This film is part of Rentals
That's the Way to Do It
A malevolent Mr Punch puppet goes on a murder spree after a teenage delinquent torments a seaside entertainer.
Director: Stanley A. Long
Overview
A teenage hoodlum (played by Jonathon Morris, later to appear regularly in television comedy Bread) gets his fatal comeuppance after attempting to destroy his stepfather's Punch and Judy puppets in this blood-spattered seaside horror short, sharply shot in windswept Eastbourne by UK screen exploitation maestro Stanley Long.
Originally shot as a supporting short for UK cinema screenings by Stanley Long's own Alpha Films, That's the Way to Do It was subsequently trimmed down for inclusion in one of the last great British portmanteau horror films, Screamtime, released in the UK on video only in 1986. The film was scripted by Long's regular collaborator Michael Armstrong, while legendary Punch and Judy man John Styles provided the puppets and the voice of Mr Punch.
Related
The Woman in Black The Woman in Black
Horror 2012 95 mins Director: James Watkins
A young solicitor, administering the will of a recently dead old lady, is drawn into a sinister web of events centring on her abandoned house.
Tiger Stripes Tiger Stripes
Horror 2023 95 mins Director: Amanda Nell Eu
Nothing is quite as scary as puberty in this exuberant feminist pre-teen body horror from first time Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu.
Late Night with the Devil Late Night with the Devil
Horror 2023 93 mins Director: Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes
Like Ghostwatch reimagined as a cheesy 1970s chat show, this deviously clever found-footage horror has scares to spare.
She Will She Will
Thriller 2021 96 mins Director: Charlotte Colbert
In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.
Out of Darkness Out of Darkness
Horror 2024 87 mins Director: Andrew Cumming
Bringing a whole new meaning to the term ‘period film’, Andrew Cumming’s Palaeolithic horror movie is a true original.
Talk to Me Talk to Me
Horror 2022 95 mins Director: Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou
Australian filmmaking brothers Danny and Michael Philippou’s feature film debut nods to their background as viral-video sensations.
Psychomania Psychomania
Horror 1973 91 mins Director: Don Sharp
The greatest zombie-biker, toad-worshipping-Satanists horror in British cinema is an undisputed cult classic brimming with exciting action and fantastical mayhem.
Midnight Breaks Midnight Breaks
1988 113 mins Director: Laurens C. Postma
Big Audio Dynamite’s Don Letts made his acting debut in this gripping, gritty 1990 drama of dreads, drugs, and music business corruption.
Extremes Extremes
Documentary 1971 81 mins Director: Anthony Klinger and Michael Lytton
In-your-face 70s documentary exploring the lives of Hell's Angels, hippies, skinheads, rudeboys, mods and drug addicts.
Purple Hearts Purple Hearts
1964 28 mins Silent
This Week investigates amphetamine use in a discussion with young people. This edition also features a report on Cyprus.
Other Worlds Are Watching Us Other Worlds Are Watching Us
1957 14 mins Director: Geoffrey Hughes
Do you believe in flying saucers? Intrepid investigator Dan Farson weighs up the evidence in this fascinating TV film.
Camp in Camden Camp in Camden
Documentary 1971 25 mins Director: Dick Foster
Eye-opening record of an alternative summer camp for Camden youth by community group Inter-Action.
The Spy's Wife The Spy's Wife
Drama 1971 28 mins Director: Gerry O'Hara
Tom Bell stars in this short film about a spy's wife who shows herself to be rather adept at espionage, while her husband is away on a mission.
No Other Land No Other Land
Documentary 2024 92 mins Director: Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham
This powerful documentary from a Palestinian-Israeli collective might be one of the most important films of this year.
Small Things Like These Small Things Like These
Drama 2024 99 mins
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.
Only the River Flows Only the River Flows
Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei
Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.
The Critic The Critic
Period drama 2023 101 mins Director: Anand Tucker
Ian McKellen is in delicious form as London's most vicious critic, who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actor (Gemma Arterton).
Special People Special People
Comedy 2008 74 mins Director: Justin Edgar
Justin Edgar's pioneering feature comedy about a neurotic filmmaker enlisted to make a film with a class of wheelchair-users.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
What if unrequited love spanned the centuries? Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.