Features – Page 4

January 29, 2023January 29, 2023

The Vintage Vault will open once more in February.

THE VINTAGE VAULT continues to light up Sunday nights with its popular classic genre double-bills so here’s what we have planned for you:

On Sunday the 5th we begin with IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE. John Putnam (Richard Carlson), an amateur astronomer, is looking at the skies with his fiancee, schoolteacher Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush), when they see what looks like a huge meteor crash into the desert. As events unfold, various townspeople start to disappear, including Ellen, to be replaced by alien ‘duplicates’. As the townspeople become aware of the danger, the likelihood of bloodshed becomes apparent. Based on a story by Ray Bradbury. This is followed by a sequel which will have you cowering with fear, REVENGE OF THE CREATURE. Two oceanographers (John Bromfield and Robert B. Williams) capture the creature and put him on display. Here the hapless Gill-Man is taught a few words of English by compassionate ichthyologists, John Agar and Lori Nelson. Eventually, however, the creature reverts to type, kills one of his captors and goes on a rampage, managing to abduct the heroine and carry her off. Intense underwater photography and practical effects make this a horror classic.

A Channel Premiere starts the double on the 12th, THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 FEET. When a postmortem finds that a murdered fisherman was exposed to unusual amounts of radiation, Dr. Ted Stevens (Kent Taylor) decides to investigate. He meets Lois (Cathy Downs), whose father, Professor King (Michael Whalen), runs a local marine biology lab. Ted discovers that the Professor’s secret experiments with atomic energy have resulted in the creation of a murderous aquatic beast, and he must act fast to prevent more needless deaths.

A truly classic creature feature follows, IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA. While on a routine mission, Cmdr. Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) runs into trouble when his submarine is nearly sunk by an unknown creature, which is identified as a giant octopus from the nether reaches of Mindanao Deep. The beast has been awakened by nearby nuclear testing and now, radioactive and monstrously huge, the rampaging leviathan is heading toward the North American Pacific Coast.

Terror from above starts the Vintage Vault on the 19th, EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS. UFOs from a doomed star system invade Earth with plans of world conquest. Surrender is not an option so the human race must fight to the bitter end. This classic has stunning effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. Then we go underground for our next movie, THE MOLE PEOPLE. John Bentley (John Agar), leads a Middle Eastern expedition in search of a lost tribe of Sumerians. He and his cohorts follow a tunnel deep below the surface of the earth, eventually coming across a tyrannical tribe of albino Sumerians, who use the semi-human Mole People as slaves. Aware of the danger the scientists pose, the subterranean High Priest wants them eliminated.

Our final double of the month is on the 26th with the cult classic THE GIANT CLAW. When a strange flying object is spotted, it is believed to be a UFO. However, it turns out to be an extraterrestrial bird made of anti-matter which leaves a trail of death and destruction in its wake. We end with a monochrome masterpiece from Hammer, THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN. An adaptation of a drama by Nigel Kneale, creator of the Quatermass series, this horror fantasy stars Peter Cushing as scientist John Rollason, who, ignoring his wife’s objections, joins an expedition lead by brash American Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker). They are searching for the legendary yeti in the high Himalayas – a quest with deadly consequences

January 19, 2023January 19, 2023

John Cusack, Morgan Freeman and Sean Connery are just some of the stars joining LEGEND in February

Dangerous outlaws, crazed serial killers and murderous aquatic beasts haunt a fearsome February line-up on LEGEND, headed up by the UK TV premiere of JESSE JAMES THE UNSTOPPABLE OUTLAW, a thrilling Western in which the famous cowboy takes on the deadliest ride of his life.

Plus, there are Channel premieres for serial killer thriller THE FACTORY, starring John Cusack, BRAKE, a dark action drama starring Stephen Dorff and the 1975 Brit crime thriller RANSOM, starring Sean Connery and Ian McShane.

There are further Channel premieres for the psychological horror thriller MINDSCAPE, starring Mark Strong and Brian Cox and JOHNNY HANDSOME, Walter Hill’s gritty 1989 American neo-noir crime thriller, starring Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Forest Whitaker and Morgan Freeman.

February also sees the continuation of the Channel premiere of the ever-popular original series of sci-fi anthology classics, THE TWILIGHT ZONE each weekend at 8.30pm.

So, let’s start on the 4th with the channel premiere of THE FACTORY. An obsessed detective, Mike Fletcher (John Cusack), is on the trail of a serial killer prowling the streets of Buffalo, N.Y. but when his teenage daughter disappears, he drops any professional restraint to get the killer. Directed by Morgan O’Neill. BREAK on the 9th concerns Special agent Jeremy Reins (Stephen Dorff) wakes up in total darkness, confused and disorientated. The only light comes from the blood-red digital numbers ticking away above his head. Jeremy quickly realizes he’s in trouble He’s trapped in the trunk of a moving car. As his captors reveal their motives, Jeremy realises he won’t be set free until he discloses classified Government information he has sworn to protect… If you like classic drama then RANSOM on the 11th is the movie for you. Attempting to secure the release of political prisoners, a terrorist group, led by the fierce Ray Petrie (Ian McShane), takes over a British plane. Tough Scandinavian operative Nils Tahlvik (Sean Connery) is sent in to deal with the armed men and free the aircraft’s passengers. Unfortunately for Tahlvik, the terrorists prove to be quite formidable.

