Badmovies.org Forum

Since Rev. Powell's list was such a success, and given the number of sci-fi genre movies that didn't make it, and being the sci-fi junkie that I am, let's put together a badmovies.org list of the 100 Most Essential Sci-Fi B-Movies.  They don't have to be bad but they do have to be B-movies that are discernable as science fiction.

As the good Reverend ;) said. .

"Essential" means movies that you believe are necessary for a basic literacy in the field of SF B-movies, not just movies that you happen to love.  These should be those movies that would be required viewing if they offered a Ph.D. in SF B-movies.

NOTE: Make these movies you feel that others HAVE to see to fully appreciate the SF genre.  IOW: The sort of movie that you love so much, feel so strongly about being an essential genre flick, that you'd suggest to others; even if it's a beach party movie. So long as it's SF.  This is OUR list so make it a good one!

To keep any one poster from dominating the list, please post only one title at a time, and don't make back-to-back posts: give someone else a chance.

Feel free to give an explanation as to why you chose it.

With special thanks to Rev. Powell for the wise words so blatantly knicked above.

To start:

100. Killer Klowns from Outer Space

This is how to make a low budget b-movie!  On the surface an absurd premise that manages to be both humorous, in a curiously morbid sort of way, and so bad it's actually good.  I mean how can you NOT love a movie where people get turned into cotton candy and are attacked by mutant alien popcorn?  The SFX are used sparingly and, for the most part, work rather well for what they are.  The premise, killer 'clowns' from outer space, allows the designers to use off-the-rack clown costumes thus keeping the budget down.  Similarly the actors, portraying citizens of Anytown, U.S.A., get away with wearing their street clothes.  This is the sort of movie that could be shot after hours at a circus or using a carnival funhouse.  Why don't they make more movies like this?

The list so far:

100. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/killerklowns/)
99. Space Mutiny (http://cosmic-cinema.blogspot.com/2008/06/space-mutinyfirehead.html) (1988) AKA Mutiny in Space (http://chrisdlugosz.net/x/mutiny_in_space.jpg)
98. The Running Man (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093894/)
97. The Terminator (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088247/)
96. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049366/) (1956)
95. Space Truckers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120199/)
94. Assault on Dome 4 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115579/)
93. Silent Running (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067756/) (1972)
92. Flesh Gordon (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068595/)
91. Robot Monster (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/robotmonster/)
90. The Day the Earth Stood Still (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043456/) (1951)
89. Plan 9 From Outer Space (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/plannine/)
88:  Five Million Years to Earth (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062168/)
87. 20 Million Miles to Earth (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/ymir/)
86. Phoenix the Warrior (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093731/) (AKA She Wolves of the Wasteland)
85. Phase IV (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070531/)
84. Space Odyssey (http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-qzcELew6frWBZspks_7SsnUuv9VNTUA-?cq=1&p=147) (AKA Sette uomini d'oro nello spazio)
83. Beast in Space (http://cosmic-cinema.blogspot.com/2008/07/beast-in-space.html)
82. Galaxina (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/galaxina/)
81. Cyborg (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097138/)
80. Battle Beyond the Stars (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/battlebeyond/)
79. The Angry Red Planet (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/angryred/)
78. Starcrash (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079946/)
77. This Island Earth (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047577/) (1955)
76. The Astounding She Monster (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050143/) (1957)
75. Metropolis (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/) (1927)
74. Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059199/) (1965)
73. Saturn 3 (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/saturniii/)
72. Flight To Mars (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043545/) (1951)
71. Queen Of Blood (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060877/)
70. Planet of the Vampires (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059792/)
69. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049169/)
68. Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/spacehunter/)
67.  X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057693/)
66. Invasion of The Saucer Men (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050545/) (1957)
65. The Phantom Planet (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055294/)
64. It Conquered the World (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049370/)
63. Teenagers from Outer Space (http://www.badmovies.org/othermovies/teenspace/)
62. The Galaxy Invader (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089185/)
61.  A Boy and His Dog (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/boyanddog/)
60. Yor - The Hunter from the Future (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/yor/)
59. Attack of the Monsters (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064360/) (1969)
58. Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085935/) (1983)
57. The Ice Pirates (http://www.badmovies.org/othermovies/icepirates/)
56. It Came From Outer Space (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045920/) (1953)
55. Jason X (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211443/)
54. The Terrornauts
53. Leprechaun 4: In Space! (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/leprechauniv/)
52. The Green Slime (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/greenslime/)
51. From Beyond
50. Journey to the Seventh Planet (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/journey7th/)
49. The Time Travelers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058659/) (1964)
48. Moon Zero Two (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064691/)
47. The Colossus of New York
46. Terror from the Year 5000 (1958)
45. Fantastic Voyage
44. The Fly (1958)
43.  FORBIDDEN PLANET
42. CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH
41. Cherry 2000
40. Babylon 5 Thirdspace
39. Heavy Metal
38. Project: Moonbase (1953)
37. Cosmos: War of the planets
36. ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN (1958)
35. The Shape of Things to Come
34. The Giant Gila Monster
33. Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes
32. Monster Zero
31. Horror Of The Blood Monsters (AKA Vampire Men of the Lost Planet)
30. PAJAMA PARTY (1964)
29. BEACH BABES FROM BEYOND
28. THE INVISIBLE RAY (1936)
27. Event Horizon
26. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS 1953) 
25. Mars Needs Women
24. STAR CRYSTAL
23. THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD
22. The Thing (1982)
21. INVADERS FROM MARS (1953)
20. When Worlds Collide
19. Creature (AKA Titan Find)
18. Starship Troopers
17. Wing Commander
16. Screamers
15. Pulse
14. Virus
13. Lifeforce
12. Barbarella
11. FLASH GORDON (1980)
10. Leviathan
9. The Brain from Planet Arous
8. Inseminoid (AKA Horror Planet)
7. Serenity
6. DESTINATION MOON (1950)
5. CATWOMEN OF THE MOON (1953)
4. THE TIME MACHINE (1960) 
3. LEXX - I Worship His Shadow
2. FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1964)
1. FANTASTIC PLANET (1973)


#
(dis?)Honorable Mentions  :bouncegiggle: go to::

Robo-Vampire (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121694/) - Robo-Vampire is a convoluted mess that has something to do with a dime store Robocop character set loose on international drug smugglers who use black magic, hopping vampires, an evil ghost woman, and a monster wearing a beat-up "monkey alien" mask from Godzilla Vs. MechaGodzilla. And when I say "dime store Robocop", I mean it in the literal sense because there's one scene where the hero is blown up, and if you pause it at just the right time, you see his stunt double: an empty man-sized suit of tin foil...

