1981
by dam33000 | created - 02 Feb 2020 | updated - 1 month ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Bolero (1981)
173 min | Drama, Music
Through fabulous music, this movie tracks three generations of musicians and dancers from Russia, Germany, France and the U.S., from before World War II through the war and the Holocaust, ... See full summary »
Director: Claude Lelouch | Stars: Robert Hossein, Nicole Garcia, Geraldine Chaplin, Daniel Olbrychski
Votes: 2,750
2. 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: 21,950 | Gross: $5.00M
3. 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: 39,071 | Gross: $11.49M
4. Pétrole! Pétrole! (1981)
Comedy
An Arab emir, emir Abdullah, finds his lost daughter who becomes the new heiress to his fortune. She is however married to Bernard Bérian, an oil speculator, who is a competitor and worst ... See full summary »
Director: Christian Gion | Stars: Jean-Pierre Marielle, Bernard Blier, Catherine Alric, Henri Guybet
Votes: 181
5. To Kill a Cop (1981)
Not Rated | 105 min | Action, Crime, Romance
Victim of manipulation, Cop Choucas is wanted for two murders and searched for by every cop in town.
Director: Alain Delon | Stars: Alain Delon, Mireille Darc, Anne Parillaud, Daniel Ceccaldi
Votes: 2,066
6. 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: 157,632 | Gross: $25.24M
7. Nightmare (1981)
R | 97 min | Horror
A mental patient embarks on a murder spree upon escaping from an institution.
Director: Romano Scavolini | Stars: Baird Stafford, Sharon Smith, C.J. Cooke, Mik Cribben
Votes: 4,435
8. Student Bodies (1981)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
A serial killer with his signature heavy breathing proceeds to systematically kill the students and teachers of Lamab high school.
Directors: Mickey Rose, Michael Ritchie | Stars: Kristen Riter, Matthew Goldsby, Jerry Belson, Joe Flood
Votes: 5,370 | Gross: $5.17M
9. 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: 7,000 | Gross: $8.28M
10. Death Wish II (1982)
R | 89 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Architect Paul Kersey once again becomes a vigilante when he tries to find the five street punks who murdered his daughter and housekeeper, this time on the dark streets of Los Angeles.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Vincent Gardenia, J.D. Cannon
Votes: 18,157 | Gross: $16.10M
11. Zombie Lake (1981)
R | 90 min | Horror
In a small village, somewhere in France, German soldiers, killed and thrown into the lake by the Resistance during WW II, come back.
Directors: Jean Rollin, Julian de Laserna | Stars: Howard Vernon, Pierre-Marie Escourrou, Anouchka, Antonio Mayans
Votes: 3,586
12. The Prowler (1981)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An unknown killer, clad in World War II U.S. Army fatigues, stalks a small California town, bent on reliving a 35 year-old double murder by focusing on a group of college kids holding an annual graduation dance.
Director: Joseph Zito | Stars: Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Lawrence Tierney, Farley Granger
Votes: 13,008
13. ...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: 2,413
14. The Funhouse (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror
Four teenagers visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement, but soon discover that nothing there is innocent or amusing.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin, Jack McDermott
Votes: 16,293 | Gross: $7.89M
15. The Incubus (1981)
R | 93 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A small town's doctor takes matters into his own hands after a series of gruesome and bizarre rape crimes perplex the clueless authorities.
Director: John Hough | Stars: John Cassavetes, John Ireland, Kerrie Keane, Helen Hughes
Votes: 2,957
16. Beau-père (1981)
13+ | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After her mother dies, fourteen-year-old Marion falls in love with her stepfather, Remy.
Director: Bertrand Blier | Stars: Patrick Dewaere, Ariel Besse, Maurice Ronet, Geneviève Mnich
Votes: 3,712
17. 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: 8,778
18. 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: 9,103
19. Evilspeak (1981)
R | 97 min | Horror
An outcast military cadet taps into a way to summon demons and cast spells on his tormentors through his computer.
Director: Eric Weston | Stars: Clint Howard, R.G. Armstrong, Joe Cortese, Claude Earl Jones
Votes: 4,890
20. Une étrange affaire (1981)
105 min | Drama
Louis Coline assists the head of advertising of a department store in decline. He has little to do, but seems content with his marriage to Nina, his visits to his mother and grandmother, ... See full summary »
Director: Pierre Granier-Deferre | Stars: Michel Piccoli, Gérard Lanvin, Nathalie Baye, Jean-Pierre Kalfon
Votes: 590
21. 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: 77,805 | Gross: $21.72M
22. The Escapees (1981)
Not Rated | 95 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
Two young women escape from an insane asylum and are taken in by a travelling erotic dance troupe. When the travelling show is raided by the police they are out on the lamb again.
Director: Jean Rollin | Stars: Laurence Dubas, Christiane Coppé, Marianne Valiot, Patrick Perrot
Votes: 446
23. La Chèvre (1981)
91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A daughter of a millionaire, distinguished by incredible bad luck, goes missing. The idea how to find her is either insane or brilliant - to send after her an equally unlucky person.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Pierre Richard, Gérard Depardieu, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Corynne Charbit
Votes: 10,641
24. 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: 101,759 | Gross: $25.53M
25. X-Ray (1981)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
While receiving a routine check-up, a woman finds herself stranded on the hospital's eighth floor, while someone dressed as a doctor is intent on her never leaving, even if it means killing any staff member who comes into contact with her.
