BBC4 takes a horror film tour of Europe

October 5, 2012 by Kelly Anderson

BBC4 will later this month broadcast Horror Europa With Mark Gatiss, a one-off that sees actor Gatiss traveling Europe to visit film locations of classic horror movies.

The follow-up to the 2010 BBC4 series A History of Horror focuses on European horror, with Gatiss looking at the diversity of the genre and the parallel between European horror and the English-language genre.

In the 90-minute special, Gatiss will visit the castle in Slovakia where F.W. Murnau shot Nosferatu in 1922; head to Paris where he meets Edith Scob, the woman in Eyes Without A Face; and go to Rome, where he talks with director Dario Argento about Italy’s distinctive brand of horror, the “Giallo” thriller.

In Madrid, he also has a rare interview with Spanish horror’s pioneer director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador and the current top Spanish-language horror director Guillermo del Toro.

“Europe is so much the home of horror, with its myths of vampires, werewolves, witchcraft and the undead, yet it’s like those myths were exported to Hollywood, leaving Europe the room to develop a new tradition as a way of processing its traumas, particularly the two World Wars,” said Gatiss. “Now I’m going in search of the stories behind the classics of European horror cinema – and meeting the people from across the continent who created the films I most admire.”

“It is great to have Mark Gatiss back on BBC4 to complete his tour of the world of horror,” said Mark Bell, BBC commissioning editor for arts. “He combines the enthusiasm of the fresh-faced fan with unparalleled knowledge and expertise. This film is ideal for anyone with curiosity, a strong constitution and a tongue in their cheek.”

The one-off is executive produced by Michael Poole for BBC Bristol.

Tags: A History of Horror, BBC4, Dario Argento, Edith Scob, Guillermo del Toro, Horror Europa with Mark Gatiss, Mark Gatiss, Narciso Ibanez Serrador, Nosferatu