Top five cult movies based in Manchester
After reviewing The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue (and with so much interest in vintage Manchester with the success of Life On Mars), I thought I'd throw together a list of my top five cult movies with a Manchester setting. If you can add to it (or indeed, strongly disagree), feel free to comment below...
1. Hell Is A City (1960)
A real lost gem, with Stanley Baker as the hardened Inspector Martineau, trying to track down an escaped con who has robbed and killed since his break, whilst trying to keep his family life together. American film noir - with a northern landscape.
2. Mrs Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter (1968)
Manchester beat kids Herman's Hermits have a dog - Mrs Brown - and it could win Herman Tully (Peter Noone) and his mates (The Hermits) some cash - if they can raise the cash to enter her into a race. So off they head from Manchester to London to make some cash as a band. Yes, it's a 60s band vehicle - but an entertaining one all the same.
3. The Living Dead In The Manchester Morgue (1974)
An Italian/Spanish zombie flick, set in Manchester and the Lake District, with sonic rays bringing the dead back to life. Every bit as good as it sounds.
See our full review here.
4. A Taste Of Honey (1961)
Possibly Rita Tushingham's defining role. She's Jo, a Manchester girl who falls for (and gets pregnant by) a coloured sailor, then befriended by a gay man (Geoffrey). They become "man and wife" before the spectre of Jo's mother returns. Real 60s grit - and a must-see kitchensink drama from Tony Richardson.
5. The Lovers! (1973)
Jack Rosenthal's The Lovers sitcom got a film spin-off in 1973. It's actually nothing more than an expanded episode of the show, with Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox returning as the awkward young couple. But there's a peak at Old Trafford from days gone by, not to mention George best's boutique as part of the location shots - or there would be if it was available anywhere. Sadly, it's not been released on DVD and rarely gets a look-in on TV.
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