Robert Hartford-Davis and the birth of Brit-Exploitation

Today I've been reading Michael Ahmed's PhD thesis "Corrupted, Tormented and Damned: Reframing British Exploitation Cinema and the Films of Robert Hartford-Davis", and it really is excellent. I read it with some jealousy, if I'm honest. He draws on similar sources to my own study, particularly with his focus on Compton Films. Hartford-Davis directed The Yellow Teddy Bears (1963), which he states is considered to be the first British exploitation film, although of course it depends how you define exploitation. This is something that Michael Ahmed goes to great lengths to try and do. I haven't finished reading it yet as it's nearly 300 pages, but you can find it here on academia.edu and it's really worth doing.

One of Hartford-Davis' most infamous movies is the Peter Cushing shocker Corruption (1968), which after years of infamy and obscurity is finally getting a full uncut blu ray release this year, and I can't wait.