A special day dedicated to Southport movie producer Tony Tenser will take place at Bijou Cinema in Southport.
Audiences can see Seaside Screams: A Day of Tony Tenser & Tigon will take place on Saturday 21st June 2025.
Legendary film producer Tony Tenser shot two films in Southport in 1969 for his company Tigon Productions: the Norman Wisdom vehicle What’s Good For The Goose and The Haunted House Of Horror starring Frankie Avalon, using the old Birkdale Palace Hotel as his production base.
A spokesperson said: “We are delighted to present a day celebrating Tony’s career in the town where he retired and was a familiar face, showing both those films alongside the classic folk horror The Blood On Satan’s Claw (1971). Each film will have an introduction.
“We’ll also be launching the new revised edition of John Hamilton’s fantastic book about Tony and his exploitation film career, Beasts In the Cellar, from FAB Press. Copies will be on sale.
“John will be interviewed about Tony’s life and career, and signing copies of the book.
“Our special guest David McGillivray – the legendary horror screenwriter, who wrote the Tony Tenser-produced Frightmare – will be joining us to set the scene, talking about exploitation film-making and Soho in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
“We hope to have a few surprises during the day.
“Please note, all guests are subject to change and may cancel at short notice.
“Seaside Screams: A Day of Tony Tenser & Tigon is brought to you by Stephen Fenerty and John Hamilton, and thanks to our main sponsor the Bijou Cinema. We hope you can join us.
“If you book individual film tickets, please arrive 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time of your film.”
Tickets are available at: Southport Bijou Cinema – Classic Films Old & New and Independents
Day tickets – £15 + booking fee
Individual films – £6 + booking fee
The schedule is as follows:
09.45 – Doors Open
10.00 – David McGillivray on Exploitation Filmmaking in the 60s/70s and Tony Tenser’s Soho
10.45 – Shot In Southport: What’s Good For the Goose? (1969, 98 mins) + Introduction
12.30 – Lunch Break + John Hamilton signing copies of Beasts in The Cellar
13.30 – John Hamilton interviewed on Tony’s life and career + Q&A
14.30 – Shot In Southport: The Haunted House Of Horror (1969, 92 mins) + Introduction
16.45 – The Blood On Satan’s Claw (1971, 93 mins) + Introduction
18.30-19.15 – Panel Discussion ‘Satan’s Claw & More’ TBC
After World War II war service as a technician in the Royal Air Force, Tony Tenser became a trainee manager for the ABC Cinemas circuit.
Working as head of publicity for Miracle Films] he coined the term “sex kitten” for the French movie star Brigitte Bardot when The Light Across the Street (La lumière d’en face, 1955) was released in the UK.
In 1966 he founded his own production company Tigon British Film Productions, which made mainstream films such as Michael Reeves’ two features The Sorcerers (1966) and Witchfinder General (1967), as well as other horror films.
After production of The Creeping Flesh (1973) concluded, Tenser resigned from Tigon.
Following his last film as executive producer, Frightmare (1974), he retired from the film industry.
He settled in Southport with wife Diane in 1978.
Tony Tenser’s career as a film producer was extensively documented in the book Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser published by Fab Press in 2005 and well received by reviewers in The New York Times and The Independent.
The book was written by film critic John Hamilton, who conducted over 18 hours of taped conversations with Tenser, as well as exclusive interviews with many of the actors and craftsmen he employed, including: the directors Michael Armstrong, Peter Sasdy, Freddie Francis and Vernon Sewell; and actors Christopher Lee, Spike Milligan, Julie Ege and Norman Wisdom. Hamilton also had access to original production files and correspondence.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrown@gmail.com
