The Best B-Pictures Of The 1980s
This list is dedicated to those pictures that are not much talked about or sometimes even sneered at. Most of these movies were made on a small budget but can be very entertaining nevertheless. That is, if you generally dig B-pictures of the sci-fi or horror genre, for example. Some of the entries might be considered trash, but I assure you that you will find only the hilarious ones here. So, if you are in the mood for a somewhat different movie that does not necessarily follow mainstream rules, chances are that you will find here what you are looking for.
As usual, don't hesitate to leave a comment if you feel up to it.
PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
As usual, don't hesitate to leave a comment if you feel up to it.
PS: The movies are sorted by year and not necessarily by my preference. This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
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- DirectorLuigi CozziStarsIan McCullochLouise MarleauMarino MaséA former astronaut helps a government agent and a police detective track the source of mysterious alien pod spores, filled with lethal flesh-dissolving acid, to a South American coffee plantation controlled by alien pod clones.
- DirectorKevin ConnorStarsRory CalhounPaul LinkeNancy ParsonsA seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.
- DirectorSean S. CunninghamStarsBetsy PalmerAdrienne KingJeannine TaylorA group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsLeigh McCloskeyIrene MiracleEleonora GiorgiAn American student investigates the disappearance of his sister and the death of a friend, both connected from New York to Rome by an old alchemy book.
- DirectorRuggero DeodatoStarsRobert KermanFrancesca CiardiPerry PirkanenDuring a rescue mission into the Amazon rainforest, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by a missing documentary crew.
- DirectorStanley DonenJohn BarryStarsFarrah FawcettKirk DouglasHarvey KeitelTwo lovers stationed at a remote base in the asteroid belt of Saturn are intruded upon by an anal-retentive technocrat from Earth and his charge: a malevolent eight foot tall robot.
- DirectorBarbara PeetersJimmy T. MurakamiStarsDoug McClureAnn TurkelVic MorrowHumanoid sea creatures start killing a fishing town's residents, and raping their women. It's up to the townsfolk and a visiting biologist to fight back and fend them off.
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsMichael CaineDavid WarnerAngela Punch McGregorA journalist takes his son with him to investigate pirate activity off the coast of Florida. But he gets stranded on a mysterious island--where he might not be alone.
- DirectorRoger SpottiswoodeStarsBen JohnsonJamie Lee CurtisHart BochnerThree years after a prank went terribly awry, the six college students responsible are targeted by a masked killer at a New Year's Eve party aboard a moving train.
- DirectorMarino GirolamiStarsIan McCullochAlexandra Delli ColliSherry BuchananAn expedition in the East Indies, encounters not only the cannibals they were looking for, but also an evil scientist and his zombie army.
- DirectorWilliam LustigStarsJoe SpinellCaroline MunroAbigail ClaytonA psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsMasao KusakariTsunehiko WataseIsao NatsuyagiAfter a virus devastates the global human population, survivors in Antarctica desperately try to find a cure and save the human race.
- DirectorLewis TeagueStarsRobert ForsterRobin RikerMichael V. GazzoA pet baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives in the city sewers. Twelve years later, it grows to an enormous size thanks to a diet of discarded laboratory dogs injected with growth hormones. Now, humans have entered the menu.
- DirectorSimon WincerStarsRobert PowellDavid HemmingsCarmen DuncanAn enigmatic faith healer - who appears to possess genuine magical powers - and a political fixer vie for influence over a senator and his family.
- DirectorCalvin FloydStarsPer OscarssonPatrick MageeMarilù ToloSet in 1815, a young Englishman touring Europe encounters more than he bargained for. His pursuit of the beautiful Countess St. Alyre brings him into contact with the Marquis D'Armanville and other odd characters. A series of bizarre murders occur, bringing our hero to the borderland of nightmare.
- DirectorJimmy T. MurakamiRoger CormanStarsGeorge PeppardRobert VaughnRichard ThomasA farm boy recruits a band of outlaws to save the planet Akir from forces that threaten to wipe them out from the face of the universe. A battle stretching beyond the stars begins here.
- DirectorCharles KaufmanStarsTiana PierceNancy HendricksonDeborah LuceTwo brothers kidnap and brutalize three women for the pleasure of their demented mother.
- DirectorDamiano DamianiStarsGiuliano GemmaMartin BalsamLaura TrotterTwo Italian policemen investigate Mafia-influenced corruption within their own department.
- DirectorJoe DanteStarsDee WallacePatrick MacneeDennis DuganAfter a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.
