Killer B's: Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror

Introduction to

Killer B’s: Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror

Star Wars. 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Matrix. The Lord of the Rings. The Wizard of Oz. Psycho. The Shining. These are just a few of the titles you won’t find in this volume. Why? Because they’re some of the best known, most viewed movies in their genres. We’ve all seen them (repeatedly). No one needs to tell you they’re great. But where do you turn when you’re looking for a compelling science fiction, fantasy or horror movie you haven’t seen before? The answer is in right your hands.

Killer B’s: Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror is your guide to finding films that few movie viewers have ever heard of—and when they do discover them, they feel compelled to tell their friends about the nugget of gold they’ve panned from a muddy ocean of mostly mediocre movies. The Killer B’s series takes full advantage of on demand movie services, with their easy access to films large and small, good and bad. It’s just as easy to find a hidden gem as a recent blockbuster...if you know what to look for. Killer B’s lets you know what to look for.

The great thing about these three genres is that it they can encompass so many other film categories. In this volume, for instance, you’ll find science fiction, fantasy and horror films that also serve as action epics, comedies, dramas, art house favorites, philosophical treatises, thrillers, romances, and flights of pure imaginative fancy.

Science fiction, fantasy and horror buffs are among the most dedicated movie viewers on the planet, but I’d be extremely surprised if even the most hard-core viewer has seen all of these titles. And every movie in this volume can be enjoyed by a general audience as well—no special knowledge or fanboy credentials are required.

So choose a chapter, fire up your favorite on demand movie service, and start enjoying some of the 113 best sci-fi, fantasy and horror movies you’ve (probably) never seen!

Killer B’s:

A Detailed Definition

(or, "Why is that in this book?")

Just what is a Killer B?

It’s a minor (B) movie that is excellent, outstanding, and awesome (i.e., killer). It’s a relatively unknown film that’s every bit as first-rate as most first-run features. It’s a bit of undiscovered cinema exceptional enough to excite even jaded movie viewers.

Killer B’s are terrific but little-known films that never got the publicity, distribution or attention they needed to allow their audience to find them. They are commendable movies that were lost in the tsunami of hundreds of new movie and video releases every year. They are movies that Entertainment Weekly calls criminally underrated. And they’re the kind of serendipitous cinematic discovery you yourself stumble across on rare occasions, get excited about, and feel compelled to recommend to friends.

Killer B’s are very similar to movies that have long been referred to as buried treasures or sleepers. What is it, then, that differentiates a Killer B from these other types of undiscovered little films? My selection criteria were, for the most part, arbitrary but logical (as far as I know. I am neither Sherlock nor Spock, however.)

First, I eliminated titles that are too well known. Most movies that were popular enough to make any theatrical or rental top ten list, for example, were rejected. Second, I tried to chart an MOR (middle of the road) course to ensure that the majority of these titles are suitable for general audiences; I therefore rejected as candidates most sub-sub-genres (slasher and splatter horror flicks, for example) and cult films (which deserve their own book, but most of which aren’t for general audiences, or they wouldn’t be cult flicks, duh). You also won’t find any grade Z, so bad they’re good trash flicks here. Killer B’s are good movies. (Details on the selection process can be found in the Deep Dive, located at the back of this ebook.)

Finally, there’s The Unwritten Rule—one additional, important criterion: I had to like it. If I didn’t like a film, it’s not in here. Not all blind dates inspire a spark—but some create real chemistry.

So what did I look for in a great overlooked or minor film? Primarily, excellence in one or more aspects: exceptional performances, a smart script, lush photography, appropriate pace, masterful direction. I looked for originality, intelligence, uniqueness, sincerity. I looked for overall engaging entertainment and for lasting impressions. Above of all, however, I looked for genuinely affecting emotion. Whether the film was intended to inspire laughter or tears, awe or chills, I looked for an experience—for films that touched and affected me, with the hope that they will affect you similarly.

You’re holding 113 perfect examples of Killer B science fiction, fantasy and horror movies. (And can find even more in Killer B’s, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, and Killer B’s: The Hive.) Enjoy them...and get ready to find a few new films to love!