It's one of the worst movies I've ever seen, based almost entirely on the p**s-poor production costs, but helped along by Tang's infamous insistence on always covering two movies in pheromones, locking them in a room together, and forcing them to mate until they produce a disturbing hybrid movie. That's right, for anyone unfamiliar with The Tang, he likes to take incomplete movies and splice new material into them to make a complete movie, trying in vain to smoosh the two into some semblance of a coherent movie... and always failing. - AnubisVonMojo

KP, are we going in descending order or going from No.100-200? :question:

No.99/101 - Space Mutiny - If you've ever seen the MST3K episode, holy crap, you know why it's here. Featuring the most railing related deaths of any movie in the last century. You could almost use it as a railing safety video it's so bad. Starring the mighty and screamy Reb Brown as our intrepid and generic beefcake hero and the departed John Phillip Law as the insidious Kalgan ("take me away!").

I nominate Running Man

What about movies that are broken up into several pieces for television? Such as V (1983)? I'm not sure how this would be classified as a movie or a short series? anyways, however it is seen (series or movie) it is essential to scifi education. I know I've already nominated something and please don't think i'm trying to dominate the list, i was just wondering how you would classify it.

I was thinking maybe have this be a separate list, so long as Rev. Powell doesn't have any objections?

I nominate The Terminator.  Hey, it cost 6.4 million, that qualifies it as a B movie.  The New York Times called it "A B-movie with flair.".  Don't think it needs to much explanation as to why I'd nominate it  :teddyr:

Of course not.  The more lists, the merrier.  

As I understand it, these sci-fi movies don't have to be BAD, just b-movies.  I'll nominate:

96. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956).  Clasic 1950s paranoia.

Good question.

Mini-series aren't exactly movies, yet they're not all exactly TV series either even though many may become series and there's many a failed series whose pilot episodes were turned into movies.  (Warlord Battle for the Galaxy for instance.) On the other hand, not that long ago, it was common practice to edit genre series together to create telefilms.  IIRC I originally saw Galactica 1980 and Robin of Sherwood in their telefilm versions, yet both were released to DVD in episodic form.  Came as a surprise to me!

Also some "pilot" episodes were screened theatrically.  This happened with what became the pilot of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.  (The DVD set contains the theatrical movie version of the TV pilot but not the TV edit, which is slightly different.)  And wasn't the Battlestar Galactica series released theatrically in Germany as different movies?

I know the Time Tunnel telefilms still play on AMC or TMC from time to time and the Starlost series seems to exist on video only as telefilms so I'd say include telefilms, but not series, and treat mini-series as extended telefilms and be sure to state which they are.  In the case of telefilms edited from series state which series.  In the case of movies based on series, well, no need to worry about those sine they're already movies!

If that makes sense.

Examples of failed pilots turned movies:

Star Command
Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy (http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-qzcELew6frWBZspks_7SsnUuv9VNTUA-?cq=1&p=164)
Genesis II (http://home.att.net/~paxteam21/G2/g2.html) (pilot for a Rodenberry PA series)
Planet Earth (http://home.att.net/%7Epaxteam21/PE/pe.html) (see above)
Strange New World (http://home.att.net/%7EPAXTEAM21/SNW/snw.html) (yet another retread of the above)

Examples of telefilms edited together from series:

Destination Moonbase Alpha (http://www.space1999.net/~catacombs/main/epguide/t00dmba.html)
Alien Attack (http://www.space1999.net/~catacombs/main/epguide/t00aa.html)
The Starlost: Deception (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081556/)
The Starlost: The Alien Oro (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367092/)
The Starlost: The Beginning  (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069774/)

95. Space Truckers

Dennis Hopper, Debi Mazar, and a great role for Charles Dance as well as all manner or craziness make this one a real winner. Plus, it was directed by Stuart Gordon.

Sorry KP, I don't know why I botched the name, but I meant "Space Mutiny", not "Mutiny In Space". My bad.

Speaking of BAD, I'd like to nominate for No.94 - Assault on Dome 4: Bruce Campbell gets to play the villain in this Assault on Precinct 13... IN SPACE! movie which Campbell has said to have been his favorite role.

That's two of the first 7 I've made. I'll give everybody else a chance now. Heh. :wink:

93. SILENT RUNNING (1972) An interesting, not often seen film that is accused of being static and slow (mmm, it is) but it's also not one a viewer soon forgets. 

Lol, , Allhallowsday stole mine!!!

Flesh Gordon, , I guess that would be 92. .

Great minds think alike.   :wink:

How ROBOT MONSTER never made the other list has me stymied (as opposed to spankied or buckwheatied.).

91. ROBOT MONSTER!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjn3AzOk0Bo

I feel bad for Ro-Man....I would tell him how to calulate whatever the hell he's trying to figure out...but I'm getting more confused by the minute just trying to type and  listening to this insane dialouge!

Check the other list again (#41): you nominated it!

90.  THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

Oh....yeh.

Hmmm.  (insert Pee Wee Herman voice here-) I meant to do that.

I suppose for 89 I'll throw in one on the other b-movie list.  Plan 9 From Outer Space!

So do you and I. . .

*stares at the wall*

89:  Five Million Years to Earth (1965)(aka Quatermass and The Pit) --

A Hammer film.

This is one film that has it all for me, and does it with very little money:  The origins of humanity, ghosts, elves, demons & things half seen, alien technology, scientific invention and experimentation, psychokenesis, mythology, Latin, history, evolution & genetic engineering, the military, spaceships, WW2, a cute heroine, very good acting even in the minor roles.  Who or What is God?  Is This the Face of A Martian?  The Panic At Things Unseen . . . The Clensing of the Hives!!!! 

Somehow they got the whole mish-mosh to work.  The same story was also a successful serial on both BBC radio and TV, and was very successfully parodied by The Goon Show.  It shows as very few science fiction films do the intellectual depth that a low-budget B film can still explore. 

The attention to detail is superlative:  When Quatermass consults a clerical scholar about strange apparitions on Hobs Lane in the past, the big phoney Old Book of Latin History that the scholar consults is just like a real one would be -- He has to flip the pages back and forth to make sure the verb corresponds correctly with the object of the sentence, just like a real Big Book o' Latin would have to be consulted.
You could have just as easily shot the scene with the guy opening a book & just reading something aloud.  The fact that they didn't shows that the people involved cared about what sort of film they were making.  I can watch this thing a hundred times & never be bored. 
peter johnson/denny crane

88? 
Great mines think alike. 

