An American Werewolf in London (15)

The then-unique, much-imitated horror-comedy hybrid built a cult following on its gnarly makeup effects, goofy sense of humour and discordant soundtrack of on-the-nose pop songs.

Well, portents of doom don't get much more on-the-nose than the first time we meet our young American backpackers, David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne). They've been given a ride by a local farmer in the back of a truck with all the other sheep. And as if that's not enough signposting, their first port of call is a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb.

The pub villagers know something but they still let the boys go anyway with a warning to stay on the road. The demonic howling begins. It doesn't take long before the boys have wandered off the road and Jack is killed by a beast of the night, leaving David mortally wounded. David wakes up in a hospital in London with nurse Price (Jenny Agutter) by his side.

It remains the creative peak of director John Landis’ career; it is a rip-roaring, neck-biting, often hilarious jaunt through our capital, and the perfect film to sink your teeth into on this Halloween evening.