Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) 9/10

Starring : Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, Hal Landon Jr, Terry Camilleri, Dan Shor, Tony Steedman
Director : Stephen Herek
Running Time : 86 mins

A time traveller named Rufus (Carlin) travels back in time to prevent Bill Preston (Winter) and Ted Logan (Reeves) from failing their history exams and preventing the end of all future civilisation. So he gives them a time travelling phone booth, and they set about travelling through time to meet some of the historical figures they’re supposed to write their report on.

This movie was made on a relatively small budget, but still manages to last the test of time. It is full of silly one-liners and memorable moments, and the supporting cast of historical figures all play their parts magnificently. The very idea of two slackers being the foundation of future society is somehow both comforting and disturbing, but it is played quite well and makes for a charming little tale.

Bride Of Re-Animator (1989) 6/10

Starring : Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abott, Claude Earl Jones, Fabiano Udenio, David Gale
Director : Brian Yuzna
Running Time : 97 mins

Dr Herbert West (Combs), who has discovered a way to re-animate dead tissue, now realises that he can create brand new living creatures from splicing spare parts together, and he plans on bringing the dead girlfriend of his colleague Dr Dan Cain (Abbott) back from the dead and giving her the perfect body!

Despite not being as good as the original, this was actually a lot more gory, with all sorts of gross-out weirdness happening throughout. The Frankenstein’s-monster bride was particularly nasty, especially her inevitable demise towards the end.

Rush Hour (1998) 8/10

Starring : Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Tom Wilkinson, Elizabeth Peña, Ken Leung, Tzi Ma
Director : Brett Ratner
Running Time : 94 mins

When Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) travels to the USA to try to find the kidnapped daughter of Consul Han (Ma), he is partnered with LA detective James Carter (Tucker) who is told his job is to keep Lee out of the way of the investigation. Unfortunately the two of them don’t like being kept out of the loop, and decide to carry on the investigation themselves.

This is probably one of Jackie Chan’s best English speaking movies, despite the fact that Chris Tucker’s voice is continually annoying throughout. There’s a decent contemporary plot to keep the viewer interested, and the on screen chemistry builds as the movie progresses.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) 9/10

Starring : Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina
Director : Steven Spielberg
Running Time : 111 mins

Renowned archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones (Ford) is hired by the American Government to locate the Ark of the Covenant, which legend has it still contains the tablets containing the Ten Commandments, but it’s not just Indy that’s after the Ark, as he finds himself pursued throught Nepal and Cairo by Nazis!

Probably the best movie ever to involve George Lucas, this definitely stands the test of time over 25 years after its release. Ford is the perfect choice to play the swashbuckling hero, and the effects are amazing for their time. If you haven’t already seen this film, then don’t you think it’s about time you did?

The Evil Dead (1981) 8/10

Starring : Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Delrich, Betsy Baker, Sarah York
Director : Sam Raimi
Running Time : 83 mins

A group of young people travel up to a cabin in the woods, where they discover the Book Of The Dead, the Necronomicon. The cabin’s previous occupant, a professor of archaeology, has made a recording of the translation which raises the dead, and when the group play it back the Evil Dead are released once again, and the only way to kill someone once they become infected with a Deadite is to completely dismember their corpse!

This is the ultimate video nasty, and has stood the test of time, maybe not in terms of special effects, but definitely in terms of pure scare factor. Not many people can watch this without grimacing at least on one occasion, and that’s what makes this movie so special.

Re-Animator (1985) 7/10

Starring : Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
Director : Stuart Gordon
Running Time : 86 mins

Whilst working in Austria, medical student Herbert West (Combs) has discovered a new scientific method of re-animating human flesh after it has died. When he moves to the US, he attempts to continue his research with the grudging help of his new house mate Dan Cain (Abbott), who agrees to help him sneak into the hospital morgue. Sadly, things go horribly wrong when one of the re-animated corpses accidentally kills one of their teachers.

A truly gory horror flick, this has recently become one of my favourite video nasties purely based on its ridiculous plotline and over-the-top violence. Not for those with weak stomachs, but if you can deal with all the blood and gore I’d definitely recommend giving it a go.

Alien (1979) 10/10

Starring : Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto
Director : Ridley Scott
Running Time : 116 mins

The crew of the Nostromo receive an SOS from a derelict planet and discover what appears to be an abandoned alien colony. When they go to investigate, crewman Kane (Hurt) is attacked by a strange creature which burns through his helmet and attaches itself to his face. The creature eventually falls off and dies, but it’s left something inside Kane, something very dangerous…

This movie is a timeless classic – almost thirty years on and it still looks scarier than some modern horrors. Basically this is the ultimate claustrophobic horror movie, taking concepts from the horrors of the fifties and translating them into space, combining genuine terror with paranoia.