87? 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (RAY HARRYHAUSEN belongs on the list). 

Phoenix the Warrior a.k.a. She Wolves of the Wasteland.  Back in the '80s, the zero-budget post-apocalyptic "get some scantily clad chicks out in the desert" movies were almost a genre in themselves, and this is a pretty good example of those films.  Not much "science" in this science fiction, but the fact that it's post-apocalyptic qualifies it I think.  Has the typical plot with all the men being killed in the war, some silly scheme to bring men back, hot babes (Kathleen Kinmont!) running around in a zero budget Mad Max style world. 

85. Phase IV - Essential for being the highest-rated movie that has been on MST3K, and for being one of the very few killer-ant movies where the ants are regular-size.

No.84 - Space Odyssey - Featuring a cast of dumbasses and sh!theads and featuring the bane of my existence: robot ducks in love. Oh the pain! The pain of it all!

I've never heard of this one - I'll have to look out for it.

Hilarious!  I looked this up, and I knew it as Star Odyssey.

83. Beast in Space - Far from the best space opera ever filmed but not the worst, either. However despite being made at the same time as Brescia's Star Odyssey these are NOT the sort of movies you want to do a double bill of on a bad movie night.  You have been warned.  If your brain pops out of your head and runs screaming naked down the street you have only yourself to blame.  That said this is, well, mind-boggling.  There's just no other way to describe it.  A "must see" simple because it recycles so much footage from Star Odyssey and other of Brescia's spaghetti space operas that you'll find yourself wondering if you're really seeing what you think you're seeing; which is a space opera version of La Bete.  No joke.

No worries "Mutiny in Space" is one of it's AKA titles.

I amended the listing to avoid future confusion.

82. badmovies.org favorite Galaxina.

81. Cyborg

Van-Damme stars in this one that will serve well as a cyborg or martial arts/sci-fi sub-genre entry. Or just good old post-apocalyptic even.

Trivia bit about Cyborg: it was originally slated to be a sequel to Masters of the Universe. It's still referred to as Master of the Universe II: the Cyborg in some places.

80. Battle Beyond the Stars (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/battlebeyond/)

79. The Angry Red Planet: Who will ever forget the bat-rat-spider monster? And indeed this film features another memorable monster or two to boot. Groovy fun once we get to Mars.

http://www.badmovies.org/movies/angryred/ (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/angryred/)

78. Starcrash.  We can't leave out Marjoe...and Ms. Munro.

77. This Island Earth (1955) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047577/)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/Thisislandearth3.jpg)

the ASTOUNDING SHE MONSTER (1957 )

An astounding film. One of my z-budget favorites! Shirly Kilpatrick glows in the dark, and the love between Keene Duncan and his drunken moll is priceless!!! A must for BAD movie fans,geologists who love dogs...and "alcoholics"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apxv3yhNHz8

-Drunken moll : "How would you like me? Pan fried or french fried?"
-  Keene : "Any way ya do it,you come out a mess."

   :bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle: :bouncegiggle:

75:  Metropolis (1927)

Fritz Lang's masterpiece was ripped off time and again.  The huge, sweeping panorama of The City of the Future with its flying cars & etc. has been seen in everything from Things to Come to Futurama and The Jetsons since.  Hitler so fell in love with this picture that he sent Goebbels in 1933 to ask Lang to be the head of Nazi cinema, before he approached Leni Revensthal.  Lang asked Goebbels if he could think about it, and went into the other room & out the window & caught the next train to Paris, literally leaving Goebbels sitting in his abandoned apartment.
The mad scientist Rotwang would appear again and again over the next few decades in various incarnations, and tends to appear to this day in any crazy doctor scene.  And who can forget the transformation of mechanoid to android, with the electricity and the flashing lights?  Just a beautiful picture, and essential to any film list of science fiction.
peter johnson/denny crane

Not sure I agree with Metropolis, The Day the Earth Stood Still or even Quatermass and the Pit being on a B-movie list but hey's, that's subjective I guess. All 3 would be on my essential good SF movies list. Anyways on to #74:

Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster/Mars Invades Puerto Rico (1965):

An invading alien ship attacks a space shuttle manned by an android Earth astronaut named Frank sending it crashing to the ground in Puerto Rico. Later, the alien ship lands and attempts to destroy Frank but only ends up disfiguring him and damaging his circuits causing him to go on a killing rampage. Meanwhile the alien plot upon the Earth is carried out under the orders of the space Princess Marcuzan (Marilyn Hanold),who demands her minions bring back fertile Earth female specimens with which she hopes to repopulate her dying world, and her assistant Nadir (Lou Cutell), who looks like an evil and thoroughly corrupt Vulcan.

A must see for any B-movie fan.

73. Saturn 3

Farrah Fawcett in space!

72. Flight To Mars (1951): arguably the film that set the standard for many to come. Rocket ships, meteor showers, soap opera love affairs in space, leggy alien women and more.

- "They Live" - Republicans form Outer Space!
- "Queen Of Blood" - Beware the Green Woman!
- "It! The Terror From Beyond Space" - Will "It" manage to kill the crew before they accidentally destroy themselves?
- "Trancers" - Will Jack D'eth prevent the council from full temporal erasure?
- "The Brain Eaters" - Parasites from beneath the earth and Leonard Nimoy!

Seems to be a bit of confusion with that last post so I'll second "Queen Of Blood" and add my own, thus bringing the list up to. .

70. Planet of the Vampires

69. EARTH vs. the FLYING SAUCERS ! Long before the ridicoulous INDEPENDENCE DAY ,you could see DC wiped out by animated flying saucers (much cooler than todays hi-tech alien ships) in this Harryhausen classic!

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o4fdX8gUMY
 Wow...the aliens got a big flat screen TV! ( Yet the hillbilly family down the street have a much bigger one...in a trailer yet!!!)
...it makes me fell all warm and mushy to see Washngton blown to bits by cool looking UFO's!  :smile:

68. Spacehunter

Molly Ringwald in space!

67.  X: THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg6L3VGrKRk&feature=related

Ray Milland's most challenging role since LOST WEEKEND is as a scientist who develops a potion that lets him see through ladies clothes when their backs are turned to him!

I nominated DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and I'd be willing to withdraw it if others agree it's inappropriate for the list.  It was made by 20th Century Fox, although I bet that it being 1951 and sci-fi that it was done by the B-unit.  I thought that in the Hollywood studio system up to some point in the 1960s, pretty much every science fiction movie that was released was a "B" picture!

