10. Beyond The Black Rainbow
Given that Panos Cosmatos's father was a director himself, responsible for such 80s trashy delights as Rambo: First Blood Part II and the Stallone action vehicle Cobra, it was perhaps inevitable that he'd follow in his steps and make a movie with an eye on the past. Beyond The Black Rainbow is quite literally the product of an imagined 80s movie never made, inspired by the covers of forbidden horror films Cosmatos saw in the Video Addict store as a boy. Visually the film boasts a striking, heavily saturated colour palette which recalls George Lucas's directorial debut THX 1138 and the bright, vibrant Italian horror films of the 1970s. Its seriousness of tone and complex psychological themes, as the central character Dr. Barry Nyle's psychopathic tendencies become apparent, veers the film towards the cerebral end of the sci-fi spectrum. The 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is more an indication of how polarizing Beyond The Black Rainbow is than an indictment of its quality - for some it is simply too surreal and slow paced, but if you're a cinephile with a soft spot for a classic thinking man's sci-fi movies there's a lot to admire about Cosmatos's craftsmanship.