Furthermore, most of today’s blockbusters are high-budget movies, with breathtaking special effects and renowned actors, with paychecks higher than some countries’ GDP. However, the movies featured in our top ten will prove that it does not take millions of dollars to produce a great motion picture.
All ten movies in our countdown were shot for less than $100,000, and they are presented in a style similar to our list of the highest-rated movies of all-time. We guess less is more, after all.
Public Domain Credit: Public Domain
Let’s take a look at the list of the ten best low budget movies.
No. 10: Assault on Precinct 13
Budget: a little under $100,000
Year: 1975
Directed by: John Carpenter
The only reason why the original Assault on Precinct 13 had such a low budget is because director Carpenter made his ambition not to break the $100,000 mark.
No. 9: Pi
Budget: $60,000
Year: 1998
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
For director Darren Aronofsky, the movie Pi was pretty much a family affair. Family members and friends all chipped in $100 each to help produce the movie and Aronofsky’s mother was the on-set caterer.
See the rest of the best bad movies, in terms of budget, on the next few pages:
No. 8: Little Shop of Horrors
Budget: $30,000
Year: 1960
Directed by: Roger Corman
What’s more impressive than this movie’s low budget, is the amount of time it took to be shot: two days. Yes, you’ve read correctly. Director Corman managed to produce an entire movie in just 48 hours.
No. 7: The Brothers McMullen
Budget: $28,000
Year: 1995
Directed by: Edward Burns
Burns shot The Brothers McMullen in his Long Island family home, over a period of more than 8 months. But all of his effort paid off when the movie won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1995 Sundance Festival.
No. 6: Clerks
Budget: $27,575
Year: 1994
Directed by: Kevin Smith
Shot in black and white because, as the director put it, color is just too expensive, Clerks is probably the most popular low budget movie of all time.
No. 5: Slacker
Budget: $23,000
Year: 1991
Directed by: Richard Linklater
A landmark of the independent movie movement, Slacker helped launch director Richard Linklater’s career. He also wrote, produced, and starred in the movie.
No. 4: The Blair Witch Project
Budget: $22,000
Year: 1999
Directed by: Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick
The Blair Witch Project, apart from being one of the most successful low budget movies ($240.5 million in sales), can also be credited with initiating the found-footage phenomenon in the movie industry.
No. 3: Paranormal Activity
Budget: $15,000
Year: 2007
Directed by: Oren Peli
For a movie shot with virtually no script, Paranormal Activity has managed several impressive feats. For one, it made over $193 million in sales. Secondly, it also set the foundations of one of the biggest horror franchises in the film industry.
No. 2: El Mariachi
Budget: $7,000
Year: 1992
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
The first in a trilogy which also includes Desperados and Once Upon a Time in Mexico, El Mariachi quickly became an international sensation. The fact that Antonio Banderas did not star in this first movie explains, in part, why the budget wasn’t so high.
No. 1: Primer
Budget: $7,000
Year: 2004
Directed by: Shane Carruth
Primer is the perfect example of how far multi-tasking can get you; or at least how cheap. Director Shane Carruth also served as as writer, producer, and music composer.