The Killer B’s

Movie Guide Series

The Killer B’s Movie Guides are your golden ticket to unseen cinema: noteworthy films that few movie viewers have discovered. These guidebooks take full advantage of on demand movie services, with their easy access to an abundance of films. It’s just as easy to find a hidden gem as a recent blockbuster...if you know what to look for. The Killer B’s Movie Guides let you know what to look for.

If you enjoyed the selections in Killer B’s: Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror, you can find even more underseen and undiscovered films in these genres in Killer B’s, Vol. 1 & 2. You might also want to explore some of the other ebooks in the Killer B’s series, including:

Killer B’s, Volume 1 (1980-1995)

The 237 best movies on demand you’ve (probably) never seen. Includes all the major film genres (Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Family & Kids, Horror, Mystery, Suspense & Thriller, Westerns) as well as some surprises. (Note: Some of the selections in Killer B’s: Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror were excerpted from this volume, but you can find even more movies in these genres in Killer B’s, Vol. 1.)

Killer B’s, Volume 2: Son of a Killer B (1996-2016)

237 MORE great movies on demand you’ve (probably) never seen. Includes all the major film genres plus a bonus chapter of 11 undiscovered but binge-watchable TV series. (Note: Some of the selections in Killer B’s: Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror were excerpted from this volume, but you can find even more movies in these genres in Killer B’s, Vol. 2.)

Killer B’s: The Hive

The 487 best movies (and a few TV shows) on demand you’ve (probably) never seen. Combines the contents of Killer B’s, Volume 1 (1980-1995) and Killer B’s, Volume 2: Son of a Killer B (1996-2016) into a single volume—and includes annual updates!

Killer B’s Comedy: Wild

101 insane, insanely great unknown comedy movies drawn from Killer B’s, Vols. 1 & 2.

Killer B’s Comedy: Mild

101 great unknown low-key comedy movies drawn from Killer B’s, Vols. 1 & 2.

Killer B’s: Action & Thriller

123 great unknown action, thriller, suspense and mystery films excerpted from Killer B’s, Vols. 1 & 2.

Killer B’s: Drama

117 great unknown dramatic movies excerpted from Killer B’s, Vols. 1 & 2.

Available wherever fine ebooks are sold.

Front Matter

• Information You Will Not Find in

Killer B’s: Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror

• The Skeleton Key

• Caveat Videor

Information You Will Not Find in

Killer B’s: Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror

• Distributor (the label under which a film was released on DVD, Blu-ray, etc.). Studio information has also been eliminated because, really, who cares? Never once in the history of watching films at home has anyone ever said, Hey, you know what I’d really like to see tonight? One of those great Columbia TriStar classics!

• Ranking information by the various on demand movie services (and IMDb) is not included, since it is fluid and dynamic. A snapshot of a movie’s rating taken on January first might be totally irrelevant by December 31st...or even on January second.

• Availability information—that is, which on demand movie services carry which titles—is not included, since this is a moving target. Movies are added to and rotated out of all online services on a daily basis. If you want to find out where you can rent or purchase a title, Rotten Tomatoes provides this information online. And the current trend is for apps that check availability across platforms and providers, built into devices like AppleTV.

Full disclosure: As of publication time, not all titles in this book are in fact available from on demand services. However, most of those titles unavailable on demand as of press time are available on DVD (or on YouTube), and it is our firm belief (and observation) that the titles currently unavailable on demand will become available as time goes on. If you fail to find a Killer B title on an on demand service, check YouTube, Netflix DVD rentals, or Amazon for purchase—or just wait a few weeks or months...it’ll undoubtedly show up on demand sooner or later.

The Skeleton Key

Each review is formatted in the following manner:

1. Title

2. (Subgenre, where applicable)

3. (Miscellaneous information, where applicable)

4. (Year of theatrical release; 5. MPAA rating; 6. Running time)

HEADING INFORMATION

7. Cast (Starring/Featuring)

8. Writer (and source material, where applicable)

8A. Music (where appropriate)

9. Director

BODY INFORMATION

10. Synopsis

11. Discussion

12. Rent this one for

13. You’ll (probably) like this if you liked

13A. Similar Killer B’s in this volume you might enjoy

14. Critical Credentials/Dissenting Opinion

15. Vidbits

A more detailed key, including definitions and an explanation of the methodology used in each section, can be found in the Deep Dive, located at the end of this ebook.

Caveat Videor

(Let the watcher beware)

Taste.

