Films spotlighted in Cinema Snob's 1981 in Film Episode
by corbaseball12-348-457583 | created - 27 May 2022 | updated - 27 May 2022 | PublicHere are the films that the Cinema Snob spotlighted in his 1981 in Film episode
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1. The Silent Scream (1979)
R | 87 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
During her first semester at college, a co-ed finds housing at a seaside mansion where, following the death of a fellow-student, she becomes entangled in a murder mystery surrounding the property and its secretive tenants.
Director: Denny Harris | Stars: Rebecca Balding, Cameron Mitchell, Avery Schreiber, Barbara Steele
Votes: 2,091
2. Scanners (1981)
R | 103 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called "scanning" to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non scanners.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence Dane
Votes: 61,795 | Gross: $14.23M
3. Fear No Evil (1981)
R | 99 min | Horror
High school student turns out to be personification of Lucifer. Two arch angels in human form (as women) take him on.
Director: Frank LaLoggia | Stars: Stefan Arngrim, Elizabeth Hoffman, Kathleen Rowe McAllen, Frank Birney
Votes: 1,734
4. Blood Beach (1980)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Something is attacking and killing people on the beach. David and Mariana, old friends, search for clues where they played as kids to uncover the mysterious creature.
Director: Jeffrey Bloom | Stars: David Huffman, Marianna Hill, Burt Young, Otis Young
Votes: 2,862
5. Zombie (1979)
R | 91 min | Horror
Strangers searching for a young woman's missing father arrive at a tropical island where a doctor desperately seeks the cause and cure of a recent epidemic of the undead.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Al Cliver
Votes: 30,743
6. Earthbound (1981)
PG | 99 min | Family, Sci-Fi, Comedy
A family of space aliens crash lands on Earth when their spaceship conks out.
Director: James L. Conway | Stars: Burl Ives, Christopher Connelly, Meredith MacRae, Joseph Campanella
Votes: 206
7. The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
PG | 88 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
A housewife grows smaller and smaller in reaction to chemicals found in cosmetics and household products.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson
Votes: 5,145 | Gross: $20.26M
8. Subway Riders (1981)
120 min | Thriller
A Psychotic saxophone player (played both by Amos Poe and John Lurie) lures victims to deserted spots with his music and then guns them down.
Director: Amos Poe | Stars: Robbie Coltrane, Charlene Kaleina, Cookie Mueller, John Lurie
Votes: 163
9. Fort Apache the Bronx (1981)
R | 125 min | Crime, Drama
In New York City, South Bronx's main police precinct is nicknamed Fort Apache by its employees who feel like troopers surrounded by hostiles in a wild west isolated outpost.
Director: Daniel Petrie | Stars: Paul Newman, Edward Asner, Ken Wahl, Danny Aiello
Votes: 6,989 | Gross: $29.20M
10. My Bloody Valentine (1981)
R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A 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.
Director: George Mihalka | Stars: Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Keith Knight
Votes: 25,112 | Gross: $5.67M
11. Sphinx (1981)
PG | 118 min | Adventure, Mystery, Thriller
Egyptologist Erica Baron finds more than she bargained for during her long-planned trip to The Land of the Pharoahs: murder, theft, betrayal, love, and a mummy's curse.
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: Lesley-Anne Down, Frank Langella, Maurice Ronet, John Gielgud
Votes: 1,730 | Gross: $2.02M
12. American Pop (1981)
R | 96 min | Animation, Drama, History
The story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music in the 20th century.
Director: Ralph Bakshi | Stars: Mews Small, Ron Thompson, Jerry Holland, Lisa Jane Persky
Votes: 5,512 | Gross: $6.00M
13. The Dogs of War (1980)
R | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Mercenary James Shannon, on a reconnaissance job to the African nation of Zangaro, is tortured and deported. He returns to lead a coup.
Director: John Irvin | Stars: Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger, Colin Blakely, Hugh Millais
Votes: 9,441
14. Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981)
PG | 95 min | Comedy, Mystery
Detective Charlie Chan helps SFPD solve the many bizarre murders. His clumsy grandson Lee, who's getting married, "helps" him. Is the Dragon Queen behind this?
