John Landis is a prolific American filmmaker who was on fire in the 1980s, directing some of the decade's defining comedies. He got his start with the microbudget gross-out comedy Shlock, before finding mainstream success with National Lampoon's Animal House and The Blues Brothers. Adept at navigating multiple genres, Landis made a lasting contribution to comedy-horror with An American Werewolf In London, a classic that's equal parts funny and frightening.

Not to mention, his most popular work of all may be his music video for Michael Jackson's Thriller, which is often cited as one of the most groundbreaking music videos ever made. Even Landis's less successful experiments tend to be interesting, like the vampire/gangster movie hybrid Innocent Blood or the black comedy Burke & Hare with Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis. They reveal a director with a ton of ideas and a clear love for the medium. These are the finest of Landis's movies, as ranked by the users of IMDb.

10 'Into the Night' (1985)

IMDb Score: 6.4/10

Aerospace engineer Ed Okin (Jeff Goldblum) is devastated when he discovers that his wife is cheating on him. Unable to sleep, Ed heads to the airport, where he encounters the mysterious Diana (Michelle Pfeiffer), a jewel smuggler who is on the run from dangerous criminals. Ed becomes her driver, and they set out on a wild, nocturnal adventure through the streets of Los Angeles.

Despite the star power of Goldblum and Pfeiffer, Into the Night stumbles. It starts out charming, but the premise soon wears out its welcome. The film received negative reviews and bombed at the box office, failing to recoup its $8m budget. Nevertheless, Landis has said that he's pleased with how it turned out. "[Into the Night is] the opposite of high concept. High concept is when you can explain [the movie] in one sentence, but when things get muddled, [the critics are] confused. I like Into the Night. It's got a wonderful cast," he told Collider.

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9 'The Kentucky Fried Movie' (1977)

IMDb Score: 6.4/10

The Kentucky Fried Movie is a satirical sketch comedy that purports to be the programming on a fictional TV channel. Most of the skits are parodies of movie genres, from martial arts to disaster films. Some of the most memorable scenes spoof the sexploitation and blaxploitation genres that were popular at the time on the grindhouse circuit. There are also absurd news clips and fake commercials, including one for acne-derived oil and a painkiller that cures headaches by making people unconscious.

It's a little rough around the edges, but that's also its charm. Not every joke lands, and some segments have aged poorly, but there's no denying the writers' creativity (it was co-written by David and Jerry Zucker) or the actors' evident enjoyment of their performances. Not everyone will appreciate The Kentucky Fried Movie's anarchic humor, but, for the initiated, it's a real treat. The film's success substantially boosted Landis's profile, paving the way for the more ambitious comedies that would follow.

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8 'Spies Like Us' (1985)

IMDb Score: 6.4/10

Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd star in this espionage comedy as Emmett Fitz-Hume and Austin Millbarge, two bumbling, low-level government employees who are enlisted for a secret mission in Pakistan and Central Asia. However, what they don't know is that they are actually being sent as decoys to distract attention away from the actual, more capable team of spies undertaking the real mission. Nevertheless, Everett and Austin's incompetence surprisingly becomes an asset.

Spies Like Us is a bit bloated and could have benefited from more judicious editing, but the easy chemistry between Chase and Aykroyd compensates for many of its shortcomings. They each have several hilarious moments, including a memorable scene involving a rigged medical examination. The movie also benefits from the fact that it resists clichéd James Bond and Dr. Strangelove parody and tries to chart its own path. Critics mostly dismissed it on release, but it was a solid box office hit, grossing over $77m against a $20m budget.

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7 'Oscar' (1991)

IMDb Score: 6.5/10

Sylvester Stallone delivers a rare comedic performance here as Angelo "Snaps" Provolone, a former gangster who has gone straight and aspires to be a respectable businessman. Set in the 1930s, the plot unfolds over a 24-hour period as Snaps awaits the arrival of his daughter's fiancé and attempts to navigate a series of comedic misunderstandings and mistaken identities. It's a zany farce, harking back to the screwball comedies of the '30s and '40s.

Despite the decent script, Oscar failed to connect with audiences at the time and marked another commercial flop for Landis. This was probably because most viewers expected to see Stallone shooting bad guys, as opposed to managing family chaos. Nevertheless, the movie is notable for being the first significant role for Marisa Tomei, who plays Snaps's daughter. She's fantastic and absolutely did not deserve the Razzie nomination she received for it.

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6 'Three Amigos!' (1986)

IMDb Score: 6.5/10

Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short lead this Western comedy as a trio of silent actors who played a trio of gunfighters in a successful movie. Believing their movie is real, a young woman (Patrice Martinez) from a Mexican village beset by bandits sends them a telegram asking for help. The amigos misinterpret her message as a job officer and turn up at the village, only to find themselves in the midst of a very real showdown between the locals and the criminals.