It’s probably the most loosely defined word in the English language.

But just so there’s no mistake, let me reiterate a key point made in the Introduction, and state definitively, once again, for the record:

Not every Killer B

is suitable for all tastes.

Just as Killer B’s offers sleepers from a wide variety of sources—including major studios, independent productions, cable, made-for-video, unreleased and direct-to-video features—so does it cover a wide range of tastes.

Hence the numerous methods of presenting each movie: by plot, by highlights, by discussion of its merits—even by inclusion of reasons why some reviewers didn’t like a given film. The only rule in this book is that if, after reading the description, a title sounds appealing to you, you’ll probably like it, and it will probably prove worth your while to seek it out. (Death, taxes, and politicians lying aside, nothing is absolutely guaranteed.) But if a review in Killer B’s doesn’t sound interesting, you probably won’t like the movie—so don’t waste your time on it.

Anyway, you’ve been warned...so when it comes to any of these movies, just...watch it.

SCIENCE FICTION

Sci-Fi Action

Capricorn One

(1978; R; 2:03)

Starring: Elliott Gould, James Brolin, Hal Holbrook

Featuring: Brenda Vaccaro, O.J. Simpson, Sam Waterston, Karen Black, Telly Savalas, Robert Walden, David Doyle

Music by: Jerry Goldsmith

Written and directed by: Peter Hyams

Synopsis: Minutes before the launch of America’s first manned mission to Mars, the three astronauts (Brolin, Waterston and Simpson) are plucked from their capsule and informed by the head of NASA (Holbrook) that the flight is technically impossible—and it ain’t gonna happen. In order to save face, however—and to keep the funding flowing—he’s arranged to have the entire Martian mission staged in a hanger on an abandoned military base deep in the Southwestern desert. But when the entire world watches the spacecraft burn up on re-entry, the coerced conspirators realize that if any of them is ever seen alive again, the whole hoax will be blown. Since there’s no way out for NASA but to kill them, they escape into the desert, chased by military assassins. Concurrently with their life-or-death dilemma, a beleaguered reporter (Gould), intrigued by anomalies in the official story, attempts to unravel the truth from the outside.

Discussion: It seems that there are still a number of suspicious souls out there who honestly believe that all America’s moon shots were faked: that space travel proved impossible and that the moon landings never took place at all, but instead were staged for TV in a warehouse somewhere. Hyams took this legendary conspiracy theory and turned it into a simple adventure flick with no pretensions other than pure entertainment. But, as the script is filled with eminently logical explanations for every one of its outrageous ideas, it keeps us hooked on its virtual reality.

The paranoid/conspiracy mindset is brilliantly illustrated, not just in the set-up, but in the unraveling of the scheme as well. Hyams knows how to direct a suspense movie, and this one is filled with solid performances, as well as an unexpected highlight: Telly Savalas’ brief but hilarious appearance as the world’s most obnoxious man.

Rent this one for: being a clever story well told; for the jokes.

You’ll (probably) like this if you liked: Hanger 18, Roswell, Wavelength, TV’s Alien Autopsy (government space conspiracies)

Dissenting Opinion:

• ...boring... —Sight and Sound

• ...the first SF movie without any SF. —The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film

Castle in the Sky

(animated)

(1986; PG; 2:04)

Featuring the voice talents of: Anna Paquin, James Van Der Beek, Cloris Leachman, Mark Hamill, Mandy Patinkin, Andy Dick

Written and Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki

Synopsis: In a world of retro-futuristic technology, young Sheeta (Paquin) possesses an amulet containing the rare element Etherium, which gives her seemingly magical powers...and everybody is after it, including the military, a gang of air pirates led by their mother figure, Dola (Leachman), and shady government agent Muska (Hamill). Sheeta is rescued by a young orphan, Pazu (Van Der Beek), and they set out to find the mythical floating city of Laputa—the source of Etherium.

But the government believes in Laputa, too, and wants to weaponize its advanced technology. Muska knows that Sheeta’s amulet is the key to finding and controlling Laputa, and will stop at nothing to get it, forcing Pazu and Sheeta into an uneasy partnership with Dola’s gang as they all search for the city in the sky. Who’ll find it first—and what happens if they unleash the awesome power of Laputa’s technology?

