1981
by mpf64 | created - 07 Jan 2019 | updated - 21 Oct 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 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: 61,704 | Gross: $14.23M
EA: 14.01.1981
DVD: Scanners 1 (german) (Scanners Edition / Black Hill)
MediaBook: Scanners - Ihre Gedanken können töten (german) (Wicked Vision / Scanners Trilogy Ultimate Edition)
2. 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: 40,165 | Gross: $17.99M
EA: 21.01.1981
DVD: Howling, The (german) (Kinowelt)
3. Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1981)
Unrated | 85 min | Horror
An archaeology professor discovers an ancient crypt which contains living dead corpses. The zombies go on a rampage and attack a group of people which the professor had invited to celebrate his discovery.
Director: Andrea Bianchi | Stars: Karin Well, Gianluigi Chirizzi, Simone Mattioli, Antonella Antinori
Votes: 6,296
EA: 23.01.1981
DVD: Burial Ground (engl.) (88 Films / The Italian Collection 14)
4. Inseminoid (1981)
R | 93 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A crew of interplanetary archaeologists is threatened when an alien creature impregnates one of their members, causing her to turn homicidal and murder them one by one.
Director: Norman J. Warren | Stars: Robin Clarke, Jennifer Ashley, Stephanie Beacham, Steven Grives
Votes: 4,309
EA: 23.01.1981
DVD: Inseminoid (engl.) (The Norman J. Warren Collection / Anchor Bay)
5. 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
EA: 19.02.1981
DVD: Pranke des gelben Löwen, Die (german) (MIB / Shaw Brothers Classics)
6. Madhouse (1981)
Not Rated | 92 min | Horror
A woman is pursued by her murderous, psychopathic twin sister in the days leading up to their birthday.
Director: Ovidio G. Assonitis | Stars: Patricia Mickey, Michael MacRae, Dennis Robertson, Morgan Most
Votes: 2,517
EA: 04.03.1981
BluRay: Madhouse (engl.) (Arrow Video)
7. 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: 22,715 | Gross: $20.47M
EA: 20.03.1981
DVD: Barbara's Baby - Omen III (engl.) (20th Century Fox / The Omen Pentology-Box)
8. The Monster Club (1981)
Unrated | 104 min | Comedy, Horror, Musical
A writer of horror stories is invited to a "monster club" by a mysterious old gentleman. There, three gruesome stories are told to him; between each story some musicians play their songs.
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Vincent Price, John Carradine, Anthony Steel, Roger Sloman
Votes: 4,528
EA: 02.04.1981
DVD: Monster Club (german) (MiB)
9. Mystery on Monster Island (1981)
TV-PG | 105 min | Adventure, Comedy, Horror
A young man and his traveling buddy embark on a global journey onboard their ship, only to be shipwrecked on a desolate island teeming with prehistoric creatures and gold-hunting bandits.
Director: Juan Piquer Simón | Stars: Terence Stamp, Peter Cushing, Ian Serra, David Hatton
Votes: 1,032
03.04.1981
DVD: Geheimnis der Monsterinsel, Das (german) (on Box "Jules Verne Box" / MIG / EuroVideo)
10. 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: 4,242
EA: 04.04.1981
DVD: Black Cat (engl.) (Shameless 06)
11. The Night of the Werewolf (1981)
R | 92 min | Horror
An evil witch brings back to life the infamous Elizabeth Bathory, who was executed several hundred years previously for murdering young woman and bathing in their blood.
Director: Paul Naschy | Stars: Paul Naschy, Julia Saly, Silvia Aguilar, Azucena Hernández
Votes: 1,070
EA: 10.04.1981
Blu-Ray: Der Werwolf (german) (Subkultur / Paul Naschy - Legacy of a Wolfman # 2)
12. 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: 21,705 | Gross: $14.91M
EA: 10.04.1981
DVD: Nachtfalken (german) (on Box "Action Superstars Box" / MIG)
13. The Beyond (1981)
R | 87 min | Horror
A young woman inherits an old hotel in Louisiana where, following a series of supernatural "accidents", she learns that the building was built over one of the entrances to Hell.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Catriona MacColl, David Warbeck, Cinzia Monreale, Antoine Saint-John
Votes: 25,292 | Gross: $0.12M
EA: 22.04.1981
DVD: Beyond, The (german) (Digital World)
14. 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: 77,696 | Gross: $21.72M
EA: 01.05.1981
DVD: Friday the 13th Part 2 (engl.) (on Box "Friday the 13th 4-Movie Collection" / Paramount)
15. Graduation Day (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A masked killer begins murdering students on the school track team after a track runner dies upon completion of a 30 second 200-meter race.
