Unconventional Superhero Movies Compendium
After watching superhero movies and comic book adaptations I still find some of the concepts fascinating... but at times, especially with big companies, they tend to become repetitive, devoid of unique style, predictable, and highly dependent on same sets of clichés and tropes. Work in progress.
It should be mentioned that I have quite different standards to what exactly is considered "unconventional" twists on the genre, then many people. For example, a lot of lists like that include movies like Watchmen, Kick-Ass, Hancock, Deadpool or Logan which I personally consider (while being mostly quite good) pretty conventional in their storytelling devices. What I usually find lacking in some of the more conventional movies are subtle tragic overtones and lack of sacrifice which I find a crucial plot element for superhero fiction. TV series will be included at times. Also I must warn you there will be quite a few controversial choices, as I'm also trying to get people view some modern classics as superhero movies of sorts to emphasize genre's influence on narrative fiction. And, of course, not all movies are that good.
I've organized the list chronologically and will use sub-type classification with some descriptions attached to many entries. Sub-types (which at times can crossover) include the following:
Superhero Movie - still a superhero movie, but using unconventional storytelling or style, deconstructed in some way. In other words different enough in my humble opinion. If it is an adaptation of some kind of common superhero media (novel, pulp, comic book, cartoon, etc.) I will specify that (and publisher) in brackets.
Supervillain Movie - while it sounds pretty straightforward, I think I should specify what I mean by that: not supervillain-centric movies (which still can turn pretty conventional like Megamind or Despicable Me) but movies with a exceptionally talented villain, severely lacking in superhero competition for most of the movie (although there might be some close contenders; I'll specify that from time to time). In fact, a lot of slasher movies (another genre I'm fond of) tend to end up close to this territory (and so do some of wider genre horror movies).
Superpower Movie - movie which uses concepts of superpower similarly to superhero movies, but without emphasizing superhero aspect enough.
Vigilante Movie - a lot of superhero movies actually are vigilante movies, but featured are more grounded and traditional... And yet I often feel that they have some superhero elements in them.
Canon Extension - not really (or barely) featuring superhero elements but are somewhat crucial to other movies on the list, which do.
Coming at some point: my personal Top 10's for each sub-type.
If you have time for weird videos (some of which with superhero overtones), here's my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/PictureProductStudio http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWkcL-G3OwVvVb1B94bH5hQ
It should be mentioned that I have quite different standards to what exactly is considered "unconventional" twists on the genre, then many people. For example, a lot of lists like that include movies like Watchmen, Kick-Ass, Hancock, Deadpool or Logan which I personally consider (while being mostly quite good) pretty conventional in their storytelling devices. What I usually find lacking in some of the more conventional movies are subtle tragic overtones and lack of sacrifice which I find a crucial plot element for superhero fiction. TV series will be included at times. Also I must warn you there will be quite a few controversial choices, as I'm also trying to get people view some modern classics as superhero movies of sorts to emphasize genre's influence on narrative fiction. And, of course, not all movies are that good.
I've organized the list chronologically and will use sub-type classification with some descriptions attached to many entries. Sub-types (which at times can crossover) include the following:
Superhero Movie - still a superhero movie, but using unconventional storytelling or style, deconstructed in some way. In other words different enough in my humble opinion. If it is an adaptation of some kind of common superhero media (novel, pulp, comic book, cartoon, etc.) I will specify that (and publisher) in brackets.
Supervillain Movie - while it sounds pretty straightforward, I think I should specify what I mean by that: not supervillain-centric movies (which still can turn pretty conventional like Megamind or Despicable Me) but movies with a exceptionally talented villain, severely lacking in superhero competition for most of the movie (although there might be some close contenders; I'll specify that from time to time). In fact, a lot of slasher movies (another genre I'm fond of) tend to end up close to this territory (and so do some of wider genre horror movies).
Superpower Movie - movie which uses concepts of superpower similarly to superhero movies, but without emphasizing superhero aspect enough.