I would agree with that. Most "A" pictures were of the  religious "epic" type,or dramatic. John Wayne,Victor Mature,and big name stars. Micheal Rennie and a robot? Nah...! More of a 'sleeper" of the times. . Sci-fi was still very much an fringe audiance....comprised of teens and geeks. Yet these are the films that stood the test of time. Ironic,eh?

66. Invasion of The Saucer Men (1957): Unforgettable Paul Blaisdell alien monsters invade and of course the adults are all complete incompetents when it comes to dealing with said threat meaning the teens have to do it themselves. See the Saucer Men in all their hideous glory!

(http://www.clubdesmonstres.com/saucerman.jpg) (http://home.blarg.net/~dr_z/Movie/Posters/Reproductions/SaucerMen_Rep.jpg)

Too bad there's right issues keeping this classic from getting the release it truly deserves.

65. The Phantom Planet!

A classic Sci-fi b-movie, people shrink from different oxygen types, a primitive society with beyond advanced technology, a planet that can move throughout the whole universe, gravitational weaponry, aliens from a sun (did I get that part right?), 'nuff said.

64. It Conquered the World: the antithesis one could argue of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL as here Roger Corman gives us a manipulative, decidedly non-humanoid alien bent on achieving world domination by whatever means it can. Who were ever forget Paul Blaisdell's vegetable like creation, affectionally named Beulah by many of its fans not to mention Beverly Garland's screaming and just how much fun all around this little film really is.

(http://www.phoenixcomics.net/images/beulah1.jpg)

(http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/1/1b/200px-It_Conquered_the_World.jpg)

(http://www.bergen-filmklubb.no/images/Roger_Corman_It_Conquered_the_World_mellomstort.jpg)

63. TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE

Low budget ('disintegrator gun' was a cap gun purchased for a dime) alien invasion movie.  The main monster was only shown in shadow!!

I know this one gets blasted pretty often, but I loved it.

The galaxy invader
Rednecks vs. the retarded cousin of the Creature from the black lagoon!
This is a truly entertaining flick. The monster look kinda good, the special effects are cheesy, ad the dialogue is hilarious.
And don't forget the infamous drooling scene...

61.  A BOY AND HIS DOG (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/boyanddog/)

60. Yor - The Hunter from the Future (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/yor/) - It's Teenage Caveman meets When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (sadly sans nudity) in an pseudo-almost Ator S&S setting using props and costumes recycled from Starcrash!  Extra points for the 'students' able to identify which movies are being ripped off.

A small defense of my 2 choices:

Hammer never made an A picture during its entire existence as a studio -- While some of their pictures have an undeniable quality to them, all of them struggled with limited budgets and a make-do mentality prevailed.  The gorgeous costumes existed merely because the studio had access to an almost unlimited inventory of pre-made theatrical costumes, but 99% of what you see in a Hammer film was recycled from stage shows or some other movie/some other backlot at Shepperton, etc.  "Five Million Years to Earth" is a wonderful film, and certainly an "A" film in my book, but it was a corner-cutting "B" film in commercial terms, just as all the Hammers were.  As Keister says at the outset to the thread, these films don't have to be bad, just essential "B"'s.  2001 had been released alread when this came out, so the public was starting to gear up for "A" level science fiction, so this was already seen as an anachronistic film upon release.  As I say, I think this has to be included because it shows just how good you can be with limited resources, time constraints, and all the other factors that plague B makers to this day.

Metropolis was certainly originally conceived as an A film, but to many people not inured to the ham-fisted, stagey acting of epic silent cinema, the actions and gestures of many of the lead actors come across as peculiar and laughable in today's ouvre.  Even critics of the day thought the acting was outdated, overblown, and hackneyed at times, even while they praised its technical vision.  If we were to remake this film today, you would have to tweak the acting style considerably in order for it to work.  By 1931, Lang had turned to directing a more naturalistic style of acting, much like Eric von Stroheim in "Wedding March"(Also silent & released 2 years after "Metropolis"), and this is why things like Lang's "M" can be shown to modern audiences who don't need to make allowances for stagey gestures, etc.   Metropolis sits squarely in the B-film category for me due to this already-outmoded acting style contrasted with the ahead-of-its-time technology on display.  It's a mashing together of incongruous ingredients to create a unique, garish, lavish, baroque stew, sort of like "Flash Gordon", and hence I do consider it a "B" picture by standards of its own day as well as ours.

peter johnson/denny lang

59. ATTACK OF THE MONSTERS (1969) (AKA: Gamera vs. Guiron/Gamera tai daiakuju Giron)

Plot: A trio of children (2 boys and a girl), intrigued by news reports of mysterious sound waves sent to Earth from outer space, star gazing spot a flying saucer!  They later discover it and and the two boys decide to investigate while the girl being more wary decides to wait outside. After entering the spaceship however, the two boys suddenly find themselves being whisked off into space. Along the way they spot and greet Gamera who tries to prevent the ship from leaving our galaxy but even he cannot keep up with its incredible speed. After the ship lands, the two boys find themselves on a strange new planet and suddenly spot another version of Gaos in battle with the planet’s guardian, a knife-headed monster with a mean streak named Guiron. Gamera all this time has still been on the trail of the boys’ spaceship. Meanwhile aliens are watching with possible evil intentions?

Comments: This was tremendous fun. The little kid in me loved every minute of it. Sure the kids are a bit annoying at times (but moreso I suspect to adult ears than to a child’s) and the effects aren’t always up to par but man do the monster battles ever deliver the goods in this one. They are knock-down drag-out affairs especially those featuring Gamera and Guiron and surprisingly graphic in terms of their brutality yet the film never loses sight of making clear just who is evil and who is good. Like the best pro wrestling of yesteryear, it manages to make the hero Gamera incredibly sympathetic while the villian Guiron comes across as little more than a nasty-tempered brute and a bully who needs to be taught a lesson in manners.

(http://www.oldies.com/i/boxart/large/42/089218428295.jpg)

58. METALSTORM: THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED-SYN (1983)... in 3D! :lookingup:  Okay, maybe this should be on the SF Z-movies list... 
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/MetalstormPoster.jpg)

I saw Metalstorm first-run, on the big screen, when it first came out . . .

Is there a letter lower than Z ? . . .

peter zed/denny zero

I saw it in a drive-in... twice!!   (The drive-in was essential for inebriates and other activities...)  25 years ago sounds exactly right.  I certainly remember it's badness.  Perhaps it's badness converted me to realize I have a taste for low-rent trash!   (Not likely I always loved sleazy horrors).  :teddyr: :thumbup:

59. The Ice Pirates

Robot fights, time warps, and space herpes. Plus the girl who shot J.R. in space!