Director: Clive Donner | Stars: Peter Ustinov, Lee Grant, Angie Dickinson, Richard Hatch
Votes: 1,430
15. Eyewitness (1981)
R | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A janitor who claims he's seen a murder becomes romantically involved with the glamorous TV reporter covering the story.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Plummer, James Woods
Votes: 5,726 | Gross: $6.40M
16. Sunday Lovers (1980)
R | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A sex comedy anthology containing four stories, each from a different country (England, France, the U.S., and Italy).
Directors: Bryan Forbes, Édouard Molinaro, Dino Risi, Gene Wilder | Stars: Roger Moore, Lino Ventura, Ugo Tognazzi, Gene Wilder
Votes: 430
17. All Night Long (1981)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A middle-aged executive's lifestyle and values are turned upside down after he is demoted to chain-store night manager.
Director: Jean-Claude Tramont | Stars: Gene Hackman, Barbra Streisand, Diane Ladd, Dennis Quaid
Votes: 2,000 | Gross: $4.45M
18. The Devil and Max Devlin (1981)
PG | 96 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Max, a dead corrupt businessman, makes a Faustian pact with Satan's henchman to drive three people to Hell in exchange for longer life. Soon Max realizes that there still may be good in him.
Director: Steven Hilliard Stern | Stars: Elliott Gould, Bill Cosby, Susan Anspach, Adam Rich
Votes: 1,443 | Gross: $16.00M
19. Maniac (1980)
18+ | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.
Director: William Lustig | Stars: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Abigail Clayton, Kelly Piper
Votes: 20,233
20. On the Right Track (1981)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Romance
Lester is a homeless shoeshine boy living in a railway station. He's got this funny knack for picking the winning horses' names out of the paper while shining shoes. When word gets around, though, everyone wants a piece of the action.
Director: Lee Philips | Stars: Gary Coleman, Maureen Stapleton, Norman Fell, Michael Lembeck
Votes: 573
21. Back Roads (1981)
R | 94 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance
A prostitute and a drifter find themselves bound together as they make their way through the rural South, doing what they have to do to survive.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Keith, Miriam Colon
Votes: 1,072 | Gross: $11.81M
22. The Funhouse (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror
Four teenagers visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement, but soon discover that nothing there is innocent or amusing.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin, Jack McDermott
Votes: 16,290 | Gross: $7.89M
23. Modern Romance (1981)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Romance
Albert Brooks directs himself as a successful film editor with far too many issues that affects the relationship between him and his remarkably patient girlfriend.
Director: Albert Brooks | Stars: Albert Brooks, Kathryn Harrold, Tyann Means, Bruno Kirby
Votes: 4,715 | Gross: $2.86M
24. Amy (1981)
G | 100 min | Drama, Family
A woman leaves her husband after the death of her child to teach deaf children how to speak. Her own child was deaf and although she has no formal training she successfully teaches one boy.
Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: Jenny Agutter, Barry Newman, Kathleen Nolan, Chris Robinson
Votes: 600
25. Cutter's Way (1981)
R | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Richard spots a man dumping a body, and decides to expose the man he thinks is the culprit with his friend Alex Cutter.
Director: Ivan Passer | Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn, Ann Dusenberry
Votes: 7,640 | Gross: $1.73M
26. The Final Conflict (1981)
R | 108 min | Horror
The now adult Antichrist plots to eliminate his future divine opponent while a cabal of monks plot to stop him.
Director: Graham Baker | Stars: Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi, Don Gordon, Lisa Harrow
Votes: 22,798 | Gross: $20.47M
27. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
The sensuous wife of a roadside diner proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordid, steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.
Director: Bob Rafelson | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos, Michael Lerner
Votes: 25,802 | Gross: $12.38M
28. Eyes of a Stranger (1981)
R | 84 min | Horror, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Ken Wiederhorn | Stars: Lauren Tewes, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John DiSanti, Peter DuPre
Votes: 3,185 | Gross: $1.12M
29. Thief (1981)
R | 123 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An ace safe cracker wants to do one last big heist for the mob before going straight.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, Jim Belushi
Votes: 39,054 | Gross: $11.49M
30. Atlantic City (1980)
R | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
In a corrupt city, a small-time gangster and the estranged wife of a pot dealer find themselves thrown together in an escapade of love, money, drugs and danger.
Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Susan Sarandon, Kate Reid, Michel Piccoli
Votes: 18,304
31. Excalibur (1981)
PG | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi
Votes: 67,204 | Gross: $34.97M
32. Going Ape! (1981)
PG | 87 min | Comedy, Crime, Family
When 80-year-old Max Sabatini dies, he leaves his three prized orangutans in the care of his only son, Foster. To inherit his father's $5-million fortune, Foster must take care of the apes for the next five years.
Director: Jeremy Joe Kronsberg | Stars: Tony Danza, Jessica Walter, Stacey Nelkin, Danny DeVito
Votes: 975
33. The Howling (1981)
R | 91 min | Horror
After 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.
Director: Joe Dante | Stars: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone
Votes: 40,224 | Gross: $17.99M
34. Knightriders (1981)
R | 146 min | Action, Drama
A medieval reenactment troupe struggles to maintain its family-like dynamic amid pressure from local authorities, interest from talent agents, and their "King's" delusions of grandeur.
Director: George A. Romero | Stars: Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll
Votes: 5,473
35. Nighthawks (1981)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
When one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.
Directors: Bruce Malmuth, Gary Nelson | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Rutger Hauer, Billy Dee Williams, Lindsay Wagner
Votes: 21,734 | Gross: $14.91M
36. Caveman (1981)
PG | 91 min | Comedy, Romance
A caveman seeks revenge on a much larger competitor for the hand of a beautiful cavewoman.
Director: Carl Gottlieb | Stars: Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long, Jack Gilford
Votes: 8,616 | Gross: $15.97M
37. Beyond the Reef (1979)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Romance
Tikoyo lives by the Bora Bora lagoon in the South Pacific, where he found a man-eating tiger shark when it was an orphaned baby, just a foot long. He named it Manidu, and it grew to be ... See full summary »
Director: Frank C. Clarke | Stars: Dayton Ka'ne, Maren Jensen, Kathleen Swan, Keahi Farden
Votes: 229 | Gross: $0.55M
38. Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1980)
PG | 97 min | Drama, Western
In 19th-century Oklahoma, two teen girls who love stories about outlaws are on a quest to meet and join up with them. They find a shadow of a former gang and, although disappointed, still try to help them escape from a vigorous Marshal.
Director: Lamont Johnson | Stars: Scott Glenn, Redmond Gleeson, William Russ, Kenny Call
Votes: 945 | Gross: $0.53M
39. The Hand (1981)
R | 104 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A comic book artist loses his hand, which in turn takes on a murderous life of its own.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Michael Caine, Andrea Marcovicci, Annie McEnroe, Bruce McGill
Votes: 6,709 | Gross: $2.45M
40. Ms .45 (1981)
R | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A timid and mute seamstress goes insane after being attacked and raped twice in one day, in which she takes to the streets of New York City after dark and randomly shoots men with a .45 caliber pistol.
Director: Abel Ferrara | Stars: Zoë Lund, Bogey, Albert Sinkys, Darlene Stuto
Votes: 12,566
41. Bloody Birthday (1981)
R | 85 min | Horror, Thriller
Three 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.
Director: Ed Hunt | Stars: Lori Lethin, Melinda Cordell, Julie Brown, Joe Penny
Votes: 5,674
42. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
R | 87 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Five years after the events of the first film, a summer camp next to the infamous Camp Crystal Lake is preparing to open, but the legend of Jason is weighing heavy on the proceedings.
Director: Steve Miner | Stars: Betsy Palmer, Amy Steel, John Furey, Adrienne King
Votes: 77,795 | Gross: $21.72M
43. Graduation Day (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A masked killer begins murdering students on the school track team after a track runner dies upon completion of a 30 second 200-meter race.
