But what is a B movie anyway? There are a few definitions floating around, but let’s start with the term itself. When double-features would play in movie theaters, there would be the main attraction that studios were confident would do well, followed by a cheaper movie that was often just “filler.” Like an “A side” and a “B side” on a record. Since these B movies played later at night, they were often associated with horror, horny teenagers, and general raunchiness.

The term “B movie” is now used for any film that’s made with limited resources. But cheap doesn’t mean bad, so while some of these movies are pretty rough, others did incredible things with small budgets. One thing they all have in common, though, is that they’re entertaining as hell.

The king of corn, you should watch The Room with as many people as possible. And if you see it in a crowded theater, remember to bring spoons.

IMDb summary: “Johnny is a successful bank executive who lives quietly in a San Francisco townhouse with his fiancée, Lisa. One day, putting aside any scruple, she seduces Johnny’s best friend, Mark. From there, nothing will be the same again.”  

Ed Wood’s masterpiece, this B movie walked so others could run. Film critic Roger Ebert said of Wood, “He was so in love with every frame of every scene of every film he shot that he was blind to hilarious blunders, stumbling ineptitude, and acting so bad that it achieved a kind of grandeur.

IMDb summary: “Evil aliens attack Earth and set their terrible ‘Plan 9’ into action. As the aliens resurrect the dead of the Earth, the lives of the living are in danger.”  

The three things you need to know about Troll 2:

1 – There are no trolls.

2 – There is no first Troll movie (well, there is, but it has no connection to this one).

3 – The Italian filmmakers and American actors were largely unable to communicate due to a language barrier.

IMDb summary: “A vacationing family discovers that the entire town they’re visiting is inhabited by goblins disguised as humans, who plan to eat them.”  

With a title like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, the film basically markets itself.

IMDb summary: “Three go-go dancers holding a young girl hostage come across a crippled old man living with his two sons in the desert. After learning he’s hiding a sum of cash around, the women start scheming on him.”

Known for his Bullets, Bombs, and Babes movies of the ’80s and ’90s, director Andy Sidaris was known for including Playboy playmates in his movies. Hard Ticket to Hawaii features playmates Dona Speir, Hope Marie Carlton, Cynthia Brimhall, and Patty Duffek.

IMDb summary: “In Hawaii, an undercover DEA agent and her civilian friend stumble upon a drug trafficking operation, and have to enlist the help of all their colleagues/friends to go after the vicious drug kingpin.”  

This techno-horror flick became a classic thanks to home releases on VHS and cable. A remake has been in talks since 2011, but so far there’s been nothing concrete.

IMDb summary: “A group of young shopping mall employees stay behind for a late night party in one of the stores. When the mall goes on lockdown before they can get out, the robot security system malfunctions, and goes on a killing spree.”    

Matt Hannon’s eyes as he swings that sword tell you everything you need to know about the energy in this movie.

IMDb summary: “Joe Marshall and Frank Washington are two tenacious police detectives who seek at all costs to stop the Katana, a renegade Yakuza gang composed of violent and sadistic killers who want to lead the drug trade in Los Angeles.”    

Some B movies don’t have much in the way of originality, instead ripping off more famous properties (see Transmorphers further down). This is not the case for Killer Klowns From Outer Space, which is first and foremost inventive, unique, and completely absurd.

IMDb summary: “Aliens who look like clowns come from outer space and terrorize a small town.”    

The title should be all you need to want to watch this film, but just in case here’s the cherry on top: it features Anthony Daniels (who plays C-3PO in Star Wars) as a priest who tries to exorcise the bike’s evil.

IMDb summary: “When a motorbike gang kills an occultist, the evil spirit he was summoning inhabits a damaged bike. The bike is then bought and restored, but reveals its true nature when it tries to exact vengeance on the gang, and anyone else who gets in its way.”    

As the film’s tagline puts it, “Enough said!”

IMDb summary: “When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, nature’s deadliest killer rules sea, land, and air as thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace.”    

After 1973’s Enter the Dragon, Jim Kelly was one of the biggest martial arts stars in the world. Capitalizing on that success was Black Samurai, which even has a reference to the Bruce Lee hit with Kelly playing an agent of D.R.A.G.O.N.

IMDb summary [edited]: “Robert Sand, agent of D.R.A.G.O.N. (Defense Reserve Agency Guardian Of Nations), is on when his commanding officers ask him to save an ambassador’s daughter.”    

The best thing about this movie is that it spawned ThanksKilling: The Musical.

IMDb summary: “A homicidal turkey axes off college kids during Thanksgiving break.”    

With reviews like these, you know it’s going to be a good time:

“Renewed my faith in politics.” —Stephen H.

“I was always asking myself which president is the greatest monster-hunting US president: Abraham Lincoln or F.D. Roosevelt, and as a historian, I am happy that finally, someone provided an answer.” —Panta O.

“Ever wanted to see Franklin Delano Roosevelt fire his rocket launcher wheelchair at Werewolf Hitler? Of course you have. Why are you still reading this? Go watch the movie.” —Colson V.

IMDb summary: “An outrageous, over-the-top spoof, FDR: American Badass is the untold true story of our country’s greatest monster-hunting president!”    

