Gregor's Top 40 of 1981
by Movie-Mate | created - 24 Nov 2013 | updated - 26 Jan 2020 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,035,999 | Gross: $248.16M
2. The Evil Dead (1981)
NC-17 | 85 min | Horror
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker
Votes: 232,193 | Gross: $2.40M
3. Escape from New York (1981)
R | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence
Votes: 157,255 | Gross: $25.24M
4. Blow Out (1981)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A movie sound recordist accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually murder and consequently finds himself in danger.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz
Votes: 63,105 | Gross: $13.75M
5. On Golden Pond (1981)
PG | 109 min | Drama
Norman is a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter Chelsea. At Golden Pond, he and his wife nevertheless agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend, and a most unexpected relationship blooms.
Director: Mark Rydell | Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon
Votes: 34,809 | Gross: $119.29M
6. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Horror
Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.
Director: John Landis | Stars: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Joe Belcher, Griffin Dunne
Votes: 120,315 | Gross: $30.57M
7. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
R | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community escape a horde of bandits.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston, Max Phipps
Votes: 193,414 | Gross: $12.47M
8. Scanners (1981)
R | 103 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called "scanning" to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non scanners.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence Dane
Votes: 61,666 | Gross: $14.23M
9. Body Heat (1981)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
During an extreme heatwave, a beautiful Florida woman and a seedy lawyer engage in an affair while plotting the murder of her rich husband.
Director: Lawrence Kasdan | Stars: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson
Votes: 40,096 | Gross: $24.06M
10. The Prodigal Son (1981)
R | 100 min | Action, Comedy
A young man discovers that his reputation as a fearsome martial artist is manufactured by his rich father, after meeting a real martial arts master, who's also a master thespian, and is determined to apprentice under him to learn kung fu.
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung | Stars: Biao Yuen, Ching-Ying Lam, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Frankie Chan
Votes: 3,531
The Prodigal Son
11. ...All the Marbles (1981)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Small timer female wrestling team "The California Dolls" and their manager must face the hardship of their sport and life to suceed.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Peter Falk, Vicki Frederick, Laurene Landon, Burt Young
Votes: 2,408
12. Stripes (1981)
R | 106 min | Comedy, War
Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Bill Murray, John Candy, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates
Votes: 79,922 | Gross: $85.30M
13. The Howling (1981)
R | 91 min | Horror
After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.
Director: Joe Dante | Stars: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone
Votes: 40,142 | Gross: $17.99M
14. Heavy Metal (1981)
R | 86 min | Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
A glowing green orb that embodies ultimate evil terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories.
Directors: Gerald Potterton, John Bruno, John Halas, Julian Harris, Jimmy T. Murakami, Barrie Nelson, Paul Sabella, Jack Stokes, Pino Van Lamsweerde, Harold Whitaker | Stars: Richard Romanus, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Don Francks
Votes: 38,106
15. Thief (1981)
R | 123 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An ace safe cracker wants to do one last big heist for the mob before going straight.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, Jim Belushi
Votes: 38,842 | Gross: $11.49M
16. Das Boot (1981)
R | 149 min | Drama, War
A German U-boat stalks the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as its young crew experience the sheer terror and claustrophobic life of a submariner in World War II.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch
Votes: 264,093 | Gross: $11.49M
17. My Young Auntie (1981)
Not Rated | 121 min | Action, Comedy
Cheng Tai-Nan (Kara Hui) is an honest and faithful servant of a dying patriarch who wants nothing more than to protect his vast wealth from his selfish, conniving nephew, Yung-Sheng. ... See full summary »
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Liang Liu, Kara Wai, Hou Hsiao, Lung-Wei Wang
Votes: 937
My Young Auntie
18. Return of the Sentimental Swordsman (1981)
101 min | Action, Drama
Director: Yuen Chor | Stars: Li Ching, Lung Ti, Sheng Fu, Feng Ku
Votes: 208
Return of the Sentimental Swordsman
19. The Treasure Hunters (1981)
R | 104 min | Action, Comedy
This movie is both one of the best-loved action comedies ever, and Alexander Fu Sheng's comeback film after breaking both his legs. It left no doubt that he was truly back in action, taking on cops, monks, and bad guys galore!
Director: Chia-Yung Liu | Stars: Sheng Fu, Chia-Hui Liu, Chan-Peng Chang, Kwok-Keung Chan
Votes: 213
The Treasure Hunters
20. Game of Death II (1980)
R | 96 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
After Billy Lo is killed while seeking the murderers of his friend, his brother Bobby goes all out to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Directors: See-Yuen Ng, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Corey Yuen | Stars: Bruce Lee, Tae-jeong Kim, Jeong-lee Hwang, Roy Horan
Votes: 3,609
Tower of Death
21. Roar of the Lion (1981)
Not Rated | 104 min | Action, Drama
Two young martial artists find themselves the unlucky owners of a top-secret list of kung-fu alliances.