Director: Herb Freed | Stars: Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, E. Danny Murphy, E.J. Peaker
Votes: 4,895 | Gross: $23.89M
44. King of the Mountain (1981)
PG | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of friends race their high-powered cars up and down a dangerous and deadly mountain road known as Mulholland Drive to see who can claim the title of "King of the Mountain."
Director: Noel Nosseck | Stars: Harry Hamlin, Joseph Bottoms, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Richard Cox
Votes: 571 | Gross: $1.79M
45. Hard Country (1981)
Unrated | 104 min | Drama
Ambitious young Jodie wants more out of life than the small Texas country town she lives in has to offer. Jodie realizes that in order to pursue her dreams she will have to leave Texas and ... See full summary »
Director: David Greene | Stars: Jan-Michael Vincent, Kim Basinger, Michael Parks, Gailard Sartain
Votes: 826
46. Image of the Beast (1981)
TV-PG | 93 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Third and best-known entry in the Mark IV series of fundamentalist apocalypse films. Fundamentalist Christian guerrilla David helps condemned dissidents escape, attempts to subvert the ... See full summary »
Director: Donald W. Thompson | Stars: William Wellman Jr., Susan Plumb, Patty Dunning, Russell S. Doughten Jr.
Votes: 404
47. Shoot the Sun Down (1978)
PG | 100 min | Drama, Western
A couple of strangers arrive in a small town, each one after a different thing.
Director: David Leeds | Stars: Margot Kidder, Geoffrey Lewis, Christopher Walken, Bo Brundin
Votes: 234
48. The Burning (1981)
R | 91 min | Horror
A 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.
Director: Tony Maylam | Stars: Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer, Larry Joshua
Votes: 22,288
49. Second-Hand Hearts (1980)
PG | 102 min | Comedy
A high-spirited wife and her meekish husband hit the road to take back her kids from her previous marriage who live with her ex-inlaws.
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Robert Blake, Barbara Harris, Collin Boone, Amber Rose Gold
Votes: 238
50. The Fan (1981)
R | 95 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Douglas, a record salesman, is an obsessive fan of actress Sally Ross. When his letters are rejected, he strikes out at her and her loved ones.
Director: Ed Bianchi | Stars: Lauren Bacall, James Garner, Michael Biehn, Maureen Stapleton
Votes: 2,846
51. Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
R | 110 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
At 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.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane, Sharon Acker
Votes: 11,238
52. Take This Job and Shove It (1981)
PG | 100 min | Comedy
Frank is sent to his native town, Millsborough, to increase the local brewery production. He meets old school mates and his former girlfriend, Jane. They quickly fall in love again. Frank is torn between his job.
Director: Gus Trikonis | Stars: Robert Hays, Art Carney, Barbara Hershey, David Keith
Votes: 945 | Gross: $17.57M
53. Death Hunt (1981)
R | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
In 1931 Canada, Yukon trapper Johnson has a feud with a dog owner who later retaliates by publicly accusing Johnson of murder and thus triggering a police manhunt in the wilderness.
Director: Peter R. Hunt | Stars: Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Andrew Stevens, Carl Weathers
Votes: 8,350
54. Bustin' Loose (1981)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Drama
Failed parolee Joe Braxton has one last shot at redemption: by driving school kids from Philadelphia to Washington State.
Directors: Oz Scott, Michael Schultz | Stars: Richard Pryor, Cicely Tyson, Angel Ramirez Jr., Jimmy Hughes
Votes: 3,717 | Gross: $31.26M
55. The Four Seasons (1981)
PG | 107 min | Comedy, Drama
Three couples vacation together every season. After one divorces, feelings of betrayal and more spawn criticisms of one another, but the things that keep them together are stronger than those which might pull them apart.
Director: Alan Alda | Stars: Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis
Votes: 5,643 | Gross: $50.43M
56. The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
PG | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The sole surviving Texas Ranger (Klinton Spilsbury) of an ambush arranged by outlaw leader Major Bartholomew "Butch" Cavendish (Christopher Lloyd) returns to fight back as a great masked western hero, The Lone Ranger.