Vigilante Movie - a lot of superhero movies actually are vigilante movies, but featured are more grounded and traditional... And yet I often feel that they have some superhero elements in them.
Canon Extension - not really (or barely) featuring superhero elements but are somewhat crucial to other movies on the list, which do.
Coming at some point: my personal Top 10's for each sub-type.
If you have time for weird videos (some of which with superhero overtones), here's my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/PictureProductStudio http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWkcL-G3OwVvVb1B94bH5hQ
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- DirectorLouis FeuilladeStarsRené NavarreEdmund BreonGeorges MelchiorInspector Juve is tasked to investigate and capture an infamous criminal Fantomas.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorLouis FeuilladeStarsRené NavarreEdmund BreonGeorges MelchiorIn Part Two of Louis Feuillade's 5 1/2-hour epic follows Fantômas, the criminal lord of Paris, master of disguise, the creeping assassin in black, as he is pursued by the equally resourceful Inspector Juve.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorLouis FeuilladeStarsRené NavarreEdmund BreonGeorges MelchiorAfter a body disappears from inside the prison, a series of crimes take place, all seemingly by the dead man. With Juve presumed dead, Fandor must investigate alone. Will Fantomas finally be brought to justice?Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorLouis FeuilladeStarsRené NavarreGeorges MelchiorLaurent MorléasThe press and the public opinion suggest that Inspector Juve may in fact be Fantômas. As Juve is jailed, the actual Fantômas schemes to keep him behind bars forever.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorLouis FeuilladeStarsRené NavarreEdmund BreonGeorges MelchiorHaving committed murder in Belgium, Fantomas is sentenced to life imprisonment. Two crimes committed in France suggest to inspector Juve that the Fantomas gang is still at work. He conceives the idea that if Fantomas is set free it will be possible to follow him and capture him and the remaining members of the gang. The villain escapes from prison and makes his way to the railroad station and boards a train where he is tracked by private detectives. When the train stops at a country station, Fantomas alights with the intention of making good his escape, but he finds that he is being followed by two detectives, whom he recognizes. He goes back to his carriage, which leads the detectives to think he is quite safe, but he crosses the train and leaves by the opposite door, jumping into the baggage wagon of the train on the opposite rail. Just at that moment the train moves and a magistrate who happens to have nearly missed the train also jumps into the baggage wagon. Fantomas was who hiding, attacks the magistrate, and after a severe struggle in which he is victorious assumes the disguise of the magistrate and takes his clothes and papers. He continues the journey as the magistrate, successfully rescues certain criminals, who are brought before him to be tried, and manages to blackmail several members of society, with whom he is brought in contact. While here he is recognized by Fandor, the young and clever journalist who happens to come into the district and who has suspicions as to the authenticity of the magistrate. He decides to keep watch upon him. His suspicions are well founded and he identifies the magistrate as none other than Fantomas. After much trouble, he is able to get papers committing Fantomas to prison, but Fantomas' suspecting his immediate arrest, issues an order to the head warden, and tells him that it is Detective Juve's intention to be arrested disguised as Fantomas. The warden is not to tell a soul of the detective's intentional disguise, but is to let him remain in prison until 12 o'clock midnight, when the head warden is to personally release him. The police, not suspecting anything of this, feel quite safe when Fantomas is put in the cell and securely barred and locked. His scheme works favorably and once more Fantomas is at large.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorLouis FeuilladeStarsRené CrestéMusidoraRené PoyenA twelve-part serial following the adventures of the masked vigilante Judex as he fights against criminals led by the corrupt banker Favrauxom.Superhero Movie/Serial. Quite possibly the first superhero movie, especially with an original superhero.
- DirectorLouis FeuilladeStarsRené CrestéMarcel LévesqueYvette AndréyorIs a continuation of the film series "Judex" the masked fighter for justice.Superhero Movie/Serial.
