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English Gothic: Classic Horror Cinema, 1897-2015
English Gothic was the first book to trace horror cinema from the 1890s right through to the end of the 20th century. Now it comes complete with an assessment of the remarkable renaissance enjoyed by British horror in the 21st century. This deluxe new hardback edition features a comprehensive section on television horror, a foreword by genre star Barbara Shelley and a wealth of new illustrations.
- GenresFilmNonfictionHorror
384 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 11, 2017
A revamp of Rigby’s previous edition, which looked at the slow rise and decline of the British horror film industry in the 20th century, this 2015 update of English Gothic adds a chapter on the flourishing of Brit horror films in the 21st century, as well as an appendix looking at horror on TV.
Like Kim Newman’s Nightmare Movies, English Gothic threatens to overwhelm you, at times, with the sheer number of films mentioned. In a book that sets out to present the history of British horror film by film, this can lead to a certain amount of readerly exhaustion, as Rigby (necessarily) presents a welter of facts, doing his best to provide links and brief critical comments. (Which are certainly not dry, as in this: “Long used to dovetailing a distinguished theatrical career with his cinema status as the poor man’s Vincent Price, Gough was over 50 by this stage and his face had taken on the leathery, watchful look of an unblinking lizard…”)
It’s evident Rigby has seen all the films he mentions, and has a real feel for the genre, both its artistic heights and its gruesome, guilty-pleasure depths. (One of the themes running through the book — particularly evident in the review quotes Rigby provides for the 100 films he highlights as key moments in British horror — is how much UK film critics reviled homegrown horror films simply for the fact of their being horror, whereas US critics were happy to praise a good film whatever its genre.)
I think, having read English Gothic from cover to cover, I might have been happier with a straightforward film-by-film reference book, perhaps with a short chapter on the general outline of the commercial and critical fortunes of the British horror film industry. Still, Rigby’s book is an achievement, and a welcome addition to my shelves. I now have a rather long list of films I have to see…
Like Kim Newman’s Nightmare Movies, English Gothic threatens to overwhelm you, at times, with the sheer number of films mentioned. In a book that sets out to present the history of British horror film by film, this can lead to a certain amount of readerly exhaustion, as Rigby (necessarily) presents a welter of facts, doing his best to provide links and brief critical comments. (Which are certainly not dry, as in this: “Long used to dovetailing a distinguished theatrical career with his cinema status as the poor man’s Vincent Price, Gough was over 50 by this stage and his face had taken on the leathery, watchful look of an unblinking lizard…”)
It’s evident Rigby has seen all the films he mentions, and has a real feel for the genre, both its artistic heights and its gruesome, guilty-pleasure depths. (One of the themes running through the book — particularly evident in the review quotes Rigby provides for the 100 films he highlights as key moments in British horror — is how much UK film critics reviled homegrown horror films simply for the fact of their being horror, whereas US critics were happy to praise a good film whatever its genre.)
I think, having read English Gothic from cover to cover, I might have been happier with a straightforward film-by-film reference book, perhaps with a short chapter on the general outline of the commercial and critical fortunes of the British horror film industry. Still, Rigby’s book is an achievement, and a welcome addition to my shelves. I now have a rather long list of films I have to see…
May 7, 2020
Possibly it’ll be better to dip into this fantastic, incredibly comprehensive guide to the whole of British horror cinema. I read it all the way through in one though and it just made me realise how many films I really, really have to see.
October 5, 2018
After having finished Jonathan Rigby’s exceptional book, EURO GOTHIC, I expected ENGLISH GOTHIC to be more of the same ... which would have made it indispensable to the horror movie fan. Yet, I am extremely pleased to report that it is even better. Jonathan Rigby is firmly on familiar, home ground, so his knowledge and comments are even more extensive.