Directors: Yuet-Sang Chin, Hsia Hsu | Stars: Meng Lo, Yue Wong, Pan Pan Yeung, Yuet-Sang Chin
Votes: 161
Lion Vs. Lion
22. Samurai Reincarnation (1981)
122 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
Centuries ago, a samurai survives the massacre of 35,000 Christians and denounces God for ignoring the pleas of the believers. He sells his soul to the devil and receives the power to resurrect the dead to join him on a murderous rampage.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Shin'ichi Chiba, Kenji Sawada, Akiko Kana, Ken Ogata
Votes: 1,181
23. Martial Club (1981)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama
Wong Fei-Hong and his once-rival, now friend, find themselves and their martial arts schools pitted against a rival school which uses a Kung Fu expert from the North to do their dirty work.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Kara Wai, Te-Lo Mai, Hou Hsiao
Votes: 615
Martial Club
24. Bloody Parrot (1981)
89 min | Action, Horror, Mystery
An expert swordsman is suspected of being the thief of a treasure sent to Emperor. The swordsman who has nothing to do with the theft investigates and is led on the trail of the supernatural "Bloody Parrot".
Director: Shan Hua | Stars: Jason Piao Pai, Tony Liu, Jenny Liang, Kuan-Chung Ku
Votes: 239
Bloody Parrot
25. The Sword Stained with Royal Blood (1981)
104 min | Action, Drama
Yuan finishes his training in the mountains and his master gives him an assignment. In his journey, he finds a cave containing a skeleton, a treasure chest, and a manual showing the Golden ... See full summary »
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Hsueh-Erh Wen, Tien-Hsiang Lung, Sheng Chiang
Votes: 280
Sword Stained With Royal Blood
26. Prince of the City (1981)
R | 167 min | Crime, Drama
A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Richard Foronjy, Don Billett
Votes: 9,506 | Gross: $8.12M
27. Southern Comfort (1981)
R | 106 min | Action, Thriller
During a routine exercise, a team of National Guardsmen are threatened by angry and violent locals.
Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward, Franklyn Seales
Votes: 21,855 | Gross: $5.00M
28. The Fox and the Hound (1981)
G | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
A fox named Tod and a hound named Copper vow to be best friends forever. But as Copper grows into a hunting dog, their unlikely friendship faces the ultimate test.
Directors: Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens, David Hand, Wolfgang Reitherman | Stars: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson
Votes: 101,787 | Gross: $63.46M
29. Suddenly in the Dark (1981)
Not Rated | 95 min | Horror
A wife starts to suspect her husband's infidelity after the arrival of their new, young housekeeper, who carries a mysterious wooden doll with herself.
Director: Young Nam Ko | Stars: Il-bong Yun, Kim Yeong-ae, Lee Ki-seon, Hye-ri Han
Votes: 481
Suddenly at Midnight
30. Galaxy of Terror (1981)
R | 81 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A ragtag spaceship crew sent on a rescue mission encounter a formidable enemy, their worst fears projected by their own imaginations.
Director: Bruce D. Clark | Stars: Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Ray Walston, Bernard Behrens
Votes: 8,876
31. The Burning (1981)
R | 91 min | Horror
A former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.
Director: Tony Maylam | Stars: Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer, Larry Joshua
Votes: 22,243
32. Reds (1981)
PG | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
A radical American journalist becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia, and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States.
Director: Warren Beatty | Stars: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosinski
Votes: 24,696 | Gross: $40.38M
33. Road Games (1981)
PG | 101 min | Mystery, Thriller
A laid-back American truck driver in south Australia suspects that the driver of a green van is killing young women along his route, and plays a game of cat-and-mouse to catch him.
Director: Richard Franklin | Stars: Stacy Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marion Edward, Grant Page
Votes: 9,079
34. Hell Night (1981)
R | 101 min | Horror, Thriller
Four college pledges are forced to spend the night in a deserted old mansion, where they are stalked by the monstrous survivor of a family massacre years earlier.
Director: Tom DeSimone | Stars: Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Peter Barton, Kevin Brophy
Votes: 8,750
35. Outland (1981)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
A federal marshal stationed at a mining colony on the Jupiter moon of Io uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy. He gets no help from the workers or authorities when he finds himself marked for murder.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Sean Connery, Frances Sternhagen, Peter Boyle, James Sikking
Votes: 32,339 | Gross: $17.37M
36. Excalibur (1981)
PG | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the Round Table of Camelot, even as dark forces conspire to tear it apart.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi
Votes: 67,078 | Gross: $34.97M
37. Dragonslayer (1981)
PG | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.
