Hello, fellow travellers! Time for a little something new up in this bitch where your favourite E14 Team Member (non-negotiable) writes a monthly review of a classic! And not one classic, not two, that’s right! Three! Three classics! A movie, a game and an album! And they will all be positive reviews, as I will choose classics that are close to my heart! And this will be an ongoing thing too!
At the end of every month, I will bring you three things I love and why I love them! You get to know a little bit more about me, and I get to revisit some personal favourites whilst looking at myself! So, everyone wins!
The Movie: CELLAR DWELLER
There are many ‘80s camp, horror flicks out there, and they all have their own quirky little charms about them. However, Cellar Dweller has so much to offer that one can’t help but revisit it on a yearly basis. We have a short role for Horror icon Jeffrey Combs, an original premise, a strong cast, great set direction, and a creature that rivals so many others!
Young Whitney is a comic book artist and a student following in the steps of her idol (Jeffer Jeff) at a lodge for other artists and whatnot! However, a curse lingers in the basement, where whatever is drawn, becomes real!
This monster movie with a twist supplies the gorehound with exactly what they’re after, but gives the story lovers a little treat too, whilst all the while supplying some light-hearted comedy too, but just a pinch so not to undermine what’s happening on screen.
It’s a whole bundle of fun that the entire family can enjoy and even better for friends and popcorn!
The Game: STREETS OF RAGE 2
We’ve all played it (those of us who matter, at least) and I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that we have all loved every minute of it! Hours of fun was spent on multiplayer as we swung pipes, knocked people from motorcycles, threw Molotov cocktails and crawled around alleyways! And in Faversham, where I’m from, we call that a bloody good (albeit standard) Friday night!
Now, this game had the awesomely simple mechanic of scrolling beat ‘em ups like Golden Axe, Double Dragon and Renegade to name a few! SOR, however, allowed you to pick up weapons, and work as a team with player 2 by grabbing baddies and letting your friend throw shit at them!
Streets of Rage 2 is the perfect Saturday night game that you can enjoy with friends with a few beers!
The Album: IRON MAIDEN - Somewhere in Time
Personally, this is my favourite Maiden album and I think it is criminal that too many people don’t agree with me! Thankfully, those people must be crazy and dangerous so I must be in good company otherwise. The artwork alone is something to feed the imagination of both the enthusiast and the creative type, it can really give you the mind bubbles of goodness that you need! Plus, the track listing is phenomenal! Sea of Madness, Stranger in a Strange Land, Wasted Years, Heaven Can Wait, and so many more!
For me, this is where Maiden’s musical compositions and lyrical writings peaked and really established the band as a we-oiled machine with good legs and real stopping power as far as Heavy Metal was concerned in those days, and not to take anything away from their later albums, this one for me cannot ever be topped unless they do something very, very, very special. And trust me, Brave New World came very close.
So, why not order a pizza, invite some friends over, buy a six pack, watch Cellar Dweller, plug in the console and play Streets of Rage 2 whilst listening to Somewhere in Time on a Friday night? Sounds like a pretty fucking good evening in if you ask me!
Aaron James Waters is a best-selling Pulp Fiction writer who has written more books than he's actually read.
He's also the rotten apple of the group who thinks this whole Star Wars thing needs to hurry up and die already.
You can find all of Aaron's works on Amazon!