58. It Came From Outer Space (1953): Jack Arnold's classic alien invasion movie was based on a story written by Ray Bradbury.. A real spectacle in 3D at its time. One of the first, if not the first, to feature aliens walking amongst us.

(http://www.yume.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/x158.jpg)

(http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/151/JASONXDVD~Jason-X-Posters.jpg)

Jason X - not a lot of love for this one, though those of us who do like it seem to really enjoy it.  The whole "take the worn out slasher franchise and stick it in space" fad deserves a mention on the list.  I flat out loved this one.  I'm a big sci-fi fan, but most stuff in the genre is junk.  Then along came Jason X and it was one of those that needed to be added to the DVD collection immediately  :teddyr:  I thought it had much better acting than your average slasher, a lot of fun set pieces, good characters, more than enough action for 2 or 3 slashers, and the requisite amount of silly cheesiness.  Not quite enough boobies, but nothing's perfect.

No.56 - Robo-Vampire - Because I neglected to give by arch-nemesi Thomas Tang and Godfrey Ho representation on the regular b-movies list. Robo-Vampire is a convoluted mess that has something to do with a dime store Robocop character set loose on international drug smugglers who use black magic, hopping vampires, an evil ghost woman, and a monster wearing a beat-up "monkey alien" mask from Godzilla Vs. MechaGodzilla. And when I say "dime store Robocop", I mean it in the literal sense because there's one scene where the hero is blown up, and if you pause it at just the right time, you see his stunt double: an empty man-sized suit of tin foil...

It's one of the worst movies I've ever seen, based almost entirely on the p**s-poor production costs, but helped along by Tang's infamous insistence on always covering two movies in pheromones, locking them in a room together, and forcing them to mate until they produce a disturbing hybrid movie. That's right, for anyone unfamiliar with The Tang, he likes to take incomplete movies and splice new material into them to make a complete movie, trying in vain to smoosh the two into some semblance of a coherent movie... and always failing.

Looks like there's been some confusion with the numbering so I'll just chime in with a nomination by way of correction...

53. Leprechaun 4: In Space!


AND I'm going to ask for a second in contesting the inclusion of Robo Vampire (currently in the #54 slot).  This is akin to a Polonia Bros movie only it's an edit of unrelated footage that, in my opinion, contains NOTHING of science fiction in it. At least the Polonia Bros movies were SF, this is not.  At best it's a no budget hopping vampire/action spoof at worst it's a trash movie that, either way, is hardly essential SF viewing.

EDIT: Some alternate choices: Lady Terminator, Shocking Dark, Robotrix, &tc.

KP, the hero is a rip-off of Robocop: a man gunned down in the line of duty and turned into a half-man, half-cyborg. Far as I understand it that counts as science fiction. If you don't like it though it's your list, feel free to remove it.

Doesn't matter what character is being "spoofed" this flick, IMO, isn't science fiction anymore than BAD GIRLS ON MARS or AMAZON WOMEN ON THE MOON is.  I'm not saying it's not worth watching I'm just not sure it's an "essential" sci-fi B-movie especially when there are far more worthy movies, like Robotrix maybe?

Besides wasn't black magic involved in the creation of the cooking mitten wearing hero?  (EDIT: That's a serious question BTW.  It's been ages since I've seen this and it didn't leave much of a impression on me.)

If no one else has a problem I'll leave it stand.

The Green Slime
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/Green_Slime.jpg)

Sorry, looks like I was the one who botched up the order.

51. From Beyond

Scientist goes piddling around opening up other dimensions to the detriment of all. Another Stuart Gordon masterpiece with plenty of everything to keep most of us happy.

50. JOURNEY TO THE SEVENTH PLANET starring John Agar in yet another memorable role as astronauts find hotties on the seventh planet or is that really what they've found or is it an illusion created by something insidious?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Cix53XRVs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Cix53XRVs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Cix53XRVs)

50.  The Time Travelers (1964)

Ib Melchior worked with a very low budget to produce a genuinely neat little story with a trick ending that evokes infinity.  See how many influences he either is drawing from or later inspired.  A small watershed in B films, this film heavily influenced the look of Star Trek on TV 2 years later, and the music in the disco scene is more than a little reminiscent of the Star Trek theme -- in fact, some of my musician friends think it IS the same music!  There's one scene where an actor playing an android sticks his torso through a backdrop so his "legs" can be realistically destroyed.  Also influenced the TV series "Time Tunnel" -- in fact, they may have used some of the same sets.


Isn't everyone proud of me for not naming "ROBO-C.H.I.C.", especially given the recent "Robo" exchange ?


peter johnson/denny restrained

Eek!  I mean 51 --

Should be 49 as this list is counting the other way around.

48. Moon Zero Two - The Hammer sci-fi western (?) moon epic that no one's ever heard of.  A great introduction to the wild and wacky world of "mod" space fashions that also appeared in better known TV series such as Space: 1999 (http://www.space1999.net/~catacombs/index.html) and UFO (http://ufoseries.com/).  Stars James Olson (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064691/) (The Andromeda Strain).

47 - The Colossus of New York - Nothing like seeing a hulking cyborg go on a homicidal rampage through the United Nations.

I retract my Robo-Vampire submission. As my new choice, I pick...

No.54 - The Terrornauts - Did you know that intergalactic neanderthals have mastered space travel? It's true. Did you know that their invasion fleets fly in symmetrical patterns not unlike those in an '80s video game? True again. All this and more can be found in this 1967 British sci-fi extravaganza. Just ask its hero!

#46. TERROR FROM THE YEAR 5000 (1958): How did we miss adding this classic before?! We build a machine that can send objects into the future, only what if some 'thing" comes back?!

(http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/MG/197240.jpg)

45 - Fantastic Voyage
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ab/Fantasticvoyageposter.jpg)

44. The Fly (1958)

Teleportation goes badly for a scientist when a fly is accidentally brought into the teleportation equation.

43.  FORBIDDEN PLANET.

Didn't see it on the list yet.  One of the best depictions of naval 'protocol' in any space movie.  Cool story, too.

42. CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH

(http://i047.radikal.ru/0802/12/921f9459826a.jpg)

I don't think FORBIDDEN PLANET nor FANTASTIC VOYAGE are "B" movies...

It all depends on what your definition of B-movie is.  I mean ID4 was a million dollar 'blockbuster' but, for all the marketing hype, it was just a cheezy B-movie with a bloated budget.  :wink:

FWIW I'll mark these as contested.

