How many films have left you completely speechless after watching them, asking yourself WTF did I just watch and put myself through? How many have you constantly questioning throughout them, what exactly is going on in this movie? Should I continue to watch this? Here are some weird sci-fi flicks that could very well destroy your brain. You have been warned.
Robot Monster 1953
“Incredible! Unbelievable! Told The Untamed Way!” [1]. Shot and distributed in 3D, how can you not include a film whose evil alien is a man in a giant gorilla costume wearing a space helmet with rabbit ears? Just look at the posters and that’s enough to include it on any weird movie list. Add in some bad dialogue, bad acting, stock footage of dinosaurs, and the unexplained presence of a bubble machine makes this something rather unusual. Set in the future, the surviving humans are attacked by Ro-man, a super-intelligent gorilla in a space helmet.
It was shot in only four days in Bronson Canyon with a budget of roughly $16,000. It was originally released in 3D, which would most likely explain the reasoning behind floating bubbles in the cave. It reportedly made around one million dollars in its initial release, despite being considered one of the worst films ever made. This motion picture was also featured in one of the episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Plan 9 from Outer Space 1956
“The worst movie of all time is finally available on video for more laughs than you got from Monty Python!” [2]. Labeled for the longest time the worst movie ever made, it has gained a strong cult following based on that moniker. Add to that a book and motion picture that was made about the celebrated worst director of all time, Ed Wood and his collection of movies have gained a very large following since they were all first released. A book titled Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. was released in 1992 and Johnny Depp famously played the director in Tim Burton’s critically acclaimed Ed Wood (1994).
Is it going to make you laugh more than Monty Python? Well, it probably depends on what you find amusing. If you like extremely low budget schlock, then it has everything you could possible want; including a bad and inept script, plot holes, a cheesy opening narration, overacting, “cockpits consisting only of cardboard and a shower curtain, gravestones that blow over, inexplicable sudden changes between night and day and pointless stock footage from war propaganda films. One of the best bits occurs when a police officer uses the end of his revolver’s barrel to scratch his head in puzzlement. The most legendary miscalculation of course involves horror icon Bela Lugosi, who died early in the production. Rather than reshoot the sequences with Lugosi’s character, Ed Wood mixed footage of Lugosi with footage using his replacement (Ed Wood’s chiropractor), who was nearly a foot taller than Lugosi” [3].
The plot involves aliens resurrecting zombies in order to destroy earth because they believe that they are a danger to the rest of the universe, due to their solarite bombs. Make some popcorn and do a double feature night with this and another famous Ed Wood film called Glen or Glenda.
Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster 1965
Great low budget sci-fi adventure that sees NASA creating a Frankenstein android named Frank that looks human, who takes on a Martian princess with the dastardly plan of stealing women in order to repopulate their dying world. She is joined by her sidekick who kind of resembles Uncle Fester from The Addams Family, and a hairy monster whose face resembles Skeletor from He-man.
This is just so much fun for fans of low budget films; it includes tons of NASA stock footage, cheap and far out costumes and makeup, kitschy 1960’s music, a robot Frankenstein, a Martian princess, a funky bald sidekick, and an epic showdown between Frankenstein and the Martian’s hairy monster. The special effects that were done on the Frankenstein character look decent, especially in specific sequences. Considered by some to be on the worst movie list, this is truly a must see for fans of low budget sci-fi.
A*P*E 1976
This is a South Korean produced rip off of the American released King Kong (1976). It is the ultimate in low budget knock offs and is basically just a straight rip off story wise of the 1976 American version, except the ape escapes a freighter and terrorizes the city of Seoul.
This is one that would be referred to as Z-movie, with a much lower production budget than even a B-movie would have. It was shot for around $23,000, and they didn’t waste a penny. The ape costume looks like a bad Halloween costume, but there is a rather hilarious battle between the ape and a plastic shark in the water. This is worth watching only for the truest fans of low budget films.
Liquid Sky 1982
“The funniest, craziest, most perversely beautiful, science-fiction movie ever made!” [4]. Tiny invisible aliens show up in New York City in the early 1980’s looking to score some heroin, and they land on top of an androgynous bisexual drug dealer’s apartment. On top of that, the aliens discover that the endorphin rush from an orgasm is just as powerful a drug as the heroin.
This is a truly bizarre psychedelic low budget production, which is most notable for realistically showing the new wave movement that was taking place between 1981 through 1983. It features a world of dark underground clubs, drugs, colorful outfits and make up, and unusual music. Actual drug use by the viewer may be necessary in order to make it through this one, so be prepared.
Turkish Star Wars AKA Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam 1982
A Turksploitation film that is known as Turkish Star Wars because of all of the actual Star Wars footage that is used in it, including multiple space scenes featuring the Death Star, Millennium Falcon, Tie Fighters, and X-wing fighters. The movie’s plot doesn’t borrow much from Star Wars, as it is about two pilots that crash on a desert planet and battle a Darth Vader type villain that is trying to conquer the planet.
