1981 Ranked Films
A ranked list of 1981 films that I have seen so far.
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23 titles
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKaren AllenPaul FreemanIn 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.10/10
Masterfully creating a classic character and establishing a cinematic ethos all its own, Raiders of the Lost Ark finds Steven Spielberg at the height of his powers in delivering an unparalleled adventure film. - DirectorGeorge MillerStarsMel GibsonBruce SpenceMichael PrestonIn the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community get rid of a horde of bandits.9/10
Revving the franchise up to where it needs to be, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is a post-apocalyptic thrill ride rife with awesome stunts and set pieces. - DirectorHugh HudsonStarsBen CrossIan CharlesonNicholas FarrellTwo British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.9/10
Deftly delving into the psyches of world-class athletes, Chariots of Fire rides shrewd pacing and an unforgettable score all the way to the finish line. - DirectorJohn LandisStarsDavid NaughtonJenny AgutterJoe BelcherTwo American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.8/10
Its blending of horror and comedy isn't always seamless, but both elements are terrifically potent in their own right to make An American Werewolf in London a unique satirical experience. - DirectorTed BermanRichard RichArt StevensStarsMickey RooneyKurt RussellPearl BaileyA fox named Tod and a hound named Copper vow to be best friends forever. But as Copper grows into a hunting dog, their unlikely friendship faces the ultimate test.8/10
Tugging at the heartstrings sufficiently with an animated friendship worth rooting for, The Fox and the Hound is suitably resonant Disney fare. - DirectorJim HensonStarsJim HensonFrank OzDave GoelzKermit the Frog, The Great Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear are reporters who travel to Britain to interview a rich victim of jewel thieves and help her along with her secretary, Miss Piggy.8/10
As tongue-in-cheek as ever, The Great Muppet Caper has oodles of fun en route to a truly great adventure. - DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellLee Van CleefErnest BorgnineIn 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.7/10
Escape from New York sometimes feels constrained by its narrative scope and practical limitations, but John Carpenter proves too talented a filmmaker not to deliver the smart thrills. - DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJennifer O'NeillStephen LackPatrick McGoohanA scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called "scanning" to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non scanners.7/10
Though not necessarily transcending its mesmeric sci-fi/horror concept, Scanners finds David Cronenberg perfecting his delectably grisly aesthetic. - DirectorMel BrooksStarsMel BrooksGregory HinesDom DeLuiseMel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.6/10
History of the World, Part I loses some steam the more segments it throws at the audience, but Mel Brooks's fast-paced form of comedy has enough laughs spread out to entertain. - DirectorTony MaylamStarsBrian MatthewsLeah AyresBrian BackerA former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.6/10
It takes a good while to start much of a kindling, but eventually The Burning is able to overcome a derivative setup with some surprisingly palpable terror. - DirectorFrank PerryStarsFaye DunawayDiana ScarwidSteve ForrestThe abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford, is depicted.4/10
Faye Dunaway is convincing in the title role, and keeps the film for better or worse watchable, but Mommie Dearest proves to be all showcase and little substance in delving into the Crawford clan. - DirectorSteve MinerStarsBetsy PalmerAmy SteelJohn FureyFive years after the events of the first film, a summer camp next to the infamous Camp Crystal Lake is preparing to open, but the legend of Jason is weighing heavy on the proceedings.4/10
Though introducing audiences to an iconic killer in Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th: Part 2 is still a fairly rote slasher flick all the same. - DirectorWalter HillStarsKeith CarradinePowers BootheFred WardDuring a routine exercise, a team of National Guardsmen are threatened by angry and violent locals.4/10
There's something to be said for its theme of military malpractice, but Southern Comfort lacks the directorial finesse to compensate for its aggravatingly manufactured plotting. - DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsMelissa Sue AndersonGlenn FordLawrence DaneAt the snobby Crawford Academy, Virginia's group of friends start to go missing years after horrible events that happened to her as a child around her birthday.4/10
A killer twist notwithstanding, Happy Birthday to Me suffers from a great lack of cinematic tension and an unfortunate comparison to better slasher flicks. - DirectorJoe GiannoneStarsGaylen RossTony NunziataHarriet BassA legendary psychopathic murderer stalks a summer camp.4/10
Madman has some creepy moments, however it takes a largely threadbare approach to what is already a derivative slasher setup. - DirectorBruce D. ClarkStarsEdward AlbertErin MoranRay WalstonA ragtag spaceship crew sent on a rescue mission encounter a formidable enemy, their worst fears projected by their own imaginations.3/10
Doing not too shabby with a low budget, Galaxy of Terror is nevertheless highly derivative of more interesting sci-fi/horror. - DirectorRick RosenthalStarsJamie Lee CurtisDonald PleasenceCharles CyphersWhile Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.3/10
A more unnecessary follow-up than anything else, Halloween II slowly removes any ounce of mystique already established with few genuine scares to back it up. - DirectorGeorge MihalkaStarsPaul KelmanLori HallierNeil AffleckA decades-old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine's Day turns out to be true to legend when a group defies the killer's order and people start turning up dead.3/10
Good for a solid kill or two but otherwise unwilling to embrace its kitschy setup, My Bloody Valentine will rip your heart out along with your expectations. - DirectorJoseph ZitoStarsVicky DawsonChristopher GoutmanLawrence TierneyAn unknown killer, clad in World War II U.S. Army fatigues, stalks a small California town, bent on reliving a 35 year-old double murder by focusing on a group of college kids holding an annual graduation dance.3/10
The Prowler benefits from some decent pacing and a creepy killer, but it’s so barebones in the writing department that it rots before your eyes. - DirectorGraham BakerStarsSam NeillRossano BrazziDon GordonThe now adult Antichrist plots to eliminate his future divine opponent while a cabal of monks plot to stop him.2/10
Bereft of anything that once made the franchise so palpable, Omen III: The Final Conflict damns itself for all eternity. - DirectorBoaz DavidsonStarsBarbi BentonCharles LuciaJon Van NessWhile receiving a routine check-up, a woman finds herself stranded on the hospital's eighth floor, while someone dressed as a doctor is intent on her never leaving, even if it means killing any staff member who comes into contact with her.1/10
With nonsensical plotting and overacting, X-Ray botches its kills and thrills with surgical imprecision. - DirectorLucio FulciStarsCatriona MacCollPaolo MalcoAnia PieroniA New England home is terrorized by a series of murders, unbeknownst to the guests that a gruesome secret is hiding in the basement.1/10
Rife with horrendous dubbing and baffling characterizations, The House by the Cemetery exhumes an endless series of laughably incoherent scares. - DirectorH. Tjut DjalilStarsIlona Agathe BastianYos SantoSofia W.D.A woman researches a book that takes her to the black magic cult of Leák in Bali. She meets an evil witch who promises to train her dark arts. But she is tricked and turned into a flying vampire with internal organs hanging from her neck.1/10
Weirder and more incoherent than any form of storytelling can handle, Mystics in Bali will give viewers a visually unnerving experience but not in the way it wants.