As a film lover, it’s likely that you’ve seen all of the Hollywood Blockbusters, sometimes more than once. However, while these films are usually great, it’s a good idea to also watch some indie flicks when you get the chance. Many of these films were created on low budgets using DVD duplication services, and cheap forms of marketing to promote them. However, there are some real gems to be found in the indie sector. In this article, we’ll take a look at four of the best.
Reservoir Dogs
First screened at the Sundance Festival in 1992, there was no way that critics could have foreseen the impact Tarantino would have on the film industry when they first saw Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino was working as a video store employee when he wrote and directed the movie, but what he created was something that truly upended everything the film community thought they knew about independent cinema. Reservoir Dogs is somewhat of a cult classic now, but watching it should definitely be added to your bucket list.
Donnie Darko
Unlike Quentin Tarantino, the director of Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly, didn’t go on to have any further film success stories. However, this film totally managed to knock critics off their guard when it was released in 2001. The story features Jake Gyllenhaal as a lonely teen who hallucinates some guy in a bunny suit telling him the world is about to end. Surreal, disturbing, witty and moving, this is a fantastic film, and one completely directed by a guy in his mid-20’s!
Night of the Living Dead
George A Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is the movie that kick-started the zombie culture, and it’s truly a film that you have to see at least once in your lifetime. It was filmed on a shoestring budget in Pennsylvania and is widely agreed by horror fans to be one of the best in the industry. It even went on to inspire people like Robert Kirkman to go on and create The Walking Dead. Don’t be thinking it will be tame either. It may have been filmed in the 1960’s, but Night of the Living Dead is still as scary as hell!
The Terminator
It’s hard to believe that the Terminator franchise began with an independent movie, but that’s exactly what happened. Directed by James Cameron – yes, the same guy who went on to direct Hollywood blockbusters like Titanic – The Terminator features Arnold Schwarzenegger as a time-traveling cyborg, fixated on killing. Schwarzenegger is legitimately frightening in the film and managed to take a thrilling story into a cult sci-fi classic that anyone interested in the genre should watch.
From Night of the Living Dead to Reservoir Dogs, it’s hard to believe that the above four films were created independently and on small budgets. However, it just shows what can be created when you have a talented director and acting cast. Sometimes, creativity is all it takes.