Pictured is director, writer, producer, star, editor, musical director, craft service coordinator, special makeup effects artist, and prop master Neil Breen.

IMDb summary: “Disappointed by its creation, the almighty being that created Man arrives on Earth in a human form and interacts with various troubled, wicked and sinful people on his journey to Vegas.”    

There aren’t a ton of movies with cyborgs, dinosaurs, and kickboxing, but this is still one of the best.

IMDb summary: “A run-away human slave from Earth’s future escapes to the present.”    

If there was ever a movie perfectly suited for the drive-in theater experience, it’s this one.

IMDb summary: “An alien lifeform consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows.”    

C.H.U.D. stands for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, and the movie was a big enough hit that it got a sequel, C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D.

IMDb summary: “A bizarre series of sudden disappearances on the streets of New York City seems to point toward something unsavory living in the sewers.”    

Part of the genius of B movies is that, even though they were typically cheap, movie studios often made a good amount of money off of them. After all, when you’re a teenager at a drive-in, does it really matter how deep the movie is? House on Haunted Hill is a blast to watch, and it made back plenty of money. Alfred Hitchcock noticed this, and it is partly what inspired him to make Psycho, which was released the following year.

IMDb summary: “A millionaire offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with him and his wife.”      

Around the ’50s there were a lot of sci-fi flicks now called “radiation paranoia” movies, which usually feature some animal blown up to massive proportions. The best example of a radiation paranoia movie is the first Godzilla (1954).

IMDb summary: “A giant, radioactive octopus rises from the Philippine Trench to terrorize the North American Pacific Coast.”    

This spoof was reportedly made for just $2,000. The tagline is all you need to know: “Nothin’ an English professor can’t handle.”

IMDb summary: “When a gang of terrorists invades a campus building, it’s up to English professor Joe McCann to save the day.”    

Alfred Hitchcock wishes…

IMDb summary: “A horde of mutated birds descends upon the quiet town of Half Moon Bay, California. With the death toll rising, Two citizens manage to fight back, but will they survive Birdemic?”  

This movie flew under the radar after it was first released, but slowly and surely people started to notice this now-classic horror film. It is included in the Criterion Collection and ranked #51 on Slant magazine’s list of the “100 Best Horror Movies of All Time.”

IMDb summary: “After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.”    

This movie perfectly fits into the original definition of a B movie, as it was literally made to be a cheap yet profitable horror movie for teens. The film did remarkably well, proving that cheap thrills, teens, and drive-in theaters are the perfect combo for making money.

IMDb summary: “Scientists become trapped on a shrinking island with intelligent, murderous giant crabs.”    

This movie’s a lot like Marley & Me in that you shouldn’t watch it with your dog…

IMDb summary: “Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as ‘The Filthiest Person Alive.'”    

Starring the legendary Pam Grier, Foxy Brown is arguably the most influential blaxploitation film of all time. It was also immensely influential on Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, which also stars Grier.

IMDb summary: “A voluptuous Black vigilante takes a job as a high-class prostitute to get revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend.”    

Russ Meyer (who directed Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! right after this film) includes his signature blend of over-the-top sex, action, and violence.

IMDb summary: “Three bad boy motorcyclists get kicks raping women and generally being a nuisance. When they rape a veterinarian’s wife, he takes exception and pursues them, teaming up with a Cajun woman whose husband they killed. The leader of the gang, a Vietnam vet, begins showing signs of being a few slices short of a loaf.”    

Jaws is often called the “first summer blockbuster,” and it inspired a whole bunch of low-budget movies trying to capitalize on Steven Spielberg and Universal’s success. Getting as close to the plot of Jaws without copying it outright, Piranha swaps out Bruce the Shark for genetically-engineered piranha with an insatiable appetite.

IMDb summary: “When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort’s rivers, the guests become their next meal.”    

Fulfilling every ’80s kid’s fantasy of going from a nerd to a giant sludge-monster fighting for justice, The Toxic Avenger is a splatter film for the ages.

IMDb summary: “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.”    

When you ask your mom for Gremlins and she says there are Gremlins at home.

IMDb summary: “A young security guard must track down diminutive aliens who kill people even as they make their fantasies come true.”    

This installment of the Leprechaun franchise barely fought off the following film, Leprechaun 4: In Space, for a spot on this list. If you’re not familiar with this series, it’s worth watching for Warwick Davis alone.

IMDb summary: “An evil leprechaun finds himself in Las Vegas, where he proceeds to cause mischief by killing people, granting twisted wishes, and infecting a young man with his green blood.”    

The Asylym / youtube.com

This movie was created by The Asylum, a studio that takes popular titles and intentionally makes lower-quality versions of them to capitalize on their success. Anyone who watched this expecting Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox were probably not thrilled.

IMDb summary: “A race of alien robots have conquered Earth and forced humanity underground. After 400 years, a small group of humans develops a plan to defeat the mechanical invaders in the ultimate battle between man and machine.”

Following Ro-Man Extension XJ-2 (the titular Robot Monster), this sci-fi movie was made in four days by a 25-year-old who stuck a space helmet on his friend’s homemade gorilla suit. It doesn’t get more B-rated than that.

IMDb summary: “The monstrous Ro-Man attempts to annihilate the last family alive on Earth, but finds himself falling for their beautiful daughter.”