Killer’s Moon
Encyclopedia
Killer's Moon is a 1978 British horror film written and directed by Alan Birkinshaw
, with uncredited dialogue written by his novelist sister, Fay Weldon
. In spite of its low budget, and other drawbacks, the film has gained a cult following.
and Norman J. Warren
were trying to spice up the much-derided genre of British horror films. These films would later be dubbed “New Wave” British horror, on account that they pushed the boundaries of taste as much as was possible within the British Board of Film Classification's strict regime and were set in modern day 1970s Britain and centered around 20-30 aged protagonists, differing them from the predominantly period piece horrors of Hammer Films Productions that had gone before. Alan Birkinshaw had begun his career in commercials, moving on to directing and producing Confessions of a Sex Maniac in 1974, and viewed making horror films as a natural progression. “we decided that the horror film (genre) was more up market than a sex comedy” he told Creeping Flesh in 2003. Birkinshaw's film has been cited as combinings elements of Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange
, the notorious American sleaze epic Carnal Madness
(which was released in Britain as The Sizzlers), and a low-rent, late-period Carry On film. Although he refutes that A Clockwork Orange was an influence, and it is unclear whether he has ever seen Carnal Madness. However by adding (faked) animal cruelty and the flippant treatment of rape, Birkinshaw created what was described in Matthew Sweet's book Shepperton Babylon as the most tasteless movie in British cinema history.
Killer's Moon was shot off season at Armathwaite Hall in the Lake District. The eclectic cast includes Hilda Braid
, David Jackson
, comedian Chubby Oates
, Jane Hayden and Hannah the three legged dog. Hannah the three legged dog in the film, was originally a pub dog who had lost a leg as the result of a shotgun wound sustained during an armed robbery. She was later awarded the doggy Victoria Cross
award for bravery.
The film was released in the Autumn of 1978 with the Charlton Heston/James Coburn film The Last Hard Men as a support feature, Killer's Moon also played in some cinemas as a supporting feature to the 1977 William Devane film Rolling Thunder.
Killer's Moon received a rare UK cinema screening in 2001 as part of the 'Ten Years of Terror' one-day film convention held at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London. The convention was a tie-in event for the publication of the book Ten Years of Terror: British Horror Films of the 1970s, which reprinted the Flesh and Blood review (“a film that flouts good taste and decency with crude bravado, remaining perversely entertaining”.)
Creeping Flesh, a book format look at horror and fantasy films published by Headpress in 2003 carried a lengthy article on the film (‘Hungry in a Dream’) followed by an interview with Alan Birkinshaw. Creeping Flesh was originally going to be titled Three Legged Dog, in honor of "Hannah, the pooch in Killer’s Moon", but the title was later changed because it was felt that the reference was too obscure. A motif of a three-legged dog, however, appears at the beginning of each chapter.
, Radio London DJ JoAnne Good
(who played one of the menaced schoolgirls) and moderator James Blackford. The film was passed uncut by the BBFC for the DVD releasehttp://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/EFF46A5804578CCD80257460004BD979?OpenDocument.
Birkinshaw was interviewed about the DVD release on JoAnne Good’s BBC Radio Show (27 June) where he mentioned he was “in talks” to write and direct Killer's Moon 2.
Georgina Kean, who played Agatha, currently lives in Chiswick, West London.
"Father says that white slavery is a myth. The market's been flooded with too many enthusiastic amateurs."
"You mean this criminal lunatic is walking around believing he is in a dream? In my dreams, I murder freely, pillage, loot and rape!"
"I'm just an innocent bystander, trying not to be as scared as you."
"Blood on the moon, one mangled dog, one missing axe, and a girl who's just found a body at the wrong end of the axe. How's that for the great British outdoors?"
"Of course it's a dream! And stuffed full of jailbait!"
"Why can't I dream of steak and chips, why does it have to be bread and cheese?"
Alan Birkinshaw
Alan Birkinshaw, FRGS, born in Auckland, New Zealand on 15 June 1944, is a British film director, writer, and producer in the arena of television and feature films....
, with uncredited dialogue written by his novelist sister, Fay Weldon
Fay Weldon
Fay Weldon CBE is an English author, essayist and playwright, whose work has been associated with feminism. In her fiction, Weldon typically portrays contemporary women who find themselves trapped in oppressive situations caused by the patriarchal structure of British society.-Biography:Weldon was...
. In spite of its low budget, and other drawbacks, the film has gained a cult following.
The plot
A coach full of schoolgirls breaks down in the Lake District, forcing the girls to take shelter for the night in a remote hotel. Meanwhile, strange and macabre things are happening to the locals (and their pets) and it is revealed that four escaped mental patients- Mr. Smith, Mr. Trubshaw, Mr. Muldoon and Mr. Jones -who have been dosed with LSD as part of their treatment, are roaming the area, convinced they are living a shared dream in which they are free to rape and murder - both of which they choose to do numerous times before the belated arrival of the police.Background and history
During the mid-to-late 1970s, maverick directors such as Pete WalkerPete Walker
Peter Brian Walker is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Walker is a graduate of East Lyme High School in East Lyme, Connecticut. He completed his college degree at Charter Oak State College. He attended the University of Connecticut and was drafted by the New York Mets...
and Norman J. Warren
Norman J. Warren
Norman John Warren, born 25 June 1942 in London, is a British film director best known for such 1970s horror films as Satan’s Slave , Prey and Terror...
