The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
A Pocketful of Fear
Buckle up for some asphalt angst on a tense 1960s road trip on and off the A19.
From the collection of:
Overview
A road trip soon takes a sinister turn for a woman who stops at a lonely, rural petrol station on the A19 and finds herself in the driving seat with an unwelcome passenger. Claustrophobically-framed shots inside the car and quick cutting rack up the suspense in this well-made amateur thriller.
A crew from the Newcastle and District Amateur Cinematographers Association take to the road through County Durham and Wearside, improvising a spot of roadside Americana at Testos Service Station and the Parkarest diner on the A19. The ‘baddie' was played by Reginald Townsend, a civil engineer with the North Eastern Electricity Board, and other cast members were hired for their access to motor vehicles rather than their acting ambitions. The camerawork was by Doug Collender who joined Tyne Tees TV in December 1958 and became a Senior Lighting Director, working on both outside broadcast and studio productions, including the cult live music programme, The Tube.
Related
Watch for free
Crosstrap Crosstrap
Drama 1962 62 mins
Stuck out in the country, two rival gangs fight it out with increasing savagery.
Watch for free
Good-Time Girl Good-Time Girl
Crime 1948 92 mins Location: Islington
Find out what happens when a good girl goes bad in this controversial post-war Brit noir thriller starring Jean Kent.
Watch for free
Trapped by the London Sharks Trapped by the London Sharks
Comedy 1916 83 mins Silent
Nefarious nightclub hosts blackmail a drunkard into fleecing their customers
Watch for free
Dear Murderer Dear Murderer
Drama 1947 94 mins
A frosty Greta Gynt goes head to head with jealous husband Eric Portman in this pitch-black British noir.
Watch for free
Enemy Enemy
Thriller 1976 60 mins
Frightening events unfold that may or may not be figments of Marigold’s imagination.
Watch for free
Trapped by the Mormons Trapped by the Mormons
Drama 1922 92 mins Silent
Unscrupulous criminals in the Manchester suburbs abuse the Mormon faith to lure young women away from their families.
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Watch for free
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Watch for free
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.