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. 1
   Blood Simple

   The Coen Brothers' 1984 debut — a Texas neo-noir thriller of paranoia, double-crossing, and dark comedy.
   1000pts
2. 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. 3
   Raising Arizona

   The Coen Brothers' 1987 absurdist comedy — their dazzling follow-up and a showcase of cinematic inventiveness.
   495pts
4. 4
   Stranger Than Paradise

   Jim Jarmusch's 1984 debut — a three-part minimalist comedy that defined American indie cool.
   479pts
5. 5
   Re-Animator

   Stuart Gordon's 1985 debut — a wildly transgressive Lovecraft horror adaptation dripping with dark humor.
   479pts
6. 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. 7
   Pee-wee's Big Adventure

   Tim Burton's 1985 debut — a wildly imaginative comedy that established his signature gothic pop aesthetic.
   315pts
8. 8
   El Norte

   Gregory Nava's 1983 debut — a harrowing Guatemalan immigration epic that earned an Oscar nomination.
   315pts
9. 9
   Evil Dead

   Sam Raimi's 1981 debut — a ferociously inventive low-budget horror classic shot in the Tennessee woods.
   203pts
10. 10
    Diner

    Barry Levinson's 1982 debut — a semiautobiographical ensemble comedy about Baltimore men confronting adulthood.
    203pts
11. 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. 12
    sex, lies, and videotape

    Steven Soderbergh's 1989 debut — a Palme d'Or-winning drama that launched American independent cinema.
    58pts
13. 13
    The Terminator

    James Cameron's 1984 debut — a relentless sci-fi action film that launched one of cinema's great franchises.
    58pts