We head back in time on the 16th for JESSE JAMES THE UNSTOPPABLE OUTLAW. Jesse James (Paul Clayton) is possibly the most famous, and dangerous, outlaw in the history of the Wild West. Renowned for his audacious robberies, he has always been advised to stay away from the infamous Black Train. But going against all the advice, Jesse will take on the most dangerous robbery of his career as he takes on the mysterious and dangerous Black Train. Brain-bending sci-fi on the 18th in MINDSCAPE. A detective (Mark Strong), who has the ability to enter people’s memories, takes on the case of a troubled teenage girl. However, he needs to determine whether she is a sociopath capable of murder, or a victim of trauma.

Urban drama on the 25th in the acclaimed movie JOHNNY HANDSOME. Johnny, a disfigured petty criminal (Micky O’Rourke) is given plastic surgery in prison. and, unrecognisable as his former self. Doctors hope Johnny’s new look will help him to reform, but he is bent on settling the score with the gang who killed his only friend and left him to carry the can for their last heist.

December 30, 2022December 30, 2022

Vintage Vault in January has plenty of chills for you to enjoy

The Legend Vintage Vault in January has double-bills packed with tension, thrills and good old-fashioned scares. Here’s what we have lined-up for you:

New Year’s Day has the first showing of THE ASPHYX at 9pm. Utilising an experimental photographic device, a scientist (Robert Stephens) captures what appears to be the image of the Asphyx-the ancient Greek spirit of the dead. With the help of his adopted son (Robert Powell), he discovers a way to harness the Asphyx and gain immortality, unleashing dreadful consequences. Blending elements of Gothic horror with the more contemporary ingredients of steampunk, The Asphyx has emerged from obscurity to become a cult favourite of the sci-fi/fantasy genre. This is followed at 10.45pm by the Hammer classic TWINS OF EVIL . After being orphaned, two beautiful identical twins move from Vienna to the village of Karnstein. There they are to live with their Uncle, a fanatical Puritan (Peter Cushing). Nearby, the Count of the village is performing a sacrificial rite which raises his ancestor, the vampire Countess. He turns his attention to the twins. One of them is destined to fall under the castle’s spell, but which one?

On the 8th we start off at 9pm with a stroll down the corridors of a mental asylum where your mind will not believe what your eyes in TALES THAT WITNESS MADNESS. In the tradition of Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow, this anthology of pulp horror stories is helmed by horror master Freddie Francis and the legendary cast includes Donal Pleasance, Joan Collins, Kim Novak, Jack Hawkins and Suzi Kendall. The channel premiere of HORROR HOSPITAL follows at 10.50pm. Jason Jones, a disillusioned songwriter (played by Robin Askwith) decides a change of pace is needed and checks into Brittlehouse Manor, a ‘health resort’ where young people are supposedly cured of all their hang-ups. It is run by the sinister Dr Storm (Michael Gough) a crippled, demented genius who performs lobotomies on his young patients. It isn’t long before Jones realises that his life is in danger, and with the help of Strom’s assistant (Skip Martin), he tries to escape…

A TV classic starts of the double-bill on the 15th, DOOMWATCH. Dr Del Shaw (Ian Bannen), part of the government’s investigative environmental organisation Doomwatch, travels to the island of Balfe to examine the potentially adverse effects of a recent oil spill. The villagers are all suspicious of Shaw, especially the menfolk, who seem to have transformed into near-Neanderthals. After teaming up with a local teacher, Shaw discovers that the transformation of the men is due to a disease called acromegaly. Hammer’s final horror of the 1970s is at 10.50pm, TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER. Henry Beddows (Denholm Elliott) asks occult novelist John Verney (Richard Widmark) to protect his 18-year-old daughter, Catherine (Natasha Kinski). She has attracted the attention of ex-communicated priest Father Michael Rayner (Christopher Lee), who wants Catherine to become the incarnation of one of the crowned princes of Hell, Astaroth. Pitted against black magic, ancient rituals and a clan of Satanists, Verney battles to save the young girl from a diabolical fate.

A pair of monochrome masterpieces are waiting for you on the 22nd starting at 9pm with THE INVISIBLE MAN. Claude Rains plays a mysterious doctor who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, Rains arrives at a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discovery. But the same drug that renders him invisible slowly drives him to commit acts of unspeakable terror. Based on H.G. Wells’ classic novel and directed by the master of macabre James Whale, The Invisible Man not only fuelled a host of sequels, but also features some special effects that are still imitated today. The celebrated sequel, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN follows at 10.25pm. Once again James Whale is in the director’s chair as we discover Mary Shelley’s monster alive and well and forcing the good baron to create a mate. Horror film icon Boris Karloff reprises his role as Dr Frankenstein’s fabled creation and Elsa Lanchester co-stars as his monstrous lady love.