Since the writer provides his opinion on the majority of productions, the Reader is bound to find points of contention. For instance, he once more “spotlights”certain films, but there is no consistency in quality. DEAD OF NIGHT does not receive the spotlight treatment ... I’m guessing because of the comedy segment departing from horror ... but, he does spotlight films that he admits aren’t that good, such as CAT GIRL, DOCTOR BLOOD’S COFFIN and CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR. (He also appears to have quite an admiration for Barbara Shelley ... which makes all kinds of sense to me ... and a dismissive attitude toward Lon Chaney, Jr. which does not.)
Rigby has updated this edition with the revival of horror films in Great Britain. Being a new section, it is straight narrative and commentary with nothing “spotlighted.” Also, the word “Appendix” often is a cue to the Reader that the section can be skipped. There are two of them here, and the horror fan will not want to skip either one as they list films that were borderline horror (and not included in the main writing) and horror on British television. Both of these are well worth the read.
Once more, although I like to think of myself as well-versed in these horror movies, I learned so very much. Several films were also added to my “must watch” list, and one was purchased because the plot seemed so intriguing even though he said it wasn’t very well done.
ENGLISH GOTHIC disappeared from print very quickly ... yet another indication of its value. As I write this in October of 2018, a used copy from booksellers is costing $764.00 while a brand new copy can be well over $1000.00. If you are interested in a copy, but you don’t want to mortgage your house for the privilege of reading it, wait until December. Marcus Hearn of the publishing house, Signum Books, sent me an email indicating that it will again be available then.
ENGLISH GOTHIC receives my highest recommendation.
Since the writer provides his opinion on the majority of productions, the Reader is bound to find points of contention. For instance, he once more “spotlights”certain films, but there is no consistency in quality. DEAD OF NIGHT does not receive the spotlight treatment ... I’m guessing because of the comedy segment departing from horror ... but, he does spotlight films that he admits aren’t that good, such as CAT GIRL, DOCTOR BLOOD’S COFFIN and CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR. (He also appears to have quite an admiration for Barbara Shelley ... which makes all kinds of sense to me ... and a dismissive attitude toward Lon Chaney, Jr. which does not.)
Rigby has updated this edition with the revival of horror films in Great Britain. Being a new section, it is straight narrative and commentary with nothing “spotlighted.” Also, the word “Appendix” often is a cue to the Reader that the section can be skipped. There are two of them here, and the horror fan will not want to skip either one as they list films that were borderline horror (and not included in the main writing) and horror on British television. Both of these are well worth the read.
Once more, although I like to think of myself as well-versed in these horror movies, I learned so very much. Several films were also added to my “must watch” list, and one was purchased because the plot seemed so intriguing even though he said it wasn’t very well done.
ENGLISH GOTHIC disappeared from print very quickly ... yet another indication of its value. As I write this in October of 2018, a used copy from booksellers is costing $764.00 while a brand new copy can be well over $1000.00. If you are interested in a copy, but you don’t want to mortgage your house for the privilege of reading it, wait until December. Marcus Hearn of the publishing house, Signum Books, sent me an email indicating that it will again be available then.
ENGLISH GOTHIC receives my highest recommendation.
June 27, 2014
Interesting and infuriating book. It gives due credit to glorious photography, sets and atmosphere of early Hammer films, and it is indeed exhaustive, but sadly writer is, well, Rigby. He´s motto seems to be "Don´t trust in anyone over 30!" and thus takes awfully seriously great silly fun like Taste the blood of Dracula and Granny-made-me-do-it-tosh like Sorcerers (because violent young scum are really forced to do crimes by grannies?), while sympathizing sex murderer of Vampire Circus just because she is young and pretty. Juvenile cesspool of his "observations" is peppered with rants against Milton Subotsky, head of Hammer rivals Amicus, in every opportunity because - God knows why! Subotsky was "jealous" of Hammer, claims Rigby (how does he know that?) using a vocabulary of a teenaged girl - perhaps Rigby is "hater"? Afterword is pointless babbling about right and wrong porn and horror fans from trash and soft core scribbler David McGillivray, the man who co-wrote horror movie Schizo spreading misinformation about schizophrenia. Apparently even reading the meaning of the word schizophrenia from a dictionary was too much task for his porn-and-gore stuffed brain. WHY these genre critics - David Pirie, Philip Hardy - are so insufferable?