Director: William A. Fraker | Stars: Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse, Christopher Lloyd, Matt Clark
Votes: 2,522 | Gross: $12.62M
57. Outland (1981)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
A federal marshal stationed at a mining colony on the Jupiter moon of Io uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy. He gets no help from the workers or authorities when he finds himself marked for murder.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Sean Connery, Frances Sternhagen, Peter Boyle, James Sikking
Votes: 32,376 | Gross: $17.37M
58. Improper Channels (1981)
PG | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
A couple fights for justice to get their injured daughter out of a foster care center.
Director: Eric Till | Stars: Alan Arkin, Mariette Hartley, Monica Parker, Harry Ditson
Votes: 182
59. Polyester (1981)
R | 86 min | Comedy
A suburban housewife's world falls apart when she finds that her pornographer husband is serially unfaithful to her, her daughter is pregnant, and her son is suspected of being the foot-fetishist who's been breaking local women's feet.
Director: John Waters | Stars: Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, David Samson
Votes: 9,009
60. Nice Dreams (1981)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Crime
Disguised as ice cream vendors, Cheech and Chong make--and subsequently lose--millions of dollars selling a batch of marijuana with an unusual side effect.
Director: Tommy Chong | Stars: Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Benita Barrie, Sandra Bernhard
Votes: 8,136 | Gross: $33.98M
AKA Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams
61. Final Exam (1981)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
A psycho killer shows up on college campus to slash up pretty co-eds and dumb jocks.
Director: Jimmy Huston | Stars: Cecile Bagdadi, Joel S. Rice, Ralph Brown, DeAnna Robbins
Votes: 4,626
62. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981)
PG | 112 min | Drama, Music
A small-town stud wants to go to Nashville to be a big country star. His ambitious kid sister works as his manager. Their dream hits jeopardy when they cross paths with a small-town sheriff.
Director: Ron Maxwell | Stars: Kristy McNichol, Dennis Quaid, Mark Hamill, Sunny Johnson
Votes: 1,119 | Gross: $14.92M
63. The Sea Wolves (1980)
PG | 120 min | Action, History, War
During World War II, British Intelligence brings a crew of ex-soldiers out of retirement, using their age as cover, to take to the seas and pull off an unlikely undercover mission in neutral Goa.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen | Stars: Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, David Niven, Trevor Howard
Votes: 5,285
64. Tuck Everlasting (1981)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
In turn-of-the-20th-century upstate New York, Winnie Foster, a 12-year-old girl, discovers a family living in the woods near her family's home who never ages thanks to a magical spring they... See full summary »
Director: Frederick King Keller | Stars: Margaret Chamberlain, Paul Flessa, Fred A. Keller, James McGuire
Votes: 383
65. Clash of the Titans (1981)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Family
Perseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.
Director: Desmond Davis | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith
Votes: 47,785 | Gross: $41.09M
66. History of the World: Part I (1981)
R | 92 min | Comedy, History, Musical
Mel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.
Director: Mel Brooks | Stars: Mel Brooks, Gregory Hines, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn
Votes: 55,248 | Gross: $31.67M
67. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,037,202 | Gross: $248.16M
68. The Cannonball Run (1981)
PG | 95 min | Action, Comedy, Sport
A wide variety of eccentric competitors participate in a wild and illegal cross-country road race. However, the eccentric entrants will do anything to win the road race, including low-down, dirty tricks.
Director: Hal Needham | Stars: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise
Votes: 39,970 | Gross: $72.18M
69. Superman II (1980)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty
Votes: 114,667 | Gross: $108.19M
70. Dragonslayer (1981)
PG | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.
Director: Matthew Robbins | Stars: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam
Votes: 19,972 | Gross: $14.11M
71. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Secret service agent James Bond is assigned to find a missing British vessel equipped with a weapons encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson
Votes: 108,329 | Gross: $62.30M
72. Force: Five (1981)
R | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A martial-arts expert leads a team of fellow martial artists to rescue a senator's daughter from an island ruled by the evil leader of a fanatical religious cult.