41. Cherry 2000 - There's just something special about this strange tale of a yuppie living in a dystopian future that literally decides to go to the ends of the Earth (or in this case into the forbidding wasteland) to find a replacement for his shorted out sexdroid.  Ah, love.  It makes you crazy.

How about a made-for-TV movie? 

Babylon 5 Thirdspace

(http://www.zteamproductions.com/b5stuff/Thirdspace.jpg)

Whether you're a fan of the TV series or not, this movie absolutely rocks  :teddyr:

39. Heavy Metal

This animated feature was really cutting edge in its day and received a devoted cult following. Features lots of cartoon boobies and a decent if not entirely "metal" soundtrack.

38. Project: Moonbase (1953): Who knew T-shirts and gym shorts and a goofy hat was all that was required to travel in outer space?! 

(http://www.thespacereview.com/archive/906a.jpg)

(http://www.fourmilab.ch/images/project_moonbase/figures/film_poster.jpg)

Although, I have not yet seen the entire movie,(only the first 30 minutes) I must nominate Cosmos: War of the planets
It's like it's been made on planet Goofball. There is more cheese in it than there is in a cheese shop.
Ridiculous costumes and pathetic special effects, this movie has it all.
Maybe I'll watch it tomorrow...
So, 37. Cosmos: War of the planets
UPDATE: watched it

I think terms are thrown around without any consensus of their meaning.  I'm no expert, but if films like these are included as "SF B-movies" then why not PLANET OF THE APES (take yer pick) SOYLENT GREEN, OMEGA MAN?  Or for that matter CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, TARANTULA, each of these films, for different reasons, warrant a spot on this list with no clear definition.   :teddyr:  It's about the list. 
I will say this site is "Badmovies" which is not "B" for budget (certainly the original meaning behind a "B" picture).  "B-Movie" I suppose nowadays might mean low budget (but possibly a great movie) or it might mean "low rent" "morally bankrupt" "meritless" (in others words junk movies that BAD MOVIE LOVERS CRAVE...) 

Okay, I do have a nomination of an essential SF B-Movie:
ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN (1958)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Attackofthe50ftwoman.jpg)

Funny you should mention that.  I was GOING to nominate SOYLENT GREEN.

It's not my list, so I'll defer judgement to KP on what definition of "B" is, but for my part, I think "B" refers to budget and general mainstream-ness at the time it was made.  Like someone pointed out recently, just about ALL sci fi during the 50's and 60's (and of course before) was considered "B" cinema.  Science Fiction movies during that era just were not made to appeal to the widest audience, but mostly to kids and teens and a few adults with an interest in the genre.

Though this site is called "Badmovies," a look at Andrew's list of reviewed movies, and his ratings of them, suggests an underlying appeal to the above definition rather than strictly "bad."  That is, some of his reviewed movies are truly GOOD (NOTLD as one example) by just about any measure you can name; the inclusion of such gems suggests, to me at least, that this site is not about "bad" movies so much as "B" movies.  I could, of course, be wrong.

All I'm really trying to say is that I don't think we should get too wrapped up on the name of this web site DEFINING what kinds of movies "fit" a list or not; Kester can define his list better for us as needed.

That said, as the person who nominated FORBIDDEN PLANET, I freely admit that in hindsight, there IS a big difference between this movie (production values, effects, acting, budget and overall direction) compared to, say, THE HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND.  One's a serious sci fi with a solid message and theme, the other is a goofy romp (but still fun, imo as a "badmovie" lover).

So, KP, I won't be offended in the least (not that that should matter to your decision if I were,  :smile: ) if FORBIDDEN PLANET is removed.

On the other hand, Forbidden Planet has many of the elements that make a good 50s b-movie. The difference is in quality.

The term b-movie certainly started with a more specific definition, although even the original definition gets debated. But I see it as an evolving term that continues to be applicable. Me, I look at the spirit of the movie, the style, the genre and the year, and decide if it feels like a b-movie to me. Technology changes, fads come and go, budgets come in all sizes, but I think the b-movie is about more than those things. It's just really hard to define the quality of b-ness.

The question of what a "B-movie" is, in my opinion, somewhat subjective.  Originally the term applied to a studio's second string (using "B" list as opposed to "A" list talent) productions.  Many film noirs were second string productions.  Most, if not all, genre pictures were second string productions.  But it's not merely about budget or even talent, since many of the actors went on to greater stardom.  Too, this term originally applied to the Hollywood STUDIO SYSTEM, yet has since taken on meaning beyond it's original coinage.  That said. .

FORBIDDEN PLANET is a sci-fi essential.  It's influence and impact on the genre can be plainly seen in Star Trek AND Babylon 5.  (Remember the planet the space station is near?  The interior look was basically an homage to the great Krell planetary machine.  Roddenberry even gave a nod to FP as being the inspiration for his transporters when he found out he didn't have the budget for landing craft and had to figur out someway to get the crew from the ship to a planet.)

FANTASTIC VOYAGE is a similarly iconic sci-fi movie.  It's been spoofed on the Simpsons so it's influence is plain.  And it has "A" list stars I do believe and yet some think it a bit cheezy.  Why?  Not because of budget or talent but due to it's premise.  Sometimes a premise seems to qualify a movie for "B" status.  (Or, in the case of ID4, premise AND choice of talent.  ;) )

However I don't think FV was a second string feature.  It was probably the ID4 of it's day.  Now FP might have started out as a b-string feature.  But it has "A" SFX and costumes.

So what is a "B-movie"?  Based on my observations it seems a movie is called a "B" movie because it's Bad, has a low Budget, stars B (C, D or even Z) string talent, or because a movie is not a Hollywood production.  I consider the latter reason spurious since it was Hollywood that originated the classification.  Also it has to be pointed out that the term has long been used to ghettoize genre cinema(*).  Science Fiction movies were not considered "A" movies by most critics for years, and even now many critics are dismissive of the genre.  Granted with some of the crap Hollywood's been churning out in recent years they may have just cause, but not all SF is "B" movie bad.

So if no one ELSE contests the two nominations, citing good reason, I'm perfectly happy to leave them in place since they do meet the criteria for being SF essentials.  Of that there is, at least, no doubt; I hope.   :teddyr:

(*) viz: http://movies.msn.com/movies/moviesfeature/dvd/george-stop-now/?GT1=28002 (Star Wars the penultimate "B"ad movie?)