December 21, 2018
Absolutely essential reading (or browsing) for anyone with an interest in the topic. I honestly thought I had seen most British horror films from the mid-1950s through about 1975 but there are dozens of titles here that are new to me, and even more undiscovered chills from the years before and after the "Golden Age." Rigby presents the material chronologically and sets it against the changes in economic and political fortune in the UK, so the films function as a sort of social gloss on the islands' modern history. The featured films are discussed in detail and often accompanied by hilarious, blue-snouted critical comments from the times of their release. We get the film histories of actors, directors, and studios in meticulous detail. The last chapter of the book is even more interesting because it's a history of all things weird on British TV, much of the material lost to time but some of the best shows and series available on YouTube today. Rigby has written histories of US, British, and European horror. I've read the latter two and will get to the US volume soon. I can only hope he does a similar book on Asia and other spooky corners of the globe. A fantastic book in every sense of the word.
June 16, 2020
Rigby breaks down horror history in England really well, each chapter as a chunk of time and a corresponding argument about what horror was doing and where it was going. When he gets to the eighties and nieties, he doesn't shy away like many other books that see this period as a wasteland in British horror. He brings up the huge hits like "Hellraiser" alongside less well-known films like "Beg!". The book builds a good bridge over the decades to follow and is easy to follow.
A small point: The gothic is the focus, so sometimes the non-gothic movies are left out or stretched to fit gothic, but the timeline and arch of gothic horror is the focus of the book and it does that really well. I like Rigby as a writer and historian a lot and it's an engaging well-researched book.
A small point: The gothic is the focus, so sometimes the non-gothic movies are left out or stretched to fit gothic, but the timeline and arch of gothic horror is the focus of the book and it does that really well. I like Rigby as a writer and historian a lot and it's an engaging well-researched book.
May 31, 2020
It's a very detailed look at the history of the English horror cinema. While well written it is still done in a textbook manner. It's filled with wonderful nuggets of information and highlights the ups and downs of British horror. I read an updated version so while the original book ended on a down note, this version has another section showing the reemergence of British horror. I found a few movies I hadn't heard of and can't wait to dive into. Because of the price and the way it is presented this book is not for the casual fan but movie fanatics will love.
April 9, 2022
An exhaustive (and at times exhausting) survey of British horror cinema is absolutely fascinating for a horror fan with an interest in film history. The chronological approach can be tiring and a bit more variation would have been appreciated. Because the survey is so exhaustive, it also tends towards brief accounts even for the most significant films, so those looking for more in-depth studies of specific films should look elsewhere. Regardless, it is still highly recommended and, as an overview of the genre, would be extremely hard to beat.
October 17, 2025
It's an interesting book, but rather than situating UK produced horror within the Gothic tradition, it tends to mention any horror film ever made in the U.K. Nevertheless, I think cinephiles could still find it quite useful
January 30, 2021
Flawless!! A treasure trove for all horror fans!
Want to read
June 10, 2024Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched
May 24, 2011
An exhaustive, breathless and highly entertaining run through the complete history of British horror cinema. Rigby covers somewhere in the area of 500 films and sets aside a little over 100 as especially noteworthy, and chances are the horror completist will want to add every one to the "watch" pile. Interestingly, the book ends just before British horror made a huge resurgence with "28 Days Later"-- maybe an updated edition or a sequel is in the works? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
February 1, 2010
A loving and sardonic history of British horror movies. Not my strongest genre, to be sure, but this one pointed my towards some movies to put in my queue, and not just the lesbian vampire movies.
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September 11, 2014Capsule reviews of just about every British Horror film from the 1940s to the 1980s. Great reference material.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews