Between the 20th and
25th February, the Barbican Centre in London paid tribute to 'the studio that
dripped blood' - Amicus.
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For twenty years
Amicus produced the kind of horror movies that, along with the better known
Hammer studio, characterised Britain's world domination of the genre. Helmed by
producer Max Rosenberg and screenwriter Milton Subotsky, the studio produced 30
films and recruited directors such as Freddie Francis, William Friedkin and Roy
Ward Baker along with in-front-of-camera talent with stars Peter Cushing,
Christopher Lee, Joan Collins, Ralph Richardson and Vincent Price, amongst
others.
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The season kicked
off with The House That Dripped Blood with star Ingrid Pitt and director Peter
Duffell on hand to share a few memories. Other films in the season included: Dr
Terror's House of Horrors, The Land That Time Forgot, Scream and Scream Again,
Tales From The Crypt, And Now The Screaming Starts, The Birthday Party,
Madhouse, The Psychopath, Asylum, I Monster and The Beast Must
Die.Â
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Though a few
of the prints were scratchy and had seen better days, it rather added to the
nostalgic quality of the season! Â
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If all that has whet your appetites for blood, you can read
more about Amicus in the new book The Shepperton Story by Cinema Retro columnist Gareth Owen, who writes the Pinewood Past section in every issue. The book will be published in March,
by The History Press. There is a chapter devoted to the Amicus films.Â
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The Shepperton Story
ISBN: 978-0752449708
Price £25
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