35. The Shape of Things to Come - If you've seen the Buck Roger's in the 25th Century Episode "Planet of the Slave Girls" then you MUST watch this movie.  If you've never seen the episode then you MUST rent it along with this movie.  Jack Palance stars in both.  His character is almost identical.  The circumstances are almost identical, save here he's threatening New Washington (which is located on the MOON!) with robot design knock-offs taken from Disney's The Black Hole.  I kid you not!  If you liked Cosmos: War of the Planets, Star Odyssey, or any of Alfonso Brescia's spaghetti space opera's then you'll want to see this.  It's just as wacky, though the costumes are slightly better.  (No silly caps.)

 :cheers:

I nominate The Giant Gila Monster ... great 50s cheesy flick. Couple of my others already made the list.

33. Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes

(http://spyhunter007.com/Images/attack_of_the_killer_tomatoes.jpg)

32. Monster Zero: Godzilla, Rodan and Ghidrah become pawns of Devo-like aliens from the Planet X in their attempt to take over the Earth. An inventor's noise making device unexpectedly proves to play a key part in the upcoming battle for the Earth.

(http://www.historyvortex.org/MonsterZero2.jpg)

No.31 - "Horror Of The Blood Monsters" + circa 150 other titles. Directed by anti-genius Al Adamson this starts out like a vampire horror film with a gang of bloodsuckers stalking humans in backalleys at night. Then it becomes a space adventure, then develops into a lost world/caveman escapade! It features John Carradine, psychedelically tinted monster and action footage from at least three other movies (naturally including "One Million B.C") and a cheesy opening narration by one "Brother Theodore"!

# 30. PAJAMA PARTY (1964): Yes it's a beach party movie only this film actually features Tommy Kirk as a Martian on a mission to scout the best means of invasion...soon he finds himself distracted by babes in bikinis in particular the one and only Annette Funicello. All in all, it's actually Susan Hart who steals the show here with her sexy dancing. Other notables appearing include Elsa Lanchester, Buster Keaton, Dorothy Lamour, Teri Garr, Frankie Avalon and Don Rickles.


(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Pajama_party.jpg/225px-Pajama_party.jpg)

(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0792846826.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)

I'm not sure I've seen this one and since you saved it for the top 30 I might as well ask (before my head explodes)  :wink: . . .

PAJAMA PARTY?

You've identified the genre as "beach party movie", none of which were serious movies by any stretch of the imagination, to the best of my recollection.  Fun family oriented tongue-in-cheek comedies, maybe.   Is the "martian" more than just a punch line, a joke element, sort of like how they used to portray beatniks and hippies?  I mean what is "science fiction" about this movie?

For example PRINCESS WARRIOR had a light sabre duel at the beginning (before becomng totally cheapjack crap) and BEACH BABES FROM BEYOND used recycled stock footage of space ships et al.  What are the science fiction elements here?  Are there techno gadgets?  Futuristic SFX?  UFOs?  What elevates this "beach party movie" to the rarefied heights of SF?

Please tell me it's more than just some dorky comedian dressing up in a cheapjack silver lamé "spacesuit" and calling himself an martian; because you know I'm going to look for this now and watch it.  (Have to.  It has Don Rickles in it!)  Anyway I'll round the list out by officially nominating. . .

29. BEACH BABES FROM BEYOND - It's sort of like SLAVEGIRLS FROM BEYOND INFINITY, only set on a beach and sans the homage to THE DEADLY GAME so, uhm, lots of, t, and, a, uhm. . . binkini's. . .

 :cheers:

D'okay... METROPOLIS sits elbow to elbow with THE ASTOUNDING SHE MONSTER and FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE SPACE MONSTER... and FORBIDDEN PLANET sits next to CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH...  :lookingup:  Now PAJAMA PARTY?

If your list was intended to simply be essential Science Fiction, then at least a few are missing, and as I'd already stated, "B" should BE defined... hey, but that's just my opinion.   :teddyr: 

Here's one that might meet any criteria: THE INVISIBLE RAY (1936)

I gave up trying to figure these nominations out a long while ago.  I am going to look for this "Pajama Party" flick though because I am curious to see how a "beach party movie" manages to not only qualify as SF but as "essential" SF viewing.


Riddle me this how does an hack opus like "Vampire Men of the Lost Planet" get a nod as "essential" SF viewing but not Al Adamson's CINDERELLA 2000?  That's the Al Adamson flick I'd have gone with.  :shrug:

That said. . .

27. Event Horizon

Of course, "our" list.   :wink:

So, how does #28 THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) also get overlooked? 

To be truly honest, I don't think of WAR OF THE WORLDS, FORBIDDEN PLANET, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, METROPOLIS, THE TERMINATOR, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, SILENT RUNNING or FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH as "bad". In fact, all of them would probably make my essential 100 good SF films. One could make a case to say that they are "B-movies" (at least in essence).

So O.K. PAJAMA PARTY is a questionable inclusion but it's a Beach Party movie that does feature a Martian character. It's cheesy as heck and my favourite of all the Beach Party films. In many wars, the film MARS NEEDS WOMEN (1966), also starring Tommy Kirk, is largely based upon the same concepts although is more clearly in the Sci-Fi genre perhaps. It's an arguable point. If everyone would prefer to replace it with MARS NEEDS WOMEN, I'd be satisfied with said change. Although truth be told, PAJAMA PARTY is a lot more fun to watch.

(http://www.on.br/revista_ed_anterior/marco_2003/noticias/astro_arte/imagens/filme-marsneedswomen.jpg)

The same way #24   STAR CRYSTAL does?

Remember what I said in the first post they don't have to be "bad" for this list.  Just essential SF B-movies, meaning these should be the sort of movies that YOU love so much you'd recommend to friends, neighbors, an strangers on the street. 

Keyword: SF  (science fiction, science fantasy, et al)


Does anyone second this motion?

As I've never seen the movie I abstain.

I don't blame you!  I've seen both films, and I think they're equally... uhm, "bad." 

Bad?  Bad?!?    :lookingup:  The list was "SF B-movies" and I'd already lost the case about films on the list that I didn't think were either "bad" or, more to the point, "B"!! 

Hmm well I have to admit to some confusion with regards to this thread. I thought what was wanted was "so bad they're good" type films or "films you just gatta see to believe" instead of genuine good SF B-Movies. If we're supposed to go that route, a lot of 1950s SF certainly qualifies even THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (a film I thought too good to name here) which features James Arness as the vegetable monster.

Not merely "good" or "bad" but essential movies.  Movies you feel that others HAVE to see to fully appreciate the genre.  IOW: The sort of movie that you love so much, feel so strongly about being an essential genre flick, that you'd suggest to others.   So feel free to nominate any genre defining SF b-movie that you, personally, feel are must see flicks; even if it's a beach party movie.   :wink:

EX: I put in STAR CRYSTAL because, well, it is one of those "films you just gatta see to believe" because it's an Alien knock-off with a E.T. twist.  I know, I know it's also incredibly bad.  But I plan to nominate Horror Planet (AKA Inseminoid) and Titan Find (AKA Creature), which are also, IMO, must see Alien knock-offs.  But I put in SC first because, well, it ranks lower for me as a "must see".