- DirectorFrank De FelittaStarsCharles DurningRobert F. LyonsClaude Earl JonesIn a small Southern town, four vigilantes wrongfully execute a mentally-challenged man, but after the court sets them free mysterious "accidents" begin to kill them off one by one.
- DirectorKen WiederhornStarsLauren TewesJennifer Jason LeighJohn DiSantiA news anchorwoman begins to suspect a man living in the same apartment complex as her to be the serial killer that's been raping and killing women in the Miami area.
- DirectorLindsey C. VickersStarsEdward WoodwardJane MerrowSamantha WeysomA British horror film that starts with a bang, then settles into a slow-moving examination of one day in the life of a British family--a day full of tension and foreboding.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsMichael CaineAndrea MarcovicciAnnie McEnroeA comic book artist loses his hand, which in turn takes on a murderous life of its own.
- DirectorJohn IrvinStarsCraig WassonAlice KrigeFred AstaireTwo generations of men find themselves haunted by the presence of a spectral woman. When the son of one of the elderly men returns to his hometown after his brother's mysterious death, they attempt to unravel her story.
- DirectorEd HuntStarsLori LethinMelinda CordellJulie BrownThree children are born at the height of an eclipse of the sun. Ten years later, they begin to murder the people around them - even their family members.
- DirectorBruce D. ClarkStarsEdward AlbertErin MoranRay WalstonA ragtag spaceship crew sent on a rescue mission encounter a formidable enemy, their worst fears projected by their own imaginations.
- DirectorMichael LaughlinStarsMichael MurphyLouise FletcherDan ShorA scientist is experimenting with teenagers and turning them into murderers.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsCatriona MacCollPaolo MalcoAnia PieroniA New England home is terrorized by a series of murders, unbeknownst to the guests that a gruesome secret is hiding in the basement.
- DirectorRick RosenthalStarsJamie Lee CurtisDonald PleasenceCharles CyphersWhile Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsMaren JensenSharon StoneSusan BucknerAfter her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, a widow becomes increasingly paranoid of the neighboring religious community that may have diabolical plans for her.
- DirectorMichael WadleighStarsAlbert FinneyDiane VenoraEdward James OlmosA New York cop investigates a series of brutal deaths that resemble animal attacks.
- DirectorPiers HaggardTobe HooperStarsKlaus KinskiOliver ReedNicol WilliamsonTerrorists in the process of kidnapping a child get trapped in a house with an extremely deadly snake.
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsVincent PriceJohn CarradineAnthony SteelA writer of horror stories is invited to a "monster club" by a mysterious old gentleman. There, three gruesome stories are told to him; between each story some musicians play their songs.
- DirectorTony MaylamStarsBrian MatthewsLeah AyresBrian BackerA former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.
- DirectorJeff LiebermanStarsGeorge KennedyMike KellinChris LemmonFive young people venture into the backwoods of Oregon to claim a property, and find themselves being stalked by a hulking, machete-wielding psychopath.
- DirectorTom DeSimoneStarsLinda BlairVincent Van PattenPeter BartonFour college pledges are forced to spend the night in a deserted old mansion, where they are stalked by the monstrous survivor of a family massacre years earlier.
- DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsMelissa Sue AndersonGlenn FordLawrence DaneAt the snobby Crawford Academy, Virginia's group of friends start to go missing years after horrible events that happened to her as a child around her birthday.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsElizabeth BerridgeShawn CarsonJeanne AustinFour teenagers visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement, but soon discover that nothing there is innocent or amusing.
- DirectorGary ShermanStarsJames FarentinoMelody AndersonJack AlbertsonSheriff Dan Gillis investigates eerie deaths in a sleepy coastal town.
- DirectorGeorge MihalkaStarsPaul KelmanLori HallierNeil AffleckA decades-old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine's Day turns out to be true to legend when a group defies the killer's order and people start turning up dead.
- DirectorAndrzej ZulawskiStarsIsabelle AdjaniSam NeillMargit CarstensenA woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.
- DirectorPaul NaschyStarsPaul NaschyJulia SalySilvia AguilarAn evil witch brings back to life the infamous Elizabeth Bathory, who was executed several hundred years previously for murdering young woman and bathing in their blood.
- DirectorNicholas CoreaStarsLane CaudellBelinda BauerVictor CamposThe hero is given his mentor's bow (the Heartbow) which chooses its new owner when passed on. It fires arrows that blow up like grenades, but can only be wielded by the one chosen to wield her. The hero is a member of a nomadic tribe wiped out by the Draikian Empire's forces. He attempts to find the wizard Lazar-Sa who might be able to help him. He is joined by a thief looking for adventure and cash, and the daughter of a goddess, Estra, looking to revenger herself on Lazar-Sa for crimes against her mother.
