"Many slashers have been made since with diminishing returns, and I think a lot of this film’s power, to me, relies on its honest channeling of the political and cultural violence endemic in the U.S. at the time. On an aesthetic level, the opening credits’ invocations of black-and-red sun flares are such a thrilling cosmic omen for the violence to follow, and the final shots of Leatherface spinning in circles before a setting sun are, to me, sublime."

"Chekhov is one of my favorite playwrights and this is my favorite of his works. It's so demented and thrilling and morose. Chekhov has such a fantastic way of capturing a dysfunctional and emotionally abusive family dynamic, there's never a dull moment in his plays. This play in particular — with its themes of love and desire and fears of growing old and being alone — are exactly the kind of catharsis I would enjoy while sitting on a beach in my own isolation."

"A group of teenagers, led by Cliff Richard, rally together to stop a theatre being demolished. They succeed by putting on a show there. The Young Ones is a gorgeous fantasy, so optimistic and beautiful, about the potential of pop music for young people. It made me want to join a youth theatre, which I did a few years later, and it introduced the six-year-old me to the thrill of both pop music and theatre. They’re still thrilling me today."

"There are so many Kurosawa movies to pick from, but High and Low was the first I saw, when I was fourteen or fifteen, and it was a shock to the system. I remember having a physical response to the compositions. I watched it again recently and felt just as excited. The characters move in perfect harmony with each other and the camera, new shapes constantly forming and breaking across the frame like a game of cinematic cat’s cradle. It’s totally thrilling."

"This is a set of six volumes and it’s expensive — but worth it for life. Van Gogh’s letters, along with the letters of Cezanne, are always inspirational to read. His pursuit of reality is thrilling, his lack of confidence, fears, doubts, excitement, his passion for nature and intensity when he talks about color, and the future of art drive you and help you accept your follies as an artist. And he did it all in such a short period of time."