One Night Rental

Directed by Chris Annable

2024

GluBob Production

The heyday of 80s movies and culture are the inspiration behind a new feature film set at Alfreton’s real-life 80s Video Shop – a business specialising in the glory days of the video rental era.

Starring Bobby Furnis (as co-owner Chris) and actual co-owner Rob Lane, One Night Rental sees the exploits of the two men as they deal with the eclectic clientele who peruse the shelves of their video shop.

From seeking recommendations to checking out the latest action splatter-fest (or softcore porno), the place provides a hub for some passionate obsessives, all of whom revel in their love of retro flicks.

Fun will be had spotting all the references – not just the props and posters in the shop itself, but in the dialogue and subtle (and some not so subtle) nods to 80s films including The Terminator, American Werewolf in London and the Ewok film Caravan of Courage.

And from Rusty Lee to TV-am’s “Mad Lizzie” Webb via SNES video games and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the script delivers a ton of fun cultural nods throughout.

Off the bat, One Night Rental is certainly a passionate project for the filmmakers and cast. Its closest cousin is probably Kevin Smith’s 1994 indie film Clerks which follows two store workers and the interactions they have during their day.

Much like that film, it’s shot in the filmmaker’s actual place of work and it’s a small-scale movie made with what feels like a lot of willing friends. This gives the film a very welcoming Midlands flavour yet does cause a few problems with the acting being *ahem* “unpolished”. It can therefore become a tough watch when many scenes involve a lot of film trivia being shared - and combined with a lack of a lead character per se, it’s a bit of a shaky production.

Despite some fun musical numbers, an escape room side quest, and a couple of inept criminals a bit more focus across the board could really help push the film, and especially its narrative, forward. At 80 minutes, I also don’t think much plot would be lost by trimming half an hour and speeding the whole thing up.

When a gangster (Rick Mallin) shows up quite late in the film, he donates a collection of tapes containing torture, which then forces the double act to get sucked into a far more dangerous world.

It’s also here where actress, model and scream queen Dani Thompson arrives to add plenty of much-needed cult glamour as the sultry but violent Mrs. Philby. And the film does ramp up towards the end with hostages, blood and guns and tense standoffs.

The film also includes a great soundtrack of rock anthems and mixes influences such as Wayne’s World, Spinal Tap and Be Kind Rewind which similarly revel in their own comedy chaos and haphazardness.

But its cheesy vibe and slightly ramshackle construction does provide some warm laughs and allows viewers to wallow in, and be a part of, the old-school recollections on offer.

Although it’s pretty slapdash, much like the VHS rental shop in Alfreton that inspired it, there’s a lot of heart and retro-love for the 80s gone into creating One Night Rental. If you’re a fan of the era and want some well-meaning skits dedicated to the time period, then you may find some throwback fun in its heaps of vintage video nostalgia.

★★★

Mike Sales