Discussion: Set in a steam punk world that is part Dickensian society and part Jules Vernian technology, Castle in the Sky is a grand, epic adventure, lovingly hand-drawn in classic pre-CGI 2D animation and full of breathtaking imagery set above, on, and even occasionally below ground level. Miyazaki’s truly original vision includes flying machines as big as aircraft carriers and as small as two-person mosquito flyers with flapping, zizzing wings; cities built on the sides of mountain cliffs and floating in the clouds; powerful giant robots and convincingly advanced technology; and a large dose of comic relief—all exactingly detailed.

Like much anime, it’s really not for children. Some of the situations might prove too intense for kids—shooting at children is not exactly a G-rated situation, for instance—and there are scenes of harrowing adventure during the perilous journey to the mysterious flying island. But credit Miyazaki for visualizing a unique, original, intricately detailed and thoroughly captivating world, and for setting an exciting adventure within that world.

Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke famously claimed, Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic; this exquisite film illustrates his insight, but relegates it to the back seat while Miyazaki holds us captive with his charming imagery and compelling story. There is magic in Sheeta’s amulet...but there’s even more magic in Miyazaki’s dazzling and delightful animation.

Rent this one for: the superb animation; the epic science fiction adventure.

You’ll (probably) like this if you liked: Any Miyazaki-directed anime, including My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, The Wind Rises, also The Kingdom of Madness and Dreams (a documentary about Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli); The Goonies, Treasure Island (1950), Treasure Planet (kids adventure); The Incredibles, Inside Out

Similar Killer B’s in this volume you might enjoy: The Secret of Kells (animated mythology)

Critical Credentials:

• Tomatometer: All Critics: 95% liked it. Audience Score: 91% liked it.

• As of September, 2015, this was listed as #229 of the IMDb’s Top 250 Movies.

• One of my favorite movies of Miyazaki. –John Lassiter, Chief Creative Officer of Disney/Pixar, in his introduction to the film.

• Frequently astounding. –Richard Harrington, Washington Post

Dissenting Opinion:

• Liable to strain the patience of adults and the attention span of children. –Caryn James, New York Times

Vidbits:

• The first feature from Studio Ghibli.

• There seems to be a curious correspondence between Castle in the Sky’s pirate queen Dola and her idiot sons and the evil Mom and her idiot sons in the animated TV series Futurama, which premiered in 1999. I respect Matt Groening too much to claim there’s any plagiarism going on here, but, as the French say, it does give one furiously to think...

Cherry 2000

(1988; PG-13; 1:39)

Starring: Melanie Griffith, David Andrews, Ben Johnson

Featuring: Tim Thomerson, Pamela Gidley, Harry Carey, Jr.

Written by: Michael Almereyda

Directed by: Steve DeJarnatt

Synopsis: Cherry (Gidley) is the perfect wife: beautiful, loving, devoted, sexy—until she gets soap in her system and shorts out her circuits. Sam (Andrews) will do anything to replace her, but in this post-collapse America of 2017, sexbots like the Cherry 2000 just aren’t manufactured anymore. Oh, sure, a few still remain in a warehouse out in the badlands, but only the best Tracker could ever find them. So dedicated Sam finds the best Tracker, E. Johnson (Griffith). She’s willing to go into the dangerous no-man’s land and retrieve a Cherry chassis—but only if Sam rides shotgun. They’ve got to get past Lester (Thomerson), self-proclaimed judge, jury and executioner of Zone 7, and (Sam’s informed) a total wacko. Can they avoid his fatal faux ‘50s compound, grab a Cherry and escape intact? And once Sam gets a taste of real life, real adventure—and of E. Johnson, a real woman—can he overcome his Barbie fetish?

Discussion: Most science fiction asks only that you suspend your disbelief. Um—get yourself a pair of suspenders to watch this one... DeJarnatt (Miracle Mile) has always had a strange sci-fi vision (and an obsession with Las Vegas); this fun little film is by turns sci-fi spoof, Western send-up and post-apocalyptic adventure flick parody. It’s full of plot holes and bad acting, but with all its faults, it’s still worth watching, primarily as a visual treat. DeJarnatt located (and created) some striking and truly unusual locations: desert excavations, a sand-subsumed Vegas, and the most gargantuan drainpipe imaginable (the scene lowering their car into the latter is an eye-popper).