Director: Herb Freed | Stars: Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, E. Danny Murphy, E.J. Peaker
Votes: 4,878 | Gross: $23.89M
EA: 01.05.1981
BR: Graduation Day (engl.) (88 Films / Slasher Classics Collection 01)
16. 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: 157,375 | Gross: $25.24M
EA: 23.05.1981
Blu-ray: Die Klapperschlange (german) (Birnenblatt gr. Hartbox)
17. 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: 871
EA: 31.05.1981
DVD: Firecracker (engl.) (on Box "Roger Corman's Cult Classics Triple Feature - Lethal Ladies Collection" / Shout Factory)
18. Clash of the Titans (1981)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Family
Perseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.
Director: Desmond Davis | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Harry Hamlin, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith
Votes: 47,713 | Gross: $41.09M
EA: 12.06.1981
DVD: Kampf der Titanen (german) (on Box "Ray Harryhausen Collection")
19. 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: 108,250 | Gross: $62.30M
EA: 24.06.1981
DVD: In tödlicher Mission (german) (MGM / on Box "Die James Bond Jubiläums-Collection")
20. Enter the Ninja (1981)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After passing a ninja master test in Japan, Cole visits a war buddy in the Philippines. He helps him fight men, who want his buddy's plantation.
Director: Menahem Golan | Stars: Franco Nero, Susan George, Shô Kosugi, Christopher George
Votes: 5,482
EA: 17.07.1981
DVD: Ninja - Die Killer-Maschine (german) (Ascot Elite)
21. Shu jian en chou lu (1981)
101 min | Action
It's Ti Lung versus Lo Lieh in the period piece action movie The Emperor And His Brother that features some marvellous sets and rudimentary special effects that delightfully gives Ti Lung's... See full summary »
Director: Yuen Chor | Stars: Lung Ti, Jung Wang, Feng Kuan, Wong Chun
Votes: 136
EA: 19.07.1981
DVD: Todesduell im Kaiserpalast (german) (MIB / Shaw Brothers Classics)
22. Rasputin (1981)
104 min | Biography, Drama, History
Details the life of the Russian monk Rasputin. The film shows his rise to power and how it corrupted him. His sexual perversions and madness ultimatly leads to his gruesome assasination.
Director: Elem Klimov | Stars: Aleksey Petrenko, Anatoliy Romashin, Velta Line, Alisa Freyndlikh
Votes: 1,683
EA: 21.07.1981
DVD: Agonie - Rasputin, Gott und Satan (german) (Ice Storm Entertainment)
23. Eye of the Needle (1981)
R | 112 min | Romance, Thriller, War
A ruthless German spy, trying to get out of Britain with vital information about D-Day, must spend time with a young woman and her crippled husband.
Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Stephen MacKenna, Philip Martin Brown
Votes: 11,812 | Gross: $17.58M
EA: 24.07.1981
DVD: Nadel, Die (german) (UA / MGM / 20th Century Fox)
24. 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: 5,359 | Gross: $5.17M
EA: 07.08.1981
Blu-Ray: Student Bodies (engl.) (88 Films / Slasher Classics Collection #40)
25. 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: 16,243
EA: 14.08.1981
DVD: Das Haus An Der Friedhofsmauer (german) (Laser Paradise)
26. An Eye for an Eye (1981)
R | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A SFPD undercover narcotics cop aims to avenge his partner's death and destroy a drug-smuggling ring operated by the Chinese Triads.