We’ve another pair from of Universal classics on the 29th, the first being THE MUMMY’S HAND. Two broke archaeologists, Steve Banning (Dick Foran) and Babe Jenson (Wallace Ford), head to Egypt to uncover the legendary sarcophagus of Princess Ananka. Not only is the tomb cursed, it has its own guard – an eternal mummy named Kharis! When expedition members start dying at the mummy’s hand, it’ll take wits and courage to survive the undying horror uncovered under the sands. FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN at 10.20pm is our final movie from the Vintage Vault. Two of the silver screen’s most fearsome creatures battle it out when the Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr. reprising his role) seeking to end his curse, looks to the notorious Dr Frankenstein for a cure. However, his mission pus him on a collision course with Frankenstein’s monster, played by Bela Lugosi. Directed by Roy William Hill, this was the first of a series called “monster rallies” combining characters from several film series.

December 20, 2022December 20, 2022

LEGEND reveals slate of horror, sci-fi and action premieres for January plus trips into The Twilight Zone

Demented scientists, deranged doctors and avenging heroes kick off the New Year on LEGEND, headed up by the UK TV premieres of RED a dark thriller based on Jack Ketchum’s novel, starring Brian Cox and Robert Englund and tough action/drama SEAL TEAM VI: JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS, which depicts an elite counter-terrorism team’s incursion into Iraq four days prior to Operation: Desert Shield.

There are also Channel premieres for sci-fi horror THE LAWNMOWER MAN, which is based on a Stephen King short story and stars Pierce Brosnan, its sequel, LAWNMOVER MAN 2: BEYOND CYBERSPACE and Brit action crime thriller THE OUTSIDER, written by and starring Craig Fairbrass.

January also heralds the Channel premiere of the ever-popular original series of sci-fi anthology classic THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Starting from the 1st at 8.30pm, this classic anthology contains sci-fi, suspense and goose-bump-inducing tales that explore ‘a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man’. Filled with invention and irony, each story is tightly constructed, containing cautionary themes and frequently ending with an unexpected plot twist. In the first series of 36 episodes, the stories include a man arriving in a deserted town, who can’t help feeling that he’s being watched, the residents of a peaceful suburban street who begin to fear that their neighbours are aliens masquerading as humans, and a schoolteacher who is followed around by a sinister small child.

The celebrated sci-fi chiller THE LAWNMOWER MAN comes to Legend on the 8th where Dr Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) is a brilliant scientist obsessed with perfecting virtual reality software. When his experiments on animals fail, he finds the ideal substitute – Jobe Smith (Jeff Fahey), a slow-witted gardener. When he puts Jobe on a regime of experimental pills and computer-simulated training sequences he cannot begin to fathom what he has unleashed. Then on the 14th we bring you LAWNMOWER MAN 2: BEYOND CYBERSPACE where Jobe (Matt Frewer), the simple gardener-turned-super killer has found a way to reboot himself, but Benjamin (Patrick Bergin), a brilliant computer engineer, is out to help thwart Jobe’s scheme for world domination, and a battle rages throughout cyberspace and in the real world.

On the 12th is the UK TV premiere of SEAL TEAM VI: JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS. A team of Navy Seals were sent on a black ops incursion into Iraq prior to Operation Desert Storm, but when their mission is compromised they face harrowing consequences that will change the course of the conflict. Based on actual events this film follows the most elite of the U.S. Navy’s Seal Teams and tells their incredible true story. Directed by Mark C. Andrews and starring Jeremy Davis, Zach McGowan and Chris Warner. Another UK TV premiere is on the 21st, the star-studded thriller, RED. Multi-award winning actor Brian Cox plays reclusive Avery Ludlow, a small-town shop owner whose only reason for living is his dog, Red. When bored and bad-seed teens savagely kill the animal, Cox becomes determined to settle the score by wreaking vengeance by whatever means possible, Based on the novel by cult thriller writer Jack Ketchum, the horror thriller also stars Robert Englund and Tom Sizemore.

Craig Fairbrass stars in THE OUTSIDER on the 28th as Lex, a British military contractor who is told that his daughter has died. When he arrives in Los Angeles he discovers that the body isn’t his daughters, and that Karl Schuster, a high tec company CEO (James Caan) is implicated in her kidnap. Trailed by a suspicious detective (Jason Patric), Lex sets out to save his daughter, wreaking havoc through the streets of L.A.

November 15, 2022November 15, 2022

LEGEND delivers wild westerns, classic chills and killer thrillers in December

December evenings will be full of mystery, madness and murder as LEGEND presents a seasonal selection of horror, sci-fi and action movies, headed up by the UK TV premiere of stirring Canadian western Lonesome Dove, based on the true story of the founding of the Lonesome Dove Church and starring Tom Berenger. Plus, there is a Channel premiere for Beware My Brethren (aka The Fiend), Robert Hartford-Davis’ sadistic study of religious repression, starring Patrick McGee, which will be broadcast at 9pm on Xmas Day. This headlines The Vintage Vault strand, the popular Sunday night presentation of double-bills of classic and cult favourites.

