The term “B-movie” proves surprisingly difficult to define, and what constitutes such a film has kind of shifted over the years. Some definitions will say they’re simply movies that were cheap to produce, others will emphasize that such films are often of poor quality, and others specify that B-movies tended to be the second part of a double feature, with the first movie shown being the higher quality – or “A” – picture of the two.
Taking the term into the 1980s, B-movies here might not have often been part of double features but were generally made for little money and belonged to genres like sci-fi, horror, or action more often than not. Also, as these films (or at least some of them) show, ‘80s B-movies weren’t all of poor quality. What follows are some of the best B-grade movies of the 1980s, starting with the stupidly fun and ending with the genuinely great; films that transcend their budgetary limitations to be exceedingly effective no matter how you categorize them.
25 'Ghoulies' (1985)
Directed by Luca Bercovici
Image via Empire Pictures
Given Gremlins was quite the hit, it’s not too surprising that it kicked off something of a trend for movies about small creatures running amok and being generally violent. Of those, Ghoulies was one of the most shameless and goofy, but anyone after something trashy and low-grade as far as creature features go might get a little fun out of it (and/or its sequels).
Ghoulies is what you'd expect it to be, based on the title and the fact that the poster features a small creature poking his head out of a toilet. It looks consistently cheap, largely taking place inside the one location and having monsters that are unconvincing on a technical front, even by B-movie standards. But it’s so brainless that it feels almost charming when viewed in a very specific way.
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Ghoulies
Release Date January 18, 1985
Director Luca Bercovici
Cast Peter Liapis , Lisa Pelikan , Michael Des Barres , Jack Nance , Peter Risch , Tamara De Treaux , Scott Thomson , Ralph Seymour , Mariska Hargitay , Victoria Catlin , Bobbie Bresee , Keith Joe Dick , David Dayan , Charene Cathleen , Jamie Bronow , Brian Connolly , Annie Stocking , Craig Talmy
Released the same year as the second Star Wars movie, and seemingly trying to scratch a similar itch (albeit on a reduced budget), Battle Beyond the Stars works better than you might expect for a knock-off. It’s certainly not great, but it’s functional as a space opera, and also borrows from a reliable formula, given it feels a bit like Seven Samurai, but set in space.
You get simple characters, an easy-to-follow conflict, and a satisfying level of action in Battle Beyond the Stars, at least for a B-grade kind of film. It plays by its own rules but is admirably consistent, taking very obvious inspiration from other, better movies, but admittedly picking the right sorts of things to steal from. In the end, that’s enough to make it more than watchable for what it is.
Release Date September 8, 1980
Cast George Peppard , Robert Vaughn , Richard Thomas , John Saxon , Darlanne Fluegel , Sybil Danning , Sam Jaffe , Morgan Woodward
Runtime 104 Minutes
23 'Polyester' (1981)
Directed by John Waters
Image via New Line Cinema
After rising to prominence with some controversial movies in the 1970s, the early part of the 1980s saw John Waters continuing to stick to his guns and remaining gross/provocative (Hairspray and Serial Mom, though, were films that eventually saw him easing back a little). Polyester is Waters in gross-out mode, but he knows how to pick his targets for the purposes of satire, and does humanize some alarming characters here, at least.
Narratively, Polyester is about a dysfunctional family and the turmoil that the temptation of an affair creates for them, which the family’s matriarch sees as an opportunity to rebel. If you like John Waters at his most down and dirty, you'll like Polyester, but if you're not a fan of his unique sense of humor and willingness to be confronting, this one – like Pink Flamingos before it – is probably best avoided.
Another 1980s B-movie that’s pretty upfront about what it is from the title alone, The Slumber Party Massacre is indeed about a serial killer targeting a group of girls who are having a slumber party. It’s a slasher film stripped down to the bare essentials, though it does admittedly do so with a bit more of a sense of humor than you might expect, which adds to the B-grade quality of it all.
It’s understandable why The Slumber Party Massacre has become a bit of a cult movie, even with all its flaws, given the comedy here is pretty pronounced, and it’s all so obvious and blunt as a horror film. The bad guy is clearly the bad guy, there’s no ambiguity about who his targets are, and then there is a fight for survival with some expectedly gory violence. What you see is absolutely what you get.
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The Slumber Party Massacre
Release Date November 12, 1982
Director Amy Holden Jones
Cast Michelle Michaels , Robin Stille , Michael Villella , Debra Deliso , Andree Honore , Jennifer Meyers
Ms. 45 saw Abel Ferrara coming into his own as a filmmaker, making something that felt lowdown and gritty, but nevertheless a step up cinematically from The Driller Killer, which he directed in the late 1970s. As far as the story goes, Ms .45 is simply about a mute young woman who is horrifically mistreated, attacked, and abused on two occasions, and subsequently decides to enact violence upon anyone else who tries to mess with her.
