Rik Mayall Movies

While wandering the English moors on vacation, college yanks David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) happen upon a quaint pub with a mysterious patronage who warn them not to leave the road when walking after dark. Irreverent of such advice as characters in horror films always are, the two decide to find a short cut....David wakes up in the hospital with a nasty bite wound to his shoulder; the freshly deceased, and rapidly decomposing, Jack arrives soon after to deliver the grim news that, unless he commits suicide, David will become a werewolf when the moon is full. David dismisses the encounter as a hallucination, but all indicators point to lycanthrope; evenings of barking and bloodletting follow closely behind. While the story is thin and much of the tongue-in-cheek humor is overdone, there are plenty of genuine jolts thanks to makeup guru Rick Baker's eye-popping special effects. The werewolf, resembling a cross between a bear and a wolverine, appears frighteningly real, and, given the fantastic premise, the gore is most convincing (although surprisingly and refreshingly scant). The hospital dream sequences are creative, and the scenes in which the werewolf runs rampant through downtown London are particularly good. In all, An American Werewolf in London is an original, atmospheric film that manages both to scare and amuse. While dismissed by most American critics upon its release, the film managed to secure a place in the annals of American cinema when Baker won an Academy Award for his amazing effects and creature designs. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

The sequel to the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, this film follows the further adventures of Brad (Cliff De Young) and Janet (Jessica Harper), as the now-married couple travels to a small town to appear on a game show. However, once on-stage, they discover that they are trapped on the television show with a bunch of unusual characters. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

The boys move to a new house, which looks surprisingly like their previous house. After some squabbling over bedrooms and a minor bed fire, they settle in. Strangely, Buddy Holly hangs suspended from Mike's (Christopher Ryan) ceiling, but not for long. Thanks to a genie, Neil (Nigel Planer) temporarily acquires six pairs of hands. Runny-bottom Rick (Rik Mayal) is restrained by a bouncer (Robbie Coltrane) after Mike establishes a roller-disco in Rick's room. Laundry-maven Neil and Rick face oppression from Mike and Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson), after oil is "discovered" in the basement. Vyvyan is mildly disturbed when a pickaxe becomes lodged in his skull. Rick stages a benefit concert, which sees Alexei Sayle singing a song about Dr. Marten's boots. ~ Tim DiGravina, Rovi

Returning to British TV after a three-year absence, the satirical sitcom The Black Adder once again starred Rowan Atkinson, this time as Lord Edmund Blackadder, illegitimate great-great-grandson of the original series' delightfully scurrilous anti-hero. Blackadder II was ushered in on January 9, 1986, with the episode titled "Bells." The scene is England; the year, 1558. Lord Edmund can't understand why he is so attracted to his new manservant Bob. He gets his answer in a hurry: "Bob" is really Kate (Gabrielle Glaster), who has disguised herself as a boy to escape a life of prostitution. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though blatantly patterned after the long-running American series Saturday Night Live, Britain's Saturday Live tended to favor standup comedy over sketches. A number of major comic talents appeared on a regular basis during the series' two-season run, notably the erstwhile team of Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall, in their familiar guises as "the Dangerous Brothers" (Sir Adrian and Richard). Also frequently seen were the likes of Stephen Fry and French and Saunders. Presented by Channel Four and London Weekend Television from 1986 to 1987, Saturday Live weighed in with 11 90-minute episodes, eight 75-minute installments, and two 80-minute specials. The property would be briefly revived in 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This satirical British television series chronicles the political exploits of Alan B'Stard, a soulless politician who cares little for the people but is popular among his peers. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Joey (Crispin Glover) thinks he's a writer, even though he's never written (or published) anything. He has advertised this "fact" to everyone he knows, but particularly to himself. He has an acquaintance, Marty (Matthew Hutton), who is mute but who writes like a dream. Of course, people try to ignore him the way they do every other "handicapped" person, and his writings go unnoticed. One day, Joey runs into a literary agent and hands him some of Marty's poetry. When the agent assumes that the work is Joey's, he allows him to believe that. Incredibly, (since poetry is not a big publishing moneymaker), the agent hands Joey some money as an advance on a book. Unable and unwilling to end his deception, Joey accepts the cash. Sooner or later, Joey is going to have to get hold of some more poems, though, and he may even have to face the truth about what he has done. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Phoebe Cates stars in this bizarre comedy that wants to be the kind of stylish comic fable the likes of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and Pee-wee's Big Adventure but ends up looking like a shabby burlesque about schizophrenia. Cates is Elizabeth, who has recently separated from her philandering husband Charles (Tim Matheson) and moved back home with her harridan mother Polly (Marsha Mason). Back in her old little-girl haunts, she regresses into childhood and recalls her imaginary childhood friend Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall), a nasty, ill-tempered sociopath. As a child, Elizabeth created mayhem with her imaginary pal, but Polly locked him up tight in a jack-in-the-box. But now, Elizabeth mistakenly liberates him from the jack-in-the-box, and the newly freed Drop Dead Fred proceeds to wreak more havoc than the Id Monster from Forbidden Planet -- taking vengeance upon all the people who have made Elizabeth miserable -- and then some. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

This animated fantasy is based on a famed fairy tale by late-19th century writer George MacDonald. It is the tale of a brave princess who teams up with the son of a miner to go underground and stop the mischievous goblins from revolting. The film spent many years in production, which explains the vocal presence of Roy Kinnear (who died in September 1988). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This beautifully rendered British animated version of Kenneth Grahame's enduring children's classic features the voices of Michael Gambon, Michael Palin, Alan Bennett and Rik Mayall; it is narrated by Vanessa Redgrave who frames the story while reading her children a bedtime story. The story is set beside an ever changing river that "always remains the same," and chronicles the adventures of the timid, unworldly Mole and the pragmatic dreamer Rat, as they embark on Mole's first trip into the great river. There they have many fun and scary times encountering such characters as the menacing Badger and the outrageous, carefree Mr. Toad. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This comedy of manners from playwright Michael Frayn, author of Noises Off (1992), was based on his teleplay for "Jamie, On a Flying Visit," a 1968 episode of the legendary BBC television series The Wednesday Play (1964-70). Middle class couple Ian (Rik Mayall) and insurance adjuster Lorna (Imelda Staunton) have their troubles, including a rebellious teenage daughter who's dating a car thief, Lorna's frustrated dreams of being a writer, and Ian's joblessness. Then Jamie (Robert Lindsay) appears on their doorstep. An ex-boyfriend that Lorna hasn't seen in twenty years, Jamie's keeping a few secrets past and present, all of which emerge to the chagrin of Ian and Lorna, as Jamie and his buxom girlfriend Georgina (Natalie Walker) are invited to share dinner and then stay the night. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Based on the classic novel of the same name, 1978's Watership Down is one of the most beloved animated films of all time and receives a sequel in this 1999 release featuring the voices of John Hurt and Richard Briers. Journey to Watership Down centers on a group of rabbits and their adventures as they search for a new place to call home. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi