tropes that are preoccupied with what is buried within the land, and the ordeal its cast of characters suffer is a primitive smorgasbord of terror. Wheatley's film remains largely unclassifiable, but its ability to confuse and horrify in equal measure cannot be disputed.
Prevenge (2016) - 91%
Following her writing credit and starring role in Ben Wheatley's Sightseers, Alice Lowe's directorial debut Prevenge is a sublime slice of British horror that follows a pregnant woman (played by Lowe) whose murderous proclivities are exposed by her unborn fetus.
Prevenge is far too dark to be considered simply a black comedy, but it does mix comedic elements into its narrative with fantastic effect. Lowe's movie was adored by critics who praised her inventiveness and earmarked Lowe as one to watch in filmmaking discourses.
In Fabric (2018) - 91%
After Berberian Sound Studio announced Peter Strickland as one of the foremost voices in British cinema, the director continued his work in the horror genre with 2018's remarkable In Fabric. Similar to Berberian Sound Studio, In Fabric borrowed heavily from pulp Giallo cinema of the 1970s.
Critics raved about In Fabric at the time of release and the movie has subsequently received a 'certified fresh' accumulated score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie follows a fated red dress, which afflicts misery on its owner when worn. If Strickland's new film is anywhere near as good as In Fabric, audiences will be in for a horror-tinged treat.