Best Science Fiction Movies of 1983

As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.

Johnny Smith is a schoolteacher with his whole life ahead of him but, after leaving his fiancee's home one night, is involved in a car crash which leaves him in a coma for 5 years. When he wakes, he discovers he has an ability to see into the past, present and future life of anyone with whom he comes into physical contact.

High School student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Defense Department's war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions. Together with his girlfriend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

In the mid-1980s, the U.S. is poised on the brink of nuclear war. This shadow looms over the residents of a small town in Kansas as they continue their daily lives. Dr. Russell Oakes maintains his busy schedule at the hospital, Denise Dahlberg prepares for her upcoming wedding, and Stephen Klein is deep in his graduate studies. When the unthinkable happens and the bombs come down, the town's residents are thrust into the horrors of nuclear winter.

In this animated tale, a tiny village is destroyed by a surging glacier, which serves as the deadly domain for the evil Ice Lord, Nekron. The only survivor is a young warrior, Larn, who vows to avenge this act of destruction. The evil continues, however, as Nekron's palace of ice heads straight towards Fire Keep, the great fortress ruled by the good King Jarol. When Jarol's beautiful daughter, Teegra, is abducted by Nekron's sub-human ape-like creatures, Larn begins a daring search for her. What results is a tense battle between good and evil, surrounded by the mystical elements of the ancient past.

Aliens pretending to be friendly come to Earth and are received openly. The aliens have masqueraded themselves to look just like humans. When it is discovered that the aliens' planet is dying and that they have come to rape the Earth of its natural resources, the war for Earth begins.

1959. Friday nights. We time-travelled. Witnessed surprising twists. Entertained aliens. Experienced fear. And first journeyed to the "Twilight Zone" of Rod Serling's memorable TV series. And guided by four imaginative moviemakers, we travelled there again in 1983. Directors John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller fashion stories based on or inspired by classic episodes. Landis weaves the tale of a bigot who gets a walloping dose of his own hatred. Spielberg takes over with a fable of senior citizens offered a magical rejuvenation. Dante serves up a terror trip with a child who uses his cartoon-inspired powers to enslave his family. Then fright goes aloft with Miller's finale about a neurotic passenger who sees a monster on the jetliner's wing. Or does he?

Two brilliant research scientists have invented a device capable of recording and playing back sensory experiences only to have devastating results when one of them records their own death.

Los Angeles, California. Officer Murphy, a veteran Metropolitan Police helicopter pilot suffering from severe trauma due to his harsh experiences during the Vietnam War, and Lymangood, his resourceful new partner, are tasked with testing an advanced and heavily armed experimental chopper known as Blue Thunder.

A brain surgeon tries to end his unhappy marriage to spend more time with a disembodied brain.

A prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet.

Aiming to defeat the Man of Steel, wealthy executive Ross Webster hires bumbling but brilliant Gus Gorman to develop synthetic kryptonite, which yields some unexpected psychological effects in the third installment of the 1980s Superman franchise. Between rekindling romance with his high school sweetheart and saving himself, Superman must contend with a powerful supercomputer.

Many incarnations of the Doctors and their old companions are taken out of time and deposited in the Death Zone on Gallifrey. There, they must battle the Master, Daleks, Cybermen and Yeti in order to reach the Dark Tower and discover the Tomb of Rassilon.

It is just another day in the small town of Hamlin until something disastrous happens. Suddenly, news breaks that a series of nuclear warheads has been dropped along the Eastern Seaboard and, more locally, in California. As people begin coping with the devastating aftermath of the attacks — many suffer radiation poisoning — the Wetherly family tries to survive.

A Real American Hero is the first G.I. Joe miniseries, in it the G.I. Joe Special Missions Force must contend with COBRA who, after the successful theft of a special broadcast satellite now threaten the world with a teleportation machine called the M.A.S.S. Device. G.I. Joe tracks down the original designer who advises that the only way to counter the weapon is to build a M.A.S.S. Device of their own. However to power the device properly three rare catalytic elements are needed. Now it's a race around the world and against the clock as G.I. Joe and COBRA go M.A.S.S. to M.A.S.S.