There are also Channel premieres for serial killer horror Jack’s Back, starring James Spader, tense crime thriller Reasonable Doubt, starring Samuel L Jackson and Dominic Cooper, Brit mystery drama The Internecine Project, starring James Coburn, tough war thriller Sniper: Special Ops, starring Steven Seagal, gripping action adventure Shout At The Devil, starring Lee Marvin and Roger Moore and gun-toting avenging Western A Man Called Moon.

December also heralds the Channel premiere of the final season of cult favourite Knight Rider, in which Michael, K.I.T.T. and gang return for more roadside adventures.

Here’s some of our legendary highlights:

In Jack’s Back on the 3rd women are being murdered in Los Angeles a hundred years after Jack the Ripper terrorised London. Is it a sickening coincidence, or a sinister homage? Police think John Westford (James Spader), a young doctor, is the murderer, and when he’s found hanging from a noose, the investigation takes a stunning turn. Samuel L Jackson and Dominic Cooper head the cast in the tense thriller Reasonable Doubt on the 3rd. After being involved in a fatal hit and run incident Assistant DA Mitch Brody (Cooper) must prosecute an innocent man (Jackson) for a crime he knows he didn’t commit. Brody manages to throw the case, however he quickly realises that he may have been wrong and the man he thought to be innocent could just be the most dangerous man he has ever met.

The Vintage Vault on the 4th have a double-bill of classic thrills starting with Witchfinder General. Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price), a lawyer and self-appointed ‘Witchfinder General’, tours the Eastern counties instigating witch-hunts and extracting ‘confessions’ under torture. When a young woman, Sara (Hilary Dwyer), is raped by Hopkins and her priest father murdered, Sara’s lover, Richard Marshall (Ian Ogilvy), a soldier in Cromwell’s army, vows revenge. This is the last and best film of director Michael Reeves’ tragically brief career. This is followed by Curse of the Crimson Alter. The late Mark Eden plays Robert Manning, an antiques dealer searching for his missing brother. He stumbles upon a coven led by Morley (Christopher Lee), who is enacting the revenge of his witch ancestor (Barbara Steele) burned in the 17th century. This cult masterpiece, an adaptation from Lovecraft’s Dream in the Witch House, also stars Boris Karloff as a local witchcraft expert, which is also the last British film that Karloff made.

The Internecine Project has its channel premiere on the 9th. Tipped to take a major post in the American government, Robert Elliot (James Coburn) is faced with one big problem: a quartet of people know of his dangerous and illegal activities in England. Elliot devises an ingenious plan whereby all four will kill each other. Ken Hughes’ intriguing psychological thriller also stars Lee Grant. On the 10th is the UK TV premiere of Lonesome Dove. In this true story of one man’s fight for justice in a brutal and hostile land, John Shepherd (Tom Berenger) is a western preacher with dreams of building his own church. When his estranged son is accused of robbery and murder, John puts his future on the line by coming to his defence. In doing so, he will have to face off against a cold-blooded killer in a guns-blazing stand for redemption.

A special ops military force, led by expert sniper Jake Chandler (Steven Seagal) hits Legend on 16th, Sniper: Special Ops. The team is sent to a remote village to extract an American congressman being held by terrorists. The mission is a success but Jake and his squad decide to stay behind to help an injured soldier. Finding themselves outnumbered and outgunned, the squad must engage in a massive shootout against the enemy to save them all from certain death. A true classic on the 17th, Shout at the Devil. During World War I, a British aristocrat, an American entrepreneur, and the latter’s attractive young daughter, set out to destroy a German battlecruiser. American ex-military man Col. Flynn O’Flynn and wealthy Sebastian Oldsmith are unlikely partners in the East African ivory trade. Oldsmith woos O’Flynn’s daughter, Rosa, but on the eve of World War I, the men spend most of their time eluding occupying German troops. When the Germans kill Rosa’s daughter, Oldsmith and both O’Flynn’s join the battle against German Cmdr. Fleischer and his men.

A Man Called Noon on the 23rd is a western which is so true to life you can almost smell the hot dust. After an attempt is made on his life, Noon (Richard Crenna) wakes up with no recollection of his past or identity, retaining only his gunfighting prowess. With the help of outlaw Rimes (Stephen Boyd), Noon learns he had a wife and child who were killed, and that the attack on him was made in an attempt to get his hidden treasure. Together they set out to avenge his murdered family. The channel premiere of Beware My Brethern on Christmas Day showing as part of Vintage Vault. Led by a sinister minister (Patrick Magee), zealous religious sect The Brethren have taken control of widow Birdy Wemys, sending her unstable son, Kenny, into a descent of madness and murder. No woman is safe when Kenny’s religious mania overpowers him and leads to a rampage of carnage and chaos. This gritty story of lust, murder and terror, now a favourite cult horror, is directed by Robert Hartford-Davies.

