# Good films you like with no budget
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 21, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896 "2023-06-21T18:40:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/1 "2023-06-21T18:40:47Z")
Creative magic can happen with limitations, one of the most interesting is a limitation many face every day. Money.
[Primer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primer_(film)) - Fantastic movie, and $7,000 is going to be hard to beat.
[Coherence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coherence_(film)) for $50,000. One of the best sci-fi films in the last 10 years and yet could have been a play with two sets and no costume changes. THAT is writing.
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/2 "2023-06-21T18:46:11Z")
Primer was going to be my offer as well but if you want to go a little more expensive then [Monsters](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1470827/) came in at under 500k and was mostly improvised and cobbled together.
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/3 "2023-06-21T19:00:27Z")
[_Gone in 60 Seconds_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_in_60_Seconds_(1974_film)) (1974)
I guess $150,000 isn’t exactly “no budget” but, my God, look at what Halicki managed to do with it. Likely the longest car chase in movie history involving 130 cars (90 of them wrecked) and clearing $40 million at the box office. You can just fast forward through the first half and it’s still the best auto-related film ever made.
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### Author:  [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/4 "2023-06-21T19:08:57Z")
Robert Rodriquez’s debut [El Mariachi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mariachi) had a $7225 (1992) budget. Lots of bloopers left in as he couldn’t afford a do-over, which adds to the film’s charm.
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### Author:  [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/5 "2023-06-21T19:17:19Z")
Clerks.
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/6 "2023-06-21T19:32:05Z")
A lot of it depends on the definition of low budget, as the OP runs from $7.5k to $200k. And there’s the difference between a good film and “good film for the budget”. Still, I think anything under quarter of a million has a shot at being considered “no budget” by modern (and the OPs) standards. Going by a few I’ve seen I’d include:
Mad God (2021)
The Man from Earth (2007)
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
Mad Max (1979)
Of course, we’re also leaving out inflation compensation and a ton of other factors, but that’s a quick list based on movies in my Plex Library. If we upped low/no budget to around $500k then it would expand a lot.
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### Author:  [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/7 "2023-06-21T20:05:20Z")
[It Happened Here - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Happened_Here) 20,000$
Anti-fascist story of Nazis in England.
[Night of the Living Dead - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Living_Dead) 100,000$
Somebody had to name it.
**Primer** is awesome.
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### Author:  [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/8 "2023-06-21T20:45:03Z")
[Return of the Secaucus 7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_of_the_Secaucus_7) ($60,000)
[Who’s That Knocking At My Door](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_That_Knocking_at_My_Door) ($70,000)
[Once](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_(film)) ($160,000)
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### Author:  [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/9 "2023-06-21T21:06:37Z")
_Detour_ (1945) – Around $100,000
_The Man from Planet X_ (1951) - $41,000
_It Conquered the World_ (1956) - ?
_Creation of the Humanoids_ (1962) - ?
_Attack of the Robots_ (1966) - ?
_Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane_ (1998) - $7,300
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### Author:  [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/10 "2023-06-21T21:23:08Z")
[Funny Ha Ha](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funny_Ha_Ha) - $30,000
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### Author:  [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/11 "2023-06-21T21:24:25Z")
[Meet the Parents](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_the_Parents_(1992_film)) (original 1992 version) - $100,000
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### Author:  [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2023, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/12 "2023-06-21T21:27:33Z")
One of the best movies I have seen regardless of budget is [Open Water](http://funny115.com/movies/openwater.htm) I couldn’t find a definitive budget though most report $130k (in 2003).
When looking at budgets you need to consider when it was made, after accouinting for inflation $20k in 1966 when it happened here was made is almost the same budget as $130k in 2003.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/13 "2023-06-22T00:08:50Z")
**El Mariachi** is probably my favourite. But I also thought of [Crime Wave](https://www.screenslate.com/articles/crime-wave-john-paizs-return-his-retro-comedy-noir) (made for $35,000 Canadian).
