Best movies & TV Shows like Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema

An exploration of the appeal of horror films, with interviews of many legendary directors in the genre.

In 1922 the first documentary in the genre sense came on the big screen, "Nanook of the North" (1922). Kabloonak is the story of the making of this movie for which the story was partially staged by his director 'Robert Flaherty'.

Robert Altman's life and career contained multitudes. This father of American independent cinema left an indelible mark, not merely on the evolution of his art form, but also on the western zeitgeist. With its use of rare interviews, representative film clips, archival images, and musings from his family and most recognizable collaborators, Altman is a dynamic and heartfelt mediation on an artist whose expression, passion and appetite knew few bounds.

With archive film clips and interviews, this brief look at a frequently overlooked historical period of filmmaking acts as an introduction rather than a complete record. It features interviews with some of the genre's biggest stars, like Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, and Richard Roundtree. Director Melvin Van Peebles discusses the historical importance of his landmark film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. For a contemporary perspective, the excitable Quentin Tarantino offers his spirited commentary and author/critic bell hooks provides some scholarly social analysis.

A look at the making of the film Troll 2 (1990) and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic.

Charley Brewster, a high school student, accidentally discovers the true and creepy nature of Jerry Dandrige, his dashing and enigmatic new neighbor; but no one seems willing to believe him.

For Halloween 1992, the BBC decides to broadcast an investigation into the supernatural, hosted by TV chat-show legend Michael Parkinson. Parky (assisted by Mike Smith, Sarah Greene & Craig Charles) and a camera crew attempt to discover the truth behind the most haunted house in Britain. This ground-breaking live television experiment does not go as planned, however.

This historical and critical look at slasher films, which includes dozens of clips, begins with Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Prom Night. The films' directors, writers, producers, and special effects creators comment on the films' making and success. During the Reagan years, the films get gorier, budgets get smaller, and their appeal wanes. Then, Nightmare on Elm Street revives the genre. Jump to the late 90s, when Scream brings humor and TV stars into the mix.

A secret vampire cult, which has its headquarters beneath the town cemetery, searches for victims for its human sacrifice rituals.

Stagknight is derived from the uncensored lusty straight-to-Drive-In horrors of the 70's and 80's, I Spit on your Grave, The Beast, Samurai Assisan, movies that spawned the mighty Evil Dead, American Werewolf in London, later Aliens. Set deep in dark mythical English woods Stagknight presents a uniquely stupid look at this genre through the cracked "Weekend Warriors" paintball team. This is mansville not boytown on a blow-out bachelor paintball weekender bender of dirty tricks, hot babes and truly splatter-tastic medieval kills to die for.

A masked killer targets six college kids responsible for a prank gone wrong three years earlier and who are currently throwing a large New Year's Eve costume party aboard a moving train.

A documentary primarily focusing on the filming and release of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The man only known as the Stalker, is looking for the Hamilton's, and is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way. Embark on this horror, mystery, thrill ride, that takes you back to the classic films of the genre.

Thirty-one twisted tales made from a collective of genre loving filmmakers, Fun Size Horror: Volume One aims to chill and delight horror fans. From classic slashers and creature features, to horror-comedy and hauntings all made into bite size pieces. Like a bag of Halloween candy after a night of trick or treating, Fun Size Horror: Volume One is filled with the unexpected and not without the threat of the occasional razor blade. Which leaves only one question: Trick or treat?

This is the rare UK Channel 4 documentary about Blade Runner, giving insights into it's history with interviews of Ridley Scott, the writers and nearly all the cast. Interviews with production staff, including Ridley, give details into the creative process and turmoil during preproduction. Stories from Paul M. Sammon and Fancher provide insight into Philip K. Dick and the origins of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Interweaved are cast interviews with the notable exceptions of Harrison Ford and Sean Young. Through these interviews we get a sense of how difficult and frustrating the film was to make as a result of an exacting director without allies and hot, wet, smoggy conditions; which added to the high pressure atmosphere everyone increasingly felt as the film went over budget. There is also a tour of some locations, most notably the Bradbury Building and the Warner Brothers backlot that was the LA 2019 streets, which look very different from Ridley's dark version.