It's blunt and quite extreme with its violence, at least for the time, but the no-nonsense approach to a vigilante/revenge type of movie largely works here. Ms .45 is kind of unpleasant by design, but it also has a strangely engrossing atmosphere and an undeniable sense of style. It’s purposefully ugly, provocative, gritty, and bold, all in ways that still hold up better than you might expect.
Cast Zoë Lund , Bogey , Albert Sinkys , Darlene Stuto , Helen McGara , Nike Zachmanoglou , Abel Ferrara , Peter Yellen
Runtime 80 minutes
20 'Cyborg' (1989)
Directed by Albert Pyun
Image via The Cannon Group
Dropping right at the tail end of the 1980s, Cyborg is perhaps the best-known film directed by Albert Pyun, who’s a fairly big name among fans of B-movies. Jean-Claude Van Damme starring in this one does bring it some prestige, at least in hindsight, given he was still relatively new to the acting scene (especially lead roles) in the 1980s, before finding increased success as a leading man in the 1990s.
Just like a good many B-grade films, Cyborg has a straight-to-the-point title and a fairly simple premise, following a martial arts master clashing with a vicious killer in a particularly cheap-looking dystopian setting. Cyborg is kind of trashy and might well feel empty to most viewers, but those in the mood for something ridiculously simple, low-grade, and action-packed from this era will likely find things to enjoy here.
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Cyborg
Release Date April 7, 1989
Director Albert Pyun
CastJean-Claude Van Damme , Deborah Richter , Vincent Klyn , Alex Daniels , Ralf Moeller , Dayle Haddon , Blaise Loong , Haley Peterson , Terrie Batson , Jackson Rock Pinckney , Janice Graser , Robert Pentz , Sharon K. Tew , Chuck Allen , Stefanos Miltsakakis , Kristina Sebastian , Jophery C. Brown , Matt McColm , Tommy Evans , Bill Morrison , Tim Gilbert
Runtime 86 Minutes
19 'King Kong Lives' (1986)
Directed by John Guillermin
Image via De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
At a glance, sure, the King Kong series is filled with movies that involve a big monkey going on big rampages and destroying big things, but it did also begin with a revolutionary and perhaps even powerful movie back in 1933. That one’s never quite been equaled, as far as groundbreaking effects or emotional resonance go, but that doesn’t mean sequels/spin-offs/remakes involving the Eighth Wonder of the World aren’t fun.
Case in point, King Kong Lives, the existence of which might be a little offensive to aficionados of the series, but anyone wanting some dumb, schlocky fun will be entertained. It does feel more like a B-movie than just about any other King Kong film, ensuring it feels dangerously close to a self-parody, but with sufficiently low expectations, there is something to be gained from watching it.
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King Kong Lives
Release Date December 19, 1986
Director John Guillermin
Cast Brian Kerwin , Linda Hamilton , John Ashton , Peter Michael Goetz
Lovers of B-grade action movies are likely well-acquainted with Chuck Norris, because the guy really carved out a niche for himself back in the 1980s as a reliable star who was capable of shooting people and beating them up and then shooting them again and sometimes doing both at once. Invasion U.S.A. might not be one of the actor’s best movies overall, but it is one of the B-movie-est, and one of the most action-packed.
The premise of Invasion U.S.A. centers on one man taking on numerous enemy combatants who are wrapped up in a plot to invade the U.S., only they didn’t take into account the fact that Chuck Norris lives there. It might well go without saying that Invasion U.S.A., but it’s also mindlessly entertaining in a way that certainly has its charms.
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Invasion U.S.A.
Release Date September 27, 1985
Director Joseph Zito
CastChuck Norris , Richard Lynch , Melissa Prophet , Alexander Zale , Alex Colon , Eddie Jones
Runtime 107 minutes
17 'Hard Ticket to Hawaii' (1987)
Directed by Andy Sidaris
The best word to describe Hard Ticket to Hawaii is probably “gonzo,” because it just never lets up as an action/adventure movie, and refuses to let low production values get in the way of providing non-stop fights, shootouts, and explosions. As for the plot, who really cares? There are some criminals and the main characters want to stop the criminals from doing criminal things. What more do you need?
