Underrated Movies That Are Worth A Watch

A British made-for-TV movie about OCD and Tourette's Syndrome. Michael Sheen plays Mark Furness, a man who has recently been diagnosed with both conditions. His family, friends and employer turn away from him, and all he has left is a support group led by a woman named Charlotte (played by Shirley Henderson, known best by American audiences as Harry Potter's "Moaning Myrtle"). Mark has to learn how to manage his conditions and try to lead a 'normal' life.

Reminds me a little of St. Elmo's Fire, if it were set in the 30's. My favorite character - Miles, a catty homosexual - is played by Michael Sheen. A love story, a tragedy, a comedy, and a statement on bigotry all rolled into one.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone's film school submission, it is an extremely low-budget production which tells the story of Alferd Packer (the only American ever convicted - and whose conviction was later thrown out - of cannibalism). The songs are extremely well-written and catchy. Just watch out for the Cyclops!

The first movie I ever saw Gerard Butler in. He plays Attila the Hun in such a way that you don't see him as a ruthless, murdering warlord, but as a human being who searches for love. Historically inaccurate (grossly so), but Gerard Butler's hot, so who cares? Simmone Mackinnon (as his love interest, the red-haired woman) bears a striking resemblance to a young Raquel Welch.

Based on the series of books by Dean Koontz, this film is set in the present, with Deucalion (the 'monster') seeking to destroy his creator, Viktor Frankenstein (who now goes by the name Helios). The doctor has been using some of his scientific discoveries on himself, so both he and Deucalion are over 200 years old, but don't look it. Vincent Perez plays a very sexy and tender-hearted 'monster,' and Thomas Kretschmann plays a cold and monstrous doctor.

This episode of MST3K is so bad, it's good. Joel and the 'bots are forced to watch 'The Killer Shrews,' a film about a botched experiment that ends with shrews growing to the size of German Shepherds (which the director used to play them). The 'bots also reveal the recipe for a drink called 'The Killer Shrew,' which gives one a sugar-high just watching it. The movie stars James Best, who is best known as Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane of the original 'Dukes of Hazzard' TV series.

Another 'so bad, it's good' film. Aliens who resemble clowns arrive in a circus-tent UFO, intent on harvesting humans as food. They capture people in cocoons made of a pink cotton-candy-looking material that liquefies the human within, and they have popcorn "seeds" that grow into multi-headed vine-like creatures with a nasty bite. The makeup and special effects are phenomenal - the Chiodo brothers really outdid themselves on this one. The script/dialogue is a bit kiddish, but it's still a good movie.

This movie scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid. Vampire ghosts, drowned girls, hands coming out of the water ... it's a really freaky ride.

A kind of rock opera with music by Paul Williams, it is a combination of "Phantom of the Opera" and "Faust." Jessica Harper has a beautiful voice - I remember my friends and I trying in vain to emulate her 'sound.'

A Dario Argento classic. A young girl gets a scholarship to a preeminent European school, only to discover that it's run by witches. It goes a bit slow, but the story is good.

Back in the 80's, when the Cold War was still on, there seemed to be a desire among moviegoers for a resurgence of disaster movies. We'd already had burning buildings, overturned cruise ships and crashing planes in the 70's - now we needed something completely otherworldly. Enter "Night of the Comet" - a movie about a comet that last flew by Earth back in the age of the dinosaurs, and whose tail ends up turning 99% of all life on Earth into piles of dust. The remaining 1% either turn into zombie-like creatures (who die within days), or stay healthy and normal. Personally, I'd do like the girls in the movie and go shopping at the mall.

A creepy movie about a woman with psychic abilities who keeps saying she sees murders (and bodies) in her beautiful new home. Her husband thinks she's going insane, and wants to have her committed. There's a twist ending - you won't believe who is responsible for her visions!

Unlike Starship Troopers 2, director Edward Neumeier went back to the winning formula of the original Starship Troopers film. This movie not only lampoons the propaganda campaigns used in wartime, but makes a statement about how government can manipulate both music and religion to justify their actions (quote: "God is on our side, and He's a Citizen!").

The first one was campy enough, but this sequel really puts the screws to zombie films. Yes, the government (again) is reponsible for not securing barrels containing zombies, and the gas that creates the nasty buggers. And yes, they're looking to get some braaaaaaaains. Seems that this one is the funniest and most entertaining one of the series.

