150 of the Best Lesser-Known 1980s Movies
by jaimie-k | created - 15 Sep 2010 | updated - 11 Aug 2011 | PublicI still own every one of these on VHS (along with dozens of other obscure titles). Many are not available on DVD. You just can't beat dodgy 80s movies :-D
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1. The Zero Boys (1986)
Not Rated | 89 min | Action, Thriller, Horror
A group of friends travel to a wilderness area to play a survival game. Soon they unexpectedly find themselves in a real-life survival situation.
Director: Nico Mastorakis | Stars: Daniel Hirsch, Kelli Maroney, Nicole Rio, Tom Shell
Votes: 2,776
2. Young Warriors (1983)
R | 105 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young woman is gang raped and murdered in a California college town, sparking her brother Kevin to take up arms by night with a gang of like-minded vigilantes from his fraternity, ... See full summary »
Directors: Lawrence David Foldes, Deran Sarafian | Stars: Ernest Borgnine, Richard Roundtree, Lynda Day George, James Van Patten
Votes: 611 | Gross: $0.24M
3. Born American (1986)
R | 95 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A trio of vacationing American students cross the border from Finland to the USSR during the Cold War and are soon imprisoned after a skirmish with Soviet soldiers.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Mike Norris, Steve Durham, David Coburn, Thalmus Rasulala
Votes: 2,184 | Gross: $3.39M
aka Arctic Heat
4. Invaders from Mars (1986)
PG | 100 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A boy tries to stop aliens who have taken over his town and are attempting to brainwash its inhabitants.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Karen Black, Hunter Carson, Timothy Bottoms, Laraine Newman
Votes: 10,578 | Gross: $4.88M
5. Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988)
R | 86 min | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
After a worldwide nuclear war, where 68% of the male population was wiped out and virile men becoming a rarity, Sam Hell, a scavenger and a highly virile man, is assigned to help rescue a group of fertile women kidnapped by humanoid frogs.
Directors: Donald G. Jackson, R.J. Kizer | Stars: Julius LeFlore, RCB, Roddy Piper, William Smith
Votes: 7,302
6. Let's Get Harry (1986)
R | 102 min | Action, Adventure
When Colombian revolutionaries kidnap an American engineer, his brother and friends, faced with official inaction, hire a mercenary and mount the rescue operation themselves.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Michael Schoeffling, Tom Wilson, Fidel Abrego, Jere Burns
Votes: 1,549 | Gross: $0.14M
7. April Fool's Day (1986)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery
Nine college students staying at a friend's remote island mansion begin to fall victim to an unseen murderer over the April Fool's Day weekend, but nothing is as it seems.
Director: Fred Walton | Stars: Deborah Foreman, Griffin O'Neal, Clayton Rohner, Jay Baker
Votes: 18,368 | Gross: $12.95M
8. Turk 182 (1985)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Drama
Jimmy Lynch is angry because his older brother, who was injured as a result of an off duty fire rescue, is denied benefits by the city.
Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Timothy Hutton, Robert Urich, Kim Cattrall, Robert Culp
Votes: 4,111 | Gross: $3.59M
9. Iceman (1984)
PG | 100 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A prehistoric Neanderthal man found frozen in ice is revived by an arctic exploration team, who then attempt to use him for their own scientific means.
Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Timothy Hutton, Lindsay Crouse, John Lone, Josef Sommer
Votes: 6,029 | Gross: $7.34M
10. The Hidden (1987)
R | 97 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A cop and an FBI agent race for answers after law abiding people suddenly become violent criminals.
Director: Jack Sholder | Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, Claudia Christian, Clarence Felder
Votes: 22,581 | Gross: $9.75M
11. Dolls (1986)
R | 77 min | Horror
A dysfunctional family of three stop by a mansion during a storm -- father, stepmother, and child. The child discovers that the elderly owners are magical toy makers and have a haunted collection of dolls.
Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Ian Patrick Williams, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Carrie Lorraine, Guy Rolfe
Votes: 12,831
12. My Science Project (1985)
PG | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A high school student and his friend find a strange, orb-like piece of equipment to use as a science project, but must stop it when it begins to threaten mankind.
Director: Jonathan R. Betuel | Stars: John Stockwell, Danielle von Zerneck, Fisher Stevens, Raphael Sbarge
Votes: 6,451 | Gross: $4.12M
13. Death Before Dishonor (1987)
R | 91 min | Action, Drama
Gunnery Sergeant Burns reports for duty to an American Embassy in the Middle East. However due to the 'enlightened' views of the Ambassador, the marine security detachment he is in charge ... See full summary »
Director: Terry Leonard | Stars: Fred Dryer, Brian Keith, Joseph Gian, Sasha Mitchell
Votes: 1,108 | Gross: $4.55M
14. Hider in the House (1989)
R | 108 min | Thriller
A deranged man hides in the attic of a new house and becomes obsessed with the unsuspecting family that moves in.
Director: Matthew Patrick | Stars: Gary Busey, Mimi Rogers, Michael McKean, Kurt Christopher Kinder
Votes: 1,906
15. Bulletproof (1987)
R | 93 min | Action
Oft-wounded L.A. cop Gary Busey invades Mexico to rescue U.S. Army types from a Soviet Agent. Henry Silva, Darlanne Fluege.
Director: Steve Carver | Stars: Gary Busey, Darlanne Fluegel, Henry Silva, Thalmus Rasulala
Votes: 1,462 | Gross: $0.81M
16. No Safe Haven (1987)
R | 95 min | Action
In this action-packed thriller, an undercover CIA agent tracks down the drug gang that brutally murdered his family.
Director: Ronnie Rondell Jr. | Stars: Wings Hauser, Robert Tessier, Branscombe Richmond, Robert Ahola
Votes: 205
17. Fortress (1985)
TV-MA | 88 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After being kidnapped for ransom by four criminals, a schoolteacher and her students flee into a cave and build fortifications in anticipation of a decisive battle with their captors.
Director: Arch Nicholson | Stars: Sean Garlick, Rachel Ward, Elaine Cusick, Laurie Moran
Votes: 3,541
18. The Rescue (1988)
PG | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of kids venture into enemy territory in an audacious attempt to rescue their Navy Seal fathers who were captured during a failed mission in North Korea.
Director: Ferdinand Fairfax | Stars: Kevin Dillon, Christine Harnos, Edward Albert, Ellen Barber
Votes: 1,353 | Gross: $5.86M
19. Russkies (1987)
PG | 99 min | Drama
A group of American boys and a shipwrecked Russian sailor become friends during the Cold War.
Director: Rick Rosenthal | Stars: Whip Hubley, Joaquin Phoenix, Peter Billingsley, Stefan DeSalle
Votes: 1,626 | Gross: $2.19M
20. Jack's Back (1988)
R | 97 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A serial killer in Los Angeles celebrates Jack the Ripper's 100th birthday by committing similar murders and only one has a chance of stopping him.
Director: Rowdy Herrington | Stars: James Spader, Cynthia Gibb, Jim Haynie, Robert Picardo
Votes: 4,080 | Gross: $0.49M
21. Final Jeopardy (1985 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 100 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A small-town couple find themselves stranded in an unfamiliar, and unfriendly, big city. Weaving in and out of the proceedings are a bunch of murderous criminals with names like DOA, Ice ... See full summary »
Director: Michael Pressman | Stars: Richard Thomas, Mary Crosby, Jeff Corey, Jonathan Goldsmith
Votes: 275
22. Bad Dreams (1988)
R | 80 min | Horror, Thriller
The lone survivor of a suicide cult wakes from a thirteen-year coma in a psychiatric ward, where other patients suddenly start dying under mysterious and gruesome circumstances.