October 20, 2022October 20, 2022

LEGEND reveals slate of horror, sci-fi and action premieres for November

November weekends will be daring, dangerous and deadly as LEGEND presents a bumper month of horror, sci-fi and action movies, headed up by the UK TV premieres of Doron and Yoav Paz’s unnerving, original Israeli terror experience The Golem and Eric Bress’s grisly Brit supernatural horror film Ghosts of War. Plus, there is a Channel premiere for John McTiernan’s compelling chiller Nomads, starring Piers Bronsan.

There are also Channel premieres for a series of starry cult 70s and 80s action thrillers The Disappearance (Donald Sutherland and David Hemmings), Who Dares Wins (Richard Widmark and Ingrid Pitt), Hannie Caulder (Raquel Welch and Christopher Lee) and Wheels of Terror (David Carradine and Oliver Reed). Plus, there are first-time Legend showings for The Gunman, starring Sean Penn and Air America, starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr.

Plus, two Channel premieres head up The Vintage Vault strand: Robert Hartford-Davies’ gothic masterpiece The Black Torment and Sci-fi horror classic The Sorcerers, starring Boris Karloff. Both headline the popular Sunday night double-bills of cult favourites from decades gone by.

Other titles include drive-in favourite The Blob (1958), starring Steve McQueen, Terence Fisher’s irresistibly lurid The Mummy (1959), starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, the fantasy horror anthology Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, Terence Fisher’s intense sci-fi thriller Night of the Big Heat, Island of Terror, one of the great British Sci-Fi thrillers starring Peter Cushing, and Quatermass and the Pit, another memorable British Sci-Fi horror from Hammer Films, based on the TV series and directed by Roy Ward Baker.

And the third season of hit series Knight Rider, in which Michael, K.I.T.T. and gang return for more roadside adventures, has its channel premiere.

Here’s some more info on some of these cracking titles:

Who Dares Wins on the 6th is a classic British movie with an all-star cast which includes Lewis Collins, Judy Davis, Richard Widmark and Edward Woodward. The British receive intelligence that an anti-nuclear militant group is planning to kill the U.S. ambassador at the Iranian embassy. The British Special Air Services enlists the help of Capt. Peter Skellen (Collins), who is charged with going undercover. But he is quickly found out by the terrorists, and his wife and child are taken hostage. We ride to the Wild West on the 11th for a hard-hitting drama, Hannie Caulder. Starring Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, and Ernest Borgnine it focuses on vicious bandit brothers Emmett (Borgnine), Frank (Jack Elam) and Rufus Clemens (Strother Martin) who botch a heist, and in anger they rape local woman Hannie Caulder (Welch), murder her spouse and destroy her home. Wrong move…

You’ll need to buckle yourselves in for the channel premiere of Air America on the 12th. It is 1969 and the Vietnam War is raging. Billy, a brilliant helicopter pilot (Mel Gibson) is recruited by the CIA as part of ‘Air America’ an elite but clandestine unit. When he and fellow pilot Ryan (Robert Downey Jr.) discover their aircraft are being used by government agents to smuggle heroin, they must fight to avoid being framed as the drug-smugglers. War is hell and never has this been so vividly illustrated in Ghosts of War. Five battle-hardened American soldiers are assigned to hold a French Chateau near the end of World War II. Formerly occupied by the Nazi high command, this welcome respite quickly descends into madness when they encounter a supernatural enemy far more terrifying than anything seen on the battlefield.

More World War II drama in Wheels of Terror on the 19th. During World War 2 a German penal unit composed of hardened criminals, political dissidents and religious non-conformists from the Nazi Prison camps are compelled to fight for something they do not believe in. Now they have the job from hell – a suicide mission on the Eastern Front that becomes one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Stars Bruce Davison, David Patrick Kelly, Oliver Reed and David Carradine. Nomads on the 25th concerns a French anthropologist, who is an expert on nomadic groups, stumbles across a group of urban nomads who turn out to be more than he expected. Directed by John McTiernan, this terrifying supernatural chiller stars Pierce Brosnan and Lesley-Ann Down.

The UK TV premiere of The Golem is on the 25th and is set during an outbreak of a deadly plague. Here a mystical woman must save her isolated, tight-knit community under attack from the plague and deadly evil invaders. She conjures an entity that she moulds out of mud to protect them, but the innocent-looking boy hides a much greater evil. This superb tale is directed by Doron and Yoav Paz. The taut action thriller, The Gunman directed by Pierre Morel and starring Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Mark Rylance and Ray Winstone comes to Legend on the 26th. A sniper, on a mercenary assassination team kills the Congo’s Minister of Mines. Terrier’s successful kill shot forces him into hiding. Returning to the Congo years later, he becomes the target of a hit squad himself.

October 18, 2022October 18, 2022

Join the legends on LEGEND’s action-packed evening line-up

Live like a legend on LEGEND! From Monday 17th October, William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, David Hasselehoff and Chuck Norris take over the airwaves on LEGEND in a newly created weekday action-packed line-up from 5pm – 9pm.

