Edgar Wrightloves recommending movies. He has shared an online list ofhis 1000 favorites on Mubi, although he says it barely scratches the surface of all the films that he likes. His list includes many obscure movies and forgotten gems, dating back as far as the 1920s. It features dozens of entertaining titles and provides a glimpse intoWright’s creative influences.
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Wright’s taste is eclectic and varied. He is just as likely to recommend an indie drama as he is a trashy genre movie. This voracious cinematic appetite is evident in Wright’s own movies, which frequently mash various genres together and take a smart, tongue-in-cheek approach to exploitation tropes. Fans of Edgar’s work are sure to find some of his recommendations worth their while.
‘Girly’ (1970)
This British horror follows a bizarre family who kidnaps men and forces them to participate in elaborate role-playing games before murdering them. Things get complicated when their latest victim (Michael Bryan) starts playing his own mind games on the family to keep himself alive.
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Girlyscandalized British audiences when it first came out, even though it’s not particularly outrageous, even for 1970. It was a box office flop as a result but has since become a cult film. There’s even speculation that one scene inGirlymight have inspired a similar moment inStanley Kubrick’sThe Shining. It’s worth it for the wild, unsettling performance fromVanessa Howardas the psychotic title character.
‘Nuts in May’ (1976)
These days,Mike Leighis recognized asa veteran of British cinema, whose filmography includes brilliant dramas likeSecrets & Lies,Vera Drake,andMr. Turner. But one of his earliest projects was this little-known TV movie for the BBC starringRoger SlomanandAllison Steadman.
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Nuts in Mayfollows a couple as they attempt to enjoy their camping holiday. They end up clashing with other campers who don’t share their approach to vacationing in the outdoors. Misunderstandings build and build, until the situation in the idyllic woodland threatens to explode. “My favourite Mike Leigh film, an absolute comedy classic,” Edgar Wrightsaid in a tweet.
‘Playground’ (2021)
This intimate Belgian dramaexplores themes of bullying on a playground and how it affects the lead characters in various ways. Seven-year-old Nora (Maya Vanderbeque) sees a group of boys tormenting her older brother Abel (Günter Duret). He orders her to keep it secret, but she tells their father anyway. Things only get worse: Abel is furious with his sister, Nora becomes a target herself, and even Abel starts getting violent.
Playgroundpacks a lot into its 72-minute runtime. The great, authentic performances from the child actors lend the film the realism of a documentary, which is bolstered by the lack of a score and the handheld photography, which often hovers at the children’s eye level. It places the viewer up close in this uncomfortable environment.
‘Beast’ (2017)
Jessie Buckleystars in this psychological thriller as Moll, a young woman living under the thumb of her oppressive family whose life changes after she meets mysterious stranger Pascal (Johnny Flynn). He is a rule-breaker, charismatic and charming, and immediately protective of Moll. Although her family disapproves, Moll starts dating Pascal. But things quickly take a grim turn.
The police suspect that Pascal is responsible for a series of murders of girls on the island. Moll stands by him, but after more secrets from his past emerge she no longer knows what to believe. This slow-burn thriller works thanks to impressive performances from the leads. Fans of Buckley’s work inI’m Thinking of Ending ThingsandThe Lost Daughtershould enjoyBeastas well.
‘Together’ (2000)
Togetheristhe second filmfrom Swedish auteurLukas Moodysson, following his sweet teen romanceShow Me Love. It’s a comedy-drama and a satire of socialist politics set in a Stockholm commune in the 1970s. After the sister (Lisa Lindgren) of one of the residents (Gustaf Hammarsten) moves in, the household dynamics are shaken up.
Moodysson explores all the complicated lives of the commune’s inhabitants with humor and warmth, and a healthy dose of absurdity: the commune members keep themselves busy with games like “torture the Pinochet victim” and by arguing over whether washing the dishes is bourgeois. The film lovingly recreates the look and feel of Sweden in 1975, from the fashions and slang down to the infectious ABBA soundtrack.
‘Into the Night’ (1985)
Edgar Wright is a huge fan of directorJohn Landis, particularly his seminal comedy-horrorAn American Werewolf in London.Into the Nightis not as well-known but just as entertaining, WrightTweeted. It follows a depressed aerospace engineer (Jeff Goldblum) after he finds out that his wife his cheating on him. He crosses paths with a beautiful jewel smuggler (Michelle Pfeiffer) who asks for his help as she tries to escape from four Iranians who are chasing her.
Into the Nightis a whacky romp, featuring the wild plot machinations that Landis is famous for. It’s also worth checking out just for the cameos by several directors (includingDavid Cronenberg,Jonathan DemmeandAmy Heckerling) and one memorable scene whereDavid Bowiegets into a knife fight.
‘Looker’ (1981)
Lookeris a sci-fi directed by author and filmmakerMichael Crichton, who wrote theJurassic Parknovel. It revolves around Dr. Larry Roberts (Albert Finney), a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who receives a bizarre request from four models demanding minute changes to their appearance. Things get even stranger when these young women begin dying mysteriously.
Although a little goofy,Lookerhas some interesting things to say about advertising, the manipulation of images, and unattainable beauty standards.In a tweet, Wright wrote thatLooker"in 1981 seemed totally far-fetched, but now… seems worryingly prescient."
‘The Company of Wolves’ (1984)
“Never stray from the path, never eat a windfall apple, and never trust a man whose eyebrows meet.” Teenaged Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson) dreams that she lives in a fairytale forest in the 18th century, where werewolves stalk the land. She sets out on a trip to her grandmother’s house with a basket of food, but a handsome huntsman (Micha Bergese) crosses her path. The story continues to upend various tropes from fairytales and gothic horror.
The Company of Wolvesis a decent ’80s horror, with plenty of blood andgory werewolf effects.Roger Ebertalso reviewed it positively, calling it a “disturbing and stylish attempt to collect some of the nightmares that lie beneath the surface of ‘Little Red Riding Hood.'”
‘The Butcher’ (1970)
The Butcheris a psychological thriller by French New Wave directorClaude Chabrol. It follows Popaul (Jean Yanne), an unstable butcher who falls in love with Helen, local headmistress (Stéphane Audran). Helen just wants to be friends - something Popaul struggles to accept.
The plot escalates quickly - three people are murdered in the butcher’s sleepy town. As the viewer, we know that Popaul did it, but the film keeps us guessing whether Helen knows whether Popaulknowsshe knows, and what Popaul might do about it. It’s a sharp, well-crafted thriller, with the leads communicating so much both through what they say to one another and what they don’t. They fill the most mundane interactions with dreadful subtexts. The tension mounts as the audience waits for the inevitable conflagration.
‘I Start Counting’ (1970)
Wynne (Jenny Agutter) has a secret crush on her 32-year-old stepbrother George (Bryan Marshal). She spies on him, and after she discovers a bloody sweater in the trash, comes to suspect that he is the serial killer responsible for the disappearance of several local girls. This doesn’t dim Wynne’s love for George. In fact, she even starts dreaming of marrying him.
Agutter does a good job at portraying this complicated character in what wasone of her earliest roles. The result is an intriguing coming-of-age thriller that holds up surprisingly well. Interesting bit of trivia: a youngPhil Collinsappears in the film as an extra selling ice cream.
