(AfroGamers.com) I dig low-budget horror and action films. This is the stuff that would be considered a B-movie at the minimum and cult film at the more acclaimed end of the spectrum.
While the cash and star power aren’t there, often times these films are my favorite pace and part of the enjoyment is a combination of how low-budget it is and those surprising pieces of well-done acting or film work.
Let’s look at five cult classics worth the runtime.
The Toxic Avenger (1984, Troma Entertainment)
Made on a $500,000 budget and snagging just $800,000 at the box office, the original Toxic Avenger was a superhero/horror film that I always enjoyed.
It’s pretty much my gold standard for what I want in a lower budget movie. You have some pretty bleak comedy, action, and special effects/make-up that weren’t bad for the early 80s.
Most importantly, the story wasn’t lousy with too much exposition. The Toxic Avenger was a horror revenge story that resulted in Tromaville, New Jersey’s first superhero.
A reboot is scheduled for next year and will be a modern retelling. It will obviously be a bigger budget film with Legendary Pictures working with Troma Entertainment and will pack a cast of big names.
We’ll have to wait and see how it shakes out.
Freaks (1932, MGM)
By 1930s standards, Freaks was a hard bomb. It was a film that just wasn’t going to go over well with audiences. The movie wouldn’t find appreciation for roughly three decades when “outsider” films became more appealing and attitudes changed.
Presented as a horror film featuring sideshow performers gaining revenge on their normal-passing, scheming co-performers, it experienced a lot of push back during the pre-Motion Picture Production Code era.
Actually, the horror in Freaks comes from the presentation of sideshow performers—most of which were the heroes of the film—with different birth defects. For audiences in the 1930s, this would’ve been enough to be considered a horror film.
The real monsters in the film were the two normal-passing performers who scheme to take a dwarf’s inheritance. In addition, the two performers’ fates are horrific and tied them into the mantra of “One of us”.
Some credits saw the film for its deeper story of the underdogs triumphing over those who are generally on top which should’ve translated to a story of class. Unfortunately, at the time it didn’t hit the mark with audiences.
Miami Connection (1987, Manson International/Drafthouse Films)
Acting ability aside, Miami Connection was a fun 80s martial arts movie. If you took just the action scenes, it wouldn’t even be a full movie and would probably get old fast but those were actually decently done.
The actual storyline is nothing the write home about but is just enough to keep you watching. This isn’t because it’s an enthralling story or anything, it’s mainly to see how the story ends.
A lot happens in this film very quickly. Like, the escalation is breakneck among a lot of hokey stuff but as an overall experience, it’s a lot more fun to watch than a lot of the better produced films of that year.
It’s a movie that you can talk over while watching and not miss much—which is actually part of the fun of watching movies after you’ve watch them. The main difference is that there’s no issue talking over Miami Connection on the first watch.
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965, RM Films International)
Director Russ Meyer was one of the notable names during Hollywood’s exploitation era of the 1960s and 1970s. His films often featured curvaceous or statuesque women in a variety of roles—his jam was basically pin-up models, dancers, and the like.
This movie was a part of the “rough cuties” subgenre of sexploitation films and is centered around the escalating violence instigated by three go-go dancers who enjoy racing, playing chicken, and general crime.
The goal is the settlement money belonging to a guy in a wheelchair. I suppose you could say this is a crime film as there is kidnapping and murder but Meyer’s focus direction was “focus on the busty criminals and make it fast-paced.”
I love cult films in this vein as they don’t try to lock the viewer down for a long time. This movie runs for roughly an hour and twenty and doesn’t feel like it. It moves extremely fast and has this over-the-top-for-the-60s vibe to it.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010, Moviehead Films)
“So bad, it’s good” might be reserved for Miami Connection but you might just die of laughter watching Birdemic. See, Miami Connection didn’t go too hard as far as what could be done on film in 1987.
Birdemic was a film that had some sort of vision and it came out…bad due to writing, acting, and special effects limitations. You’re not going to take this film seriously and at times it can feel like “This has gone on a while” when you’re hit with so much awful at once.
This movie escalates at a snail’s pace and falls into this ecological thing where nature strikes back but just the birds. I would say run it back and reboot it with a bigger budget but we’re getting a third and final Birdemic movie in 2022, so never mind.
This movie is worth watching if you want to challenge yourself and friends to watch it with a straight face or to defend the artistic approach of the movie.
Personally, I couldn’t make it 15 minutes without wondering “What the f*** is this?” or “What in the hell was that?” It’s not a cult classic because it was better than expected or underrated, it’s a cult classic because it was worse than expected.
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.