Three Amigos! received lukewarm reviews on release but has become something of a cult film. It's a little uneven, but the premise is clever and prefigures Tropic Thunder by two decades. Landis nimbly pokes fun at Western tropes, and the abundantly funny lead actors do a lot of heavy lifting. Not to mention, it includes some catchy, hilarious songs by Randy Newman, who famously did the music for Toy Story, among others.

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5 'Coming to America' (1988)

IMDb Score: 7.1/10

Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) is the pampered crown prince of the fictional African nation of Zamunda. Frustrated with the arranged marriage his parents have planned for him, Akeem decides to embark on a journey to America to find a wife who loves him for who he is, rather than his royal status. Alongside his loyal servant Semmi (Arsenio Hall), Akeem disguises himself as a commoner and takes up residence in Queens. Naturally, all kinds of shenanigans ensue.

Coming to America is undoubtedly goofy, and the script could have used more polishing, but Murphy and Hall's outsized personalities keep it engaging the whole way through. Murphy, in particular, plays Akeem with just the right mix of swagger, humor, and innocence. He also shows off his knack for slapstick. The film was a massive success, grossing more than $128m domestically, as well as spawning several foreign language remakes and a 2021 sequel.

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4 'National Lampoon's Animal House' (1978)

IMDb Score: 7.4/10

National Lampoon's Animal House is a seminal comedy that set the standard for raucous, irreverent humor in the college genre. It's set in 1962 at the fictional Faber College and follows the misadventures of the Delta Tau Chi fraternity, led by the charismatic and rebellious Bluto Blutarsky (John Belushi). The crux of the story concerns the Delta fraternity's clash with the authoritarian Dean Wormer (John Vernon) and the Omega fraternity, though the plot is more of a means of connecting the various comedic set pieces.

This was National Lampoon magazine's first foray into filmmaking, and they absolutely knocked it out of the park. The film is by turns silly and satirical, making pointed references to political issues like the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and Richard Nixon's presidency. Ultimately, though, what makes Animal House stand out is its infectious energy. It's pure fun from start to finish. Belushi deserves much of the credit for this. Here, he turns in one of his very best performances, relying on intense physicality more than funny lines.

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3 'An American Werewolf in London' (1981)

IMDb Score: 7.5/10

Two American friends, David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) are attacked by a werewolf while backpacking through the English countryside. Jack is killed, and David survives but is cursed with lycanthropy. Jack, who returns in undead form, urges David to kill himself before the next full moon. David ignores his pleas and instead shacks up with the nurse (Jenny Agutter) who looked after him in the hospital. The full moon, however, continues to draw closer.

It's impressive how the film manages to be both funny and genuinely creepy. Landis expertly combines chilling werewolf transformation sequences, courtesy of Rick Baker's groundbreaking special effects, with comedic elements that provide relief from the tension. In the process, he laid the foundation for modern comedy-horror. (Also worthy of praise is the ironic, upbeat soundtrack, filled with songs like 'Moondance', 'Blue Moon', and 'Bad Moon Rising'.) An American Werewolf in London influenced subsequent hits like Beetlejuice, Gremlins, and Evil Dead 2, as well as Edgar Wright's entire career.

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2 'Trading Places' (1983)

IMDb Score: 7.5/10

Trading Places tells the story of Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy), a street-smart hustler, and Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), a wealthy commodities broker. Their lives are switched by two meddling millionaires trying to settle the question of whether nature or nurture is definitive. They frame Winthorpe as a thief, stripping him of his status, while paying Valentine's bail and giving him a plum job at their firm. Winthorpe and Valentine must quickly master new skills to survive in their newfound environments, learning something about themselves in the process.

It's a fun premise, essentially a modern-day take on Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. But, fundamentally, Trading Places works because of the rich characterization of Winthorpe and Valentine. We end up caring about these characters, rather than just laughing at their antics. The supporting cast is also great, especially Jaime Lee Curtis and Denholm Elliot as Winthorpe's butler Coleman.

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1 'The Blues Brothers' (1980)

IMDb Score: 7.9/10

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd lead this musical comedy as Jake and Elwood Blues, two brothers on a mission from God to save the Catholic orphanage where they were raised. To achieve this, they decide to reunite their rhythm and blues band and put on a fundraising concert. With just days to go, they must race to track down their former band mates, while evading the police, neo-Nazis, and a mystery woman (Carrie Fisher) with a penchant for explosives.

The Blues Brothers stands out not only for its high-energy musical sequences (featuring legendary artists such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles) but also for its unique blend of comedy, action, and a distinct sense of cool. Landis does an admirable job of marshaling all these big names - and bigger personalities - and channeling them into something coherent. He more than succeeds, creating one of the best comedies of the 1980s. It was a huge hit on release and evolved over time into a cult film.

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