The 12 Best Directorial Debuts of the 1980s

Scrappy, inventive debuts, many made on shoestrings, that launched major careers. Which is the best?

1. 1
   Diner

   Barry Levinson 1982 debut about a group of Baltimore friends reconvening around a late-night diner.
   1000pts
2. 2
   The Evil Dead

   Sam Raimi 1981 $350,000 debut about five friends summoning demonic forces in a remote Tennessee cabin.
   873pts
3. 3
   Blue Velvet

   David Lynch 1986 suburban noir debut uncovering a dark criminal underworld beneath small-town America.
   873pts
4. 4
   Blood Simple

   Joel Coen 1984 neo-noir debut about a jealous bar owner who hires a private investigator to murder his wife.
   733pts
5. 5
   Repo Man

   Alex Cox 1984 debut about a young punk who becomes a repo man tracking an alien-containing Chevy Malibu.
   673pts
6. 6
   D.C. Cab

   Joel Schumacher 1983 debut comedy about a struggling Washington D.C. taxi service finding its mojo.
   524pts
7. 7
   Raising Arizona

   Joel Coen 1987 screwball crime comedy about a childless couple kidnapping a quintuplet from a furniture magnate.
   314pts
8. 8
   Heathers

   Michael Lehmann 1988 debut about a popular girl falling for a rebel who begins murdering her high school clique.
   314pts
9. 9
   Desperately Seeking Susan

   Susan Seidelman 1985 debut about a bored housewife swapping lives with a free-spirited adventurer.
   314pts
10. 10
    River Edge

    Tim Hunter 1986 debut based on a true case about teens who cover up a classmate murder.
    1pts
11. 11
    After Hours

    Martin Scorsese 1985 dark comedy following a word processor through a nightmarish night in lower Manhattan.
    1pts
12. 12
    To Live and Die in L.A.

    William Friedkin 1985 neo-noir thriller about a Secret Service agent pursuing a counterfeiter with reckless intensity.
    1pts