Ultra low budget sci-fi movies that are watchable

[Thunder Force]

Anyone have a soft spot for indie-looking sci-fi that's remotely watchable?

There's often a certain atmosphere present when gritty science fiction is producted with creative guerilla filmmaking techniques, and not much money. I'm thinking along the lines of the original "The Terminator" here, but even lower budget than that.

I used to watch a lot of these, but not seen any recently. So I'll list a few I've seen through the years, that fit into this category - some of these were released in both cut & uncut extended versions (the latter is preferable):

Hardware (1990) - dystopian cyberpunk.
Death Machine (1994) - breakthrough indie film from guy who went on to direct Blade.
Guyver: Dark Hero (1994) - adaptation of a japanese story, by co-creature designer of 'Predator'.
Screamers (1995) - starring Peter Weller, pretty good atmosphere here, ruined by an ending and sequel it didn't need.
Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) - fails as a horror movie, succeeds as weird sci-fi imo.
Leviathan (1989) - random sea monster movie from the 80s, another one starring Peter Weller.

Please list more along these lines, if you're also a follower of these kind of movies... preferably stuff that's not out-of-print.

[kengou]

I generally like them on two conditions:

The MST3K guys are making fun of it as I watch

or...

Bruce Campbell is in it.

[Joe T.]

I thought "Primer" was ok. Perhaps not what you're looking for, but definitely low budget and a more recent example.

It's been over ten years since I've seen either of Leviathan or Deep Star Six but i found the two relatively interchangeable...Outside of Peter Weller of course.

EDIT: Just thought if another one: "Nightflyers" from 1987

I saw this I think for the first time on Joe Bob Brigg's Drive in Theater long ago and thought it was awesome (I was REALLY young though).

[Arcatech]

You might like Dark Star. Its an early John Carpenter movie with an interesting low budget feel to it.

Word up to the mst3k reference. Dig watching cheesy sci fi movies being riffed by the bots.
Like Escape 2000 or Warrior of the lost world. Generally bad sci fi from the late 70s to 80s period had that great look to it.

[Specineff]

Last Starfighter? It was relatively low-budget.

[Mortificator]

If Pitch Black counts, I'll count it.

[neorichieb1971]

Moon

[captpain]

I figured there had to be some other MSTies on Shmups Forum....

[D]

If Pitch Black counts, I'll count it.

Although it was made with a small budget, it is not made with an ultra low budget at all.
Great flick however.

[FRO]

Last Starfighter? It was relatively low-budget.

Heck yes - Last Starfigher rules! Not sure about the movie cost, though. It made over $28mil @ the box office, but the 3D effects reportedly cost $14mil alone. Not sure what the rest of the film cost, but I'd say it was a VERY modest success, considering the final box office numbers.

Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn. Crappy 1983 sci-fi in a post-apocalyptic world, which includes the guy who played "Bull" on Night Court. It sucks rampantly, and the effects are pretty lame, but it's watchable because of just how over the top bad it is, and it's fun to sit & MST3K the whole thing.

[moonblood]

Not exactly ultra low budget either but Split Second with Rutger Hauer is awesome, one of my faves

[mr_m0nks]

I would recommend checking out "They Live" if you haven't already.

[E. Randy Dupre]

I second Dark Star. It's a brilliant movie.

Red Dwarf ripped it off horribly, while also replacing all the lovely, gentle, black humour with idiotic fart and knob jokes.

[Never_Scurred]

From my personal collection of goodies
2019:After the fall of New York
Bronx Warriors 1, 2
Alien Outlaw
Alienator
Alien Resurrection
Alien Space Avenger
America 3000
Alien Fiend
Alien Dead
Android
APEX
ROTOR
Death Machine (Director's Cut with all the extra goodies)
Deep Space
Endgame
Equalizer 2000
Exterminators of the Year 3000
Firebird 2015
Gunhed
Gremloids
Hangar 18
Idaho Transfer
Def-Con 4
Hardware/MARK 13 (Director's Cut)
Hyperspace
Interzone
Intruder

I could go on.....I'm gonna have to post up my list one of these days.

[unsane]

Alien Resurrection

That one stood out, $70M is no ultra low budget.

[Never_Scurred]

Alien Resurrection

That one stood out, $70M is no ultra low budget.

whoops, I was just scrolling through my list when I wrote that one in.

