50 BEST LITTLE KNOWN LOW-BUDGET AND/OR B-MOVIES EVER MADE (including comment/short review)

Crazy fun! Made by a very talented director (Alex De La Iglesia, who made 'Perdita Durango' after this), this hilarious black comedy deals with a cult who wants to bring the Antichrist back to the surface of the earth. 7 out of 10.

Great post-apocalyptic low budget sci-fi. The humor in this film is pitch black and a very young Don Johnson gives a cool performance. A must see for genre fans. 7 stars out of 10.

This hilariously disgusting, twisted, insane little gem from New Zealand is a must for fans of 'Evil Dead 2', 'Braindead' and similarly gory low-budget horror comedies. If you're into those kinds of films AND you're into Metal, don't miss out on this one: it's a blast. And it was obviously made by very talented people; especially the camera work is fantastic. The gore effects are good, most of the jokes are funny (depending on your sense of humor), and the actors may not win any Oscars any time soon but they seem perfectly well suited for their parts. My verdict: This is a splat-fest of the first order for gore-hounds with a twisted sense of humor, a love for Metal and a very high tolerance for real nastiness. It's a very well made film - especially for a first-time director - and I absolutely adored every minute of it. 7 stars out of 10.

Made for a little over a 100'000 dollars, this disturbing tale offers great acting and is very well done. Shocking - but also very intelligent - story of a cold blooded sociopath. 7.5 out of 10.

Very entertaining, ironic monster flick with pretty amazing effects - given the budget on this. Great original concept and fun by the pint load. 6.75 out of 10.

Funny and original werewolf comedy from Spain with well done make-up. I'm a sucker for werewolf films (sadly, there aren't that many good ones out there). This one was a positive surprise. 6.5 out of 10.

Trashy, gory, over the the top low budget fun. This is the film 'Machete' wants to be. 6 out of 10.

Very well done (and very funny) albeit not very well known zombie outbreak mini-series. Great, gory - and quite intelligent - low budget fun and a mean stab at reality TV-shows. This one deserves an 8 out of 10.

Totally demented serial killer/hostage farce. Over the top trash - and therefore a lot of fun for the sick and twisted mind. 6 out of 10.

I didn't expect anything from this one - and was pleasantly surprised. The crazy low rating doesn't do this film justice at all: this is a very tight and well made (dead serious) zombie flick. Especially the part in the plane is really gripping. Don't expect 'REC 2' (with which it has absolutely nothing in common) and you'll be able to enjoy this quite a lot. 6.5 out of 10 for sure.

Lars von Trier's weird, crazy (haunted) hospital series with an amazing atmosphere and a great cast. Shows that you don't need a budget as long as you've got great actors, good writing and the perfect location. Shot entirely on an ordinary video camera, this is 'no budget' Arthouse cinema. There's a second part for this series from 1997 which is just as good (I wish there would have been a third part, but some of the actors died). 9 out of 10.

Very dark film that is perhaps a bit too smart for its own good. What makes this film special is that it takes a modern, secular perspective when you least expect it - which makes us suddenly wonder just who the 'bad' guys really are in this bleak tale about Christianity/paganism. 7 out of 10.

With a budget of roughly 12 million dollars, I'm not exactly sure whether this still qualifies as either a low budget or a B-movie (it probably doesn't). But since it wasn't exactly a big production either (and it certainly isn't very well known), I chose to include it anyway. If you can accept a film which will leave you with more questions than answers, then I would highly recommend this twisted mindfu** of a movie. 7.5 out of 10.

Great original concept about a war in heaven with a stellar cast list which reads like the "who-is-who" of indie films and B-movies for the nineties. And Christopher Walken as the angel Gabriel is simply priceless (by the way, Aragorn is Satan). Beautifully shot and directed. 7 out of 10.