This fantastic small-screen trip through the decades kicks off in the 60s with Star Trek: The Original Series, Gene Roddenberry’s iconic creation where we follow Kirk and his crew fighting galactic evil forces. The final frontier adventures continue at 6pm with 80s reboot Star Trek: The Next Generation before we land on earth with another 80s cult favourite Knight Rider, staring ‘The Hoff’, which continues in its 7pm slot. This is followed by 90s martial arts crime crusading favourite Walker, Texas Ranger, starring Chuck Norris.

The action starts at 5pm with the TV series that boldly goes where no other has gone before! Welcome to the 23rd century adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew on board the U.S.S. Enterprise, a powerful interstellar spacecraft dispatched by Earth-based Starfleet Command to explore the galaxy. Kirk’s five-year mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations, bringing danger, extra-terrestrial drama and an array of deadly foes. In the second season, our intrepid crew encounter determined crew, the Enterprise encounters Klingons, Romulans, time paradoxes, tribbles and genetic supermen lead by Khan Noonian Singh. Then at 6pm we journey to the 24th century, when Earth is part of the United Federation of Planets, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) leads a new generation of Starfleet officers in the Enterprise NCC 1701-D spacecraft to seek out new planet and life forms in space. The hugely popular series, created by Gene Roddenbury, first aired in 1987 and ran for 178 episodes.

We’re firmly back on Earth at 7pm so belt up for Knight Rider. This high-octane series stars David Hasselhoff as a mysterious loner who fights crime with the aid of a super-advanced car equipped with artificial intelligence named K.I.T.T. An invaluable tool in combatting injustice in the shadowy underworld of America, it has the ability to think and talk, often offering up hilarious witticisms that are remarkably clever considering he’s a 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am. In the second season, Michael, K.I.T.T. and gang return for more roadside adventures. Whether in a drag race or fighting Michael’s evil half-brother Garthe and his behemoth truck, this duo of man and super car are driving straight for thrills and excitement! At full speed! We meet Texas Ranger Cordell Walker at 8pm, one of the last old-fashioned heroes in the West, is a protective friend but a relentless foe who will stop at nothing to bring a criminal to justice. With the help of retired ranger C.D. Parker, partner James Trivette and A.D.A. Alex Cahill, Walker ruthlessly fights for justice. Inspired by the film Lone Wolf McQuade, this classic action series starring Chuck Norris, was first aired in 1993.

September 20, 2022September 20, 2022

Legend reveals slate of horror, sci-fi and action premieres for October

October weekends will be haunting, horrifying and hair-raising as Legend presents a premiere-packed month of must-see movies, headed up by the Channel premiere of The Devil-Ship Pirates on the 1st. This rare Hammer swashbuckler, stars Christopher Lee as Captain Robeles, a Spanish privateer in charge of the galleon ‘Diablo’. When he realises that Drake has won the battle of Armada, Robeles escapes with his cut-throat crew to a lonely inlet on the Cornish coast. He manages to make the villagers believe that Drake has been defeated and he and his men begin to terrorize the locals. Another channel premiere is on the 28th, Darren Lynn Bousman’s twisted St. Agatha. Pushing the boundaries of “nunsploitation” the movie is set in 1950s Georgia, where a pregnant woman on the run from the police, seeks refuge in a desolate convent, only to be met with an unsettling and horrendous evil waiting on the other side.

Xavier Gens’ beautiful and dark Cold Skin on the 31st takes us to the edge of the Antarctic circle, where a steamship is approaching a desolate island. On board is a young man, poised to take up the post of weather observer, to live in solitude far from civilization. But on shore he finds no trace of the man he has been sent to replace, just a deranged brute in the lighthouse who has witnessed a horror he refuses to name. Then night begins to fall… On the 8th the stirring action thriller Boiling Point, starring Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper comes to Legend.Making money is to print it. That’s why everyone wants to get in on the act. As the “money men” blow away their rivals, they’re sending smoke signals out to the cops. Cornered in a hotel stake-out, the mobsters have to choose between rubbing out their biggest rival and saving their own skins. The movie also stars Viggo Mortensen.

There’s are also a first time showing for action thriller Mother Lode on the 29th, directed by and starring Charlton Heston. A couple of adventurers go into the wilds of British Columbia in search of a lost colleague, but when their plane crashes they find themselves at the mercy of a crazy miner who has lived in isolation searching the mountain caves for a chamber of long lost gold. Kim Basinger stars. Also new to Legend is the first big screen outing of a TV classic, Sweeny! on the 15th. When one of his informants is murdered, Detective Inspector Jack Regan (John Thaw) is drawn into a deadly political game. He is soon a marked man and, after being framed, is suspended from duty. This doesn’t stop him and Detective Sergeant Carter (Dennis Waterman) searching for the truth. If you fancy a white-knuckle ride then Vehicle 19 on the 22nd is for you. A parolee unwittingly gets in the wrong rental car at Johannesburg airport with terrifying consequences. He soon realises that not only is he a stranger in inhospitable surroundings, but is the target of an entire police force that will use any means necessary to stop him and the tied-up female passenger he discovers in the back of the vehicle.

