5 Forgotten '80s Sci-Fi B-Movies You Need To Watch On Amazon Prime Video

If you've spent any time digging through Prime Video's back catalog, you already know just how much good stuff is buried beneath the new releases. In fact, underneath all of the latest movies and TV shows sits one of the best collections of vintage low-budget flicks any streamer has ever assembled, a fact Reddit noticed years ago. Amazon adds dozens of movies to its service every month, but the low-budget library mostly just sits there, waiting for someone to scroll far enough to find it. Luckily, we're more than happy to scroll a bit, so we went searching for some of the best flicks of the 1980s.

However, we didn't want to simply put together another list of the must-see movies that everyone has already talked about a dozen times. Instead, we wanted to focus on those movies you might have forgotten about. The true B-movies that might have gained a cult following, but haven't gone on to remain classics in the eyes of most of the population. That means we've avoided titles like "RoboCop" and "Running Man," and instead focused on some of the more terrible movies –- we mean it in a good way, we promise –- that the 1980s spit out at us. We've already covered some of the best awful sci-fi movies that are a blast to watch, so this is far from our first rodeo down the less-traveled miles of Prime Video.

When you think about older sci-fi, it's hard not to immediately go to thoughts of "Star Wars" or "Star Trek." However, for b-movie fans, there was another epic sci-fi entry thanks to Roger Corman's "Battle Beyond the Stars." Released in 1980, this sci-fi epic followed a farm boy as he worked to hire seven mercenaries to use their ships to help fight off an evil warlord, Sador (played by John Saxon). The movie gives off some serious "Star Wars" vibes while drawing some heavy connections to one of its biggest direct inspirations, "The Magnificent Seven."

While "Battle Beyond the Stars" is often considered a cheesy sci-fi movie by many, the movie actually made $11 million off its roughly $2 million production budget, and its special effects were even run by a name that many people reading this article will probably recognize today; James Cameron. Cameron joined up at the last minute before production started and even shared a story about being asked to pass out some illicit substances to the crew beneath him as payment for their work. While it has spawned a following over the years, "Battle Beyond the Stars" remains mostly forgotten among the halls of mainstream movie fans over 40 years later.

The next forgotten movie on our list is a 1986 flick called "Chopping Mall." Directed by Jim Wynorski, this sci-fi horror movie follows a group of teenage employees who stay after hours in the furniture store of a mall to party. The teens are then forced to fight back against a fleet of security robots that suffer some mixed programming after being struck by lightning. The film was originally released as "Killbots." However, after very little box office success, the movie was pulled and repackaged as "Chopping Mall," bringing in enough of a following to cement its place in b-movie history thanks to its fast-paced runtime as well as its inclusion of two fan favorites from the '80s horror scene, Kelli Maroney and Barbara Crampton.

Since its initial release in the '80s, fans have kept the movie's reputation alive, with reviewers on IMDb calling it "delightfully trashy" while also noting that it doesn't drag on too long. Other fans have shared their love for the flick on Reddit. While it isn't as forgotten as some of the flicks out there — director Robert Hall was talking about reviving it back in 2018 – "Chopping Mall" remains a fun but bloody addition to any b-movie lover's library. Of course, like many movies of the genre back then, "Chopping Mall" does contain language and nudity, so you'll want to be aware of that, as well as the cheesiness of the entire movie before jumping in.

"Trancers" is what you'd get if two classics like "Blade Runner" and "The Terminator" got together and had a baby. This sci-fi noir film follows actor Tim Thomerson as he steps into the role of Jack Deth, a trench-coat-wearing cop who is sent back in time to 1985 Los Angeles. Trapped in the body of his ancestor, Jack Deth has to hunt down a cult leader who has been turning people into zombie-like "trancers." Helen Hunt joins him, taking on the role of his punk-rock obsessed sidekick.

While this movie certainly has remained at the front of some people's minds a bit more than others on our list –- it spawned five sequels after all –- the low-budget nature of the film, as well as its cheesy theatrics, have cemented its place as one of those '80s sci-fi movies you've probably never watched but absolutely should. It might not have the same level of real-world behind-the-scenes trivia moments like "Battle Beyond the Stars," but with online movie lovers calling it "one of the most enjoyable B-movies ever made," it's certainly worth checking out, especially since it's available on Amazon Prime.

Next up is a 1987 flick called "Gor." This movie is probably one of the least well-known movies on our list, and it is based on John Norman's "Tarnsman of Gor" novels. It's clear from the timing that this fantasy flick was most likely an attempt to cash in on the sword and sorcery craze that movies like "Conan the Barbarian" kicked off in the early '80s, but we can't be too upset about that, as it does have something to offer for those who love a movie that's so bad it's enjoyable.

The movie follows actor Urbano Barberini as he plays a professor who finds himself transported to another planet by a magic ring. Here, Barberini's character ends up leading an uprising against a tyrant played by Oliver Reed. The flick was directed by Fritz Kiersch, who some horror fans might recognize as the director of "Children of the Corn."

Now, we aren't going to sit here and tell you that "Gor" is a great movie, because it isn't. Even the audience reviews agree with that sentiment. The sets are cheap and the acting can be a bit rough at times. That said, "Gor" is exactly the kind of movie this list was made for, and when it popped up on Prime Video recently, fans on Reddit were quick to celebrate its return. Reviewers on IMDb have called it underrated over the years, even while admitting it's still far from a good movie. So if you don't mind some classic b-movie cheesiness, and don't go in expecting the best movie ever, there's still something to enjoy in "Gor."

The last movie on our list is a 1986 Australian flick called "Dead End Drive-In." Set in a near-future where the economy has collapsed, this b-movie shows off a world where the government has started turning drive-in theaters into internment camps for unemployed young people. Once inside, the unwilling residents are kept fed on junk food and new wave music, with most of them never even realizing they've become prisoners. The movie itself follows a young man named Crabs (played by Ned Manning) after he borrows his brother's '56 Chevy for a date night. Only, once he arrives at the drive-in, he discovers he isn't allowed to leave.

While it might not be as well-known as the other movies on our list, "Dead End Drive-In" has a bit more going on under the surface than you might expect. The movie was directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, who fans of Ozploitation flicks will likely recognize from his work on "Turkey Shoot" and "The Man from Hong Kong". Based on a short story from Peter Carey, "Dead End Drive-In" sports a satirical edge that plenty of other b-movies from the era are missing. Furthermore, it's also a surprisingly nice movie to look at, with clips from the movie still making the rounds on subreddits like r/CineShots 40 years later.