- DirectorSteve CarverStarsChuck NorrisChristopher LeeRichard RoundtreeA SFPD undercover narcotics cop aims to avenge his partner's death and destroy a drug-smuggling ring operated by the Chinese Triads.
- DirectorDusan VukoticStarsLjubisa SamardzicZarko PotocnjakLucie ZulováA science fiction writer is gifted with the ability to materialize his thoughts and inadvertently brings a group of aliens to Earth.
- DirectorAlan RudolphStarsRobert UrichJoBeth WilliamsPaul DooleyA former New York City cop relocates to rural Colorado, where he teams with a sheriff investigating a series of bizarre cattle mutilations occurring in the region.
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsMarc SingerTanya RobertsRip TornA sword-and-sorcery fantasy about a young man's search for revenge. Armed with supernatural powers, the handsome hero and his animal allies wage war against marauding forces.
- DirectorLarry CohenStarsDavid CarradineMichael MoriartyCandy ClarkNYPD detectives Shepard and Powell are working on a bizarre case of a ritualistic Aztec murder. Meanwhile, something big is attacking people of New York and only greedy small time crook Jimmy Quinn knows where its lair is.
- DirectorAaron LipstadtStarsKlaus KinskiDon Keith OpperBrie HowardA strange doctor secretly experiments with androids on his space station. His assistant is Max, a curious android who wants to see the world and meet a girl. Criminals hide on their station and soon violence erupts.
- DirectorBrian Trenchard-SmithStarsSteve RailsbackOlivia HusseyMichael CraigIn a dystopian future where deviants are held in "re-education" camps, a freedom fighter and an innocent prisoner try to survive their decadent oppressors' game of kill-or-be-killed.
- DirectorJean-Claude LordStarsMichael IronsideLee GrantLinda PurlA deranged, misogynistic killer assaults a journalist. When he discovers that she survived the attack, he follows her to the hospital to finish her off.
- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsHal HolbrookLeslie NielsenAdrienne Barbeau"Creepshow" is a 1982 movie that tells five grisly tales from a children's comic book: a murdered father rising from his grave, a bizarre meteor, a vengeful husband, a mysterious crate's occupant, and a plague of cockroaches.
- DirectorJack SholderStarsJack PalanceDonald PleasenceMartin LandauA few dangerous and delusional mental patients break out of a mental asylum during a power blackout, and lay siege to their new doctor's house, who, they believe, killed their previous doctor.
- DirectorJohn HoughStarsJohn CassavetesJohn IrelandKerrie KeaneA small town's doctor takes matters into his own hands after a series of gruesome and bizarre rape crimes perplex the clueless authorities.
- DirectorDamiano DamianiStarsJames OlsonBurt YoungRutanya AldaA dysfunctional family moves into a new house, which proves to be satanic, resulting in the demonic possession of their teenage son.
- DirectorJames W. RobersonStarsJames HoughtonAlbert SalmiLynn CarlinA witch put to death in 1692 swears vengeance on her persecutors and returns to the present day to punish their descendants.
- DirectorMark L. LesterStarsPerry KingMerrie Lynn RossTimothy Van PattenA new teacher at a troubled inner-city high school soon ends up clashing with a delinquent punk posse who run the institute with an iron fist.
- DirectorSean S. CunninghamStarsKate MulgrewRip TornJames NaughtonThe 11-year old daughter and girlfriend of a man whose wife had been raped and killed in front of his daughter three years earlier are kidnapped by the same killer. Held captive in a bunker below Grand Central Station, the two plot their escape while the police try to track the kidnapper.
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsJack HedleyAlmanta SuskaHoward RossA burned-out New York police detective teams up with a college psychoanalyst to track down a vicious serial killer randomly stalking and killing various young women around the city.
- DirectorPhilippe MoraStarsRonny CoxBibi BeschPaul ClemensA young woman gets raped by a mysterious man-creature, and years later her son begins a horrific transformation into a similar beast.
- DirectorJuan Piquer SimónStarsChristopher GeorgeLynda Day GeorgeFrank BrañaThe co-eds of a Boston college campus are targeted by a mysterious killer who is creating a human jigsaw puzzle from their body parts.
- DirectorJack HillStarsLeigh HarrisLynette HarrisRoberto NelsonSword and sorcery story of the cosmic struggle between white magic and black magic.
- DirectorRoger ChristianStarsKathryn HarroldZeljko IvanekShirley KnightA disturbed telepathic man is unable to fully control his ability to transmit his dreams and visions into the minds of the people around him, or even influence reality. A female therapist tries to help him, but his mother gets in the way.
