If you’re someone who likes films with low to moderate budgets that often belong to horror, action, or sci-fi genres, then there’s a good chance you’re a fan of B-movies. A B-movie was once definable as something that was literally secondary to an “A movie,” often being asupporting film within a double feature. That definition became somewhat outdated, at a point, but the spirit of “B-grade” cinema lived on regardless.
The 1950s was when B-movies in their traditional form shone the most, and then the 1980s saw films of a B-flavor thrive again, withthe following decade, the ‘90s, not having quite as many truly B-grade movies that also happened to be great. But it wasn’t devoid of such films, by any means, as the following titles will hopefully demonstrate. Some of these are true B-movies, while others (the better ones, predominantly), merely have a B-movie feel, but all can qualify for such a label either directly or in spirit.
10’Samurai Cop' (1991)
Director: Amir Shervan
WhileSamurai Copis not a good movie in the conventional sense, it’s also so ridiculously entertaining (and just plainly ridiculous) that it’s hard to overlook when talking about iconic B-movies. It was released in the early 1990s and feels like a leftover from the ‘80s, in a way, following a cop who’salso a skilled samurai(shock horror) ashe takes down Yakuza gangswho’ve started operating in Los Angeles.
You couldcallSamurai Copso-bad-it’s-good if you wanted,or you could celebrate it with more sincerity, because it is undoubtedly entertaining, and was trying to be entertaining. Whether it’s entertaining for the reasons the filmmakers wanted it to be entertaining is up for debate, but it almost doesn’t matter when a movie manages to be this much dumb fun.
Samurai Cop
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9’Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky' (1991)
Director: Lam Ngai Kai
Another cult classic of the early 1990s,Riki-Oh: The Story of Rickydoesadmittedly feel a little more self-awarethanSamurai Cop, and is overall a movie that seems proud of its trashy and explicitly violent qualities. Regarding the latter,Riki-Oh: The Story of Rickymakesa good many splatter horror movieslook tame in comparison, being one of the most violent martial arts movies ever made.
It’s also a warped prison drama, taking place in a horrifically cruel futuristic jail that the titular Ricky must fight through to survive. WatchingRiki-Oh: The Story of Rickykind offeels like watching someone play a supremely gruesome video game for 92 minutes, but seeing what the movie has in store next (it’s never easy to predict, that’s for sure) makes it largely entertaining throughout, even if there’s just a touch of repetition that comes from its premise and relentless action sequences.
Watch on Criterion
8’Tromeo & Juliet' (1996)
Director: Lloyd Kaufman
The best-known take onRomeo and Julietreleased in 1996 wastheBaz LuhrmannmovieRomeo + Juliet, but the runner-up would certainly be Troma’s take on theShakespeareplay,Tromeo & Juliet. It’s extremely low-budget and intentionally gross throughout, having some vague elements from the original text but updating it all to take place in Manhattan during the 1990s, andhaving excessive amounts of gross-out violence, humor, and sexual content.
It’s offensive and crude, but also quite funny and creative; arguably much more so than your average Troma film. It’s also interesting to watch today, given thatTromeo & Julietwas co-written byJames Gunnand features his brother,Sean Gunn, in a supporting role, as both have become more well-known for considerably less extreme movies in the years since 1996.
Watch on Peacock
7’Showdown in Little Tokyo' (1991)
Director: Mark L. Lester
Brandon Leewas the son ofBruce Lee, and similarly had a promising acting careerthat was tragically cut short. Hisbest film remainsThe Crowby far, but the more B-gradeShowdown in Little Tokyois also entertaining in its own way, and further evidence of Brandon Lee’s charisma, not to mention also showing how he could work well as one part of a buddy dynamic.
The other lead actor here isDolph Lundgren, with both he and Lee playing police officers who are proficient in martial arts and are tasked, as a duo, with taking down criminals with ties to the Yakuza. It’s no-nonsense stuff, withShowdown in Little Tokyoclocking in ata remarkably slim 79 minutes and delivering the goods, as far as small-scale and grimy crime/action/comedy movies go.
Showdown in Little Tokyo
Rent on Apple TV
Director: Tom Savini
A faithful remake ofa classic 1960s B-movie,Night of the Living Dead(1990) might not do anything particularly stronger than what was done in the original 1968 movie, but it’s still a compelling zombie movie in any event. Like before,Night of the Living Dead(1990) centers on a group of people confined to a farmhouse as they try to survive the early stages of a zombie outbreak.
