FILM PICKS

SUNDAY

The Fugitive (1993) (C5, 1.30pm)

This big-screen remake of the cult sixties TV series stars Harrison Ford as prominent vascular surgeon Dr Richard Kimble, who is convicted of his wife’s murder, despite his claim that a one-armed man was responsible. Sentenced to death, the doc leaps at the chance to escape – literally, from a crashed prison bus stuck on train tracks – and find a way to prove his innocence. But with relentless US Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones in an Oscarwinning role) hot on his heels, clearing his name isn’t going to be easy. Ford plays Kimble as an even more sympathetic character than his TV counterpart, but the film nevertheless stays faithful to the source material.

MONDAY

The Exorcist (1973) (BBC1, 10.40pm)

A 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair) is possessed by a malevolent demonic entity, and her mother (Ellen Burstyn) recruits Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) to stage an exorcism. Aided by the mysterious Jesuit Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), Father Damien must confront not only the supernatural phenomena in front of him, but also his own inadequate faith and displaced guilt over his mother’s recent death. This Oscar-winning adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s bestselling novel is one of the most talked-about and controversial horror movies of all time. Despite being 50 years old, the demonstrations of evil still retain their power to startle and nauseate.

WEDNESDAY

And Then There Were None (1974) (Talking Pictures TV, 9.05pm)

Ten strangers are summoned to a hotel in the middle of an Iranian desert, where they discover that despite their very different backgrounds, they have something in common – they all got away with murder. However, it seems their mysterious host is determined to see justice is done, as the guests are picked off one by one. The remaining members of the group search the hotel for the killer but are eventually forced to face the possibility that the murderer is among them. Agatha Christie’s novel has a brilliantly simple premise, and this film makes the most of it.

FRIDAY

A Quiet Place (2018) (E4, 9pm)

Eighty-nine days after first contact with sightless otherworldly creatures, which hunt by sound, Lee Abbott (John Krasinski, who also directs), his wife Evelyn (Emily Blunt), deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), eldest son Marcus (Noah Jupe) and four-year-old Beau (Cade Woodward) have adapted to the omnipresent threat. The family communicates via sign language and silently scours for provisions in abandoned stores. Alas, the electronic beeps from a toy lead to one family member’s downfall. Then Evelyn becomes pregnant – and babies aren’t known for their silence. A nerveshredding horror thriller, which delivers old-fashioned scares and suspense.