Director: Steve Carver | Stars: Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, Richard Roundtree, Matt Clark
Votes: 4,522 | Gross: $7.68M
14.08.1981
DVD: Der Gigant (german) (Kinowelt)
27. 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: 120,408 | Gross: $30.57M
EA: 21.08.1981
DVD: American Werewolf (german) (Universal 20th Anniversary Special Edition)
28. Pierino contro tutti (1981)
92 min | Comedy
Pierino is a precocious but mischievous boy who often plays pranks and makes jokes at school. His enemy is his old teacher. One day Pierino pulls a dirty trick on her, making her break an arm.
Director: Marino Girolami | Stars: Alvaro Vitali, Michele Gammino, Michela Miti, Sofia Lombardo
Votes: 519
EA: 19.09.1981
DVD: Flotte Teens und das ausgeflippte Klassenzimmer (german) (MIG / Flotte Teens Limited Edition 2-Box)
29. 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: 3,366
EA: 16.10.1981
Blue-Ray: Hospital Massacre (engl.) (88 Films / Slasher Classics Collection #09)
30. 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: 101,654 | Gross: $25.53M
EA: 30.10.1981
DVD: Halloween 2 - Das Grauen Kehrt Zurück (german) (Special Edition 2 DVD's / FilmConfect Home Entertainment)
31. Absurd (1981)
Not Rated | 90 min | Horror
A priest-doctor chasing a man with supernatural regenerative abilities, who has recently escaped from a medical lab, reaches a small town where the mutant goes on a killing spree.
Director: Joe D'Amato | Stars: George Eastman, Annie Belle, Charles Borromel, Katya Berger
Votes: 3,543
EA: 31.10.1981
Blu-Ray: Absurd (engl.) (88 Films / The Italian Collection #20)
32. Smokey Bites the Dust (1981)
PG | 87 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
This movie follows the rivalry between a small-town southern sheriff and a small-town teenaged thief who steals cars and destroys them with the sheriff's daughter by his side.
Director: Charles B. Griffith | Stars: Jimmy McNichol, Janet Julian, Walter Barnes, Patrick Campbell
Votes: 365
EA: 31.10.1981
DVD: Smokey Bites The Dust (engl.) (Shout! Factory Action Packed Collection / Roger Corman Classics)
DVD: Die Total Verrückte Highway Polizei (german) (Bonusfilm at DVD "Gib Gas... und lasst euch nicht erwischen")
33. Venom (1981)
R | 92 min | Horror, Thriller
Terrorists in the process of kidnapping a child get trapped in a house with an extremely deadly snake.
Directors: Piers Haggard, Tobe Hooper | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed, Nicol Williamson, Sarah Miles
Votes: 3,219 | Gross: $5.23M
EA: 28.11.1981
DVD: Schwarze Mamba, Die (german) (on Box "Snakes in a Box" / Anolis)
34. 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: 3,534
EA: 22.12.1981
DVD: Todesfaust des kleinen Drachen, Die (german) (Savoy Film)
35. The Salamander (1981)
Not Rated | 103 min | Thriller
An Italian policeman investigates a series of murders involving people in prominent positions. Left behind at each murder scene is a drawing of a salamander. The policeman begins to suspect... See full summary »
Director: Peter Zinner | Stars: Franco Nero, Anthony Quinn, Martin Balsam, Sybil Danning
Votes: 1,087
EA: 31.12.1981
DVD: Kennwort Salamander (german) (Kinoklassiker / VCL)
36. Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
R | 110 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
At the snobby Crawford Academy, Virginia's group of friends start to go missing years after horrible events that happened to her as a child around her birthday.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane, Sharon Acker
Votes: 11,220
Anolis (Phantastische Filmklassiker Nr.12 Cover C) Die 80er #4
37. The Nesting (1981)
R | 103 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A writer suffering from agoraphobia rents an isolated house so she can concentrate on her writing. She doesn't know that the house is a former brothel, and is inhabited by the ghosts of dead prostitutes.
Director: Armand Weston | Stars: Robin Groves, Christopher Loomis, Michael David Lally, John Carradine
Votes: 1,655
38. Jie quan da dong kau (1981)
87 min | Action, Drama
Lee Han-sun is tasked with transporting a list of names while being hunted by the Japanese army,
Director: Lu-Po Tu | Stars: Ryong Keo, Lik Cheung, Bolo Yeung, Yoo-haeng Kim
Votes: 85
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