- DirectorIgnacio F. IquinoStarsEmma QuerCarlos MartosConcha ValeroA young woman pregnant with the Anti-Christ is terrorized by a cult of satanists.
- DirectorFrank HenenlotterStarsKevin VanHentenryckTerri Susan SmithBeverly BonnerA young man carrying a big basket that contains his extremely deformed, formerly conjoined twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.
- DirectorPedro StockiStarsSoledad SilveyraMiguel Ángel SoláMaría Rosa GalloClara and Cecilia are two friends who have evolved very differently, regarding the scary stories that were so important during their childhood.
- DirectorSisworo Gautama PutraStarsRuth PelupessiW.D. MochtarFachrul RozyAfter the death of his wife, a businessman and his two kids are plagued by visions of ghosts and demons, and soon, people around them start to die, which all started after the arrival of their new and mysterious housekeeper.
- DirectorNick CastleStarsRobert CarradineLinda HamiltonKristine DeBellCollege assassination game turns deadly as someone starts playing for real.
- DirectorWilliam LustigStarsRobert ForsterFred WilliamsonRichard BrightAfter his wife and son got brutalized by a street gang, and a corrupt criminal justice system puts the perpetrators back on the street, a NYC factory worker teams up with a vigilante group to find some measure of bloody justice.
- DirectorMarcello AliprandiStarsTerence StampFabrizio BentivoglioPaula MolinaAn eremit who has had contact to terrorists is planning to kill the pope by poisoning.
- DirectorTony WilliamsStarsJacki KerinJohn JarrattAlex ScottIn a rest home for elderly people, a daughter reads her mother's diary. Soon events that are mentioned in the mother's diary begin to happen to the daughter.
- DirectorJuraj HerzStarsJirí MenzelDagmar HavlováJana BrezkováA doctor Marek is shocked when his beloved nurse Mima signs a contract with foreign car manufacturer Ferat, in order to work for them as a rally-driver. A fellow doctor makes him believe that human blood is being used as fuel for Mima's ever winning car, but does that really work?
- DirectorJean-Pierre MockyStarsMarie-José NatJean-Pierre MockyNino FerrerNora and Jock arrive in the strange village of Litan during the Festival of the Dead.
- DirectorTerry HughesStarsAngela LansburyGeorge HearnCris GroenendaalBarber Sweeney Todd returns to London to uncover the past, along the way meeting pie shop owner Mrs. Nellie Lovett, and begins to start his life of crime.
- DirectorPupi AvatiStarsGabriele LaviaAnne CanovasPaola TanzianiStefano, a young journalist, buys a used typewriter and accidentally sees that some text is still readable on the ribbon. He manages to reconstruct the story of a scientist, Paolo Zeder, who in the 1950's discovered that some types of terrain have the power to revive the dead that are buried in them. Stefano's investigations bring him in contact with a group of renegade scientists that are still making experiments to prove Zeder's theories.
- DirectorLewis TeagueStarsDee WallaceDaniel Hugh KellyDanny PintauroCujo, a friendly St. Bernard, contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.
- DirectorPaul DonovanMaura O'ConnellStarsTom NardiniBrenda BazinetDaryl HaneyA gay bar is hit by a group of sociopaths, and all the patrons are killed except for one man who escapes and takes refuge in an apartment occupied by a group of friends, who will do anything they can to protect him and survive the siege.
- DirectorMark RosmanStarsKate McNeilEileen DavidsonJanis WardAfter a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation.
- DirectorMichael MannStarsScott GlennIan McKellenAlberta WatsonNazis are forced to turn to a Jewish historian for help in battling the ancient demon they have inadvertently freed from its prison.
- DirectorDouglas McKeownStarsCharles George HildebrandtTom DeFrancoRichard Lee PorterAlien creatures invade a small town and four teenagers, along with a young boy, attempt to escape from them.
- DirectorSergio MartinoStarsMichael SopkiwValentine MonnierGeorge EastmanAfter a nuclear war, society breaks down into two groups, the evil Euraks and the rebel Federation. A mercenary named Parsifal is hired by the Federation to infiltrate New York City, which is controlled by the Euraks, to rescue the only fertile woman left on Earth.
- DirectorCarlos MayoloStarsAdriana HerránDavid GuerreroSantiago GarcíaAugust 6, 1956 during the military dictatorship of Rojas Pinilla. Explosions in central Cali military convoy destroy much of the traditional buildings of the city and exposing the roots of some houses which for years had kept the secret stories of its inhabitants: Proprietary notable families of Manors sugar mills and surrounding. One such family is visited by a girl, who has lived for years in the U.S., and is half sister of our young protagonist. It is knowledge, dig into the past of the family¸ attracted to each other¸ and are immersed in a delirium in which they appear as mythical ancestors who also starred in stories of incest and violence.