- DirectorFred NibloStarsDouglas FairbanksMarguerite De La MotteNoah BeeryA seemingly idiotic fop is really the courageous vigilante Zorro, who seeks to protect the oppressed.Superhero Movie
- DirectorEdward SedgwickStarsEdward RosemanEdna MurphyJohnnie WalkerFantomas, a master criminal, offers to give up his life of crime if the authorities promise not to prosecute him for his past crimes. He is enraged when they refuse his ultimatum, and determines to terrorize the city into submitting to his demands.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorIvane PerestianiStarsKonstantin DavidovskiPavel YesikovskySofia JozeffiAdventures of three Red Army soldiers - Misha, Dunyasha, and Tom Jackson (an African-American boy) - who fight against Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Makhno and his forces during the Russian Civil War.Superhero Movie or rather a Soviet propaganda variant of such. Worth the nod as the latter adaptations, the "Elusive Avengers" trilogy is outright superhero movies.
- DirectorDonald CrispStarsDouglas FairbanksMary AstorJack McDonaldDon Cesar, son of Zorro, is framed for murder while visiting Spain, and becomes the whip-wielding outlaw Don Q.Superhero Movie
- DirectorPál FejösStarsThomy BourdelleTania FédorJean WormsThe Marquise de Langrune invites her friends at her castle in Beaulieu. Among them is Lord Beltham who also came to bring her a significant sum of money. The mysterious Fantômas kills the Marquise during the night. Inspector Juve is sent on his trail.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsClaude RainsGloria StuartWilliam HarriganA scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.Supervillain Movie, Canon Extension (based on the novel by H.G. Wells).
- DirectorMaurice ChampreuxStarsRené FertéLouise LagrangePaule AndralSuperhero Movie
- DirectorBruce MitchellJack NelsonStarsArt MixEdmund CobbWilliam DesmondTwelve renegades dressed as Indians kill the parents of two brothers. The brothers who have similar birth marks then separate. Ten years later a man known as the Rawhide Terror is murdering the renegades who are now town citizens.Superhero Movie.
- DirectorLynn ShoresStarsRod La RocqueAgnes AndersonJames BlakeleyLamont Cranston assumes his secret identity as "The Shadow", to break up an attempted robbery at an attorney's office. When the police search the scene, Cranston takes on an impersonation of the attorney.Superhero Movie (based on radio and pulp character from Street and Smith Publications) An unusually grounded take on beloved pulp prototype superhero The Shadow.
- DirectorCharles LamontStarsRod La RocqueAstrid AllwynThomas E. JacksonLamont Cranston (Rod La Rocque), amateur criminologist and detective, with a daily radio program, sponsored by the Daily Classic newspaper, has developed a friendly feud that sometimes passes the friendly stage with Police Commissioner Weston (Thomas E. Jackson). He complains to his managing editor, Edward Heath (Oscar O'Shea), over the problems that have developed in his department since Phoebe Lane (Astrid Allwyn) has been hired as his assistant. He is advised to forget it since she is the publisher's niece. During his broadcast about Honest John (William Pawley), a famous safe cracker who has served his time, Phoebe gives him a note that the Metropolitan Theatre is to be robbed at eight o'clock and she is so insistent that he adds it as his closing note. Off the air, he learns she got the information from a man she met in a café who had an honest face. Cranston goes to the theatre where Weston and his men have gathered and, of course, nothing happens but, across town, a safe is blown at the home of international banker Gerald Morton (John St. Polis) and the banker is killed. Cranston arrives there ahead of the police and discovers enough evidence to show him that it wasn't just a simple robbery with the banker accidentally killed. The irate Weston has him jailed as a material witness, but Phoebe comes through with a habeas corpus in time for him to make his broadcast. Honest John crashes into the studio with a gun and demands that Cranston exonerates him over the air from the police suspicion that he committed the robbery. Weston rushes to the studio but Honest John has escaped. Cranston takes Phoebe on a tour of night clubs hoping she will spot the man who gave her the robbery message. She does and Cranston poses as a new arrival from Europe and learns that the man is Flotow (Wilhelm von Brincken) and his companion is Starkov (Tenen Holtz'). They make a date for lunch the next day. While they are waiting for him to join them for lunch, Cranston breaks into Flathow's apartment where he meets Phoebe who also has had the same idea. A phone call is answered and Morton's butler says there is a meeting at the Morton home that afternoon.Superhero Movie (based on radio and pulp character from Street and Smith Publications) Even more strange and unconventional adaptation then the original movie "The Shadow Strikes", with "The Shadow" being a radio gimmick and plot having interesting crime thriller overtones.
