Revolution

If your around my age, you'll remember the video revolution. It seemed to start with the weathier families, they suddenly had these new fangled boxes in their living rooms that could actually record television. More exciting for me was the fact you could choose films from the newly opening video rental outlets.

These are my fondly recalled early videos:-

The Wanderers - I haven't watched this since about 1981 so have no real idea whether it was any good. I'm guessing it wasn't.

The Warriors - I've still got a soft spot for this. For months it seemed that the corridors of my school ringed with "Warriors come out to playeee"

Rocky - Everyone's dad always wanted to watch this. Twice usually.

Flesh Gordon - Camp erotic parody even watched by parents. Dreadful I thought.

The Exorcist- Does anyone know why this loveable mouthy film critic Mark Kermode's favourite film? I watched it a couple of years ago and found it dull.
This and A Clockwork Orange and ET seemed to be around in a dreadful unwatchable pirate copy version.

The Evil Dead - I remember feeling very uncomfortable watching this, as I'd been told it was the scariest film ever. Watched today it seems tame and funny.

I Spit On Your Grave - and the other video nasties (or video tasties as my mate Mark re-christenened them). The Hills Have Eyes or Nazi Experiment Camp anyone? Didn't think so. The Last House on the Left rings a bell as being unpleasant, but it's OK 'cause it was made by Wes Craven?

The Thing - Still a firm favourite, and far scarier that Evil Dead.

An American Werewolf in London - Scarier than The Thing in parts, but hilarious in other. Jenny Agutter took her clothes of in this (and every*) film.

*OK she didn't take all her clothes of in The Railway Children, but she did wave her pants at a train.