This time on General Witchfinders, we’re heading into deep space — and hell itself — with the notorious 1997 science fiction horror film Event Horizon.··

Directed by Paul Anderson and written by Philip Eisner, Event Horizon is set in 2047. A rescue crew investigates the ship Event Horizon, which vanished years earlier and is now orbiting Neptune.··

After Mortal Kombat (1995), Anderson was suddenly in demand, linked to Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and even X-Men. Instead, he wanted a darker R-rated project. Paramount gave him Eisner’s script, first about alien creatures, but Anderson reworked it into a haunted house in space, drawing on The Haunting and The Shining.··

Filming was rushed when Titanic slipped its release. The first 130-minute cut was heavily trimmed after poor test screenings. One infamous scene, a Bosch-inspired vision of Hell using amputees and adult performers, survived only as brief flashes but fuelled the film’s cult status.··

The gravity drive began as a floating black hole but was redesigned as rotating spiked rings, echoing Clive Barker’s Hellraiser and biblical Ophanim. Built to really move, it rattled so much that dialogue was re-recorded later. Eisner admitted Warhammer 40,000’s “Warp” also influenced the idea.··

At the time Anderson was credited as “Paul Anderson.” He later added the W. S. to avoid confusion with Paul Thomas Anderson. His later films include Resident Evil entries and Alien vs. Predator.··

Filming took place at Pinewood Studios with visual effects by Cinesite and the Computer Film Company. The interior design was inspired by Notre Dame, creating a cruciform gothic cathedral feel. An early space station shot of Dr. Weir took 10 weeks, a third of the FX budget, and was redone more than 20 times. Composer Michael Kamen worked with Orbital for a hybrid score.··

Laurence Fishburne plays Captain Miller of the Lewis and Clark. He later voiced the Silver Surfer, played Jack Crawford in Hannibal, and appeared in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3.··

Sam Neill plays Dr. William Weir. Famous for Jurassic Park, he once auditioned for James Bond, losing to Timothy Dalton, and appeared in Possession and Omen III: The Final Conflict.··

Jason Isaacs appears as D.J., the medic. Early credits include The Tall Guy. He went on to play Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and Harry H. Corbett in The Curse of Steptoe. He recalled Event Horizon as “genuinely disturbing,” especially the “hell set.”··

Sean Pertwee plays pilot Smith. Son of Jon Pertwee, the Third Doctor, he appeared in Cadfael, horror favourite Dog Soldiers, and later Gotham as Alfred Pennyworth, reimagined as ex-special forces.··

Event Horizon remains a cult 1990s sci-fi horror, combining gothic design, disturbing imagery, and a cast of future stars. Its lost footage and production stories keep fans returning to one of the most infamous horror films of the decade.·

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Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970).

We’re back to Hammer Horror, back to Christopher Lee, and back to Dracula. In this episode of General Witchfinders, we sink our teeth into Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), the fifth official film in Hammer’s Dracula series and our sixth Hammer Dracula review to date. You can find links to all previous vampire escapades at https://tinyurl.com/Witchdrac.

This British gothic horror classic, directed by Peter Sasdy and written by Hammer regular Anthony Hinds (under the alias John Elder), was nearly a Dracula-free affair. Christopher Lee had originally declined to return, and the script focused instead on Ralph Bates’s doomed Lord Courtley. But Warner Bros. insisted: no Dracula, no deal. So #BigChrisLee once again rises from the grave — bloodthirsty, silent, and furiously regretting his contract.

Taste the Blood of Dracula opens with a satanic ritual involving Dracula’s powdered remains, a trio of Victorian hypocrites, and the ill-fated resurrection of evil. It’s a moody, blood-soaked revenge tale packed with brooding graveyards and Hammer’s trademark blend of sex, sin and satin capes.

Cast Highlights:

• Christopher Lee as Count Dracula — in his fourth Dracula outing for Hammer.
• Ralph Bates as Lord Courtley — Hammer’s would-be replacement for Lee.
• Geoffrey Keen as William Hargood — a patriarch with a hidden penchant for brothels.
• Linda Hayden as Alice Hargood — the daughter turned devotee, previously seen in Baby Love and The Blood on Satan’s Claw.
• Peter Sallis as Samuel Paxton — yes, that Peter Sallis: Cleggy, Wallace, and voice of animated British melancholy.
• Roy Kinnear as Weller — bringing tragic optimism, as only Kinnear can.

