14. A Fish Called Wanda

(Charles Crichton, 1988)

Very British crime caper starring John Cleese and Michael Palin.

Danger, danger! If dying of laughter is just a figure of speech, nobody told Ole Bentzen. The Danish audiologist found the Cleese-com so hilarious that his heart rate rose to dangerous levels, resulting in a lethal cardiac arrest.

Coincidentally, British bricklayer Alex Mitchell died in similar circumstances while watching Cleese's Cambridge pals The Goodies on TV in 1975. His wife sent a letter to the trio thanking them for making her husband's final moments so pleasant.

13. The Tingler

(William Castle, 1959)

Vincent Price discovers a deadly parasite lodged at the base of the human spine which can only be killed by screaming.

Danger, danger! Director Castle bolstered the plot of this camp House On Haunted Hill follow-up with a raft of cheap tricks. Some cinemas had ambulances outside, with fake nurses in the foyer to aid hired 'fainters' in the audience.

Not content with merely scaring his customers, Castle also devised a way to physically shake them up.

At the climax, the 'parasite' bursts through the screen while Price bellows, “The Tingler is loose! Scream for your lives!”

Vibration devices under the seats then sent the audience into a shrieking frenzy.

12. The Battle Of Algiers

(Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966)

Stark, verité-style account of the Algerian War of Independence.

Danger, danger! Banned in France for its sympathetic treatment of the Gallic-baiting Algerian National Liberation Front, Pontecorvo's look at radical insurgency and Imperial oppression became an inspiration for militant rebels the world over (the IRA and the Black Panthers have reportedly used the film as a training aid).

It was also shown for counter-insurgency purposes at the Pentagon in 2003 to provoke debate about Iraq.

Next: Passion Of The Christ, The Thin Blue Line, Fight Club...