Plus, there are two channel premieres which are heading up the popular Vintage Vault strand. Nightmarish chiller Fiend Without A Face on the 23rd concerns a scientist whose thoughts materialise as an army of invisible brain-shaped monsters (complete with spinal-cord tails!) who terrorize an American military base in this nightmarish chiller.This independently made British black-and-white cult classic was directed by Arthur Crabtree and stars Marshall Thompson, Kynaston Reeves, Michael Balfour, and Kim Parker. Then on the 30th the blood-thirsty First Man Into Space. Brash U.S. Navy test pilot, Lieutenant Dan Prescott, hungry for fame, rockets himself beyond Earth’s atmosphere on test flight Y-13, only to become encrusted with cosmic dust and return to earth as a blood-drinking monster. Directed by Robert Day, it stars Marshall Thompson, Marla Landi, Bill Edwards, and Robert Ayres.

The vault is unlocked on Sunday October 2nd with subterranean monster thriller The Mole People. This is paired with Nathan Juran’s Ray Harryhausen-inspired 20 Million Miles To Earth. The following Sundays include the beastly mutant classic The Deadly Mantis, Fred F. Sears’ saucer-invading caper Earth Vs The Flying Saucers, spell-binding horror fantasy The Abominable Snowman, The Monolith Monsters, in which the world is attacked by thirsty giant crystals, the brilliant Hammer horror, The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957) and the hypnotically sensual Dracula (1958).

And the second season of hit series Knight Rider, in which Michael, K.I.T.T. and gang return for more roadside adventures, has its channel premiere.

August 21, 2022August 21, 2022

Legend reveals slate of thrilling premieres for September!

Friday and Saturday nights in September on Legend are premiere-packed, headed up by the UK TV premiere of Doug Liman’s (director of The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow), deadly psychological thriller The Wall, staring John Cena and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. There are also Channel premieres for horror-mystery The Final Wish, dark comedy vampire horror The Shed, Walter Hill’s neo-noir crime thriller The Driver, starring Sam O’Neill and Bruce Dern and Sam Peckinpah/s gritty action-comedy Convoy, starring Kristofferson and Ali McGraw. Plus, Iron Eagle II and Iron Eagle III are on the weekend menu, both starring Louis Gossett Jr.

And the popular strand The Vintage Vault continues, once again presenting double-bills of classic sci-fi and horror films every Sunday night. The season premieres on Sunday September 4th with Bride Of Frankenstein, the celebrated sequel to the 1931 classic with Boris Karloff reprising his role as the monster. This is paired with Christy Cabanne’s frightening chiller masterpiece The Mummy’s Hand. Then on Sunday September 11th we have Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman, featuring the original Wolfman, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein’s monster, followed by The Invisible Man, in which Claude Rains delivers a remarkable performance in his screen debut.

Sunday September 18th brings us pulp-horror favourite Tarantula twinned with Revenge Of The Creature, the sequel to Universal’s fabulously successful The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Finally, on Sunday September 25th mutant octopus-rampaging favourite It Came From Beneath The Sea hits our screens, followed by the heart-pounding Alien invasion classic It Came From Outer Space.

Plus, the immortal Knight Rider is back! The cult TV series starring the legendary David Hasselhoff receives its channel premiere on Legend.

Here’s all the info you need:

Fans of high-flying action will be buckled-up ready to go on the 3rd and the 10th for Louis Gossett Jr’s finest moments, Iron Eagle II and Iron Eagle III. In the first sequel The United States and the Soviet Union must work together to destroy a nuclear missile. The real challenge in this mission is to get the pilots from both countries to work as a team. They are more used to fighting each other rather than alongside each other. But when Colonel Charles “Chappy” Sinclair (Gossett Jr.) and the Soviets discover that an American General may sabotage their mission and his plans may kill hundreds of innocent people, they finally unite. Then in the second sequel Chappy teams with three retired maverick fighter jocks from England, Germany and Japan as they fly souped-up World War II airplanes to combat a ruthless German drug lord and his high tech weaponry in the lawless South American jungles.

A UK TV premiere on the 16th brings to your screens a tension-packed war drama, The Wall. U.S. Sergeants Allen Isaac (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals, Godzilla, Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Shane Matthews (WWE’s John Cena) are investigating a pipeline construction site in a desert of Iraq. When he heads into open space, Matthews is shot by an Iraqi sniper, leaving Isaac to take cover and form a rescue plan behind an unsteady, crumbling wall. What unfolds is as much a battle of will and wits as it is of lethally accurate marksmanship in the toughest of conditions. Another Walter Hill classic comes to Legend on the 17th, The Driver. Ryan O’Neal plays a get-away driver. Bruce Dern plays the relentless detective who sets out to trap him and Isabella Adjani plays the mysterious gambler who goes along for the thrill of the game. It is a tale of confrontation between two men of iron will. Each of the characters is the best at what they do; each is committed to a lifestyle that thrives on competition. Who will come out on top?