There’s Hammer horror royalty in every frame, from Linda Hayden’s eerie innocence to Ralph Bates’s foppish devilry. And Geoffrey Keen? You may recognise him as Sir Frederick Gray, the Defence Minister across six Bond films — The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and The Living Daylights.

Ralph Bates, meanwhile, would go on to star in Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde, The Horror of Frankenstein, Lust for a Vampire, becoming one of Hammer’s key players. He also turned up in the final season of Secret Army (inspiring ’Allo ’Allo), and was once considered for major roles in Lifeforce — as discussed back in episode 39.

Peter Sallis, who we last touched on in our Nicolas Lyndhurst deep-dive (episode 54), had an extraordinary career in British television, from Doctor Who to The Wind in the Willows to Wallace & Gromit. His role in this film might be brief, but his CV is longer than Dracula’s cape.

And finally, Roy Kinnear: from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory to Help!, Watership Down, Blake’s 7, and beyond — always brilliant, always beleaguered.

Trivia for the diehards:

• This film was part of a double bill with Crescendo on release.
• The infamous brothel scene was trimmed from the theatrical cut but restored for later DVD editions.
• Released just 22 weeks before Scars of Dracula (covered back in episode 28).

Whether you’re a lifelong Hammer horror collector, a Christopher Lee completist, or simply a fan of vintage British horror with gothic flair, Taste the Blood of Dracula is essential viewing.

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In this episode of General Witchfinders, we revisit one of the most unsettling and prophetic dramas ever broadcast by the BBC – Survivors (1975), created by Terry Nation, the man behind the Daleks and Blake’s 7. Specifically, we’re talking about The Fourth Horseman, the chilling first episode of this 1970s British post-apocalyptic classic.

💀 Trigger warning / content note: this episode contains discussion of global pandemics, mass death, and social collapse. If the subject feels a little too close to home after recent years, we completely understand if you choose to skip this one.

Survivors imagines a world where a man-made virus, accidentally released by a scientist, spreads globally via air travel. Within weeks, nearly the entire population is dead. Society collapses, infrastructure crumbles, and the few who remain must fend for themselves in a near-empty Britain.

This isn’t zombie apocalypse stuff or glossy sci-fi. There’s no government bunker, no miracle cure—just grief, loss, and the brutal reality of surviving in a world where almost everyone is gone.

Created by Terry Nation—best known for creating the Daleks in Doctor Who—Survivors taps into the very real fears of the Cold War era: disease, nuclear disaster, the fragility of civilisation. Nation was also behind Blake’s 7, and brought his trademark bleakness to both series. But before that, he was a comedy writer for the likes of Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, and Peter Sellers—a strange career path that makes the grim tone of Survivors all the more striking.

The pilot episode features a brilliant, if doomed, ensemble cast. Peter Bowles plays David Grant, alongside Peter Copley as Dr Bronson. Bowles was a fixture of 70s telly (The Bounder, To the Manor Born, Only When I Laugh, Lytton’s Diary, and The Sarah Jane Adventures). Copley also had an enviable run, including The Forsyte Saga, The Avengers, Pyramids of Mars, and The Colour of Magic.

We’re also introduced to the show’s core survivors:

• Carolyn Seymour as Abby Grant – later seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Voyager, ER, Quantum Leap, and more. She’s also a prolific voice actor, particularly for Big Finish.
• Lucy Fleming as Jenny Richards – niece of Ian Fleming and a regular presence in British drama.
• Talfryn Thomas as Tom Price – the go-to Welsh character actor of his day, best known for Dad’s Army, Steptoe and Son, Hi-de-Hi!, and Doomwatch.

Although Survivors only ran for three series (1975–77), it remains one of the most grounded and frightening depictions of societal breakdown ever broadcast. The lack of music, the naturalistic dialogue, and the eerie emptiness all contribute to its unsettling power.

Whether you remember watching Survivors when it first aired, or you’re coming to it fresh in an age where its central premise no longer feels far-fetched, this is vintage British TV worth revisiting. It’s thoughtful, well-acted, and grim as hell. Just how we like it.

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