View source for Cradle of Fear



{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2014}}

{{Infobox film
| name           = Cradle of Fear
| image          = Cradle of Fear.jpg
| caption        = Promotional poster
| director       = [[Alex Chandon]]
| producer       = Ciska Faulkner<br/>Eddie Kane<br/>Paul Luke<br/>Nico Rilla<br/>Andy Skivington
| writer         = Alex Chandon
| starring       = [[Dani Filth]]<br/>[[Emily Booth (actress)|Emily Booth]]<br/>[[Eileen Daly]]
| music          = [[Cradle of Filth]]
| cinematography = Sebastiani Bontempi
| editing        = Alex Chandon
| studio         = Pragmatic Pictures Ltd.
| distributor    = Film 2000
| released       = {{Film date|2001|12|18|UK|df=y}}
| runtime        = 120 minutes
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
}}

'''''Cradle of Fear''''' is a 2001 [[United Kingdom|British]] [[horror film]], directed by [[Alex Chandon]]. It was released [[direct-to-video]] on 4 July 2001. Taking inspiration from the [[anthology film]]s produced by [[Amicus Productions]] in the 1970s, it features three separate half-hour segments, linked by a fourth story. The main narrative involves imprisoned serial killer Kemper wreaking vengeance on those responsible for his capture. This he does through his son: [[Dani Filth]] playing an unnamed character referred to in the credits as "The Man".

Shot on video and on a very low budget, the film received a mixed to positive reception in the horror press. The film is chiefly of interest to [[Cradle of Filth]] fans, as it features the entire lineup (principally Dani, but the rest crop up in cameo roles) from the band's ''[[Midian (album)|Midian]]'' era. Chandon's association with Cradle of Filth began with the promo video for ''[[From the Cradle to Enslave]]'', and he went on to direct the clips for "Her Ghost in the Fog" and "No Time to Cry", plus some DVD documentaries. Kemper is played by David McEwen, who also appeared in the video for "Her Ghost in the Fog", miming to [[Doug Bradley]]'s narration.

== Plot ==
The opening scene sees "The Man" being approached and attacked by two muggers in a dark alley of [[London]]. As the muggers check their seemingly unconscious victim for cash, The Man regains consciousness and brutally kills them. Around that time, Inspector Peter Neilson is investigating the apparent murder scene of the young Melissa and Nikki. In a flashback, the two girls are shown in a [[goth subculture|goth]] club looking to pick up men. Melissa spotted The Man and took him home. After spending the night with him, she began hallucinating about the people around turning to her with monstrous faces and voices. Melissa went to Nikki's house to seek help, then a creature burst out of Melissa's womb and attacked Nikki, killing both.

Sophie and Emma break into a house in a burglary attempt. When Emma finds a box of money under a bed, a bony old man pops up from the bedcovers and attacks her. The girls stab and bludgeon the old man multiple times before he finally dies. Intending to keep the loot to herself and seeing Emma as a liability for revealing their plan to her sister, Sophie kills Emma and runs home. There, the re-animated bodies of Emma and the old man appear and stab Sophie to death.

As the dead bodies are identified, Inspector Neilson links them to an earlier case he had solved in the past. The case involved a man named Kemper, former [[hypnotist]] and son of an infamous [[Satanism|Satanist]]. Kemper had been using his skills to manipulate, abduct and kill children for over 25 years until he was apprehended by Neilson, tried and [[Involuntary commitment|committed]] to a [[lunatic asylum]]. Neilson's boss has Kemper transferred to another facility so that his cell can be investigated.

Nick Holland is an amputee who is unable to engage in sexual activity with his girlfriend Natalie due to his frustration with the loss of his left leg in a prior accident. Nick visits his old friend Thomas and shoots him in the head. He then removes Thomas' left leg, puts it on ice and has it [[organ transplantation|transplanted]] to himself by his doctor overnight. Nick goes through rehabilitation and eventually becomes able to move his transplanted leg. One night, while driving with Natalie, Nick loses control of his leg which steps on the accelerator, resulting in a crash that instantly kills Natalie. As two policemen arrive on the scene, they witness Nick stab himself to death, then The Man appears and kills them both. Meanwhile, a [[contract killing|hit list]] is found in Kemper's old cell, containing the names and addresses of those responsible for his capture and their relatives, including the recent victims and Neilson himself. During his confinement, Kemper had also managed to give a copy of the list to The Man.

Richard is a reporter with a morbid obsession for [[extreme pornography]] and [[snuff films]]. He is chastised by his employer for misusing the work computer. Real footage of the Chechclear beheading plays on his computer screen. One day he finds a website offering real-time footage of people being attacked and tortured on commands issued by remote users. Richard's escalating obsession with the website causes him to lose his job and, eventually, his house. While attempting to log into the site from an [[internet cafe]], he receives an [[email]] from an anonymous sender who reveals the location of the house where the live footage is filmed. Upon reaching the house, Richard is taken by the homeowner to the supposed location of the filming equipment, but instead he finds himself on the set of the snuff filming, where he is murdered by two masked men upon orders issued remotely by The Man. As his body is found and identified, Richard is revealed to be Neilson's son.