Director: Andrew Fleming | Stars: Jennifer Rubin, Bruce Abbott, Richard Lynch, Dean Cameron
Votes: 4,351 | Gross: $9.80M
23. The Wraith (1986)
PG-13 | 93 min | Action, Horror, Romance
In a small town in Arizona, a mysterious man/spirit descends from the sky and manifests in a sports car and targets a local violent road-racing gang of motor heads, headed by a ruthless bully who'll do anything to get what he wants.
Director: Mike Marvin | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Nick Cassavetes, Sherilyn Fenn, Randy Quaid
Votes: 19,224 | Gross: $3.50M
24. Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982)
PG | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A maverick motorbike racer wanders into a top-secret time-travel research test site which unintentionally teleports him to the mid-1800s and ends up having to fight violent outlaws for his survival.
Director: William Dear | Stars: Fred Ward, Belinda Bauer, Peter Coyote, Richard Masur
Votes: 2,498
25. Rampage (1987)
R | 97 min | Drama, Thriller
Alex is an outwardly normal man who goes on killing and mutilating sprees. When he is finally captured and brought to trial, the district attorney is torn between his own liberal ideals on guilt and the crimes the accused is being tried.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Michael Biehn, Alex McArthur, Nicholas Campbell, Deborah Van Valkenburgh
Votes: 2,574 | Gross: $0.80M
26. Gymkata (1985)
R | 90 min | Action, Thriller
An American gymnast travels to a foreign country to compete in a deadly game not won by anyone other than a native in more than 900 years.
Director: Robert Clouse | Stars: Kurt Thomas, Tetchie Agbayani, Richard Norton, Edward Michael Bell
Votes: 4,568 | Gross: $5.73M
27. The New Kids (1985)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A brother and sister arrive in a small town to help their relatives run an amusement park, and they find the town is terrorized by a local street gang.
Director: Sean S. Cunningham | Stars: Shannon Presby, Lori Loughlin, James Spader, John Philbin
Votes: 4,051 | Gross: $0.20M
aka Striking Back
28. The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987)
PG | 100 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Dodger must confront the struggles of life as he is visited by the Garbage Pail Kids and intimidated by some older bullies.
Director: Rod Amateau | Stars: Anthony Newley, Mackenzie Astin, Phil Fondacaro, Katie Barberi
Votes: 8,710 | Gross: $1.58M
29. Thrillkill (1984)
96 min | Crime, Thriller
Karlie Kendall's job is to write computer games - but in her spare time she hacks bank accounts. With 5 million dollars gathered, she wants to retire to Brazil - unaware that her secret partner Adrienne intends to keep all the money.
Directors: Anthony D'Andrea, Anthony Kramreither | Stars: Robin Ward, Gina Massey, Laura Robinson, Diana Reis
Votes: 135
30. The Park Is Mine (1985 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 102 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A Vietnam vet takes forceful control of Central Park to remember those who served and died in the Vietnam War.
Director: Steven Hilliard Stern | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Helen Shaver, Yaphet Kotto, Lawrence Dane
Votes: 2,398
31. Trial by Terror (1983)
90 min | Thriller
A couple moves into a new home and find success and happiness, but soon their dream becomes a nightmare when they hear chilling voices in the night, vandalous attacks and a faceless, ... See full summary »
Director: Hildy Brooks | Stars: Kay Lenz, Wayne Crawford, Martin Landau, Allen Garfield
Votes: 48
32. Body Count (1987 TV Movie)
96 min | Thriller
A cab driver is falsely accused of murdering a young couple.
Director: Lionel Shenken | Stars: Jonathan Potts, James Lukie, James Knapp, Cynthia Kereluk
Votes: 47
33. Chiller (1985 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 94 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Corporate exec Miles Creighton dies, and is cryogenically frozen in the hopes that he can be revived. 10 years later, the procedure is a success, and Miles returns--without his soul.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Michael Beck, Beatrice Straight, Laura Johnson, Dick O'Neill
Votes: 1,583
34. The Highest Honor (1982 TV Movie)
R | 144 min | Drama, War
The true story of a daring raid on Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbour by Australian and British troops during WWII.
