The 1980s saw a plethora of revolutionary movies, such as ,, , and , to name a few.Thus, the decade also produced numerous oddball movies to replicate the success of those more serious cinematic productions.While there are many strange 1980s movies out there, there are even more rip-offs floating around in the cineverse.
These are some of the most blatant rip-offs found throughout the 1980s — some you didn’t even know existed — and the top pick is the most notorious example of rip-off success.6 Ghoulies Mini monsters of the dark arts After the 1984 success of came , which, thanks to its infamous VHS cover that depicted a creature emerging from a toilet, recouped its budget and then some before video sales of the campy horror comedy were even taken into account.Like fellow mini-creature features and , it’s easy to tell what movie inspired them all.
While it is perhaps a bit too focused on the occult to be a monster movie like , features plenty of silly-looking monstrosities.It also marks the film debut performance of ’s Mariska Hargitay.True story.
Ghoulies PG-13 Horror Comedy Fantasy Release Date January 18, 1985 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT Cast Peter Liapis, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres, Jack Nance, Peter Risch, Tamara De Treaux, Scott Thomson, Ralph Seymour, Mariska Hargitay, Victoria Catlin, Bobbie Bresee, Keith Joe Dick, David Dayan, Charene Cathleen, Jamie Bronow, Brian Connolly, Annie Stocking, Craig Talmy Runtime 81 Minutes Director Luca Bercovici Writers Luca Bercovici, Jefery Levy Main Genre Horror Powered by Expand Collapse 5 Explorers A reverse E.T.One year after directing , Joe Dante came out with , which feels like an attempt to replicate the success of It features friendly aliens of an unnamed species, but instead of them crash-landing on Earth, a group of teenagers crash-lands on an alien planet after they construct a spaceship of their own design.In that sense, the movie functions as the reverse of is an ideal companion piece on any double-feature night, and its cast members — including Ethan Hawke in his first movie role, as well as the late River Phoenix — are just as likable, if not more, than Henry Thomas is in Explorers PG Science Fiction Adventure Family Release Date July 12, 1985 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH RENT BUY Cast Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson, Amanda Peterson, Bobby Fite, Dana Ivey, Bradley Gregg, Georg Olden, Chance Schwass, Danny Nucci, Taliesin Jaffe, James Cromwell, Brooke Bundy, Tricia Bartholome, Eric Luke, Robert Picardo, Karen Mayo-Chandler, Robert F.
Boyle, John P.Navin, Jr., Mary Hillstead, Simone Blue, Meshach Taylor, Dick Miller, Leslie Rickert, Mary Kay Place Runtime 109 minutes Director Joe Dante Writers Eric Luke Producers David Bombyk, Edward S.Feldman Main Genre Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse Apple TV 4K Operating System tvOS Resolution 4K Audio codecs Dolby Atmos RAM/storage 64GB or 128GB Connectivity Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi and Ethernet $129 at Apple $135 at Amazon $130 at Best Buy Expand Collapse 4 Mac and Me A mysterious alien–creature knockoff Though rather poorly constructed, is an oddly sweet movie that is a blatant rip-off of If you watch it, you’ll quickly notice parallels, including comical similarities in tone, story beats, and imagery.
As such, the movie became one of the most talked-about imitators of Spielberg’s smash hit.Whereas showcases a fair amount of product placement, amplifies it to a hysterical degree.It trades a Reese’s Pieces reference for copious amounts of Coca-Cola and McDonald’s products, with a ridiculous, extended dance sequence occurring at one of the latter’s locations.
Ronald McDonald himself even makes a brief cameo.Mac and Me PG Family Fantasy Science Fiction Adventure Release Date August 12, 1988 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming Cast Jade Calegory, Lauren Stanley, Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, Tina Caspary Runtime 95 Minutes Director Stewart Raffill Writers Stewart Raffill, Steve Feke Main Genre Family Studio(s) Orion Pictures, Mac and Me Joint Venture IMDb ID tt0095560 TMDB User Rating 4 .4 Powered by Expand Collapse 3 Ator, the Fighting Eagle An Italian version of Conan the Barbarian On the heels of ’s popularity came .The sword-and-sandal fantasy narrative follows a warrior who has just learned his true heritage and attempts to save a kidnapped princess from the spider-worshiper.
The notorious low-budget Italian rip-off mirrors ’s tone, aesthetic, plot beats, and protagonist’s journey.It even goes so far as to mimic the hero’s shirtless, muscular physique, but there is no comparison to Arnold Schwarzenegger's or Jason Momoa's limitless physique.2 Robowar A shameless rip-off Clearly modeled after , the Italian action movie is about a military team being hunted in the jungle by a powerful enemy.
In this case, the enemy is not an alien but — wait for it — a rogue, State Department-funded robot killing machine.The shameless, blatant rip-off copies most of ’s plot, characters, and setting, going so far as to feature creature point-of-view shots rendered as heavily pixelated, heat-signature, thermal-vision images.It even heavily lifts narrative elements from another 1987 classic, .
1 Friday the 13th The best example of rip-off success While became a commercial success, it was critically despised at the time of its release.In fact, Gene Siskel hated the movie so much that he ruined the movie’s twist ending in his review for the .Deals Score Entertainment Deals: Save on Home Theater Gear Unlock discounts on TVs, soundbars, speakers, projectors and streaming gear — find deals that upgrade movie nights without breaking the bank.
Shop TV, Audio & Entertainment offers for savings on home theater equipment, media players, and accessories.Deals Explore TV, Audio & Entertainment Deals The rip-off slasher movie might be the best example of a flagrant copycat giving birth to a horror movie franchise whose place in cinema history is almost as significant as the thing it knocked off—that is John Carpenter’s n.Both Cunningham and his screenwriter, Victor Miller, have freely admitted to stealing from Carpenter’s trailblazing horror film.
Fortunately for them, was such a financially successful trendsetter that it revolutionized the slasher subgenre and has been ripped off just as much as Carpenter’s classic.Friday the 13th R Horror Release Date May 9, 1980 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Cast Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, Kevin Bacon, Jeannine Taylor, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Peter Brouwer, Robbi Morgan, Rex Everhart, Ronn Carroll, Ron Millkie, Walt Gorney, Willie Adams, Debra S.Hayes, Dorothy Kobs, Sally Anne Golden, Mary Rocco, Ken L.
Parker, Ari Lehman, Noel Cunningham, Irwin Keyes, Tom Savini Runtime 95 minutes Director Sean S.Cunningham Writers Victor Miller Producers Alvin Geiler Sequel(s) Friday the 13th Part 2, Friday the 13th Part III, Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, Jason X, Freddy vs.Jason Franchise(s) Friday The 13th Main Genre Horror Budget $550,000 Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros.
Executive Producer(s) Alvin Geiler Powered by Expand Collapse A bygone era Clearly, there are numerous other strange 1980s movie rip-offs floating around out there, such as , which is unrelated to but mimics its premise; , which mirrors ’s concept; and , which replicates the post-apocalyptic setting, vehicle combat, and lone warrior structure of .This excludes the countless slasher rip-offs that also exist.While some of these titles didn’t even come close to rivaling the quality or box office success of the movies they ripped off, some did become classics for underground movie lovers.
For general audiences, they offered a whole new window into cheap filmmaking in a bygone era.
Read More
