Akira (1988)

Akira (1988)

[7] Katsuhiro Ôtomo directs this adaptation of his sprawling manga series about (okay, deep breath...) a futuristic biker who squares off against a former friend who has turned evil through scientific experimentation, transforming him into a dangerous super-being of both scientific and…
Belizaire the Cajun (1986)

Belizaire the Cajun (1986)

[5] Armand Assante plays the title character in this 'cajun western' about a medicine man who tries to hold his 1800s Louisiana bayou community together while one half tries to run the other out of town. I had a hard time following…
Communion (1989)

Communion (1989)

[7] Christopher Walken plays an alien abductee coming to grips with his experience in Communion. Walken's character goes through denial, then embarrassment, then fear, and finally an odd sort of acceptance over the course of the film. The supernatural elements play out…
Cat’s Eye (1985)

Cat’s Eye (1985)

[6] Stephen King wrote this three-tale horror anthology centered around a cat who wanders in and out of high-stakes situations. In the first, James Woods stars as a man who joins a mysterious program called Quitters Inc that has an excellent reputation…
Deathtrap (1982)

Deathtrap (1982)

[7] Director Sidney Lumet (Network, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) brings Ira Levin's hit play to the big screen, showcasing Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve as warring playwrights who resort to real murder to further their careers. Caine plays the mentor…
Hitcher in the Dark (1989)

Hitcher in the Dark (1989)

[3] A young man preys on women along the Virginia coastline, picking them up for rides in his camper only to kidnap, torture, and kill them. When one victim's estranged boyfriend gives pursuit, things get more complicated for all parties involved. Hitcher…
Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice (1988)

[8] Director Tim Burton (Batman, Ed Wood) followed his debut feature, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, with this stylish fantasy-comedy about a young deceased couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) trying to haunt an annoying new family out of their quaint countryside home.…
Maurice (1987)

Maurice (1987)

[6] James Wilby and Hugh Grant star as young lovers driven apart by oppressive heteronormativity in pre-World War I England. The two meet in college and cautiously profess their love for one another. But when a fellow gay student is put on…
Vamp (1986)

Vamp (1986)

[5] Three college boys drive to the big city to hire a stripper for a fraternity party, only to discover the strip club is really just a front for blood-thirsty vampires. Vamp doesn't stray far from '80s horror formula, especially in the…
Smooth Talk (1985)

Smooth Talk (1985)

[8] Future Oscar-winner Laura Dern (Marriage Story) gives her first leading performance in this adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," the story of a fifteen-year-old girl who pursues male attention without considering the potential consequences.…