- DirectorJoe MayStarsCedric HardwickeVincent PriceNan GreyThe owner of a coal mining operation, falsely imprisoned for fratricide, takes a drug to make him invisible, despite its side effect: gradual madness.Superhero Movie (based on the novel by H.G. Wells)
- DirectorGeorge WaggnerStarsLionel AtwillLon Chaney Jr.Anne NagelA mad scientist turns a man into an electrically-controlled monster to do his bidding.Superpower Movie with elements of Superhero Movie.
- DirectorJean SachaStarsMarcel HerrandSimone SignoretAlexandre RignaultThe invincible bandit faces his daughter, who wants him to end his criminal activities.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorCharles BartonWalter LantzStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloLon Chaney Jr.The Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for Frankenstein monster's body.Superpower Movie with elements of Superhero Movie.
- DirectorRobert VernayStarsMarcelle ChantalAimé ClariondAlexandre RignaultEveryone in Paris thinks Fantomas is dead. A wave of extortion, blackmail and murder all point to the master criminal. Inspector Juve and his reporter friend Fandor set out to find the truth.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorJames Wong HoweBen ParkerJohn SledgeStarsRichard DerrMark DanielsHelen WestcottLamont Cranston, aka The Shadow, investigates the murder of a New Orleans bandleader.Superhero Movie (based on radio and pulp character from Street and Smith Publications) Yet another weird The Shadow adaptation.
- DirectorTerence YoungStarsSean ConneryUrsula AndressBernard LeeA resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.Superhero Movie I found it really interesting that people don't view James Bond as a superhero.
- DirectorGeorges FranjuStarsChanning PollockFrancine BergéEdith ScobFavraux, an unscrupulous banker receives a threatening note signed only "Judex", demanding that he pay back the people he has swindled. He refuses, and seemingly faces his fate.Superhero Movie.
- CreatorRoy HugginsStarsDavid JanssenWilliam ConradBarry MorseA doctor, wrongly convicted for a murder he didn't commit, escapes custody and must stay ahead of the police to find the real killer.Vigilante TV Series with Superhero elements.
- DirectorAndré HunebelleStarsJean MaraisLouis de FunèsMylène DemongeotThe best men of France - a brave journalist and an extremely energetic commissioner - attack the trail of a mysterious criminal mastermind.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorAndré HunebelleHaroun TazieffStarsJean MaraisLouis de FunèsMylène DemongeotWhen Professor Marchand, a famous scientist, mysteriously disappears, the commissioner, Juve, immediately suspects Fantomas.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre) although Juve, Fantomas's arch-nemesis is really close to superhero in this one and so are a few other characters.
- DirectorRay Dennis StecklerStarsCarolyn BrandtRon HaydockTitus MoedeAfter stopping three crooks from robbing an innocent woman, two dimwits become crime fighters.Superhero Movie
- CreatorHarry Julian FinkStarsRobert LoggiaRobert CarricartR.G. ArmstrongA former circus aerialist, and reformed cat burglar, offers his services as a professional bodyguard.Vigilante TV Series
- DirectorAndré HunebelleStarsJean MaraisLouis de FunèsMylène DemongeotFamous but unlucky pursuers of Fantomas from France go to weird Scotland for a final attempt to bring the impudent criminal to justice.Supervillain Movie (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorEdmond KeosayanStarsVasiliy VasilevViktor KosykhValentina KurdyukovaTeenagers take revenge on cruel chieftains during the civil war. Soviet blockbuster in the best traditions of the westernSuperhero Movie "Elusive Avengers", a Soviet answer to pulp set during Civil War with four teenage protagonists.