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2023, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/14 "2023-06-22T04:09:17Z")
There’s a movie I’ve mentioned here before called **Future '38**. It purports to be (but isn’t) a recently rediscovered film from 1938 about someone travelling to the far future of 2018. A lot of the humor is in how it gets some predictions about the future almost right, but not quite.
I can’t find an actual budget figure for it, but it must have been pretty low. I don’t know if I’d call it a great movie, but from what they had to work with it’s good, smart, silly fun.
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### Author:  [@steepone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steepone)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2023, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/15 "2023-06-22T04:53:14Z")
**The Castle** , Made in 11 days for $50,000 Australian dollars
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2023, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/16 "2023-06-22T17:53:16Z")
> [@Dropo](#):
>
> _Creation of the Humanoids_ (1962) - ?
I’m amazed anyone remembers this. I was going to mention it.
Also Luc Besson’s film **Le Dernier Combat** Made before he got into big-budget SF/fantasy blockbusters. It’s clearly shot on a budget, in black and white, and practically no dialogue. I can’t find the production cost, but it must be really low.
Jerome Bixby’s last film, **The Man from Earth**. Made in 2007 on a budget of $200,000 in eight days.
Bixby was the guy responsible for the story “It’s a GOOD Life”, made into one of the most famous Twilight Zone episodes. And for _It! The Terror from Beyond Space_\*, 1from which **Alien** stole the plot. It’s one of the best SF movies from the 1950s. He also wrote the much-neglected _The Lost Missile_ sand the Mummy-like _Curse of the Faceless Man_. He wrote four Star Trek TOS episodes and rewrote the script for _Fantastic Voyage._
> **[The Man from Earth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_Earth)**
>
> The Man from Earth is a 2007 American science fiction drama film directed by Richard Schenkman. It was written by Jerome Bixby, who conceived the screenplay in the early 1960s and completed it on his deathbed in April 1998. It stars David Lee Smith as John Oldman, a departing university professor, who puts forth the notion that he is more than 14,000 years old. The entire film is set in and around Oldman's house during his farewell party and consists almost entirely of dialogue. The plot advan Th...
> **[Le Dernier Combat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Dernier_Combat)**
>
> Le Dernier Combat (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}French: \[lə dɛʁnje kɔ̃ba\]; English: The Last Battle) is a 1983 French post-apocalyptic film. It was the first feature film to be directed by Luc Besson, and also features Jean Reno's first prominent role. Music for the film was composed by Éric Serra. The film was the first of many...
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/17 "2023-06-22T18:06:58Z")
Offside, the Irani movie stealth-filmed by Jafar Panahi, who was recently released from jail (again) after being imprisoned for some other stealth-ish films. Offside cost about $2,500 in tape and editing, and it’s a good film.
> **[Offside (2006 Iranian film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offside_(2006_Iranian_film))**
>
> Offside (Persian: آفساید) is a 2006 Iranian film directed by Jafar Panahi. The film is about a group of girls who try to watch a World Cup qualifying match but are forbidden by law because of their gender. Female fans are not allowed to enter football stadiums in Iran on the grounds that there will be a high risk of violence or verbal abuse against them. The film was inspired by the director's daughter, who decided to attend a game anyway. The film was shot in Iran but its screening is bann Mos...
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### Author:  [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/18 "2023-06-22T18:12:43Z")
[Born Rich,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_Rich_(2003_film)) being something like a student film made by the young man who is the heir of the Johnson & Johnson fortune. It features Ivanka Trump and his other friends.
Well worth your time.
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### Author:  [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/19 "2023-06-22T18:24:34Z")
The first _Terrifier_ was shot for something like $60,000. IMHO, the production value is astonishing for that amount of money spent. The second one went for about $250,000, and still looks like it cost several times that.
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-films-you-like-with-no-budget/985896/20 "2023-06-22T19:58:36Z")
**Meet the Feebles** , made by Peter Jackson before he came to the U.S. It’s kind of an R-rated version of the old Muppet Show; the backstage lives of a theater troupe of puppets. One of the most tasteless movies ever made. A friend of mine said that there’s not a single bodily fluid that isn’t involved at some point. If they weren’t puppets, the film would be a definite X rating.
Wikipedia lists the budget at $750,000.
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