Hard Ticket to Hawaii seems a little aware of what it is, but not to the point where you can entirely dismiss it of qualifying for “so bad it’s good” status. It’s a sleazy time and the action isn’t exactly well-choreographed or anything, but there is a lot of it, and that’s more than enough to make it surprisingly entertaining, even if you might spend a good chunk of the film’s runtime laughing at what’s going on.
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Hard Ticket to Hawaii
Release Date March 1, 1987
Director Andy Sidaris
Cast Dona Speir , Ronn Moss , Hope Marie Carlton , Harold Diamond , Rodrigo Obregón , Cynthia Brimhall , Patty Duffek , Wolf Larson , Lory Green , Rustam Branaman , David DeShay , Michael A. Andrews , Kwan Hi Lim , Joseph Hieu , Peter Bromilow , Richard LePore , Glen Chin , Shawne Zarubica , Joey Meran , Bryn George , Hideo Su'a , Jamie Searle , Choya Pennington , Sue Don Lubin , Larry Don Lubin
As a blend of horror, comedy, and science fiction, The Stuff is far from perfect, but it does manage to deliver some social commentary and a few unsettling scares along the way. The titular “the Stuff” is a strange product of unknown origin that seems to become an obsession for anyone who comes into contact with it, and there’s an inevitably dark secret behind its sudden appearance and capacity to alter people’s personalities.
Director Larry Cohen proved himself capable of making some interesting and offbeat stuff throughout the 1980s, with 1982’s Q: The Winged Serpent also being worth checking out for anyone after something different. But The Stuff does feel a little closer to the traditional B-movie in spirit, and though it doesn’t rewrite the rules surrounding any of the genres it belongs to, it certainly gets the job done for what it is.
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The Stuff
Release Date June 14, 1985
Director Larry Cohen
Cast Michael Moriarty , Andrea Marcovicci , Garrett Morris , Paul Sorvino , Scott Bloom , Danny Aiello
Few people seemed to be as involved with the world of B-movie production as Roger Corman, as he began producing/directing his own films in the 1950s and then into the 1960s, and then later focused on producing or executive producing numerous movies, often with lowish budgets. Of the 1980s movies he was involved with, few are quite as well known as the expertly titled Chopping Mall.
Its plot sees several young people get trapped in a shopping mall that’s patrolled by robotic security guards, and they find themselves in danger when the system controlling these malfunctions, and the robots start getting murderous. It’s no surprise that Chopping Mall is silly with a premise like that and a title like Chopping Mall, but it’s a good set-up, in any event, for a B-movie, and it all just works/comes together surprisingly well.
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Chopping Mall
Release Date March 14, 1986
Director Jim Wynorski
Cast Kelli Maroney , Tony O'Dell , Russell Todd , Karrie Emerson , Barbara Crampton , Nick Segal , John Terlesky , Paul Bartel
Runtime 77 minutes
14 'The Toxic Avenger' (1984)
Directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz
Image via Troma Entertainment
Ranking among the strangest superhero movies of all time, The Toxic Avenger also predated many of the iconic superhero movies that came to dominate pop culture in the decades following the 1980s. Still, those who prefer their superhero movies MCU-flavored might not love what’s on offer in The Toxic Avenger, given this film’s schlocky, crude, intentionally gross, and charmingly sloppy presentation-wise.
The story follows a young man who gains strange powers after falling into a container filled with toxic waste; powers he uses to take on various criminals that plague his town, becoming an unlikely vigilante. It was produced by Troma Entertainment, so The Toxic Avenger is naturally violent and crass, but such qualities are in line with certain B-movie sensibilities, making this film successful in the sense that it executes what it’s going for. Whether viewers will actually like what it’s going for is another story altogether.
Release Date November 1, 1985
Director Michael Herz
Cast Andree Maranda , Mitch Cohen , Jennifer Prichard , Cindy Manion , Robert Prichard , Gary Schneider , Pat Ryan , Mark Torgl , Dick Martinsen , Chris Liano , David Weiss , Dan Snow , Doug Isbecque , Charles Lee Jr. , Patrick Kilpatrick , Larry Sulton , Michael Russo , Norma Pratt , Andrew Craig , Ryan Sexton , Sarabel Levinson , Al Pia , Reuben Guss , Kenneth Kessler , Barbara Gurskey
Runtime 82 Minutes
13 'Class of Nuke 'Em High' (1986)
Directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Richard W. Haines
Image via Troma Entertainment
Why not mention one more well-known Troma Entertainment film, perhaps the most famous from the 1980s that isn’t The Toxic Avenger? Enter Class of Nuke ’Em High which, like that aforementioned 1984 film, also ended up spawning a series of sequels, all revolving around a chaotic high school that’s forever changed after numerous students take some contaminated substances.