Jonathan Chase was a British college professor at New York University who had the unusual ability to transform into any kind of animal. He used his powers to battle crime alongside pretty policewoman Brooke and Vietnam-war pal Ty.

In a future where a socialist government gains power, a group of women decides to organize and rebel.

The first four episodes of Gerry Anderson's 1980s Supermarionation series. In 'Expect the Unexpected (Part 1)' Queen Zelda attacks and destroys a NASA Mars expedition. 'Expect the Unexpected (Part 2)' sees Zelda offer to make peace with the Terrahawks. 'Thunder Roar' finds the Terrahawks battling the mighty Sram, Lord of Felony. 'Close Call' has an investigative reporter threatens to expose the Terrahawks on worldwide television.

A collection of short stories. In one a woman who leaves her house late at night to drive to the store while a killer is loose encounters some problems. In the second an arcade whiz kid's obsession with a game leads to deadly consequences. In the third a small town priest loses his faith and decides to leave town, but in the desert is stalked by a mysterious black pick-up truck. In the final story, a family's problem with a rat is larger than they think.

When a meteorite touches down in the New Jersey woods carrying a monstrous alien slug, it’s up to four teens to stop it before it’s terrifying brood consumes all life on Earth!

When, prehistoric monsters attack the earth, Commander Adams is asked to head up a paramilitary scientific team, which he agrees on the condition that he is provided with the general's new high-tech space craft. Glen, the creator of the craft, insists on being part of the team, as does a bumbling fool named Marconi. Biologist Lieutenant Ann Johnson comes on as a surprise to these two chauvinists, and finally, Lieutenant Harris, who has been appointed the host of Ultraman, joins the team upon his arrivial.

Three women make an emergency landing on a planet plagued with a fatal disease, but are captured by dictator Overdog. Adventurer Wolff goes there to rescue them and meets Niki, the only Earthling left from a medical expedition. Combining their talents, they try to rescue the women.

Charlie's ex-wife disappears, and he goes to where she grew up--a rural town in the midwest--to look for her. But, surprisingly, nobody knows about her or any of her many relatives, the Newmans. He meets aliens; but when he contacts the FBI, they don't believe him. He tells his story to a tabloid; and suddenly, he is chased by the aliens.

In the future England is ruled by a fascist government, and one day the leaders begin the construction of a heavily guarded, mysterious airport. BBC adaptation of Rex Warner's 1941 novel of the same name. A stereotypical village in a somewhat alternative England is taken over wholesale by 'The Air Force.' Living in the village is young Roy, who has just learned he is not who he thought he was. Attempting to forge a new sense of identity, he joins the dashing Air Force, seduced by its dynamism and direct and brutal ways.

A race of aliens living on a floating island prepares to hunt the giant Skywhales whose origins are slowly unveiled.

An avant-garde examination of the relationship between women and money in society. Mixing musical, silent melodrama, and philosophical treatise into a post-punk, heady brew.

Warren Nefron is a hopeless klutz who has some of the worst luck in the world: when he tries to end it all with a foolproof suicide plan, he still manages to mess it up. In desperation, he goes to a psychiatrist to see if there is some way for him to end his troubles.

In WWII, Captain Invincible used his superpowers against the Nazis and was hailed as a hero. But when he was accused of treason, he retired to Australia in disgrace. Cut to the present, when a US super secret super weapon is stolen and he's asked to come back to the States in order to help stop evil and restore his sterling reputation. Unfortunately, Captain Invincible is a drunk now...

An intelligent android (Michael) constructed by a research team is taken outdoors and successfully passed off as human in a trial run. When the government hears of this, they order their own set of tests in Washington. When the project leader realizes the military want the android for a soldier, he can't accept it, and he and Michael go into hiding to avoid their clutches.

A gigantic serpent is captured on a remote island and shipped to an American college for experimentation.

A futuristic, sensitive tale of adventure and confrontation when a 10 year old boy is accidentally kidnapped by a spaceship filled with a motley crew of space pirates.

Starflight One, a commercial aircraft that can whisk passengers around the globe in a matter of hours, embarks on its maiden voyage. The trip goes horribly awry, however, when the aircraft is forced out of the atmosphere and into outer space. As it is too dangerous to attempt reentry, Captain Cody Briggs, his passengers and his crew brave declining levels of oxygen while NASA scientists scramble to launch a rescue mission in a race against time.