Director: Boaz Davidson | Stars: Barbi Benton, Charles Lucia, Jon Van Ness, John Warner Williams
Votes: 3,375
26. Death Valley (1982)
R | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A divorced mother, her young son and her new boyfriend set out on a road trip through Death Valley and run afoul of a local serial killer.
Director: Dick Richards | Stars: Paul Le Mat, Catherine Hicks, Stephen McHattie, Wilford Brimley
Votes: 1,868
27. 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: 14,931 | Gross: $0.22M
28. Class of 1984 (1982)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A new teacher at a troubled inner-city high school soon ends up clashing with a delinquent punk posse who run the institute with an iron fist.
Director: Mark L. Lester | Stars: Perry King, Merrie Lynn Ross, Timothy Van Patten, Roddy McDowall
Votes: 13,262
29. The Fan (1981)
R | 95 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Douglas, a record salesman, is an obsessive fan of actress Sally Ross. When his letters are rejected, he strikes out at her and her loved ones.
Director: Ed Bianchi | Stars: Lauren Bacall, James Garner, Michael Biehn, Maureen Stapleton
Votes: 2,848
30. Les hommes préfèrent les grosses (1981)
86 min | Comedy
Lydie, a physically unattractive young woman, is brutally dumped by her fiance when she had just acquired the lease of an apartment to live with him.
Director: Jean-Marie Poiré | Stars: Josiane Balasko, Luis Rego, Dominique Lavanant, Daniel Auteuil
Votes: 545
31. The Big Pardon (1982)
130 min | Crime, Drama
With the help of his binoculars, commissioner Duche monitors from his car the reception at the villa of Raymond Bettoun, the head of the clan of Jewish Pied-Noir.
Director: Alexandre Arcady | Stars: Roger Hanin, Clio Goldsmith, Bernard Giraudeau, Richard Berry
Votes: 782
32. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
R | 77 min | Horror
A female high school student's slumber party turns into a bloodbath, as a newly escaped psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill prowls her neighborhood.
Director: Amy Holden Jones | Stars: Michele Michaels, Robin Stille, Michael Villella, Debra De Liso
Votes: 17,911
33. Final Exam (1981)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
A psycho killer shows up on college campus to slash up pretty co-eds and dumb jocks.
Director: Jimmy Huston | Stars: Cecile Bagdadi, Joel S. Rice, Ralph Brown, DeAnna Robbins
Votes: 4,626
34. Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror
In a small Southern town, four vigilantes wrongfully execute a mentally-challenged man, but after the court sets them free mysterious "accidents" begin to kill them off one by one.
Director: Frank De Felitta | Stars: Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith
Votes: 8,217
35. Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)
Approved | 115 min | Adventure, Drama
While on an African expedition with her father, Jane Parker meets Tarzan, and the two become fascinated by each other.
Director: John Derek | Stars: Bo Derek, Richard Harris, Miles O'Keeffe, John Phillip Law
Votes: 6,230 | Gross: $36.57M
36. The Survivor (1981)
Not Rated | 87 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
When an airline pilot survives a crash that kills all 300 passengers, he works with a psychic and a priest to find the culprit behind the incident and pacify the souls of the victims.
Director: David Hemmings | Stars: Robert Powell, Jenny Agutter, Joseph Cotten, Angela Punch McGregor
Votes: 1,342
37. The Cabbage Soup (1981)
102 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
2 buddy farmers are visited by aliens who like their domestic cabbage soup.
Director: Jean Girault | Stars: Louis de Funès, Jean Carmet, Jacques Villeret, Claude Gensac
Votes: 9,583
38. Nighthawks (1981)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
When one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.
Directors: Bruce Malmuth, Gary Nelson | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Rutger Hauer, Billy Dee Williams, Lindsay Wagner
Votes: 21,740 | Gross: $14.91M
39. 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: 9,524 | Gross: $8.12M
40. 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: 232,519 | Gross: $2.40M
41. Le maître d'école (1981)
95 min | Comedy, Drama
After having lost his job for having saved a child accused of shop lifting, Frédéric Barbier decides to become a school teacher with some funny results.The great comedy actor Coluche is excellent as a simple school teacher.
Director: Claude Berri | Stars: Coluche, Josiane Balasko, Jacques Debary, Charlotte de Turckheim
Votes: 1,155
42. Clean Slate (1981)
Not Rated | 128 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A pathetic police chief, humiliated by everyone around him, suddenly wants a clean slate in life - and resorts to drastic means to do so.
Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Philippe Noiret, Isabelle Huppert, Stéphane Audran, Jean-Pierre Marielle
Votes: 6,719
43. Possession (1981)
R | 124 min | Drama, Horror
A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.
Director: Andrzej Zulawski | Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen, Heinz Bennent
Votes: 42,940 | Gross: $1.11M
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