- DirectorRoger VadimStarsJane FondaJohn Phillip LawAnita PallenbergIn the 41st century, an astronaut partakes in sexy misadventures while seeking to stop an evil scientist who threatens to bring evil back into the galaxy.Superhero Movie (based on comics by Jean-Claude Forest)
- DirectorEdmond KeosayanStarsMikhail MetyolkinVasiliy VasilevViktor KosykhYoung heroes hunt for a secret map behind enemy lines. The second part of the film cycle, filmed at the request of the audienceSuperhero Movie A sequel to "Elusive Avengers".
- DirectorEdmond KeosayanStarsMikhail MetyolkinViktor KosykhVasiliy VasilevThe last part of the trilogy, consists of two series. The civil war is over, but not all enemies have been defeated yet. Grown up and matured guys are fighting bandits of all stripes, bringing the bright future of socialism closer.Superhero Movie A threequel to "Elusive Avengers".
- DirectorAnthony HarveyStarsGeorge C. ScottJoanne WoodwardJack GilfordIn a Manhattan psychiatric hospital, a man convinced that he is Sherlock Holmes is treated by a female doctor who happens to be named Watson.Superhero Movie. Honestly, Sherlock Holmes plus Don Quixote rolled into one in a modern setting. It got to give that vibe with not one but two proto-superheroes as an inspiration.
- DirectorCorrado FarinaStarsCarroll BakerGeorge EastmanIsabelle De FunèsA photographer finds herself falling under the spell of a witch.Supervillain Movie with shades of Superhero Movie (based on Valentina comics by Guido Crepax).
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCharles BronsonHope LangeVincent GardeniaA New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad after his wife is murdered by street punks. In self-defense, the vengeful man kills muggers on the mean streets after dark.Vigilante Movie although sequels tend to be much more superhero-ish, original movie still has quite a few overtones.
- DirectorBrian ClemensStarsHorst JansonJohn CarsonShane BriantA master swordsman and former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.Superhero Movie
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJodie FosterCybill ShepherdA mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.Vigilante Movie
- DirectorFrank PackardStarsJ. Walter SmithTobar MayoRoxie YoungUpon moving into a bigoted neighborhood, the scientist father of a persecuted black family gives a superpower elixir to a tough bodyguard, who thus becomes a superpowered crimefighter.Superhero Movie
- DirectorJohn De BelloStarsDavid MillerGeorge WilsonSharon TaylorA group of scientists band together to save the world from mutated killer tomatoes.Suggests certain elements of Superhero Movie
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsMel GibsonJoanne SamuelHugh Keays-ByrneIn a self-destructing world, a vengeful Australian policeman sets out to stop a violent motorcycle gang.Vigilante Movie and, to some extent, Canon Extension.
- StarsYuriy TorsuevVladimir TorsuevVasiliy SkromnyyThe Adventures of the Elektronic.Superhero TV Series (based on the novel by Evgeniy Veltistov)
- DirectorLee H. KatzinStarsJoe PennyDana ElcarBeulah QuoLee Cantrell, a young San Francisco attorney by day, at night becomes a samurai warrior, and battles a crazed multi-millionaire who is planning to destroy the city with an earthquake machine.Superhero Movie
- StarsHelmut BergerJacques DufilhoPierre MaletMaster criminal Fantomas kills an ambassador, is having an affair with the dead man's wife, sneaks into a rich woman's house handing out vanishing-ink business cards, is caught and sentenced to death but switches with an actor, who goes to the guillotine.Supervillain TV Series (based on pulp novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre)
- DirectorJames GlickenhausStarsRobert GintySamantha EggarChristopher GeorgeA man's best friend is killed on the streets of New York City. The man (Robert Ginty) then transforms into a violent killer, turning New York City into a great war zone, and Christopher George is the only one to stop him.Vigilante Movie marketed slightly as a Superhero Movie.