Cool, brutal indie flick that was made on a tiny budget with two soon-to-be stars. Clever script with lots of twists; perhaps it is a bit of a Tarantino wanna-be, but hey: that's not necessarily a bad thing. This was well done and very entertaining (except for the rather unoriginal ending). Great and very funny black comedy. 7 out of 10.

For those among us who like creepy ghost movies - this one delivers the chills and the shivers (and a bit of terror) quite nicely. Jaume Balaguero (Rec I+II) is definitely a very talented genre director. 6.5 out of 10.

Another one of those creepy ghost movies that deserves a much higher rating on IMDb. Great cast, nice scares, great production values a lot of atmosphere. This one may be low budget, but it was executive produced by none other than Steven Soderbergh; make of that what you will, but I thought it was a quality genre film. 6.75 out of 10.

An almost forgotten gem. I really liked the atmosphere in this one; great actors, great music - but I wouldn't really call it a horror film. It's not really a werewolf flick either - this unique film has many characteristics of a genre movie but is very much its own beast. The director has an interesting background; he was the dude who made history in 1969 by making Woodstock happen. He took Strieber's werewolf novel and brought something personal to it. Call it a mythical/ecological psycho thriller if you will. Anyway, this gets a 7 out of 10.

I stumbled upon this film knowing absolutely nothing about it, and I think that's exactly the right way - perhaps the only way - to approach this bleak suspenseful tale. So I won't spoil anything for you and concentrate instead on my impressions from the film. Firstly: great production values; set and sound design can compete with anything you normally see in big Hollywood productions. Secondly: fantastic actors, and if you're into dark, disturbing films, great story. The current rather low IMDb rating bugs me and I think it will go up as soon as more people have seen the film. I'd highly recommend this film to anyone who likes a well told gritty story - I rate it a solid 7 out of 10.

The ultimate antidote to Ratatouille. After this film, a harmless little rat will never look the same to you again. Fun, suspenseful thrill ride. Imagine 'Mouse Hunt' as a low budget horror film with Robocop himself as the exterminator. 7 out of 10.

Allegedly made for only 60'000 dollars, this was John Carpenter's first film. Half of what makes this film fun is the cheap effects work, but there are also some clever elements of satire. Dan O'Bannon, who later wrote the script for 'Alien', was the co-writer on this and he also stars in it. Great stuff! 7 out of 10.

What a weird fairy tale: director Neil Jordan (Interview with the Vampire) seems to have had the intention of taking a Freudian approach to the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. The result is an almost surreal collection of stories about rather testosterone driven werewolves who all have a little more on their minds than "just" to kill. If you like old school practical effects and transformations, this film has 'em by the truck load (although they do seem a little dated by now). Not everything works in this strange tale; the mix of sexual symbolism, poetic beauty and gory horror moments seems a bit forced at times - but when it does work it's utterly fascinating. For fans of the weird and lovers of the pre-CGI era, this is a rare treat. 7 out of 10.

Seeing that this one's got nearly 20'000 votes on IMDb by now, it appears to have garnered a bit of a cult following. Still, most people don't know this crazy take on 'Little Red Riding Hood' and although some would argue that it is a very intelligent satire and an Arthouse film (it certainly does have some satirical qualities), I still think it qualifies more as a B-picture (and it definitely is a low budget film) - albeit a very good one. This violent, mad black comedy has a great cast - amazing performances from both Kiefer Sutherland and Reese Whiterspoon - and is just one hell of a ride. 7 out of 10.

This list wouldn't be complete without at least one film by the king of low budget and B-movies: the great Roger Corman. This is my favorite of his E.A.Poe themed films from the sixties, mainly because of the terrific cast: Peter Lorre and Vincent Price. Great fun (and actually quite good). 7 out of 10.

Another one from the Spanish maestro Alex de la Iglesia; this one's actually rather disturbing and certainly not for the faint of heart or guardians of decency and political correctness. A violent, crazy, twisted road movie with two amazing leads: Javier Bardem and Rosie Perez. 7 out of 10.