[Strider77]

Hardware (1990) - dystopian cyberpunk.

I love this movie... it just came out on blu ray and it's pretty amazing how good it looks for what it is.

[Skykid]

I second Dark Star. It's a brilliant movie.

Thirded. It's fantastic.

Bombed out in space with a spaced out bomb.

[charlie chong]

ICE PIRATES
prayer for the rollerboys
defcon 4
spacehunter
mindwarp
land of doom

[Mero]

Yeah i'll second Spacehunter

[1up]

I would recommend checking out "They Live" if you haven't already.

oh, I absolutely love this movie. Has WWF/WWE wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper in the lead too It has a 5m21s fight scene in it too. Watched it with a couple of friends a few weeks back, and we timed the fight scene...

Also, enjoyed Death Machine. Havent watched it in ages though. Same with Split Second

[DEL]

Most of the one's I like are already listed:

Spacehunter Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
Dark Star
Moon
They Live
I can add the other Rowdy Roddy Piper Classic 'Hell comes to Frogtown'.
Not quite sci fi but future - A Boy and his Dog - Don Johnson.

Must rewatch Deep Star Six, Leviathan and The Last Starfighter. So much time has passed since I saw them, I have forgotten.
Not low budget, but I bought The Black Hole this year. Amazing effects for 1980.

[dpful]

Creature is pretty good

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Last Starfighter? It was relatively low-budget.

Considering that "The Last Starfighter" came out on the big screen back in 1984, it was Atari Corp. (the coin-op division) who crafted the cool Starfighter arcade cabinet and control panel scheme. If you look closely at the game controls portrayed in the TLS film, you'll see that it uses the same control panel layout found in Atari Games' later arcade cab setup of Space Lords circa 1992. Plus it was possible to play an 8-player linked up Space Lords gaming session indeed (consisting of four SL cabinets altogether).

And not to mention that the CGI used in the TLS film used a Cray super-computer to pull it off with convincing results.

Let's not forget the 3-D film of Parasite from 1981 in which actress Demi Moore makes her intial film debut appearance. Also noteworthy, is the Parasite creature puppetry was done by none other than Stan Winston himself (aka the guy who did the cool Terminator endoskeleton special effects). ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[sjoecool1991]

Not sure if you would label this as super low budget, but the budget was pretty low for the movie π.
$60,000 budget.
I personally am not sure what genre the movie is, but its close to sci fi.

[Thunder Force]

I'm a real John Carpenter fan, so I've got Dark Star etc covered.

If Pitch Black counts, I'll count it.

Although it was made with a small budget, it is not made with an ultra low budget at all.
Great flick however.

I think this counts. A good one indeed.

Hardware (1990) - dystopian cyberpunk.

I love this movie... it just came out on blu ray and it's pretty amazing how good it looks for what it is.

Wow, this movie is out on Blu-ray? I thought it had been forgotten. I've only ever seen it on crummy rental VHS tape, finally I can see it in theatre quality. Going to Amazon to order the BD now...

[system11]

Hardware (1990) - dystopian cyberpunk.

I love this movie... it just came out on blu ray and it's pretty amazing how good it looks for what it is.

You just made my day - I had no idea it was getting a BR release (ordered it just now)!

I'll throw a vote out here for Sunshine. Really enjoyed that one.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I got both DVD and Blu-Ray versions of Sunshine. I'd have to say that the BR version of it is stunning indeed. ^_~

I like how the BR ver. of Sunshine has support for the "old school" stereo recievers using 5.1 Dolby Surround format (via TOSlink cable) in addition to the better DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless Audio format with the newer stereo recievers that accept HDMI input. Nowdays, you can buy a 7.1 stereo reciever that has support for both the newer 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio & Dolby True 7.1 formats. Of course, it all depends on what the latest BR discs utilize either 7.1 audio format or both.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Sandlegs]

holy crap Hardware! through the entire thread, i was wondering what this movie was. i now remember i watched it on a broadcast station at like 2 am in the mid 90s! really cool costumes and atmosphere. i made the opening character costume that year. welding goggles and all.

[neorichieb1971]

I recently watched Infestation. I wouldn't consider it great but I thought the women in it were awesome.

I think Brooke Nevin looks like the prettiest girl in a simple clean cut way.