Serving as a potential parody of anti-drug PSAs, or perhaps just being an excuse to have lots of gross-out comedy, Class of Nuke ‘Em High has fun with a stupid, broad, and crass premise, and maybe you, as a viewer, will as well. One might have to enter into a film like this with a particular frame of mind, but if low-budget anarchy is your cup of tea, it’s probably worth venturing into this series by at least checking out the first of the bunch.
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Class of Nuke 'Em High
Release Date December 12, 1986
Director Lloyd Kaufman
Cast Gil Brenton , Janelle Brady , Robert Prichard , Pat Ryan , James Nugent Vernon , Brad Dunker , Gary Schneider , Gary Rosenblatt , Mary Taylor , Rick Howard , Lauren Heather McMahon , Chris McNamee , Anthony Ventola , Arthur Lorenz , Jennifer Prichard , Dianna Flaherty , Don Costello , Rick Collins , Richard W. Haines , Elizabeth Lambert , Michael Herz , Théo Cohan , Donna Nardo , Lerae Dean
You get exactly what you'd expect out of Thunder of Gigantic Serpent, based on that absolutely wonderful title. It’s a cheesy, low-budget, and lovable giant monster movie that’s unsurprisingly about a gigantic serpent… though it doesn’t start out being gigantic. It’s a regular snake, and part of the fun of the movie is watching it grow, and wondering, indeed, just how gigantic it will end up getting.
It's not the sort of movie that’s going to appeal to everyone, and even enjoyers of Thunder of Gigantic Serpent might well concede that it’s not exactly a good movie in the traditional sense. Yet it does ultimately deliver as a B-movie, with the scrappiness and obviousness of the special effects proving as oddly charming as the very simple plot.
Release Date April 15, 1988
Director Lee Chiu
Cast Pierre Kirby , Edowan Bersmea , Danny Raisebeck , Dewey Bosworth , Jorge Gutman , Patrick Frzebar , Danny Lee , Carol Chang , Lin Shin Cin , Andy Lee , Jim Lau , James Chan , Bob Ma , Joseph Lee , Leo Chang
The Island can count itself as one of the most underrated movies starring Michael Caine, as well as perhaps one of the legendary star’s most unusual. In it, he plays a reporter who, along with his son, goes to investigate a strange series of events that have been impacting people in the Caribbean; events that may be tied to modern-day pirates.
The lead characters get more than they bargained for, and the viewer might feel similarly overwhelmed and surprised about where The Island goes narratively. It’s a fairly grim horror movie at times, an uneasy thriller, and a dark adventure movie, all rolled into one. Though its star may be an A-lister, the rough-and-tumble nature of the film and its overall feel put it in more B-grade territory, though it can at least be called a very interesting (and overlooked) B-movie.
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The Island
Release Date June 13, 1980
Director Michael Ritchie
Cast David Warner , Michael Caine , Angela Punch McGregor , Frank Middlemass , Don Henderson , Dudley Sutton , Colin Jeavons , Zakes Mokae , Brad Sullivan , Jeffrey Frank , John O'Leary , Bruce McLaughlin , Jimmy Casino , Suzanne Astor , Susan Bredhoff , Reg Evans , Steve Gladstone , David Hart , Robert Hirschfeld , Gary Hoffman , George Marshall Ruge , John Macchia , Ricky Rincon , Robert Thomas Salmi , William G. Schilling
Combining some effective comedy with more expected supernatural horror/thriller scares, Fright Night stands as a deserved cult classic and, in all honesty, is perhaps more of a B+ movie than a true B-movie. It puts a relatively fresh spin on vampire story conventions, sticking by some tropes while also subverting others, and never pushing the humorous stuff so far that the possibility for the film to frighten becomes unachievable.
Narratively, Fright Night is about a new neighbor who everyone seems to like except for the film’s protagonist, a suspicious high school student, who then sets about trying to find out the truth behind this newcomer to the neighborhood. It’s the sort of premise that can be found as far back as Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt, but it’s an undeniably fun one. Plus, that Hitchcock film – for as good as it was – didn’t ultimately have anything supernatural.
Release Date August 2, 1985
Cast Chris Sarandon , William Ragsdale , Amanda Bearse , Roddy McDowall , Stephen Geoffreys , Jonathan Stark
Runtime 102
9 'The Soldier' (1982)
Directed by James Glickenhaus
Image via Embassy Pictures
Though the idea of an arthouse action movie might sound ridiculous, or something of an oxymoron, The Soldier absolutely qualifies for such a definition. It is stripped back and ridiculously simple, being all about trying to stop a group of terrorists from executing a potentially devastating attack. The characters are broad, the action is matter-of-fact, and the pace is surprisingly relentless.