Directors: Peter Maxwell, Seiji Maruyama | Stars: John Howard, Atsuo Nakamura, Stuart Wilson, Steve Bisley
Votes: 167
35. The Buddy System (1984)
PG | 110 min | Drama, Comedy, Romance
A quiet school truant officer, Joe, uncovers a young boy's attempt to fake a residential address, and subsequently gets involved romantically with the boy's mother. The truant officer ... See full summary »
Director: Glenn Jordan | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Sarandon, Nancy Allen, Jean Stapleton
Votes: 1,497 | Gross: $1.82M
36. Limit Up (1989)
PG-13 | 88 min | Fantasy, Comedy
Casey Falls is the assistant of commodity trader Peter Oak, but wants to get a license herself. When the diabolic Nike appears and promises to make her successful by use of her supernatural... See full summary »
Director: Richard Martini | Stars: Nancy Allen, Dean Stockwell, Brad Hall, Danitra Vance
Votes: 265
37. Ghost Warrior (1984)
R | 81 min | Action, Sci-Fi
A deep-frozen 400-year-old samurai is shipped to Los Angeles, where he comes back to life. Dazed and confused, he goes on a rampage. Can the female scientist and her colleague who revived him stop him before it's too late?
Director: J. Larry Carroll | Stars: Hiroshi Fujioka, John Calvin, Janet Julian, Charles Lampkin
Votes: 850
aka Swordkill
38. How I Got Into College (1989)
PG-13 | 86 min | Comedy, Romance
Marlon has a crush on Jessica, who's running for senior-class president and wants to attend Ramsey College. Marlon wants to go wherever she's going. Problem: low SAT scores.
Director: Savage Steve Holland | Stars: Anthony Edwards, Corey Parker, Lara Flynn Boyle, Finn Carter
Votes: 2,384 | Gross: $1.64M
39. One Police Plaza (1986 TV Movie)
92 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A veteran New York City Police Lieutenant's investigation of a woman's murder uncovers corruption in high places.
Director: Jerry Jameson | Stars: Robert Conrad, George Dzundza, James Olson, Jamey Sheridan
Votes: 78
40. Of Unknown Origin (1983)
R | 88 min | Horror, Thriller
A man becomes destructively obsessed with killing a dangerous rat, which has taken residence in his recently renovated house.
Director: George P. Cosmatos | Stars: Peter Weller, Jennifer Dale, Lawrence Dane, Kenneth Welsh
Votes: 3,783 | Gross: $1.08M
41. Date with an Angel (1987)
PG | 105 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
An aspiring composer discovers a broken-winged, beautiful angel in his swimming pool. When everyone finds out, he must deal with his jealous fiancé, his future father-in-law, and his friends who have a business plan.
Director: Tom McLoughlin | Stars: Michael E. Knight, Phoebe Cates, Emmanuelle Béart, David Dukes
Votes: 3,050 | Gross: $1.99M
42. The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987 TV Movie)
100 min | Mystery
Sherlock Holmes is brought back to life by Watson's female descendant after being cryogenically frozen for eighty years.
Director: Kevin Connor | Stars: Margaret Colin, Lila Kaye, Connie Booth, Nicholas Guest
Votes: 365
43. Witchboard (1986)
R | 98 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
When his girlfriend becomes dangerously obsessed with a ghost she contacted using a Ouija board, Jim reluctantly joins forces with her ex-his own estranged childhood best friend-to identify and exorcise the evil spirit.
Director: Kevin Tenney | Stars: Todd Allen, Tawny Kitaen, Stephen Nichols, Kathleen Wilhoite
Votes: 8,244 | Gross: $7.37M
44. Vanishing Act (1986 TV Movie)
PG | 95 min | Mystery