When parents took their kids to see Transformers: The Movie in 1986, they probably weren’t expecting quite as much death and mayhem. But in the feature-length spin-off from the hit Hasbro toy-line and accompanying TV show, the spectre of death was everywhere; one early scene alone saw the evil Decepticons hijack an Autobot space shuttle and execute all the heroes inside.

It’s worth bearing in mind, first of all, that the Transformers TV series, which had been running for two years by that point, had never killed off any of its characters – even though they often engaged in protracted brawls and laser battles. In Transformers: The Movie, a number of much-loved characters were not only shot and killed, but occasionally died in surprisingly graphic fashion.

On a personal note, I still recall seeing the film at the age of about nine, and being slightly stunned at the sight of Prowl – he was the one who could transform into a police car – being shot in the chest, causing a gout of fire and smoke to issue from his eyes and mouth. “Wow,” I thought. “This film isn’t messing around.”

Other Transformers who met their demise in Transformers: The Movie included Brawn, Ironhide and his ambulance doppelganger Ratchet, Windcharger, and Wheeljack. Even the Decepticons didn’t walk away unscathed; Megatron and two of his fellow villains were mortally wounded and magically changed into the new, more futuristic-looking Galvatron, Scourge, and Cyclonus. The duplicitous Starscream, who’d planned to usurp Megatron for years, eventually got his comeuppance: he was repeatedly blasted until his body turned to ash.