It's time yet again for the BFI to dig deep into the vaults and provide us with a two disc Blu-ray collection of short subjects of a disquieting nature. Some of these played in cinemas, while others were seen on TV (and, in the case of the public information films, repeatedly) while a few are 8mm amateur pieces. I've reviewed all the volumes in the series so far and if you want to refresh your memory of what has been featured previously you can click on the following links:
Right! Let's see what we get this time around:
Disc One
The Fatal Night (1948)
Puse (opera singer Lester Ferguson) accepts a bet from his friends Cyril (Leslie Armstrong) and Tony (an impossibly young Patrick Macnee) that he can't spend the night in the haunted room of Tony's aunt's house. Soon Puce is alone, but a copy of the London Mystery Magazine is on hand to provide entertainment, and before you can say 'film within a film' we are watching the story of 'The Phantom Footsteps' in which two Victorian sisters inherit a house in London, spend their first night alone there, and encounter horror. The story may be over but the night is not for Puse who encounters horrors of his own, although the ultimate horror awaits his two friends.
THE FATAL NIGHT isn't bad at all, even if the storytelling is a bit convoluted. Director Mario Zampi builds a fine sense of suspense in a few key scenes and the whole 50 minute endeavour feels like a superior forerunner of anthology TV shows like Night Gallery or Tales of the Unexpected. Oddly enough, it was remade (nowhere near as effectively), as The Gentleman From America, a 1956 Season One episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Death in the Hand (1948)
After a bit of a slow start this one's really good fun and will have fans of Amicus films wondering if it inspired Milton Subotsky's framework story for his 1965 DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS. Five people are in a train compartment on the way to London. One is a palm reader and slowly we discover the lifeline of everyone in the carriage stops at their current age. What can they do? Is the train going to crash? Is it all just nonsense? Some very nice model work plus a cast that includes John Le Mesurier keeps this one tense and it's capped off by a decent little ending, too.
Strange Experiences (1955 & 1956)
Where would the Short Sharp Shocks series be without a couple of entries sufficiently dated and just downright odd to make your jaw drop just a little bit? This time we get two 'strange tales' narrated by Peter Williams - Hallowe'en Party and The Laughing Clown, both lasting about three minutes each.
Night Ride (1967)
Denis Meikle is most well known for his excellent history of Hammer Films, recently republished in a new edition. Here he writes, produces, directs and co-stars in a 19 minute home made 8mm movie in which three ne'er do wells attempt to steal money from an eccentric occultist who lives in a remote mansion. Needless to say it all goes horribly wrong. Highly imaginative and well wrought on a minimal budget, and the BFI have thoughtfully provided subtitles for the bits that are a bit muffled.
Mirror Mirror (1969)
An amateur 16mm piece, this time from the Eastbourne Cine Group. A man buys a make of mirror that was presumably freely available in the 1960s as the exact same one hung in the Probert family house for years (perhaps I should have stared into it longer). Looking into this one reveals a case of murder in Victorian times, one that has a neat, witty resolution that I'm not going to reveal here.
Extras on disc one include Mario Zampi, Jr talking about his father (10 minutes), John Attfield discussing NIGHT RIDE in which he plays the occultist (17 minutes) and four minutes of behind the scenes and outtake footage from NIGHT RIDE, as well as still galleries from THE FATAL NIGHT and DEATH IN THE HAND.
Disc Two
Scarecrow (1972)
In the drought-stricken Ireland of 1931 one farmer tries to stop crows from eating his crops with disastrous results in this 17 minute dialogue-free short that's big on texture and period detail if rather slight on plot.
Red (1976)
Goodness me what's this? Naked Gabrielle Drake tied to a dining hall table with leather straps in the presence of Mark HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR Wynter and Mr Roy from The Basil Brush Show? In a film that channels both Hammer Horror Gothic and Norman J Warren-style exploitation? Written and directed by Astrid Frank from Val Guest's 1973 AU PAIR GIRLS and who also appears in this as a nearly-topless serving girl? I haven't even mentioned Ferdy Mayne yet but hopefully connoisseurs of mid-1970s British X-certificate cinema will already be terribly excited at the prospect of this.
Ferdy is a wandering artist who happens across a country house in which the only other guests are three travelling troubadours. After they sing a terrible song Ferdy falls asleep and dreams (or does he?) of some right old SATAN'S SLAVE-type ritual sex and murder. RED played as the support feature to DAMIEN: OMEN II amongst others. Audiences must have wondered if they'd wandered into the wrong screen. And possibly the wrong cinema. Definitely a highlight of the set.
Sanctum (1976)
The most experimental film of the set may likely be the most challenging film for many. Winner of the IAC (Institute of Amateur Cinematographers) top prize in 1976 this 8mm film without dialogue looks at one man's obsession with religious iconography while being haunted by his own guilt. I think. The film has a new score by 'The Begotten' which is described as outstanding by the press release, although some may consider its wall to wall soundscape of electronic wheezing, farting and grinding something of a challenge to get through.
Play Safe (1978)
Two public information films, consisting of 'the one with the frisbee, the child, and the power station' and a longer ten minute one on electricity featuring an animated owl that will remind some of a certain Inside No.9 episode.
Black Angel (1980)
Roger Christian's highly atmospheric epic fantasy short
(it runs about 30 minutes) made an impression on a generation of youngsters when it was shown as the support picture to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in British cinemas. Many will have now caught up with it on YouTube but if you haven't, or if you fancy having this gorgeously shot, atmospheric piece of epic fantasy in a decent transfer then here it is, and thanks are due to the BFI for giving us an official version for our libraries. Familiar character actor Tony Vogel (who also starred in BBC1's 1979 Dick Barton series) plays a knight who returns home only to find his castle plundered and everyone dying of a strange disease. Eventually he meets the Black Angel of the title and has to face him / it in a duel.
Disc two has two excellent extras. Astrid Frank discusses her life and career and the shooting of RED (18 minutes) while Roger Christian has a lot of interesting things to say about BLACK ANGEL and his relationship with George Lucas (22 minutes). There's also a stills gallery. The first pressing of the disc comes with a booklet featuring writing on each film as well as an essay by Sarah Appleton on NIGHT RIDE, and a short piece on The Begotten.
Short Sharp Shocks Volume 4 is out in a two disc Blu-ray set from the BFI on Monday 13th October 2025
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