If you want some chills then we dare you to enter The Shed on the 23rd. When you’re the outcast, the underdog; they all think they can mess with you. But what happens when you have a vampire in your shed? The game changes and everyone becomes a target. Make a choice, who lives, who dies? A movie which truly defined the era on the 24th, Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, and Ernest Borgnine star in Sam Peckinpah’s Convoy. A mighty convoy of dust-raising trucks heads for a State Line in south-western America. The massive collection of vehicles of all shapes and sizes is led by ‘Rubber Duck’, a legendary trucker who has gathered this vast army together in protest against police corruption, federal and state laws and shady politicking. In The Final Wish on the 30th you need to be careful what you wish for because every wish comes at a price. Following the death of his father, Aaron (Michael Welch) returns to his hometown to help his devastated mother (Lin Shaye) pack up his father’s belongings. Discovering one item of unknown origin, Aaron soon comes to believe his wishes are coming true but the more wishes he makes the more danger he puts those closest to him in. What will happen when Aaron makes ‘The Final Wish’?

A series which needs no introduction comes to Legend on the 5th, Knight Rider. This fantastic cult-classic stars David Hasselhoff as a mysterious loner who fights crime with the aid of a super-advanced car equipped with artificial intelligence named K.I.T.T.. An invaluable tool in combatting injustice in the shadowy underworld of America, It has the ability to think and talk, often offering up hilarious witticisms that are remarkably clever considering he’s a 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am. Great action! Great fun! Great car!

The Vintage Vault line-up includes; Bride of Frankenstein and The Mummy’s Hand on the 4th, Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman and The Invisible Man on the 11th, Tarantula and Revenge of the Creature on the 18th, and to round off the month It Came from Beneath the Sea and It Came from Outer Space on the 25th.

August 2, 2022August 4, 2022

Legend reveals slate of sizzling summer premieres and more delights from The Vintage Vault

Horror Channel continues its transformation into new channel Legend with a heady mix of classic horror, sc-fi, thriller, action, fantasy and suspense titles.

Saturday nights on Legend in August get trigger-happy, with four action-packed premieres, including the UK TV premiere of Code Name: Geromino, John Stockwell’s explosive military thriller starring Tom Sizemore. There are also channel premieres for An Eye For An Eye, Michael D. Moore’s classic Western revenge drama starring Robert Lancing and Slim Pickens, Buffalo Bill & The Indians, Robert Altman’s acclaimed revisionist Western starring Paul Newman, Burt Lancaster, Geraldine Chaplin and Harvey Keitel, and Peter Yate’s superior crime thriller The Robbery, which stars Stanley Baker, Frank Finlay and Barry Foster.

And the popular stand The Vintage Vault continues, once again presenting double-bills of classic sci-fi and horror films every Sunday night. The vault is unlocked on Sunday August 7th with The Changeling, Peter Medak’s classic supernatural horror starring George C. Scott. This is paired with The Brood, David Cronenberg’s early body-horror shocker, which stars Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar. The following Sundays boast some of the greatest genre movies of all time – John Carpenter’s The Fog, and Joe Dante’s werewolf cult hit The Howling, David Cronenberg’s body horror masterpiece Scanners, Tony Maylam’s The Burning, John Carpenter’s brilliant body-mangling monster horror The Thing and the equally brilliant Videodrome Croneberg’s cult-classic with acclaimed performance from James Woods and music legend, Deborah Harry.

Here’s a run down of some of the movies waiting for you during August:

In the Channel Premiere of An Eye for An Eye on the 6th a man called Talion is on the trail of Ike Slant and his gang, responsible for the murder of his wife and child. He teams up with Benny, a youthful bounty hunter. During a fight with the killers, Benny is blinded and Talion’s hand shattered. In order to overcome their handicaps, Benny learns to shoot according to Talion’s shouted command. There’s more western drama with Robert Altman’s satirical movie Buffalo Bill & The Indians on the 13th which stars Paul Newman, Joel Grey and Kevin McCarthy. In 1885, Buffalo Bill’s name is the symbol of heroism in America. His famous “Wild West Show”, which is known all over the country, is organised by his brilliant manager, Nate Salsbury. But when he is off stage, Buffalo is a show-off who drinks and continually seeks new mistresses, while trying to consolidate his prestige. When he calls Sitting Bull for help to improve his show, he begins to get into trouble…

A classic British heist drama on the 20th, Robbery. Based on the infamous Great Train Robbery, we follow Paul Clifton (Stanley Baker) as he forms a team to carry out an ambitious heist of cash from a government mail train traveling from Scotland to London. Everything goes to plan until the very last moment when a series of unforeseen events conspire against them and the police manage to capture the gang. Clifton however tries to escape the country using a counterfeit identity. If you want action of a more contemporary nature then Code Name: Geronimo on the 27th is for you. Seal Team 8 must fight their way through the Congo to defuse one of the greatest threats the world has ever known.

The Vintage Vault continues throughout August, on the 7th paranormal fear with The Changeling and The Brood, classics from the masters on the 14th with John Carpenter’s The Fog and Joe Dante’s The Howling, VHS memories will come flooding back on the 21st with Scanners and The Burning and the finel double-bill on the 28th are two of the finest, John Carpenter’s The Thing and David Cronenberg’s Videodrome.