As a movie buff and collector, I’ve come across some really strange and bizarre films that your average film-goer has probably never even heard of. Some of my favorite movies are pretty obscure and generally not well-known. What constitutes an obscure movie? Well, one definition of the obscure is something that is not discovered or known about. While the term is used for many things, it often refers to films that people don’t even know were made. These films are generally pretty hard to find these days, especially if you’re looking for a DVD or some kind of hard copy of the film. The films that I’m going to discuss in this article are ones that have been either out-of-print for decades, or have been recently re-discovered after being out-of-print for so long. So…as you can imagine, a lot of the films I’m going to cover here are going to be older ones. These ones are going to go back decades. There are a lot of them out there waiting for a collector or fan to stumble upon them. Now, before I begin, I want to talk about why a film would go out-of-print in the first place. There are a number of reasons, but primarily it’s about demand and whether or not the film continues to sell. A film goes out of print when it no longer becomes profitable or there’s no demand for it, whatsoever. It happens more often than you would think. Thankfully, some modern technology like the Internet and YouTube have helped preserve these films, so chances are you can find them on YouTube. But, there have been occasions when a film has been re-discovered and put on DVD and Blu-Ray for new audiences to see. This usually happens with cult movies that only appeal to certain audiences. So…with that in mind, let’s dig up a time capsule and see what’s been hidden from us for so long.
Dinosaurus!
Boy, here’s one my brother and I grew up with. Dinosaurus! was a monster movie that was released back in 1960 featuring a T-Rex and an Apatosaurus. After being discovered frozen at the bottom of the ocean, the dinosaurs are brought up to the beach where they are awakened by a bolt of lightening. They begin to rampage around a tropical island sending the inhabitants screaming in fear. I absolutely loved this film as a kid. This was during my “dinosaur phase” that many kids went through. It was just one of those really fun and amazing films that I loved as a kid. Obviously, this was WAY before Jurassic Park became a thing. Looking back it now, the effects are pretty silly, but it was just awesome to see that kind stop-motion animation. They got the dinosaurs all wrong in terms of design, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the film. Yeah, most of the main characters are irritating and some of the comedy pretty forced, but it really stirred up my imagination when I was younger. The film has gone out of print, so your best bet to find a hard-copy of the film is basically eBay or some specialty websites that deal in rare and elusive films such as this.
Blue Monkey
I just reviewed this one a couple of days ago, and I still maintain that it’s a monster movie it is worth watching if you can find it. It has a bunch of different names like The Invasion of the Bodysuckers or Insect. The name that it was released in the US as was Blue Monkey, which is really bizarre since there are no monkeys involved here, just giant mutated bugs. While the film was pretty much a rip-off of Aliens/Cocoon, it was still a blast to watch. Steve Railsback, Don Lake, and Gwynyth Walsh all do a fantastic job in the film. While some of the visual effects haven’t aged very well, the creature designs are still pretty creepy. The film moves at a pretty decent pace and there’s rarely a dull moment. It’s not the greatest film in the world and it’s not particularly original, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t have fun with it. Plus, this was the film that scared me out of going into any underground insane asylums. I mean, those are creepy enough, but when you have a 12-foot tall insect roaming the halls, that’s a real deal-breaker. While the film is known to be available only on VHS officially, I’ve seen websites sell the film on DVD between 10-30 bucks. I don’t know what the image quality is on those, but if you can find the film, it’s worth checking out if you like monster movies.
The Villain(a.k.a Cactus Jack)
I love Westerns as much as the next guy, but sometimes you come across something that’s just so damned goofy, you have no idea what to make of it. Enter 1979’s The Villain starring Kirk Douglas, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ann Margaret. If there was a movie that is essentially a live-action version of Looney Tunes, this would be it. It’s absolutely bonkers from beginning to end, with Kirk Douglas’s character just making a fool of himself time and time again. I have to say that Kirk Douglas stole the show. Yeah, Arnold was in it, but this is Kirk’s show through and through. While I wouldn’t put it on the same level as Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, it’s well-written enough to keep you laughing until the end, which is one of the silliest endings I’ve ever seen. This one is actually available on DVD right now, so it’s not out-of-print. It is hard to find if you’re not online. So…it’s not totally obscure, but it’s rare enough that it slips under most people’s radar. It’s currently available on Amazon for about 5 bucks, give or take. Check it out.
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
You know, the 80s was particularly great decade for big movies, but there were also a lot of blatant rip-offs of better films. Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone is one such film. Starring Peter Strauss as Wolff, he takes on a job that has him traveling to a nearby planet to rescue three women who have been captured by an evil overlord. If this doesn’t scream Star Wars rip-off, I don’t know what does. Wolff is clearly a total riff on Han Solo with Michael Ironside’s Mad Dog, a clear knock-off of Darth Vader. Funny thing is, the film has some pretty decent visual effects, despite the fact that the film was intended for 3-D. Some of the creature designs are pretty nifty and the sets are pretty damn cool. It’s a lot of fun, it’s got some creepy moments, and the musical score by Elmer Bernstein is one for the record books for having the most cheese. The film IS still in print and I have a copy on Blu-Ray, so like the film above, it’s not out-of-print, but it is an obscure little science fiction film that I think deserves more attention than it got. Always remember Emergency Procedure Number 1: If it doesn’t work, kick it.
Gymkata
Well, file this one under “Never should have been made.” Yet, here we are with one of the dumbest, silliest and bizarre action movies to come out of the 80s. If Gymkata was a kind of cheese, it would be parmesan. The reason for that is that the movie is set in a fictional country known as Parmistan. Where do I start? Do I start with the fact that they cast 3-time gymnastics gold medal champion Kurt Thomas as the main character, or do I start with the incredibly absurd story and painful acting. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Kurt Thomas did pretty well with what he was given as he could do his own stunts, but besides him and Richard Norton, this movie is just incredibly goofy. A lot of the main action sequences center around Kurt’s gymnastic talent which includes the pommel horse, which has to be seen to be believed. I’m not kidding. While the film is kind of in print, it’s one of those incredibly forgettable films that most people would rightfully skip. But for folks like me? This is a goldmine.
These are just a handful of some films that I found pretty damned hard to find over the course of my life. There are a lot more out there, but they can be found if you’re willing to look in the right places. That being said, if you want to check out more obscure films, you should check out a couple of books by a guy named David J. Moore. He’s the author of World Gone Wild: A Survivor’s Guide To Post-Apocalyptic Movies and The Good, The Tough, and The Deadly: Action Movies and Stars 1960-Present. Those are pretty damned good and go over a variety of movies that you probably never heard of, but should see. So, do you know of any obscure movies that I should check out. Be sure to comment below.