The Soldier is a mostly forgotten movie that deserves to have something of a cult classic status, because it just feels so odd and distinct in the best of ways. There are recognizable action movie narrative beats, archetypes, and tropes here, but the way such things are presented and communicated makes The Soldier unlike anything else. It’s almost uncanny in the way that it feels so familiar yet so offbeat at the same time.
Release Date June 1, 1982
Director James Glickenhaus
Cast Ken Wahl , Alberta Watson , Jeremiah Sullivan , William Prince , Joaquim De Almeida , Peter Hooten , Steve James , Alexander Spencer , Klaus Kinski , Bill Anagnos , Bob Andrews , Lisa Cain , Gerald Aleck Cantor , Anthony Cecere , Al Cerullo , Shirley Cina , Roy Milton Davis , William De Nino , Daniel Dod , Taylor E. Duncan , Allen Duzak , Ned Eisenberg , Neela Eriksen , Gary Fisher , Manfred Gschneider , Ron Harper , Avind Harum , Jery Hewitt , Martin Höner , Al Israel
Fans of werewolf movies were spoiled for choice in 1981, given that year saw the release of both An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. Both are very good in their own ways, with the former potentially being better by a hair (a wolf’s or otherwise), but also feeling a little less B-movie in style. The Howling, on the other hand, is very, very B-ish.
There’s a level of grittiness and unpleasantness to The Howling that helps it feel like a B-movie with A-grade special effects (both it and An American Werewolf in London excel technically). It’s an uncompromising werewolf movie that’s very graphic in more ways than one, and delivers the sort of pulpy bombastic quality you'd expect – and maybe even want – out of a B-movie that’s all about werewolves.
Release Date March 13, 1981
Director Joe Dante
Cast Dee Wallace , Patrick Macnee , Dennis Dugan , Christopher Stone , Belinda Balaski , Kevin McCarthy , John Carradine , Slim Pickens , Robert Picardo , Margie Impert , Noble Willingham , James Murtaugh , Jim McKrell , Meshach Taylor , Robert A. Burns , Kenneth Tobey , Dick Miller , Don McLeod , Bill Sorrells , Ivan Saric , Steve Nevil , Sarina C. Grant , Wendell Wright , Herbie Braha , Joe Bratcher , Chico Martínez , Daniel Nunez
Is Miami Connection good? Would people who call it bad be onto something? To quote Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, who is right, who can tell, and who gives a damn right now? Such binaries surrounding good and bad probably aren’t necessary when a movie is as fun as Miami Connection, which is entertaining, thrilling, silly, spectacular, and odd all at once. Not even calling it “so bad it’s good” feels appropriate.
Definitely not to be mixed up with that Gene Hackman movie about the Connection that’s French, Miami Connection is another kind of action/crime movie, featuring a good deal more musical numbers and ninjas while telling a story about taking down drug dealers. It’s ridiculous in all the best ways, and Miami Connection deserves its status as one of its decades' best B-movies/cult classics.
Release Date August 18, 1987
Director Richard Park Wu-sang , Y.K. Kim
Cast Y.K. Kim , Vincent Hirsch , Joseph Diamand , Maurice Smith , Angelo Janotti , Kathy Collier , William Ergle , Si Y Jo , William P. Young , Joy Sharpe , Richard Park Wu-sang , William Whitacre , Robert G. Goodwin , Bubba Baker
As can be seen from some of the aforementioned titles, plenty of 1980s B-movies belonged to the science fiction genre, with Bad Taste being one of the best and most underrated of these B-grade sci-fi flicks. It’s most noteworthy today for being an early film directed by Peter Jackson, and it’s thrilling to see the young director make something with what sometimes looks like no budget, all the while knowing how much money he’d later be given to make films like The Lord of the Rings trilogy and 2005’s King Kong.
Bad Taste is a comedic alien invasion movie with a ton of unrealistic gore, and the plot admittedly feels borderline nonsensical – or at least not too important – at times. Set in some particularly sparse New Zealand locales, it’s fun seeing aliens try to take over an area that isn’t a densely populated city, and Jackson’s style shines through in some moments. The film’s rough, sure, but also oddly charming.
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Bad Taste
Release Date June 21, 1989
Cast Terry Potter , Peter O'Herne , Craig Smith , Mike Minett , Peter Jackson , Doug Wren , Peter Vere-Jones , Ken Hammon
Image by Federico Napoli
Image via Empire Pictures 
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