BBC orders iPlayer horror film original

The BBC is expanding its move into original feature films for its iPlayer service with Fear Itself, a horror movie that will debut on the streaming and catch-up service later this month.

The film comes from filmmaker and culture blogger and writer Charlie Lyne (Beyond Clueless). The film is made from footage culled from other horror movies.

Victoria Jaye, head of TV content, BBC iPlayer, ordered the show for the digital service. She said: “Charlie Lyne is one of the most exciting young filmmakers in Britain today and we’re absolutely thrilled to bring his feature film, Fear Itself, exclusively to BBC iPlayer. Charlie has seized all the creative opportunities iPlayer presents to bring his unique vision for this film to life.

“Fear Itself is a mesmerising, experiential exploration of how fear works, beautifully told through the archive of over a hundred years of horror cinema. You’ll be deeply moved, and at times terrified, by what Charlie has achieved.”

The iPlayer film order follows the commission of the first original feature for the service, The Rack Pack, a snooker-based comedy drama, which was announced last week. The BBC service is following the likes of Netflix in being a digital on-demand platform ordering original feature films.

“I got about 20 minutes into the first feature-length commission from BBC iPlayer, Adam Curtis’s Bitter Lake, before I started fidgeting with excitement about what an incredible platform it had become for weird and wonderful art — art that wouldn’t quite fit anywhere else,” said Lyne.

“About a month later I somehow found myself beginning work on Fear Itself, the second feature-length commission from BBC iPlayer. No pressure then.”