Minimalist films for DIY filmmaker study
by quridley | created - 24 Nov 2017 | updated - 30 Nov 2018 | Public- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. I Drink Your Blood (1971)
R | 83 min | Horror
A group of Satanic hippies wreak havoc on a small town where a young boy whose sister and grandfather were victimized by them tries to get even--with deadly results.
Director: David E. Durston | Stars: Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury, Jadin Wong, Rhonda Fultz, George Patterson
Votes: 4,148
Great economy and sells itself as a trailer
2. The Deadly Spawn (1983)
R | 81 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Alien creatures invade a small town and four teenagers, along with a young boy, attempt to escape from them.
Director: Douglas McKeown | Stars: Charles George Hildebrandt, Tom DeFranco, Richard Lee Porter, Jean Tafler
Votes: 5,358
Style on a home movie budget
3. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Three years into the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi pursues a new threat, while Anakin Skywalker is lured by Chancellor Palpatine into a sinister plot to rule the galaxy.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson
Votes: 846,031 | Gross: $380.26M
The innovate digital FX are more feasible for amateurs in 2017
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Thriller
A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.
Director: George A. Romero | Stars: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman
Votes: 139,220 | Gross: $0.09M
great technique of editing domestic footage to create a naturalistic genre film cheaply
5. Carnival of Souls (1962)
Approved | 78 min | Horror, Mystery
After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.
Director: Herk Harvey | Stars: Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison
Votes: 27,836
a script that utilizes very ordinary everyday scenes to epic artistic effect
6. Decker (2014–2017)
TV-14 | 11 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
CIA agent Jack Decker has to save the United States from terrorists due to an incompetent president.
Stars: Tim Heidecker, Joe Estevez, Gregg Turkington, James Mane
Votes: 1,521
Non-existent budget (totally basic CGI techniques and programs) and clever acting make focus on quality over quantity of dollars spent
7. You're Next (2011)
R | 95 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.
Director: Adam Wingard | Stars: Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen, Nicholas Tucci
Votes: 109,515 | Gross: $18.47M
Incredibly economical film made with modern professional equipment is almost indistinguishable from Hollywood's horror efforts and better because of attention to script & resources.
8. Scanners (1981)
R | 103 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A 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.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence Dane
Votes: 61,798 | Gross: $14.23M
Almost all David Cronenberg films are modestly made in Canada, outside of extravagant Hollywood standards, but you can't tell from the films
9. Cannibal Hookers (1987 Video)
R | 67 min | Comedy, Crime, Horror
As a sorority initiation, two girls have to pose as hookers. Then they turn into zombies and start killing and eating the locals.
Director: Donald Farmer | Stars: Drew Godderis, Sky Nicholas, Donald Trimborn, Michelle Fox
Votes: 596
A great beginner course on basic lighting tricks anyone can create
10. The Room (2003)
R | 99 min | Drama
In San Francisco, an amiable banker's seemingly perfect life is turned upside down when his deceitful fiancée embarks on an affair with his best friend.
Director: Tommy Wiseau | Stars: Tommy Wiseau, Juliette Danielle, Greg Sestero, Philip Haldiman
Votes: 95,053 | Gross: $0.22M
A great primitive mix of off-broadway theatre and (excessive) low budget green screen
11. Puppet Master (1989 Video)
R | 90 min | Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Psychics find themselves plotted against by a former colleague, who committed suicide after discovering animated, murderous puppets.
Director: David Schmoeller | Stars: Paul Le Mat, William Hickey, Irene Miracle, Jimmie F. Skaggs
Votes: 12,793
Great use of one location and solid mystery/horror storytelling on a mini budget
12. The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Not Rated | 73 min | Comedy, Horror
A clumsy young man working at an impoverished flower shop discovers that the strange plant he has been nurturing has an insatiable appetite for blood, forcing him to kill to feed it.
Director: Roger Corman | Stars: Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Dick Miller
Votes: 19,570 | Gross: $1.40M
About 3 sets and about 10 actors yet this film is legendary and has inspired a hit play, a classic film of that play and even an animated series much like the next film
13. The Toxic Avenger (1984)
R | 82 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
Tromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.
Directors: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman | Stars: Andree Maranda, Mitch Cohen, Jennifer Babtist, Cindy Manion
Votes: 32,192
Grimy low budget action-comedy centered on excellent editing, smart direction and charming FX
14. My Dinner with Andre (1981)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama
Two old friends meet for dinner; as one tells anecdotes detailing his experiences, the other notices their differing worldviews.
Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn, Jean Lenauer, Roy Butler
Votes: 25,806 | Gross: $5.25M
This is how you shoot stationary dialogue
15. The Sacrifice (1986)
PG | 149 min | Drama
At the dawn of World War III, a man searches for a way to restore peace to the world and finds he must give something in return.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Erland Josephson, Susan Fleetwood, Allan Edwall, Guðrún Gísladóttir
Votes: 31,004 | Gross: $0.30M
Emotional dialogue, camerawork and lighting do wonders for what is basically an action-less, slow character study with long pauses.
16. The Phantom of Liberty (1974)
R | 104 min | Comedy
A series of surreal sequences that critique morality and society in a stream of consciousness style.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Jean-Claude Brialy, Adolfo Celi, Michel Piccoli, Monica Vitti
Votes: 17,195 | Gross: $0.01M
17. Air (I) (2015)
PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In the near future, breathable air is nonexistent and two engineers tasked with guarding the last hope for mankind struggle to preserve their own lives while administering to their vital task at hand.
Director: Christian Cantamessa | Stars: Norman Reedus, Djimon Hounsou, Sandrine Holt, Michael Hogan
Votes: 12,549
18. Goemon (2009)
128 min | Action, Drama, History
Based on a Japanese folk legend that echoes the tale of Robin Hood, this ninja thriller follows the exploits of Goemon Ishikawa (Yôsuke Eguchi), who leaves his fighting clan after its chief... See full summary »
Director: Kazuaki Kiriya | Stars: Yôsuke Eguchi, Takao Osawa, Ryôko Hirosue, Jun Kaname
Votes: 5,551
19. Period Piece (2006)
Not Rated | 80 min | Comedy, Drama
Giuseppe Andrews (Cabin Fever) writes, directs and stars in this bizarre character study of an out-of-work cop, a demented recluse and a French Chauffer!
Director: Giuseppe Andrews | Stars: Bill Tyree, Giuseppe Andrews, Miles Dougal, Sparky Sparks
Votes: 162
20. Which Way to the Front? (1970)
G | 96 min | Comedy, War
Brendan Byers III is a wealthy playboy who wants to serve his country as a soldier, but he has been classified as 4-F (registrant not acceptable for military service). He recruits ... See full summary »
Director: Jerry Lewis | Stars: Jerry Lewis, Jan Murray, John Wood, Steve Franken
Votes: 1,425 | Gross: $0.40M
21. Jeepers Creepers III (2017)
Not Rated | 100 min | Horror
Sheriff Dan Tashtego and a team of creeper hunters enlist the help of officer Davis Tubbs to help stop the monster's eating spree.
Director: Victor Salva | Stars: Stan Shaw, Gabrielle Haugh, Brandon Smith, Meg Foster
Votes: 24,374 | Gross: $2.24M
22. I Bury the Living (1958)
Approved | 77 min | Horror
Cemetery director Robert Kraft discovers that by arbitrarily changing the status of plots from empty to occupied on the planogram causes the death of the plots' owners.
Director: Albert Band | Stars: Richard Boone, Theodore Bikel, Peggy Maurer, Howard Smith
Votes: 3,195
Tell Your Friends