An adaptation of the short story "Carmilla," about the so-called vampire of the infamous Karnstein family. The last remaining male member of the family, Leopoldo, is getting ready to marry a beautiful Italian girl, and his cousin Carmilla is jealous (must be a European thing, cousins wanting to marry each other). On the night of the engagement party, Carmilla is drawn to the tomb of Mircalla Karnstein (note that the letters are the same in both of their names), where the vampire's spirit possesses her. Mircalla sees Leopoldo as a reincarnation of her lost love from the 1500's, and she makes a plan to get rid of the fiancee so she can have him for herself. But will it work? Or will history repeat itself, and separate the two forever?

A hilarious lampoon of literary and film detectives with an all-star cast, written by the incomparable Neil Simon. In this film, a mysterious man invites the 5 most famous detectives in the world to his spooky mansion, where he tells them that someone was going to murder him at midnight, and whoever solved the mystery would be a million dollars richer, and have the book rights to the story. Red herrings, sight gags and innuendos ensue, guaranteeing a laugh-a-minute, entertaining experience. Bet you can't figure out who the murderer is, either!

Students of the paranormal discover a canister in a deserted church. Little do they know that Satan himself is trapped within, and he's ready to come out and play. An interesting mixture of supernatural and scientific themes.

A TV movie in which new-girl Robin discovers she has magical powers, which only serves to enrage the school's VERY evil Hecate-worshipping witch, Vivian (played by Little House on the Prairie's Melissa Sue Anderson). Kind of like 'The Craft,' but 15 years sooner.

Young Jonathan Graves learns that he's inherited a huge California mansion, owned by his estranged father, Malcom - who happened to be a devil worshipper that almost sacrificed him as a baby. Jonathan is drawn to the basement, where he finds occult books and supplies and (unbeknownst to his girlfriend, Rebecca) sets out to become a wizard in his own right, bringing small demonic creatures into our world. Unfortunately, a spell he casts to receive "all knowledge" ends up reviving his dead father (who still wants to sacrifice him).

This movie was panned when it came out, but I thought it was hilarious. Billionaire investment author Chris Thorne (Chevy Chase) is invited to invest in some Atlantic City property, owned by lawyer/neighbor Diane Lightson (Demi Moore)'s ex-boyfriend. She invites herself to go with Chris to investigate (as well as to chew out the ex), when two of Chris' "Brazillionaire" friends go along for the ride. They take a detour for a picnic through the town of Valkenvania, where they meet a plethora of strange characters, including a sadistic judge who dishes out the death penalty for just about everything, a woman with a penchant for repairing heavy machinery, and giant twin babies who run around in diapers. The makeup in this movie is brilliant, and the "Mr. Bonestripper" machine is extremely scary and funny at the same time - whoever heard of a death machine with its own theme song???

HG Wells (played by Malcolm McDowell) and Jack the Ripper are flung forward in time to 1979 America in Wells' famous 'time machine.' Will HG be able to save more women from a terrible fate at Jack's hand? And more importantly, will he be able to save his new girlfriend?

This is the REAL prequel to 'The Exorcist.' The one directed by Renny Harlin, "Exorcist: The Beginning," is a ripped-off, gore-ridden piece of garbage. William Peter Blatty wrote his book as a psychological thriller with supernatural undertones. Director Paul Schrader kept to that theme in his version, but the studio's financial backers wanted more "shock and gore," so they canned Schrader and brought in Harlin, which ultimately ruined the movie and made it (almost) as unwatchable as "Exorcist II: The Heretic." Thankfully, Paul Schrader raised some money and finished his version for private release. While some of the CGI is sloppy (the hyenas and cows, for example), the story is much closer to Blatty's, and is FAR more believable than Harlin's.

This is a Swedish movie about Arn Magnusson, who helped to bring about the creation of Sweden. I originally watched it only because Vincent Perez was in it, but I found myself enjoying the rest of the movie very much. The cinematography is very well done, and while the movie has several languages in it, you never feel as if you're watching a foreign film. The story is a sad one - the whole reason he was sent to become a Knight Templar was because he fell in love (and slept with) the wrong girl, who became pregnant. The girl (Cecilia) was sent to a convent, where her baby was taken from her, and she was told it was stillborn (it wasn't). Arn fought in the Crusades, where all but he were killed in battle. When he returned home, hoping for a peaceful life with Cecilia and his son Magnus (now that his penance was done), he ended up having to go to war with neighboring countries in order to keep his homeland free.