were trying to spice up the much-derided genre of British horror films. These films would later be dubbed “New Wave” British horror, on account that they pushed the boundaries of taste as much as was possible within the British Board of Film Classification's strict regime and were set in modern day 1970s Britain and centered around 20-30 aged protagonists, differing them from the predominantly period piece horrors of Hammer Films Productions that had gone before. Alan Birkinshaw had begun his career in commercials, moving on to directing and producing Confessions of a Sex Maniac in 1974, and viewed making horror films as a natural progression. “we decided that the horror film (genre) was more up market than a sex comedy” he told Creeping Flesh in 2003. Birkinshaw's film has been cited as combinings elements of Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
, the notorious American sleaze epic Carnal Madness
Carnal Madness
Carnal Madness is a 1975 exploitation film directed by Gregory Corarito and starring the unlikely trio of Stephen Stucker, Bob Minor and Michael Pataki as three escaped mental patients wreaking havoc in a female detention center.-Plot:Stucker, Minor and Pataki are...
(which was released in Britain as The Sizzlers), and a low-rent, late-period Carry On film. Although he refutes that A Clockwork Orange was an influence, and it is unclear whether he has ever seen Carnal Madness. However by adding (faked) animal cruelty and the flippant treatment of rape, Birkinshaw created what was described in Matthew Sweet's book Shepperton Babylon as the most tasteless movie in British cinema history.
Killer's Moon was shot off season at Armathwaite Hall in the Lake District. The eclectic cast includes Hilda Braid
Hilda Braid
Hilda Braid was an English actress who had a long career on British television and became well known in her later years for playing Victoria "Nana" Moon in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders....
, David Jackson
David Jackson (British actor)
David Jackson was a British actor best known for his role as Olag Gan in the Blake's 7 first two seasons and as Detective Constable Braithwaite in Z Cars from 1972-1978...
, comedian Chubby Oates
Chubby Oates
Chubby Oates born Arthur Oates was a Cockney clubland comic and character actor.Born in Bermondsey South London Oates started out as a reporter for the South London Observer, he shared an office with future editor of The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie.In the evenings Oates began to perform as a comic and...
, Jane Hayden and Hannah the three legged dog. Hannah the three legged dog in the film, was originally a pub dog who had lost a leg as the result of a shotgun wound sustained during an armed robbery. She was later awarded the doggy Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
award for bravery.
The film was released in the Autumn of 1978 with the Charlton Heston/James Coburn film The Last Hard Men as a support feature, Killer's Moon also played in some cinemas as a supporting feature to the 1977 William Devane film Rolling Thunder.
Revival
The film's curious revival, if not exactly critical reappraisal, began in the late 1990s, when Killer's Moon began to receive write-ups in magazines like Flesh and Blood and Nekrofile: Cinema of the Extreme.Killer's Moon received a rare UK cinema screening in 2001 as part of the 'Ten Years of Terror' one-day film convention held at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London. The convention was a tie-in event for the publication of the book Ten Years of Terror: British Horror Films of the 1970s, which reprinted the Flesh and Blood review (“a film that flouts good taste and decency with crude bravado, remaining perversely entertaining”.)
Creeping Flesh, a book format look at horror and fantasy films published by Headpress in 2003 carried a lengthy article on the film (‘Hungry in a Dream’) followed by an interview with Alan Birkinshaw. Creeping Flesh was originally going to be titled Three Legged Dog, in honor of "Hannah, the pooch in Killer’s Moon", but the title was later changed because it was felt that the reference was too obscure. A motif of a three-legged dog, however, appears at the beginning of each chapter.
US and UK DVD Release
In 2008, Redemption Films released Killer's Moon on DVD in both the US and UK. The film was presented in a new remastered edition created from original materials and garnered critical acclaim . The release included a plethora of extras including director/cast interviews and an audio commentary featuring director Alan BirkinshawAlan Birkinshaw
Alan Birkinshaw, FRGS, born in Auckland, New Zealand on 15 June 1944, is a British film director, writer, and producer in the arena of television and feature films....
, Radio London DJ JoAnne Good
JoAnne Good
JoAnne Dorothy Good is a British radio presenter, television presenter, broadcast journalist and actor.-Actor:As an actor, she is best known for her role as Carol Sands in the ITV soap Crossroads from 1982 to 1984. She played a schoolgirl in the 1978 cult British horror film Killer's Moon, and...
(who played one of the menaced schoolgirls) and moderator James Blackford. The film was passed uncut by the BBFC for the DVD releasehttp://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/EFF46A5804578CCD80257460004BD979?OpenDocument.
Birkinshaw was interviewed about the DVD release on JoAnne Good’s BBC Radio Show (27 June) where he mentioned he was “in talks” to write and direct Killer's Moon 2.
Georgina Kean, who played Agatha, currently lives in Chiswick, West London.
Memorable quotes
"Look, you were only raped, as long as you don't tell anyone about it you'll be alright. You pretend it never happened, I'll pretend I never saw it and if we get out of this alive, well, maybe we'll both live to be wives and mothers""Father says that white slavery is a myth. The market's been flooded with too many enthusiastic amateurs."
"You mean this criminal lunatic is walking around believing he is in a dream? In my dreams, I murder freely, pillage, loot and rape!"
"I'm just an innocent bystander, trying not to be as scared as you."
"Blood on the moon, one mangled dog, one missing axe, and a girl who's just found a body at the wrong end of the axe. How's that for the great British outdoors?"
"Of course it's a dream! And stuffed full of jailbait!"
"Why can't I dream of steak and chips, why does it have to be bread and cheese?"