Why bygone horror matters...

Richard Gladman a.k.a Cyberschizoid  as part of his Classic Horror Campaign presented a horror double bill, Night of the Demon and Vampire Circus at the Roxy Bar and Screen, London. I'm not a 'blogger' as such nor can journalistically give the event as much credit it deserves. The man and his team (including Scare Sarah) have gone to the trouble not just to show great constructed films, and their stories and plots, but to demonstrate that these classic films should be shown, to excite and stimulate. Er, um, and this is why the BBC should show these classics again.

There's a big difference between watching a classic horror film with an audience to viewing it solo on TV. The red curtains, a darkened auditorium and an excitment in the air. It's great that people chose to go out and see a film. They haven't ordered a VHS or DVD, even a blu-ray, it's not just for an individual to enjoy. The individual choses the showing, to watch something as a collective and enjoy a cinematic experience. It was fantastic to meet a new faces and talents including Chris Regan and to catch up with my very own Blood Hunger screen writer Nornia Mackey. 

These classics have a huge following, they already have an interest but younger viewers possibly haven't been introduced. What was good about horror being shown on terrestrial TV is that you may settle down to watch something accidentally. The BBC exposed viewers to these horrors, broadening horizons indirectly igniting the imagination. Take a look at the trailer below...

Nostalgia aside a lot can be experienced and discovered with classic movies, not just horror. Although it's surprising how much a seed of and idea can create a tree...  Watching Night of the Demon (1957) arguably there are so many elements  that are reminiscent of Arturo Peres-Reverte paperback 'Club Dumas' which inspired, and was source material for Roman Polanski's 'The Ninth Gate'... had Peres-Reverte seen Night of the Demon? Did Polanski watch it? Who knows, but it's uncanny. My sibling was so surprised.

I'm partial to a great horror movie, especially because it's brings out our interest in the darker side, the almost unimaginable. The Classic Horror Campaigns aim is to bring classic horror back, to viewers new and old... So why not sign the petition?