This could be best described as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on a whole bunch of drugs, it is totally insane. Yes there is some sort of plot, but it’s basically a pair of dudes dressed like Han Solo and Flash Gordon fighting all kinds of crazy monsters. They include skeletons, Battlestar Galactica robots, Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet, mummies, zombies, some ninjas, a bunch or red and black fluffy monsters, and random guys with num chucks and other weapons. All of the action scenes are sped up and feature quick edits, plus lots of jumping around and flying into the air. There’s loads of action and martial arts craziness going on, including fighting in a Star Wars style cantina and the use of a series of unusual weapons.
There is other stock footage used of Egypt and some other movies. The main music used is the theme song for Raiders of the Lost Ark. It also includes music from Moonraker, Ben-Hur, Flash Gordon, Battlestar Galactica, Planet of the Apes, Silent Running, Moses, and the Black Hole.
This is one of those films that are so crazy it has to be seen.
Warriors of the Apocalypse AKA Searchers of the Voodoo Mountain 1985
This is a Filipino produced Mad Max rip off. It’s not a straight rip off, basically taking the idea of the post apocalyptic future, a Max type main character, and outlaws. After that it gets pretty wild and out of control as he deals with Amazon women, radiated mutants, pygmy tribes, groups of outlaws, and an evil queen who can shoot lasers from her eyes.
There is a decent amount of sci-fi madness involved, along with action, explosions, graphic violence, and nudity. So it’s everything you want and except from a low budget 1980’s VHS rental. Plus I think one of the outlaws is wearing a sleeping bag for shoulder pads, it looks a little bit weird.
Radioactive Dreams 1985
This has to be considered a must see for true cult film fans. In what could be best described as a nuclear noir story, two kids named Phillip Hammer and Marlowe Chandler escape from a bunker after being locked in there for 15 years after the atomic war occurred. During that time they had grown up on various items from the 1940’s, including pulp novels and swing music. Upon leaving, they discover a world full of unusual characters and gangs, mutants, and cannibals. They meet a girl and end up with the two keys to the last nuclear weapon, leading to every gang trying to kill them for the keys.
It’s an unusual mix of sci-fi, apocalypse, comedy, slapstick, music, and gangs that contains characters and wardrobes from every era from the 1940’s to the 1980’s. The story is told in the style of film noir movies but it contains a cast of characters that easily matches films like The Warriors, Flash Gordon, and even Star Wars. There is just an insane mix of groups that include a pair of kids in disco outfits, hippies, mutated freaks with pink wigs, punk rockers, greasers, a giant monster dog and so much more. There is music throughout the picture and it is mostly in the style of new wave rock, including an on screen performance by Sue Saad. It was written and directed by well known direct-to-video and cult director Albert Pyun, who also made Dollman, Cyborg, Alien from L.A., and Captain America (1990). It also co-stars Michael Dudikoff, who would go on to star in the American Ninja series.
This one has yet to receive a U.S. DVD or Blu-ray release and it was only ever released on DVD in a limited format in Germany. Luckily it is currently available to view on YouTube.
Roller Blade 1985
“In a futuristic society, rebels fighting against a fascist state are aided by a group of roller-skating nuns called the Bod Sisters” [5]. Do you remember a period during the 1980’s when there was actually a couple of similar pictures that were set in dystopian societies where people road around on roller-skates or rollerblades, kind of hard to believe but it’s true.
This thing is total madness and in a truly hilarious way. There is a group of Amazon like nuns that are dressed more like they are in the Klan or some white hate group and they worship a “Have a Nice Day” smiley face, going around trying to right wrongs and prevent the bad guys from getting a magical amulet.
This has it all; nudity, roller skates, cheesy dialogue, a fountain of youth hot-tub, martial arts, mysticism, and a bad guy with a hand puppet. It is from the director of Hell Comes to Frogtown, so if you enjoyed that you may have an interest in this low budget 80’s film.
Vegas in Space 1994
Super strange release from Troma films that answers the question of what would have happened if John Waters were making sci-fi movies in the 1950’s, plus it’s a musical. The story involves three male soldiers who have to take a pill so that they can turn into super fabulous women for a mission to the planet Clitoris, which is basically as the title suggests Vegas in space. It is super cheap, super campy, and utterly fabulous if you love the so bad its good movie genre.
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Works Cited
[1] "IMDB," IMDB, 13 10 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046248/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1. [Accessed 13 10 2016].
[2] "IMDB," IMDB, 31 3 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052077/?ref_=nv_sr_1. [Accessed 31 3 2016].
[3] S. Mccarthy, Cult Movies in 60 Seconds, London: Fusion Press, 2003.
[4] "IMDB," IMDB, 4 4 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085852/?ref_=nv_sr_1. [Accessed 4 4 2016].
[5] "IMDB," IMDB, 29 3 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089930/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1. [Accessed 2016 3 2016].
Works Cited
[1] "IMDB," IMDB, 13 10 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046248/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1. [Accessed 13 10 2016].
[2] "IMDB," IMDB, 31 3 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052077/?ref_=nv_sr_1. [Accessed 31 3 2016].
[3] S. Mccarthy, Cult Movies in 60 Seconds, London: Fusion Press, 2003.
[4] "IMDB," IMDB, 4 4 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085852/?ref_=nv_sr_1. [Accessed 4 4 2016].
[5] "IMDB," IMDB, 29 3 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089930/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1. [Accessed 2016 3 2016].