- DirectorMartin DavidsonStarsJohn RitterAnne ArcherBert ConvyA struggling actor buying milk stops a robbery while wearing a superhero uniform, promoting a movie. The unknown hero decides to try again. Can he impress his cute neighbor?Superhero Movie
- DirectorSergio CorbucciStarsTerence HillErnest BorgnineJoanne DruRed powder from a nuclear explosion gives a police officer super powers as long as he doesn't see anything red. He is eventually framed for murder and is unsuccessfully executed by many different methods.Superhero Movie
- DirectorSean S. CunninghamStarsBetsy PalmerAdrienne KingJeannine TaylorA group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.Canon Extension
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsMel GibsonBruce SpenceMichael PrestonIn the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community get rid of a horde of bandits.Superhero Movie although rarely seen as one.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellEllen SandweissRichard DeManincorFive friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.Canon Extension as sequels tend to feature elements heavily.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKaren AllenPaul FreemanIn 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.Superhero Movie Indiana Jones is heavily inspired by pulp prototype superheroes.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellLee Van CleefErnest BorgnineIn 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.Superhero Movie Snake Plissken feels A LOT like a superhero. He even has comic book series.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJennifer O'NeillStephen LackPatrick McGoohanA 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.Superpower Movie
- DirectorSteve MinerStarsBetsy PalmerAmy SteelJohn FureyFive 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.Supervillain Movie
- DirectorMenahem GolanStarsFranco NeroSusan GeorgeShô KosugiAfter 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.Vigilante Movie with several shades of Superhero Movie
- DirectorWes CravenStarsLouis JourdanAdrienne BarbeauRay WiseAfter a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist is turned into a swamp plant monster.Superhero Movie (based on DC Comics)
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCharles BronsonJill IrelandVincent GardeniaArchitect Paul Kersey once again becomes a vigilante when he tries to find the five street punks who murdered his daughter and housekeeper, this time on the dark streets of Los Angeles.Vigilante Movie
- DirectorSteve MinerStarsDana KimmellTracie SavageRichard BrookerJason Voorhees stalks a group of friends who have just arrived to spend the weekend at a cabin near Crystal Lake.Supervillain Movie
- DirectorJuan Piquer SimónStarsChristopher GeorgeLynda Day GeorgeFrank BrañaThe co-eds of a Boston college campus are targeted by a mysterious killer who is creating a human jigsaw puzzle from their body parts.Supervillain Movie (loosely inspired by The Shadow in visual style)
- CreatorDonald R. BoyleGlen A. LarsonStarsSimon MacCorkindaleMelody AndersonReni SantoniA suave and elegant university professor, who can shape-shift into any animal, fights crime along with a female New York detective and his right-hand man.Superhero TV Series
- DirectorSam FirstenbergStarsShô KosugiKeith VitaliVirgil FryeAfter ninjas killed his family, Cho and his son Kane come to America to start a new life. He opens a doll shop but is unwittingly importing heroin in the dolls. When his friend betrays him, Cho must prepare for the ultimate battle.Superhero Movie
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsChristopher WalkenBrooke AdamsTom SkerrittA man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.Superpower Movie
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonMichael BiehnA human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.Supervillain Movie but Kyle Reese is a very close contender for a superhero in my humble opinion.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampJohnny DeppRobert EnglundTeenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.Supervillain Movie Freddy Krueger is one of the best-known superpowered villains out there.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKate CapshawKe Huy QuanIn 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.Superhero Movie
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsJeff BridgesKaren AllenCharles Martin SmithAn alien takes the form of a young Wisconsin widow's husband and makes her drive him to his departure point in Arizona. Distrustful government agents, along with a more ambivalent scientist, give pursuit in hopes of intercepting them.Superpower Movie with shades of Superhero Movie.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsBill MurrayDan AykroydSigourney WeaverThree parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.Superhero Movie
- DirectorMark BuntzmanStarsRobert GintyMario Van PeeblesDeborah GeffnerThe flamethrower-wielding vigilante John Eastland returns to rid New York City of a drug lord and his gang.Vigilante Movie with strong elements of Superhero Movie.
