What is the best directorial debut film of the 1980s?

The 1980s independent film renaissance produced some of the most distinctive debut features in cinema history. From Blood Simple to sex, lies, and videotape, which debut was the most remarkable?

1

Blood Simple

The Coen Brothers' 1984 debut — a Texas neo-noir thriller of paranoia, double-crossing, and dark comedy.

1000pts

2

The Return of the Living Dead

Dan O'Bannon's 1985 debut — a punk horror-comedy that introduced 'brains' as the zombie's dietary preference.

567pts

3

Raising Arizona

The Coen Brothers' 1987 absurdist comedy — their dazzling follow-up and a showcase of cinematic inventiveness.

495pts

4

Stranger Than Paradise

Jim Jarmusch's 1984 debut — a three-part minimalist comedy that defined American indie cool.

479pts

5

Re-Animator

Stuart Gordon's 1985 debut — a wildly transgressive Lovecraft horror adaptation dripping with dark humor.

479pts

6

Repo Man

Alex Cox's 1984 debut — a punk sci-fi comedy about LA repo men discovering an alien in a Malibu Chevrolet.

315pts

7

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Tim Burton's 1985 debut — a wildly imaginative comedy that established his signature gothic pop aesthetic.

315pts

8

El Norte

Gregory Nava's 1983 debut — a harrowing Guatemalan immigration epic that earned an Oscar nomination.

315pts

9

Evil Dead

Sam Raimi's 1981 debut — a ferociously inventive low-budget horror classic shot in the Tennessee woods.

203pts

10

Diner

Barry Levinson's 1982 debut — a semiautobiographical ensemble comedy about Baltimore men confronting adulthood.

203pts

11

She's Gotta Have It

Spike Lee's 1986 debut — a black-and-white New York romantic comedy that announced a major new voice.

58pts

12

sex, lies, and videotape

Steven Soderbergh's 1989 debut — a Palme d'Or-winning drama that launched American independent cinema.

58pts

13

The Terminator

James Cameron's 1984 debut — a relentless sci-fi action film that launched one of cinema's great franchises.

58pts