Critters (1986, Directed by Stephen Herek)
Japanese B1. Art by Ed Soyka. I always thought Critters really nailed that horror/comedy blend, but it’s the charm of the creature design I like the most. Utilising animatronics, puppetry and visual effects, the Chiodo Brothers (who created the Critters) had a background in puppetry and stop motion animation, which allowed them to make the Critters have quite realistic movement and expressions. They’re charming little terrors! This Japanese B1 has art by Ed Soyka, which appears to have cut from the International One Sheet which also included a nicer background.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987, Directed by John Hughes)
UK Quad. Perhaps my favourite John Hughes film, it makes me laugh like a drain and the ending makes me sob like a baby. John Candy was gone too soon, he was such a talented and likeable chap, a huge loss. Steve Martin is perfect as the uptight Neal too, they have terrific chemistry together. I’m not sure who the artist for this quad was, but the central image of Del and Neal captures their relationship and personality pretty well and it has a bit more life than the US one sheet.
The Terminator (1984, Directed by James Cameron)
Polish poster. Art by Jakub Erol. I have a very large soft spot for Terminator 2, but I think the original film just about edges it as my favourite (in the same way that I prefer Alien to Aliens). I love how lean and efficiently made it is and Arnold is so relentless and sinister. Acclaimed Polish artist Jakub Erol created some amazing film posters, Alien and Raiders of the Lost Arc in particular. I love this stark design – the splash of colour evokes the Tech-Noir nightclub scene and those red endoskeleton eyes. The polish title on this poster translates to ‘Electronic Murderer’, which is a pretty cool alternative title for the film.
