Can one film resurrect Amicus Productions? In the Grip of Terror marks our first film in over 40 years, but only time will tell if it’s enough to usher in a new golden age for our studio. Reaching our first Kickstarter goal in under 24 hours is a promising start, mind you, but our plan is to create an infrastructure that will enable us to continue producing films for years to come. We want to build a new home for our British horror studio, similar to the one we had in the good old days.
Founded by Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg in the 1960s, the original Amicus Productions was located in a porta-cabin at Shepperton Studios. To think that some of the most beloved and timeless films in the annals of British horror — Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, Asylum, et al. — were conceived in such modest surroundings. With that in mind, can we create our own little abode to serve a similar purpose?
Here is our president, Lawrie Brewster, with a few words on our plans and ambitions for the studio.
If we hit our second stretch goal, we can acquire a medium-sized building that once belonged to a Victorian bookseller. These days, the shopfront is used to store tumble dryers. With your help, though, we can restore its former glory and turn it into a curiousity shop, inspired by Temptations Ltd. from our studio’s classic anthology film From Beyond the Grave. This would become the new beating heart of Amicus Productions, with a modest office, shop, and meeting place that would welcome horror fans from all around the world.
However, a wise proverb says “No dreamer is too small; no dream is too big” — which brings us to our third stretch goal…
Our main ambition is to purchase an abandoned Gothic church and make it the new home of Amicus Productions. This beacon of luxury architecture was built in 1839, but it’s only a matter of time before it’s demolished and turned into flats — unless we save the building and transform it into a passion-driven film studio instead.
What greater tribute can we pay to the Gothic inspiration of Amicus, and the bygone era of British horror, than by making this place a temple of what we love, and a studio that makes the films we adore? If this notion excites you, please consider supporting our Kickstarter campaign so that our grandiose ambitions can become a reality.
Hopefully, it’s worth your while, too. While your contributions can help cement the Amicus revival, we’ve also added a variety of perks to the campaign that will satiate your macabre needs.