- DirectorKuen YeungStarsNorman ChuPhillip KoMaria JoA Hong Kong taxi driver's life horribly falls apart after accidentally hitting a sorcerer with his cab. He decides to seek the sorcerer's help to turn the curse on his enemies at the expense of his own life.
- DirectorGeorge P. CosmatosStarsPeter WellerJennifer DaleLawrence DaneA man becomes destructively obsessed with killing a dangerous rat, which has taken residence in his recently renovated house.
- DirectorLamont JohnsonStarsPeter StraussMolly RingwaldErnie HudsonOn a distant planet inhabited by mutants, two bounty-hunters race to rescue three Earth female captives from the clutches of an evil mutant warlord.
- DirectorMichael LaughlinStarsPaul Le MatNancy AllenDiana ScarwidAlien beings, who settle in a small midwestern town, are disturbed by a young professor determined to rescue his daughter from their clutches.
- DirectorPete WalkerStarsVincent PriceChristopher LeePeter CushingAn American author finds a dilapidated Welsh manor perfect for writing until the residents host a bizarre family reunion.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsCristina RainesJoe LambieAnthony JamesAnthology of four horror tales with a supernatural twist based on urban legends.
- DirectorDouglas TrumbullStarsChristopher WalkenNatalie WoodLouise FletcherResearchers develop a system where they can jump into people's minds. But when people involved bring their personal problems into the equation, it becomes dangerous - perhaps deadly.
- DirectorAndrei YermashStarsVladimir GostyukhinVasiliy LivanovYuriy SolominAfter a strange incident, a group of russian space commandos starts developing supernatural powers. But how did they acquire such abilities and what is their intentions?
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsKen MarshallLysette AnthonyFreddie JonesA prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet, Krull.
- DirectorAvery CrounseStarsDennis LipscombGuy BoydRebecca StanleyA preacher is accused of adultery, and he and his followers are chased out of town. They become stranded in an isolated forest, which is haunted by the spirits of French colonists controlled by evil.
- DirectorJohn HuckertStarsJames Carroll PlasterWelton Benjamin JohnsonJohn HuckertTwo elderly World War II buddies are living - and dying - together in their small home. One becomes a patient where salvage-worthy, older attributes are combined with useable, younger body parts. He returns, unrecognized by the other.
- DirectorMarek PiestrakStarsKrzysztof JasinskiIwona BielskaStanislaw BrejdygantKacper, an ex-guerrilla soldier is chased by a female werewolf, realizes that he is possessed by the spirit of his deceased wife Maryna. He also recognizes the same werewolf symptoms in Julia, a predatory countess who has a relationship with an Austrian officer.
- DirectorFrancis LeroiStarsAnny DupereyJean-Claude BrialyPierre SantiniOn an island, things start going crazy as the islands house hold appliances go rogue. It's up to Dr. Gabrielle Martin to discover what's causing this evil, and much more.
- DirectorJohn LaingStarsJohn BachDarien TakleDon SelwynAn anthropologist disappears in New Zealand while looking for a lost tribe, so his wife and little daughter as well as his shady twin brother who's in love with his sister-in-law go to look for him. Also seeking him are the police, who suspect that one of the twins is responsible for a hooker's murder. Jealousy, paranoia and possibly the occult add to the story's ominous atmosphere.
- DirectorPaul NaschyStarsPaul NaschyShigeru AmachiBeatriz EscuderoIn the 16th century, lycanthrope Waldemar Daninsky travels from his native Europe to Japan, seeking a way to cure himself of being a werewolf. Only a Japanese sorcerer named Kian and a magic silver sword can save him.
- DirectorAntonio MargheritiStarsGiancarlo PreteAntonio MarsinaLuciano PigozziDuring the Vietnam war, an army sergeant rebels against his tyrant commanding officer, whilst they are cut off by the enemy in the jungle. Things get worse for all of them after that.
- DirectorMichael HerzLloyd KaufmanStarsAndree MarandaMitch CohenJennifer BabtistTromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.
- DirectorKoji HashimotoSakyô KomatsuIshirô HondaStarsTomokazu MiuraDangely DianeMiyuki OnoWhile extracting water from the Martian polar ice caps, ancient carvings are uncovered describing an alien spacecraft crashing into Jupiter, postponing plans to turn Jupiter into a second Sun.