Campers at an LGBTQ+ conversion camp endure unsettling psychological techniques while the campsite is stalked by a mysterious killer.

A celebration of slasher cinema - from PSYCHO to the present day, with a focus on highlighting many of the genre's forgotten cult classics, deconstructing how to survive a slice and dice movie and meditating upon why it is almost always a final girl and rarely a final guy... this is a documentary which is designed for both the biggest fan of "mad maniac" movies and the person who may only have seen HALLOWEEN and SCREAM. Either way, this is a documentary that proves the SLASHER FILM is truly FOREVER!

An enthralling montage of moments of cinema-going extracted from movie history exploring the entire film-going experience: underage boys attempting to get in to a cinema to see some bare flesh; pretentious debates in the queues; loading choc ices into trays, and of course the trailers and the main feature. Films from every genre play as lovers meet, criminals hide in the dark and rapt audiences watch on.

A rare look at the the career of film director Pedro Almodóvar, especially his early works, with interviews with the director himself and his stars and admirers.

Benjamin, a rising star filmmaker, is on the brink of premiering his difficult second film ’No Self' at the London Film Festival when Billie, his hard drinking publicist, introduces him to a mesmeric French musician called Noah.

Mark Kermode brings a tribute to the successful Alien series, featuring interviews with the cast members and directors, including Sigourney Weaver and Ridley Scott. This documentary is featured on the 9th disc of the Alien Quadrilogy DVD set, released in 2003.

A behind-the-scenes retrospective made for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the classic horror film, The Exorcist. Includes interviews with Linda Blair and the other stars of the film, along with commentary from the director and writer on some of the deeper meanings behind the elements they used to terrify their audiences, and previously unreleased footage including make-up tests and deleted scenes.

In 1996, the horror master Wes Craven unleashed Scream, a slasher movie aimed at a whole new generation of teenage movie-goers.

Documentary that explores Argento's film career.

Hell on Earth is an hour-long documentary presented by Mark Kermode. It's about Ken Russell's 1971 film, The Devils which is one of the most controversial films ever made. Kermode chats to Russell as well as two of the films stars Georgina Hale and Murray Melvin. Also included are scenes that were cut from the released film for being too controversial.

A documentary about the era of classic monster movies that were made at Universal Studios during the 1930s and 1940s.

Comedian Rich Hall goes west to find out what killed off that most quintessentially American of all film genres, the western. Through films such as The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, Little Big Man, The Wild Bunch and Unforgiven, Rich charts the rise and fall of America's obsession with its own creation myth - the Wild West. He explores how the image of the cowboy as a moral, straight-talking heroic figure was created by Hollywood but appropriated by Washington, as one president after another sought to associate themselves with this potent symbol of strength and valour.

Documentary about the making of Sam Peckinpah's 1971 film "Straw Dogs."

A documentary on the production of The French Connection (1971).

A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics looks at Hollywood’s biggest screen spectaculars from all sides, including the genre’s beginnings, literary adaptations, great epic directors and actors, the challenges of making big-budget movies, classic set-pieces and epic music scores. The special also looks at how the genre fell out of favor with audiences and filmmakers in the ‘70s and ‘80s, only to be reborn with more recent films like Gladiator, and Dances with Wolves trilogy. Throughout, the special is packed with classic scenes and behind-the-scenes images from such films as The Birth of a Nation (1915), Gone With the Wind (1939), Samson & Delilah (1949), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), El Cid (1961), King of Kings (1961), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965).

Kyle Cole returns home to the town of Kaler Mills. He hasn't been back in 10 years since the people of the town turned on him believing that he was responsible for his brothers death. His brother, Ryan Cole, was the beloved "fair haired boy" of Kaler Mills. Loved by all, hated by none. After his death in a tragic farm accident a video was released that made it seem that Kyle could have prevented his brothers death. Now, armed with a documentary crew, Kyle has returned to face his demons. But he forgot about one of them... This is an 80's style creature feature with a modern twist. Made with practical effects and classic stop motion monster techniques, The Dooms Chapel Horror will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end.

