Film enthusiast finds BBC movie lost for decades that disturbed viewers so much it was destroyed by police order.
“No Such Thing as a Vampire“, one of the episodes of the BBC series “Late Night Horror“, was recently recovered to the surprise of many, as it had long been believed that the film was destroyed after its 1968 premiere sparked widespread outrage among viewers.
Found by preservationist and collector Darren Payne, the vampire-themed film was responsible for the cancellation of the BBC series, which lasted only six episodes. The last surviving copy was accidentally discovered among a set of poorly labeled film reels stored in a British cinema.
Payne’s discovery was announced by the group Film is Fabulous! in a social media post, and the horror film will be publicly screened for the first time since 1969 at the European horror festival “Grindfest” in September, according to the Facebook post.
Urban legends claimed the episode was so terrifying that the numerous complaints from viewers led the broadcaster not only to cancel the program, but also to intentionally destroy the master tapes.
The Film is Fabulous! project is also trying to restore the episode’s original color, as the film is historically significant for being the BBC’s first color production. According to the group, both the digital restoration and the original 16mm print will be returned to the broadcaster’s archives.
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