What is the best directorial debut of the 1980s?

The 1980s produced a diverse wave of first-time directors — from slick genre entertainment to raw indie provocations — many of whom went on to define modern cinema. Which debut stands out?

1. 1
   Blood Simple

   The Coen Brothers' 1984 debut is a methodically tense neo-noir about marital betrayal and hired murder in Texas — an instantly assured piece of filmmaking on a $1.5 million budget.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Diner

   Barry Levinson's 1982 debut assembled a roster of then-unknown actors — Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon — for a richly observed ensemble comedy about Baltimore men afraid to grow up.
   667pts
3. 3
   Sixteen Candles

   John Hughes' 1984 debut captured the authentic anguish of teenage invisibility with a warmth and precision that made it the defining high-school comedy of its decade.
   600pts
4. 4
   Repo Man

   Alex Cox's 1984 cult debut sent a young punk into the alien-conspiracy-laced world of Los Angeles car repossession — anarchic, funny, and unlike anything before it.
   514pts
5. 5
   Desperately Seeking Susan

   Susan Seidelman's 1985 debut paired Rosanna Arquette and Madonna in a screwball identity-swap comedy that captured the downtown New York art scene with infectious energy.
   514pts
6. 6
   El Norte

   Gregory Nava's 1983 debut follows two Guatemalan siblings who flee military violence and undertake a harrowing journey to California — a landmark of Chicano cinema and political empathy.
   240pts
7. 7
   The Loveless

   Kathryn Bigelow and Monty Montgomery's 1982 co-directed debut was a slow-burning biker noir — Willem Dafoe's first major role — that established Bigelow's eye for masculine ritual and violence.
   240pts
8. 8
   She's Gotta Have It

   Spike Lee's 1986 debut — a frank, funny black-and-white comedy about a woman navigating three simultaneous relationships — roared onto the scene as a feminist provocation and a new cinematic voice.
   1pts
9. 9
   Stranger Than Paradise

   Jim Jarmusch's 1984 deadpan debut — three slackers drifting between New York, Cleveland, and Florida — invented American independent cinema's distinctive minimalist tone.
   1pts
10. 10
    The Evil Dead

    Sam Raimi's 1981 debut, shot in the Tennessee woods for $375,000, fused gonzo visual energy with genuine terror to create one of the most influential horror debuts in the genre's history.
    1pts
11. 11
    Pee-wee's Big Adventure

    Tim Burton's 1985 theatrical debut turned Paul Reubens' eccentric TV character into a surrealist road-movie odyssey that established Burton's idiosyncratic visual sensibility.
    1pts