Two filmmakers, Rebecca and Mark, came up with a plan to make a hoax film about the mythical ‘Bigfoot’. They set up camp in the woods and interviewed locals who claimed to have sighted the beast, documenting each step as they laid the groundwork for their hoax.

William Friedkin attends an exorcism with Father Gabriele Amorth, as he treats an Italian woman named Cristina for the ninth time. Prior to filming, Cristina had purportedly been experiencing behavioural changes and “fits” that could not be explained by psychiatry, and which became worse during Christian holidays.

The Dead Walk is an eerie and atmospheric tale about the rise of the living dead, besieging the world. In the grand tradition of classic films from this genre, 'The Dead Walk' follows a group of surviving strangers who must struggle and find a way to live in their new hellish world.

A worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made and the story of international cinema through the history of cinematic innovation.

Five programmes that trace a remarkable decade in British film-making through interviews with its stars and directors.

Acclaimed filmmaker Jennifer Fox maps the world of female life and sexuality today -- from the dramatic turns in her own life to the stories of women around the globe that shed light on the universal issues all women face. Employing a groundbreaking camera technique, called "passing the camera", this powerful series creates a new type of documentary language and storytelling that mirrors the special way women communicate.

The extraordinary story of how Hollywood changed World War II – and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the interwoven experiences of five legendary filmmakers who went to war to serve their country and bring the truth to the American people: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. Based on Mark Harris’ best-selling book, “Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War.”

Explore the evolution of sci-fi from its origins as a small genre with a cult following to the blockbuster pop-cultural phenomenon we know today. In each episode, James Cameron introduces one of the “Big Questions” that humankind has contemplated throughout the ages and reaches back into sci-fi’s past to better understand how our favorite films, TV shows, books, and video games were born.

An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.

Dead by Dawn is the first ever horror nature series. This genre bending series showcases the horror that is reality in the wild when the sun goes down.

Tom McLaughlin, longtime woodworker, teacher and a member of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters, teaches the latest wood crafting techniques, as well as tips and instruction for how to create projects that can be passed down for generations. In each half-hour episode, unusual design inspiration will be turned into easy-to-follow projects for woodworkers at every skill level.

As told through clips from 183 female directors, this epic history of the cinema focuses on women’s integral role in the development of film art. Using almost a thousand film extracts from thirteen decades and five continents, Mark Cousins asks how films are made, shot and edited; how stories are shaped and how movies depict life, love, politics, humour and death, all through the compelling lens of some of the world’s greatest filmmakers – all of them women.

This star-studded, music-comedy game show from Executive Producer Jimmy Fallon is infused with his one-of-a-kind comedic style and feel-good energy, featuring a carousel of his classic and brand new music-based games, like "Wheel of Musical Impressions," "Musical Genre Challenge" and "History of Rap." Each week, a new group of celebrities go head-to-head and mic-to-mic in a variety of music- and dance-inspired games, sketches and challenges that promise unforgettable -- and hilarious -- performances.

In this Shudder Original series, master filmmakers and genre experts celebrate and dissect the most terrifying moments of the greatest horror films ever made, exploring how these scenes were created and why they burned themselves into the brains of audiences around the world.

Tracing a century of movie and TV history, these four documentary specials explore the unparalleled global impact of Warner Bros. on art, commerce, and culture.

Canada’s best French country music recording artists perform today’s biggest country hits alongside the genre’s most timeless classics.

Dive deep into the art of storytelling by examining the defining principles and inner workings of the greatest classic films from the past century.

The ultimate deep dive into the world of shark cinema: filmmakers, critics, scholars and conservationists explore the weird, wild cinematic legacy of sharks on film and audiences' undying fascination with these misunderstood creatures.