Director: Robert Clouse | Stars: Joe Lewis, Bong Soo Han, Sonny Barnes, Richard Norton
Votes: 575
73. The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
G | 97 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Kermit the Frog, The Great Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear are reporters who travel to Britain to interview a rich victim of jewel thieves and help her along with her secretary, Miss Piggy.
Director: Jim Henson | Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson
Votes: 16,732 | Gross: $31.21M
74. Stripes (1981)
R | 106 min | Comedy, War
Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Bill Murray, John Candy, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates
Votes: 80,042 | Gross: $85.30M
75. Demonoid (1981)
R | 78 min | Horror
Spouses looking for silver in Mexico find a 300 year old severed hand driven by a demon.
Director: Alfredo Zacarías | Stars: Samantha Eggar, Stuart Whitman, Roy Jenson, Narciso Busquets
Votes: 1,825
76. S.O.B. (1981)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Drama
A successful movie director makes the most expensive film in his career and it becomes a huge flop. He tries to salvage his career by reshooting the film as an erotic production, where its family-friendly star takes her top off.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Julie Andrews, William Holden, Marisa Berenson, Larry Hagman
Votes: 6,482 | Gross: $14.87M
77. Escape from New York (1981)
R | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence
Votes: 157,593 | Gross: $25.24M
78. The Fox and the Hound (1981)
G | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
A fox named Tod and a hound named Copper vow to be best friends forever. But as Copper grows into a hunting dog, their unlikely friendship faces the ultimate test.
Directors: Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens, David Hand, Wolfgang Reitherman | Stars: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson
Votes: 101,988 | Gross: $63.46M
79. Arthur (1981)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Romance
Alcoholic billionaire playboy Arthur Bach must marry a woman he does not love, or he will be cut off from his $750,000,000 fortune. But when Arthur falls in love with a poor waitress, he must decide if he wants to choose love or money.
Director: Steve Gordon | Stars: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald
Votes: 31,108 | Gross: $95.46M
80. Endless Love (1981)
R | 116 min | Drama, Romance
Parental disapproval of a passionate romance between two teenagers leads to arguments, circumstance, insanity and tragedy.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray
Votes: 9,580 | Gross: $31.18M
81. Zorro: The Gay Blade (1981)
PG | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Zorro, the legendary swordsman, has passed on his weapon and his sense of duty to his noble son, Diego, a dashing swashbuckler like his father. But after an injury sidelines Diego, he is forced to hand the mask over to his twin, Ramon.
Director: Peter Medak | Stars: George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, Brenda Vaccaro, Ron Leibman
Votes: 4,848 | Gross: $11.12M
82. Gas (1981)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Susan Anspach stars in this comedy as a news reporter who investigates a story about stolen milk causing milk and gas prices to rise. During the course of her investigation, other people ... See full summary »
Director: Les Rose | Stars: Susan Anspach, Howie Mandel, Sterling Hayden, Helen Shaver
Votes: 385
83. Comin' at Ya! (1981)
R | 91 min | Western
Tragedy strikes as two ruthless brothers kidnap a bride during her wedding. Hurt and angry, H.H. begins his quest to find the love he lost, and take vengeance upon the wicked. Comin' at Ya.
Director: Ferdinando Baldi | Stars: Tony Anthony, Gene Quintano, Victoria Abril, Ricardo Palacios
Votes: 638 | Gross: $12.00M
84. Eye of the Needle (1981)
R | 112 min | Romance, Thriller, War
A ruthless German spy, trying to get out of Britain with vital information about D-Day, must spend time with a young woman and her crippled husband.
Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Stephen MacKenna, Philip Martin Brown
Votes: 11,856 | Gross: $17.58M
85. Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)
Approved | 115 min | Adventure, Drama
While on an African expedition with her father, Jane Parker meets Tarzan, and the two become fascinated by each other.
Director: John Derek | Stars: Bo Derek, Richard Harris, Miles O'Keeffe, John Phillip Law
Votes: 6,230 | Gross: $36.57M
86. Blow Out (1981)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A movie sound recordist accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually murder and consequently finds himself in danger.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz
Votes: 63,337 | Gross: $13.75M
87. Wolfen (1981)
R | 115 min | Horror, Thriller
A New York cop investigates a series of brutal deaths that resemble animal attacks.