It’s also a very funny film: In this surreal, bizarro retro-future, cobbled together from 50 years of 20th century detritus, the single biggest industry is recycling, for instance. And it’s full of inside jokes (Robbie and Gort both make cameos in the robot repair shop—and Sam hails from Anaheim, home of Disneyland’s robotic Abe Lincoln). Equal parts Blade Runner, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Road Warrior—and lampooning them all—it’s an oddball entry good for some weird, warped, mindless fun.

Rent this one for: the satire; the unusual locations.

You’ll (probably) like this if you liked: Mad Max, Westworld; Blade Runner (serious version)

Similar Killer B’s in this volume you might enjoy: Escape From New York

Critical Credentials:

• Technically, the flick is quite lavish... —Variety

Dissenting Opinion:

• ...predictable mix of routine action and lazy satire. —The Phantom’s Ultimate Video Guide

• Tomatometer: 0% (Zero positive reviews out of six reviews from minor critics.)

• You actually liked this? —my friend Will.

Vidbits: The club lawyer is Lawrence (billed as Larry) Fishburne.

Escape From New York

(1981; R; 1:39; Director’s Special Edition: 1:46 )

Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine

Featuring: Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Season Hubley

Written by: John Carpenter and Nick Castle

Directed by (and music by): John Carpenter

Synopsis: The year is 1997 (and for a movie released in 1981, that was The Future). Following a nearly apocalyptic war, Manhattan has become virtually uninhabitable. The entire island has been walled off and turned into a maximum-security prison. There are no guards and no rules—and once you’re in, you’re in for life, which usually isn’t very long. So when Air Force One crashes inside the walls, and the President of the United States (Donald Pleasance) is taken hostage by the feral felons, the authorities decide their best bet for a rescue is to send in war hero and anti-social anti-hero Snake Pliskin (Russell), a walking attitude problem. And to ensure he figures a way to spring POTUS from this living hell, they inject him with an explosive device on a timer. If he doesn’t get out in time for the authorities to deactivate the device, he dies too.

Discussion: Was it eerily prescient to posit an attack on Manhattan 20 years before 9/11? Or is it just a weird coincidence? Either way, if you can just suspend your disbelief long enough to swallow the impossible premise, it’s easy to enjoy this high camp parody of post-apocalypse action flicks like The Road Warrior and Blade Runner —a parody produced even as these films were just becoming popular.

While the action is off-beat, intriguing and beautifully directed, the real reason this movie stands out is its dark humor—and most of that revolves around its ensemble of bizarre characters: The pants-wetting President; enthusiastic cab driver Borgnine (Wait’ll I tell the fellas who I had in my cab!); Hayes as the self-styled Duke of New York (I’m A-Number One!); and Stanton, sullenly wonderful as the brains behind the ruling regime on this modern Devil’s Island. Even Russell goons it up, playing his snarling anarchist Pliskin as an imitation Clint Eastwood—much as he played his character in Carpenter’s action comedy Big Trouble In Little China as a parody of John Wayne.

Rent this one for: its comic-book-style, over-the-top action; for its black humor; for its rabidly anti-authoritarian attitude.

You’ll (probably) like this if you liked: Big Trouble In Little China, Mad Max, The Road Warrior

Critical Credentials:

• Tomatometer: Certified Fresh. All Critics: 83% liked it.

• ...[a] junk classic... —Entertainment Weekly (January 24, 1997). EW grade: B

Dissenting Opinion:

• For a ‘fun’ film this is pretty bleak. —Leonard Maltin’s Movie and Video Guide (2 stars)

Fortress

(1992; R; 1:31)

Starring: Christopher Lambert, Loryn Locklyn, Kurtwood Smith

Featuring: Lincoln Kilpatrick, Tom Towles

Written by: Troy Neighbors, Steve Feinberg, David Venable, Terry Curtis Fox

Directed by: Stuart Gordon

Synopsis: In the overpopulated world of the near future, one child is the limit by law (and, irrationally, abortion is illegal). When Brennick’s (Lambert) wife Karen (Locklyn) becomes pregnant with their second, they make a run for the border—and fail. They’re sentenced to 31 years in a maximum-security penitentiary buried beneath a desolate desert. The Fortress is