Why not GALAXY OF TERROR or FORBIDDEN WORLD?  Because I haven't seen them, or rather haven't watched them since the 80s.  They're AWOL on R1 DVD but I have the others and would, and have, recommended them.


I'll second that as an "essential" sci-fi b-movie.

And I might as well nominate. . .

22. The Thing (1982)

21. INVADERS FROM MARS (1953)

(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/morrisawilliams/Invaders20From20Mars.jpg)

One night, a small boy, David MacLean (Jimmy Hunt), sees a flying saucer land near his home. His scientist father (Leif Erickson) goes to investigate; when he returns, there is an unusual mark on the back of his neck and he behaves in a different, cold and hostile manner. Gradually, David realizes that there is a conspiracy in which the people of the town are one by one becoming cold and inhuman.

With the help of a local astronomer Arthur Franz and health-department physician Helena Carter, he learns that the flying saucer, that has buried itself in a sandpit just behind his home, is the vanguard of an invasion from Mars. The Army is contacted and convinced to investigate, leading to a military penetration of the underground hideout established by the Martians. The troops enter the saucer. Inside they find a Martian, mostly a large head with strange tentacles, encased in a glassy sphere. The Martian mastermind is served by tall, green, silent humanoid "mutants", who use cerebral implants to control the townsfolk in order to sabotage nuclear rocket experiments at a facility just outside of town.
Wikipedia plot summary

20 - When Worlds Collide
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Worldcollide.jpg)

19. Creature (AKA Titan Find) - An 80s era Alien knock-off taken back to it's Planet of the Vampire roots with an over-the-top performances (as usual) from Klaus Kinski and Diane Salinger.

18. Starship Troopers

Pays tribute to the old classics but adds some modern effects work and features a couple of cute girls. Michael Ironside is his typical badass character and the bugs are pretty awesome. Good violence and Doogie Howser in space elevate it even further.

I hope this qualifies as a B flicker. If not, then you can replace it with Steel Dawn, which was Patrick Swayze in the modern-ish adaptation of Shane.

17. Wing Commander

While made pre Uwe Boll, pre the rise of the lame sciffy original movies, this was largely a disappointment to fans of the video games the movie at the time.  However when compared to recent movies adapting video game properties WC is actually not all that bad.  Anyway it's better than Starship Troopers 2.   :wink:

16. Screamers

Peter Weller on a distant planet battling self-replicating killing machines that burrow into the ground and destroy all enemies. Of course at some point they decide all humans are enemies and the hunt is on. Also features the lovely Jennifer Rubin.

Wing Commander is headed straight into my netflix queue. Been a while since I've seen that one. Good choice.  :thumbup:

No.15 - "Pulse" (1988) - A malevolent form of electricity (whose source is never explained) endangers a newly wed couple and the husband's son from a previous marriage. Cliff De Young gives a nicely dedicated performance as the Dad in this strange mix of "Poltergeist" and "Maximum Overdrive".

14 - Virus (1999) - A more recent entry, and a movie I'm really quite fond of. Jamie Lee Curtis and Billy Baldwin taking on biomechanical horrors in the middle of a hurricane. Some freaky looking critters in this one. Gotta love it. Worth seeing just to see Donald Sutherland turned into a spidery cyborg sea captain!
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Virus_ver2.jpg/401px-Virus_ver2.jpg)

To continue the theme I'll nominate. .

13. Lifeforce

Starring Mathilda May, directed by Tobe Hooper, with guest appearance by Halley's comet.  ;)  A bit dated but campy space-vampire fun.

12. Barbarella

Fantastic sets, interesting characters, and Jane Fonda in skimpy futuristic fashions. Yummy!

FLASH GORDON ?? (1980)  Watch out for CHEEZEWIZ...
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/Flash_gordon_movie_poster.jpg) 
Now this was a Big Budget Movie, that was way "B" for me, I guess camp always lends itself to B-worthiness! 

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519DWTNK7ML._SS500_.jpg)

Leviathan - fairly standard Alien knock-off, but with truly excellent characters and a great setting in an underwater mining rig. 

Did I miss it, or is The Brain from Planet Arous not on this list? If so, I nominate it!

8. Inseminoid (AKA Horror Planet)

From director Norman J. Warren comes an not so standard Alien knock-off that starts out similarly to Star Crystal but quickly becomes a LSD nightmare ala Galaxy of Terror as Judy Geeson's character is abducted by an giant phallic E.T. look-a-like space alien and impregnated, soon after to give birth to it's progeny of deadly alien spawn.  This movie is totally mad!

Inseminoid Unrated VHS cover scan (http://www.itsonlyamovie.co.uk/COVERS%203/INSEMINOID%20UNRATED%20VHS.jpg) (NSFW)

7. Serenity

Extends the wonderful Firefly series a bit and gives us more Summer Glau.


We're too close to quit now!

Unbelievably, GEORGE PAL's early attempt at serious space exploration has been overlooked, and still so "B": DESTINATION MOON (1950)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f7/Destination_Moon_DVD.jpg)

5. CATWOMEN OF THE MOON (1953)

(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/morrisawilliams/catwomen.jpg)

And it's five years later note-for-note remake:

MISSILE TO THE MOON (1958)

(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/morrisawilliams/missilemoontc.jpg)

Speaking of overlooked GEORGE PAL, THE TIME MACHINE (1960) 
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/The_Time_Machine.jpg)

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51K0J5P23BL._SS500_.jpg)

LEXX - I Worship His Shadow.  You've got a cowardly security guard, a love slave, a robot head, and an unstoppable assassin who all wind up in control of the LEXX, the most powerful destructive force in the two universes.  Not surprisingly, this is one of the weirder movies you're likely to see.

I'll nominate FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1964) for the #2 position.  Which leaves me wondering. . .

What is the #1 Badmovies dot org "essential" B-movie?

Great choice uncovered there at the end, Kester... uhm... FANTASTIC PLANET (1973 ~ aka THE SAVAGE PLANET)? 
 
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/Fantastic_Planet_2.jpg)

And with that last nomination the "100 Essential SF B-movies" list for 2008 is complete.

Thanks to all who participated.

Now all we need is a sub-forum where all the completed lists can be moved to for future reference.

Andrew?