- DirectorJoseph ZitoStarsErich AndersonJudie AronsonPeter BartonAfter being announced dead and taken to a morgue, Jason Voorhees spontaneously revives, escapes from the hospital, and stalks a group of friends renting a house in the countryside near Crystal Lake.Supervillain Movie
- DirectorMichael HerzLloyd KaufmanStarsAndree MarandaMitch CohenJennifer BabtistTromaville has a monstrous new hero. The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. Now evildoers will have a lot to lose.Superhero Movie
- StarsNatalya GusevaAleksei FomkinIlya NaumovA school boy finds a time machine and he helps Alisa, a scientist girl in the future, to save a mind-reading device from space pirates. Chased by the pirates and followed by Alisa he saves the device bringing it back to his own time.Superhero TV Series (based on the novel by Kir Bulychyov)
- DirectorWalter HillStarsMichael ParéDiane LaneRick MoranisA mercenary is hired to rescue his ex-girlfriend, a singer who has been kidnapped by a motorcycle gang.Superhero Movie.
- DirectorSam FirstenbergStarsShô KosugiLucinda DickeyJordan BennettAn evil ninja attempts to avenge his death from beyond the grave, by possessing an innocent woman's body.Superhero Movie
- CreatorMichael LandonStarsMichael LandonVictor FrenchJames TroeshA probationary angel, sent back to Earth, teams with an ex-cop to help people.Superhero TV Series
- DirectorJoseph RubenStarsDennis QuaidMax von SydowChristopher PlummerA man who can enter and manipulate people's dreams is recruited by a government agency to help cure the President of the United States of his nightmares about nuclear war but stumbles upon an assassination plot.Superpower Movie with elements of Superhero Movie.
- DirectorMark L. LesterStarsDrew BarrymoreDavid KeithFreddie JonesA couple who participated in a potent medical experiment gain telepathic ability and then have a child who is pyrokinetic.
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCharles BronsonDeborah RaffinEd LauterArchitect/vigilante Paul Kersey arrives back in New York City and is forcibly recruited by a crooked police chief to fight street crime caused by a large gang terrorizing the neighborhoods.Vigilante Movie
- DirectorLeonid GaidaiStarsLeonid KuravlyovLarisa UdovichenkoTatyana KravchenkoSpartak Molodtsov is a man who can not pass through. Because of this he always gets into trouble.Superhero Movie
- DirectorGeorge MillerGeorge OgilvieStarsMel GibsonTina TurnerBruce SpenceAfter being exiled from the most advanced town in post-apocalyptic Australia, a drifter travels with a group of abandoned children to rebel against the town's queen.Superhero Movie
- DirectorDanny SteinmannStarsMelanie KinnamanJohn ShepherdAnthony BarrileStill haunted by his past, Tommy Jarvis, who, as a child, killed Jason Voorhees, is sent to a secluded halfway house in the countryside, where the killing of a young man triggers a brutal series of murders in the area.Supervillain Movie
- DirectorJack SholderStarsRobert EnglundMark PattonKim MyersA teenage boy is haunted in his dreams by deceased child murderer Freddy Krueger, who is out to possess him in order to continue his reign of terror in the real world.Supervillain Movie
- DirectorJohn HughesStarsAnthony Michael HallIlan Mitchell-SmithKelly LeBrockTwo high-school nerds use a computer program to literally create the perfect woman, who promptly turns their lives upside-down.Superpower Movie/Superhero Movie (based on EC Comics)
- DirectorEmmett AlstonStarsShô KosugiBrent HuffEmilia CrowTwo anti-terrorist agents are assigned to free a busload of American schoolchildren in the Philippines who are taken hostage by terrorists.Superhero Movie
- DirectorStuart GordonStarsJeffrey CombsBruce AbbottBarbara CramptonAfter an odd new medical student arrives on campus, a dedicated local and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue.Supervillain Movie
- CreatorRichard LindheimMichael SloanStarsEdward WoodwardKeith SzarabajkaRobert LansingA retired Intelligence Agent turned private detective helps various threatened clients to equalize the odds.Vigilante TV Series slowly progressing into Superhero TV Series.