Determined to avenge his son and end the streak of killings, Neilson goes to the facility where Kemper is held and forces the staff to take him to Kemper's cell at gunpoint. He shoots Kemper in a leg and arm, but is immobilised by reinforcement guards before he can kill him. The Man, disguised as one of the guards, uses a [[machete]] to kill the director of the facility and the remaining guards, and is now revealed to be Kemper's son. Neilson shoots The Man, blowing half his head off, then delivers the fatal gunshot to Kemper. The Man however gets back on his feet and, with claws and tentacles emerging from the remaining half of his head, supposedly kills Neilson off-camera.

== Cast ==

* [[Dani Filth]] as The Man
* [[Emily Booth]] (as Emily Bouffante) as Mel
* [[Stuart Laing (actor)|Stuart Laing]] as Richard
* Edmund Dehn as Inspector Neilson
* [[Eileen Daly]] as Natalie
* Rebecca Eden as Sophie
* Louie Brownsell as Nick
* David McEwen as Kemper
* Adam Turner as The Short Man
* Emma Rice as Emma
* Melissa Forti as Nikki
* Al Stokes as The Old Man
* Barry Lee-Thomas as Chief Inspector Roper
* Sara Kunz (as Sarah Kunz) as Dr. Ross
* Mark Rathbone (as Mark Rossi) as Pringle
* Jordan Shelley (as J. Lawrence) as the Fat Comedian

==Production==
{{expand section|date=October 2014}}

== Release ==

''Cradle of Fear'' has a chequered release history. Aside from the festival and convention circuit, the film never saw a cinema screen, and was released straight to video.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/vanity-projects-music/|title=Vanity Projects: The Musical Edition|first=Owen|last=Williams|website=Empire|date=16 August 2020 }}</ref>

The UK distributors initially made it available as a mail order [[VHS]] title, on the grounds that this would allow the release of an uncut and unrated version, posted out from Europe and circumventing the [[BBFC]] (the assumption being that the BBFC would not pass the film without significant alterations).<ref name="auto"/> After long delays, these tapes were finally sent out, but, much to the producers' embarrassment, the film was passed completely uncut by the BBFC barely a month later,<ref name="auto"/> and picked up for exclusive distribution on DVD by the [[Blockbuster Video|Blockbuster]] chain, who immediately sold it at a fraction of the price of the mail order tapes.<ref name="auto"/>

In 2006 the [[HMV]] chain signed an agreement with Pragmatic Pictures for UK distribution of the DVD version, which subsequently entered HMV's DVD Top 10 chart. The film is now widely available on DVD.

==Reception==
{{expand section|date=October 2014}}
Critical reception for the film has been mixed to positive.

Adam Tyner from [[DVD Talk]] gave the film a mixed review stating that knowing that each character would meet their demise got in the way of any suspense.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tyner|first1=Adam|title=Cradle of Fear : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/5619/cradle-of-fear/|website=DVD Talk.com|publisher=Adam Tyner|accessdate=4 August 2015}}</ref> ''Digital Retribution'' gave the film a negative review, criticizing the film's poor execution, and overlong running time, calling the film a huge disappointment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cradle of Fear DVD Review|url=http://www.digital-retribution.com/reviews/dvd/0088.php|website=Digital Retribution.com|publisher=CJ|accessdate=4 August 2015}}</ref> [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] awarded the film four out of five stars, praising the film's creature effects and gore effects calling the film a must see for gore fans.<ref>{{cite web|title=Empire's Cradle of Fear Movie Review|url=http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/ReviewComplete.asp?FID=14224|website=Empire Online.com|publisher=Empire Online|accessdate=4 August 2015}}</ref> ''Horror News.net'' gave the film a positive review praising the film's clever writing, acting, and gore effects calling the film's gore scenes "both terrifying and visceral".<ref>{{cite web|title=Film Review: Cradle of Fear (2001)|url=http://horrornews.net/22227/film-review-cradle-of-fear-2001/|website=Horror News.net|date=27 November 2010 |publisher=Horror News|accessdate=4 August 2015}}</ref> [[Bloody Disgusting]] awarded the film a score of 4 out of 5, complimenting the film's writing,  music, performances, and frantic camerawork.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cradle of Fear -|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/108540/cradle-of-fear-5/|website=Bloody Disgusting.com|publisher=Bloody Disgusting|accessdate=5 August 2015|archive-date=26 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526053427/http://bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/108540/cradle-of-fear-5/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.cradleoffear.com}} [Dead Link]
* {{IMDb title|0291833}}
* {{Rotten tomatoes|cradle_of_fear|Cradle of Fear}}
* [http://mjsimpson-films.blogspot.com/2013/03/interview-alex-chandon.html Alex Chandon Interview]
{{Alex Chandon}}
{{Cradle of Filth}}

[[Category:2001 films]]
[[Category:2001 horror films]]
[[Category:2001 British films]]
[[Category:2001 English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s slasher films]]
[[Category:2000s serial killer films]]
[[Category:British anthology films]]
[[Category:British slasher films]]
[[Category:British splatter films]]
[[Category:British zombie films]]
[[Category:British crime horror films]]
[[Category:Films about snuff films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Alex Chandon]]
[[Category:Films set in London]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]
[[Category:English-language crime films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Cradle of Fear|access_date=2026-03-01}}