In a rapidly modernising English town, a psychopathic murderer is on the loose terrorising the young women of the local community. Fourteen year old Wynne (Jenny Agutter) begins to suspect that George (Bryan Marshall), her adoptive stepbrother who she’s infatuated with, is the perpetrator. But could he really be responsible for such horrific crimes?
Presented in a new 2K restoration, David Greene’s much sought-after British thriller is a gripping, cult classic of late-1960s cinema and the latest addition to the BFI Flipside collection.
Featuring a stand-out performance from Agutter and contributions from cult icons writer Richard Harris (The Avengers), production designer Brian Eatwell (Walkabout) and composer Basil Kirchin (Primitive London), I Start Counting! is a haunting coming-of-age tale like no other.
BFI Flipside is dedicated to rediscovering the margins of British film, reclaiming a space for forgotten movies and filmmakers who would otherwise be in danger of disappearing from our screens forever. It is a home for UK cinematic oddities, offering everything from exploitation documentaries to B-movies, countercultural curios and obscure classics, If it's weird, British and forgotten, then it's Flipside.
Scanned & restored in 2k from the 35mm interpositive
An Apprentice With a Master’s Ticket(2021, 40 mins): acclaimed screenwriter Richard Harris looks back over an eclectic career in television and film, ranging from The Avengers to A Touch of Frost
Worlds Within Worlds (2021, 33 mins): Jonny Trunk, founder of cult label Trunk Records, revisits the life and art of ambient music pioneer Basil Kirchin
I Start Building (1942-59, 26 mins): a selection of rare archive films recalling the ‘New Town’ dream
Danger on Dartmoor (1980, 57 mins): plucky kids face peril in this full-length Children’s Film Foundation bonus feature, written by Audrey Erskine Lindop
Don’t Be Like Brenda (1973, 8 mins): the perennial problem of teenage promiscuity is explored in this cautionary film designed for adolescent viewers
Audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan
A Kickstart: Jenny Agutter Remembers I Start Counting (2020, 20 mins)
Loss of Innocence: a video essay on I Start Counting by Chris O'Neill (2020, 8 mins)