Toxic waste dumping in a small Idaho town turns a young boy into horrible mutant monster. The town's police chief and a government scientist team up to stop the monster, which is quickly killing off the town's citizenry.

Two young lovers learn that a small group of child-like space aliens are marooned on Earth and are being held prisoner at a top secret military facility. The couple then decide to liberate the extraterrestrial castaways and help them make a rendezvous with a rescue ship sent from the alien home planet.

Anna Hart was always an odd child, a genius, a shoplifter, desperately afraid of flickering lights, with strange prophetic dreams. Simultaneously, several strange things begin to happen. A strange, mysterious neighbor, by the name of MacKayla moves in next door to the Harts. And, most frightening of all, Anna sees her exact double on the television one night. As her investigation of the other Anna, Anna Smithson, progresses, she begins to learn the truth. The truth about a woman named Anna Zimmerman that has been dead for twenty years, and most importantly, the truth about herself

Two mercenaries help wandering caravans fight off an evil and aimless band of white-clad bikers after the nuclear holocaust.

Lori Anderson is trying to deal with the recent tragedy of her father's death. As Lori's mother moves on, Lori finds herself stuck, consumed by grief and anger. With the lingering feeling that something about her father's passing was not right, Lori turns to his journals for answers. The events that follow catapult Lori into a strange romance with a ghost, resulting in a mysterious journey.

A seeker named Dogen rescues Dhyana after her father is murdered by the evil Jared-Syn. To avenge her father's death, Dogen must find Jared-Syn's hideout in the mysterious "Lost City", but the only person who knows where it is an aging, burned-out seeker named Rhodes. Along the way, they will need to do battle against the hunter Baal and his Cyclopean minions for engaging Jared-Syn in a final encounter.

The world's water supply has dried up due to some sort of apocalypse. A beautiful woman holds the secret to where one of the last springs being guarded by a group of Amazons. A "Road Warrior" like crew captures her and tries to make her talk through brutal torture. The hero (Stryker) unites with some of the remaining "good guys" and the Amazons and frees the woman. They go on to a "Road Warrior" type of concluding battle with the bad guys.

Three people are transported into a parallel universe. There they find that they must use modern technology, but medieval weapons, in order to save the citizenry from a murderous warlord.

After a traffic accident Kaylie is in coma for months and her doctors want to try a new procedure on her. To regain her consciousness, they stimulate her brain with the neural patterns of a woman who has just died. It works and Kaylie fully recovers. However, she begins to relive the dying moments of her donor and realizes that she was murdered! Along with her husband and mother, she tries to find out what happened.

In a post-nuclear world, a happy family of ranchers is beseiged by a roving band of ne'er do well marauders who want to eat the men and mate with the women. Having already killed and eaten an entire mission full of nuns, the family has no choice but to grab their rifles and defend their homestead. Meanwhile, the lonely, nubile daughter begins to have feelings for the buff blond stranger with no family who has wandered onto the property. It's romance, intrigue, action, and violence on the dark continent!

A minor diplomatic functionary stumbles upon a formula for invisibility.

Although based on Nathanael West's novel that essentially trashes the journalist's trade as cold-hearted and Machiavellian, director Michael Dinner has opted to make his journalist a pathetic figure instead. The story centers on a reporter who is trapped into writing the "Miss Lonelyhearts" column for a local newspaper and then slowly comes apart emotionally and psychologically as he gets involved with the troubles of his readers. While the plot of the film remains solid, the characterization of the journalist changes the intent -- and whether that is for better or worse will depend on the viewer.

A nomad mercenary on a high-tech motorcycle helps bring about the downfall of the evil Orwellian government, the Omega.

Wishman is a genetic experiment condemned to spend its life in the lab. Two employees decide it deserves freedom, so they escape with it.

Filipino director Willy Milan's first entry into the Maxsploitation sub-sub-genre.

Z-grade horror flick "The Hideous Sun Demon" re-dubbed and re-edited into a monster-movie spoof about a suntan lotion that works from the inside out (it also has a certain side effect).

A young boy decides to take on an alien invasion and rescue the world. Then he becomes a superhero to protect the world.