THE WATCH LIST WITH Prano Bailey-Bond
“I love a film that delivers a pure emotion and this is one of those filmS.”
A throwback to the ‘video nasties’ of the 1980s Britain, Bailey-Bond’s debut film Censor was the cult-horror hit of 2021.
For her edition of The Watch List, we asked the Welsh director which five video nasties we should start our education with…
1. The Witch Who Came From The Sea (1976)
“The hidden gem of the ‘video nasty’ list. A woozy, nightmarish film about a woman suffering from the trauma of her childhood sexual abuse, and how she deals with that in her adult sex life. Smart, strange and authentic.”
2. The Texas Chain saw Massacre (1974)
“One of the better known ‘video nasties’ and it’s pure dread. I love a film that delivers a pure emotion and this is one of those films. Total terror. The sound design and music give you no respite - it’s the film equivalent of running your nails down a blackboard, but in a really good way.”
3. Suspiria (1977)
“Dario Argento has cited Disney films as an inspiration for his approach to colour in this film and I love that. Colour-wise, this is the most beautiful and outrageous of the ‘video nasties’. Place that alongside the incredible, evocative score by Goblin and this becomes one of the most glorious films to witness on the big screen.”
4.
THE THING (1982)
“This is brilliantly crafted, fun horror and it always blows my mind that it was badly received when it was first released. It’s wildly inventive and the effects are out of this world. It’s a crazy rollercoaster ride, engaging the audience at every moment, and that in itself is surely an inspiration for any horror filmmaker.”
5. THE Evil Dead (1981)
“I was obsessed with this film as a teenager because it’s so much fun and so gory and creepy. I also riffed on it in my short film Nasty, with the main fictional ‘video nasty’ in that being titled EVIL DAD.”
Honourable mentions go to:
POSSESSION (1981)
DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)
THE BEYOND (1981)
RABID (1977)
NIGHTMARE IN A DAMAGED BRAIN (1981)
Started as a way to end our scrolling during the first COVID-19 lockdown, The Watch List is a series of film recommendations handpicked for you by those in the know - actors, directors, filmmakers and writers whose work has been inspired by the films that came before them.