Director: Matthew Robbins | Stars: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam
Votes: 19,924 | Gross: $14.11M
38. Masked Avengers (1981)
R | 92 min | Action, Drama
Philip Kwok (Lizard venom) plays a repentant killer who vows to destroy the masked gang of which he was a member. A young fighter and his martial arts brothers (incl Chiang Sheng, venom ... See full summary »
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Siu-Ho Chin, Sheng Chiang, Ke Chu
Votes: 785
Masked Avengers
39. Dreadnaught (1981)
95 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
A foul-tempered mute fugitive hides out amongst a theater troupe after his criminal wife got killed by the police. He sets his sights on a cowardly laundry man, and will not rest until he kills him, while donning a theatrical face paint.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Biao Yuen, Ka-Yan Leung, Shun-Yee Yuen, Tak-Hing Kwan
Votes: 1,048
40. Black Lizard (1981)
82 min | Action, Drama, Horror
Young swordsman Lung Fei encounters strange omens portending the death of his fiancee Ting Tzu-chu. His enquiries with the help of Chief Constable Tieh Hu reveal an astounding story.
Director: Yuen Chor | Stars: Tung-Shing Yee, Helen Poon, Kuan-Chung Ku, Man-No Chen
Votes: 128
The Black Lizard
41. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Secret service agent James Bond is assigned to find a missing British vessel equipped with a weapons encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Director: John Glen | Stars: Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson
Votes: 108,217 | Gross: $62.30M
42. Halloween II (1981)
R | 92 min | Horror
While Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.
Director: Rick Rosenthal | Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Charles Cyphers, Jeffrey Kramer
Votes: 101,615 | Gross: $25.53M
43. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
R | 87 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Five years after the events of the first film, a summer camp next to the infamous Camp Crystal Lake is preparing to open, but the legend of Jason is weighing heavy on the proceedings.
Director: Steve Miner | Stars: Betsy Palmer, Amy Steel, John Furey, Adrienne King
Votes: 77,639 | Gross: $21.72M
44. My Bloody Valentine (1981)
R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A decades-old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine's Day turns out to be true to legend when a group defies the killer's order and people start turning up dead.
Director: George Mihalka | Stars: Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Keith Knight
Votes: 25,068 | Gross: $5.67M
45. Ms .45 (1981)
R | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A timid and mute seamstress goes insane after being attacked and raped twice in one day, in which she takes to the streets of New York City after dark and randomly shoots men with a .45 caliber pistol.
Director: Abel Ferrara | Stars: Zoë Lund, Bogey, Albert Sinkys, Darlene Stuto
Votes: 12,502
46. The House by the Cemetery (1981)
Not Rated | 86 min | Horror
A New England home is terrorized by a series of murders, unbeknownst to the guests that a gruesome secret is hiding in the basement.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Catriona MacColl, Paolo Malco, Ania Pieroni, Giovanni Frezza
Votes: 16,236
The House by the Cemetery
47. The Black Cat (1981)
R | 92 min | Horror
A professor with the psychic ability to communicate with the dead uses his powers on his pet cat in order to take vengeance upon his enemies.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Patrick Magee, Mimsy Farmer, David Warbeck, Al Cliver
Votes: 4,240
48. Firecracker (1981)
R | 77 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Femme fatale martial arts expert teaches the mafia a lesson.
Director: Cirio H. Santiago | Stars: Jillian Kesner, Darby Hinton, Rey Malonzo, Ken Metcalfe
Votes: 866
49. Cannibal Ferox (1981)
93 min | Adventure, Horror
Three friends set out to disprove cannibalism on a trip to the Amazonian jungle, where they meet two men trying to escape a vicious cannibal tribe.
Director: Umberto Lenzi | Stars: Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Lorraine De Selle, Danilo Mattei, Zora Kerova
Votes: 10,782
50. Dead & Buried (1981)
R | 94 min | Horror, Mystery
Sheriff Dan Gillis investigates eerie deaths in a sleepy coastal town.
Director: Gary Sherman | Stars: James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson, Dennis Redfield
Votes: 14,887 | Gross: $0.22M
51. Deadly Blessing (1981)
R | 100 min | Horror, Thriller
After her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, a widow becomes increasingly paranoid of the neighboring religious community that may have diabolical plans for her.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Maren Jensen, Sharon Stone, Susan Buckner, Jeff East
Votes: 6,967 | Gross: $8.28M
52. Madman (1981)
R | 88 min | Horror, Thriller
A legendary psychopathic murderer stalks a summer camp.
Director: Joe Giannone | Stars: Gaylen Ross, Tony Nunziata, Harriet Bass, Seth Jones
Votes: 6,719
53. The Final Conflict (1981)
R | 108 min | Horror
The now adult Antichrist plots to eliminate his future divine opponent while a cabal of monks plot to stop him.
Director: Graham Baker | Stars: Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi, Don Gordon, Lisa Harrow
Votes: 22,662 | Gross: $20.47M
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