- DirectorSam FirstenbergStarsMichael DudikoffSteve JamesJudie AronsonAmerican soldier, obviously very skilled in martial arts, single-handedly takes on mercenaries in the Philippines.Superhero Movie
- DirectorMike MarvinStarsCharlie SheenNick CassavetesSherilyn FennIn a small town in Arizona, a mysterious man/spirit descends from the sky and manifests in a sports car and targets a local violent road-racing gang of motor heads, headed by a ruthless bully who'll do anything to get what he wants.Superhero Movie
- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsKen WahlNancy AllenRobert CulpA road warrior vigilante avenges his brother's death at the hands of a crazy motorist by using his souped-up pickup to apprehend drunken drivers and others who abuse their driving privileges.Superhero Movie A really interesting example how a story, which was probably supposed to be a pilot for a superhero TV series turned more towards a serious drama under the direction of cult director Abel Ferrara. Absolutely worth the watch and quite clever, with a few entertaining car chases.
- DirectorRussell MulcahyStarsChristopher LambertSean ConneryClancy BrownAn immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled "Prize".Superhero Movie
- DirectorRobert HarmonStarsRutger HauerC. Thomas HowellJennifer Jason LeighA young man who escapes the clutches of a murderous hitchhiker is subsequently stalked by the hitcher and framed for his crimes.Supervillain Movie
- DirectorTom McLoughlinStarsThom MathewsJennifer CookeDavid KagenTommy Jarvis exhumes Jason Voorhees to cremate his corpse, but inadvertently brings him back to life instead. The newly revived killer seeks revenge, and Tommy may be the only one who can stop him.Supervillain Movie
- DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsCharles BronsonKay LenzJohn P. RyanArchitect/vigilante Paul Kersey takes on the members of a vicious Los Angeles drug cartel to stop the flow of drugs after his girlfriend's daughter dies from an overdose.Vigilante Movie
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellSarah BerryDan HicksAsh Williams, the lone survivor of an earlier onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits, holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.Superhero Movie - while being primary a horror movie, seeing how Ash becomes more and more capable of fighting deadites using homemade gadgets and experience despie crippling injury evokes the feeling of the genre easily.
- DirectorChuck RussellStarsHeather LangenkampRobert EnglundCraig WassonA psychiatrist familiar with knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.Supervillain Movie but is close to Superhero Movie with a group of talented teenagers fighting back with their own dream-based superpowers.
- DirectorPavel ArsenovStarsNatalya GusevaAleksandr GusevVyacheslav NevinnyyAlisa Seleznyova and her father professor Seleznyov are traveling in space. They meet their old friend archaeologist Gromozeka, who's just discovered a planet all inhabitants of which died. It became known that they discovered a virus of hostility, got infected and killed each other. Gromozeka also discovered that they had left the virus on Earth 26000 years ago, and the virus is about to become loose. The only chance to save the Earth is to travel 26000 years back in time - to the epoch when witches, dragons and magicians lived along with usual people.Superhero Movie (based on the novel by Kir Bulychyov) A sequel to "Guest from the Future".
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsPeter WellerNancy AllenDan O'HerlihyIn a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.Superhero Movie
- DirectorSam FirstenbergStarsMichael DudikoffSteve JamesLarry PoindexterOn a remote Caribbean island, Army Ranger Joe Armstrong investigates the disappearance of several marines, which leads him to The Lion, a super-criminal who has kidnapped a local scientist and mass-produced an army of mutant Ninja warriors.Superhero Movie
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerCarl WeathersKevin Peter HallA team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.Supervillain Movie