Director: Michael Wadleigh | Stars: Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines
Votes: 11,485 | Gross: $10.63M
88. Under the Rainbow (1981)
PG | 98 min | Comedy
A visiting dignitary, a CIA agent, a Nazi spy, Japanese tourists, an assassin and a group of "midget" actors from The Wizard of Oz (1939) all check into an elite Los Angeles hotel called Under the Rainbow.
Director: Steve Rash | Stars: Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher, Eve Arden, Joseph Maher
Votes: 3,023 | Gross: $18.83M
89. Victory (1981)
PG | 116 min | Drama, Sport, War
As allied P.O.W.s prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team's escape.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, Pelé, Bobby Moore
Votes: 33,278 | Gross: $10.85M
90. Condorman (1981)
PG | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Cartoonist Woody becomes the superhero he draws. Using his gadgets he helps a Soviet spy defect to the West.
Director: Charles Jarrott | Stars: Michael Crawford, Oliver Reed, Barbara Carrera, James Hampton
Votes: 5,408
91. Heavy Metal (1981)
R | 86 min | Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
A glowing green orb that embodies ultimate evil terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories.
Directors: Gerald Potterton, John Bruno, John Halas, Julian Harris, Jimmy T. Murakami, Barrie Nelson, Paul Sabella, Jack Stokes, Pino Van Lamsweerde, Harold Whitaker | Stars: Richard Romanus, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Don Francks
Votes: 38,181
92. Hell Night (1981)
R | 101 min | Horror, Thriller
Four 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.
Director: Tom DeSimone | Stars: Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Peter Barton, Kevin Brophy
Votes: 8,772
93. Student Bodies (1981)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
A serial killer with his signature heavy breathing proceeds to systematically kill the students and teachers of Lamab high school.
Directors: Mickey Rose, Michael Ritchie | Stars: Kristen Riter, Matthew Goldsby, Jerry Belson, Joe Flood
Votes: 5,366 | Gross: $5.17M
94. An Eye for an Eye (1981)
R | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A SFPD undercover narcotics cop aims to avenge his partner's death and destroy a drug-smuggling ring operated by the Chinese Triads.
Director: Steve Carver | Stars: Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, Richard Roundtree, Matt Clark
Votes: 4,525 | Gross: $7.68M
95. Deadly Blessing (1981)
R | 100 min | Horror, Thriller
After her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, a widow becomes increasingly paranoid of the neighboring religious community that may have diabolical plans for her.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Maren Jensen, Sharon Stone, Susan Buckner, Jeff East
Votes: 6,993 | Gross: $8.28M
96. Prince of the City (1981)
R | 167 min | Crime, Drama
A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Richard Foronjy, Don Billett
Votes: 9,526 | Gross: $8.12M
97. Nobody's Perfekt (1981)
PG | 96 min | Comedy
The story of a group of misfits living in Miami, and their revenge against government bureaucracy. After the city refuses to pay for the damage to their car caused by a pothole, the three ... See full summary »
Director: Peter Bonerz | Stars: Gabe Kaplan, Alex Karras, Robert Klein, Susan Clark
Votes: 267
98. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Horror
Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.
Director: John Landis | Stars: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher, Griffin Dunne
Votes: 120,587 | Gross: $30.57M
99. First Monday in October (1981)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Drama
For the first time in history a woman is appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, where she becomes a friendly rival to a liberal associate.
Director: Ronald Neame | Stars: Walter Matthau, Jill Clayburgh, Barnard Hughes, Jan Sterling
Votes: 1,661
100. Honky Tonk Freeway (1981)
PG | 107 min | Action, Comedy
A satire of American progression in which a mayor tries to bribe an official to ensure a ramp connects Ticlaw to an up-and-coming intrastate. When his plan fails, the town residents are forced to take matters into their own hands.
Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: David Rasche, Paul Jabara, Howard Hesseman, Teri Garr
Votes: 1,175 | Gross: $2.00M
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