The big difference here is the fact the 1990 version ofNight of the Living Deadwasshot in color, and something else that jumps out early on is the fact that this one’s a good deal bloodier, too. It was overall well-executed and tastefully done, withTom Savini– who worked on otherGeorge A. Romerozombie movieslikeDawn of the DeadandDay of the Dead– paying respect to the original and handling the task at hand effectively.
Night of the Living Dead
5’Tremors' (1990)
Director: Ron Underwood
Tremorsisa little more of a B-movie homage than a full-on B-movie, given it had a decent budget to work with and some well-established actors in leading roles, includingKevin BaconandFred Ward. But it’s also broad and simple in a way that feels spiritually like a B-movie in all the right ways, essentially being about giantunderground monsters in the desertthat need to be stopped.
With simple yet fun characters and mostly well-executed special effects,Tremorsworks as a no-nonsense horror flick that’s also quite funny and reasonably action-packed, too. It’s a good time overall, and hard to resist, clearly feeling like it was made with a certain amount oflove for old-school monster movies; the kind that have continually remained popular for decades (and will hopefully stay as such for years to come).
4’El Mariachi' (1992)
Director: Robert Rodriguez
A movie thatmadeRobert Rodrigueza sensationwithin the world of independent cinema overnight,El Mariachihas a famously low budget but tons of creativity and clever filmmaking, all of which distract from any signs of real cheapness. It’s also a movie that proves money isn’t the most necessary thing in the world when it comes to staging and filming enjoyable action sequences.
El Mariachiis a lean film and moves lightning fast throughout, centering on a man who comes into a town and is mistaken for a dangerous criminal who’s recently at large within the same area.The chaos builds and things escalate in a thrilling fashion, withEl Mariachibeing Rodriguez’s smallest and possibly most charming movie to date, and a deserved cult classic for its decade (a notably great one for independent cinema overall).
El Mariachi
3’From Dusk Till Dawn' (1996)
Another Robert Rodriguez movie worth highlighting isFrom Dusk Till Dawn, which saw the director teaming withQuentin Tarantino– another darling of independent cinema in the ‘90s –who wrote the screenplayand acted in the film, too. This one has a higher budget thanEl Mariachifor sure, but feels like it has more B-movie sensibilities.
It begins as a crime flick sort of in line with those Rodriguez and Tarantino had helmed earlier in the decade, but has a famously bold switch-up halfway through, at which pointFrom Dusk Til Dawnbecomes an entirely different sort of movie. The whole thing is messy and not particularly consistent, but it offers ridiculous thrills, surprising ultra-violence, and a good deal of action, alongsidehaving agreat cast that includes Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, Salma Hayek, Cheech Marin, and Danny Trejo.
From Dusk Till Dawn
2’Army of Darkness' (1992)
Director: Sam Raimi
There might not be abetter antihero in the history of B-moviesthan Ash Williams from theEvil Deadtrilogy (even if the original movie, from 1981, isthe only truly B-grade filmin the traditional sense). Watching the threeSam Raimi-directed movies in the series is a trip in the best possible way, with the firstEvil Deadbeing a horror movie, the second being a horror-comedy, and the third,Army of Darkness, being a full-blown slapstick comedy with a fantasy spin.
There’s very little horror to be found in the 1992 movie, but it’s hard to complain when it’s so consistently funny and packed to the brim with wild set pieces.Army of Darknessisabout as big as you can get with a movie while still retaining a certain B-movie quality to the whole thing, and that’s more than enough to make it an undisputed cult classic.
Army of Darkness
Director: Peter Jackson
A ludicrously violent movie that wasgruesome enough to be banned or edited downin various territories,Braindead(AKADead Alive) sawPeter Jacksonpushing the comedy-horror genre to its absolute limits. The set-up is familiar stuff for anyone who’s seen their fair share of movies about outbreaks turning people into zombies, but the execution is what makesBraindeadsoar and feel unique.
It has such a warped sense of humor while proving increasingly unafraid to get horrendously bloody, with the shock eventually wearing off and the over-the-top qualities becoming more and more hilarious, rather than anything else. It feels borderline obscene at times, but you have to respect the extremeness of it all, andfew B-movies – from either the 1990s or any decade, really – can hold a candle to whatBraindeadhas to offer.
