Image credit: Warner Bros., DEG, Universal Pictures, Film Victoria, Paramount Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Hemdale, Columbia Pictures
From coming-of-age stories to, well, frankly horrifying everything-went-wrong-on-the-road stories.
Here's our definitive ranking of some of the most obscure road movies released in the 1980s worth revisiting.
10. "Powwow Highway" (1989) Native American activists Buddy and Philbert embark on a road trip in a beat-up '64 Buick named "Protector." Their mission is to free Buddy's sister, who's wrongly jailed in New Mexico. Along the way, they encounter various misadventures, reflecting the clash between modern America and Native traditions.
They rally support, confront injustices, and even have a mystical encounter with a sacred buffalo.
9. "The Wizard" (1989) Rotten Tomatoes score: 27% Young Jimmy, emotionally withdrawn since his sister's death, is a video game prodigy. He's headed to California, but nobody knows why. His brothers, Corey and Nick, intercept him from a mental institution, setting off on a journey to California with a hidden purpose.
Along the way, they discover Jimmy's exceptional talent for video games and decide to enter him in a national video game championship. They face obstacles, from bounty hunters to teenage rivals, culminating in the climactic gaming tournament.
8. "Coast to Coast" (1980) Rotten Tomatoes score: 36% Madie is a rich woman trapped in a mental institution by her conniving husband. She escapes and hitches a ride with Charles, a down-on-his-luck trucker. Their journey from the East to West Coast is peak road movie vibes. They dodge Madie's husband's goons, bicker like an old married couple, and gradually fall for each other.
Their trip is filled with close calls, comedic escapes, and enough sparks to light up the Fourth of July.
7. "The Hitcher" (1986) Rotten Tomatoes score: 64% Jim Halsey is a young man transporting a car across the country. He picks up a hitchhiker, Ryder, who turns out to be a psychopathic killer. Ryder frames Jim for his murders, leading to a deadly chase with the police and Ryder himself. The tension is cranked to eleven as Jim struggles to clear his name and stay alive.
This road movie is way less about scenery and more about surviving the journey.
6. "Crossroads" (1986) Rotten Tomatoes score: 76% Eugene, a classical guitar student, is obsessed with blues music. He breaks old bluesman Willie Brown out of a nursing home, and they head to Mississippi to find a lost song by a legendary blues musician. It's a journey that plunges Eugene into the soul of the blues. They hitchhike, run from the law, and even sneak onto a train.
The film's highlight is a guitar duel with the devil's own guitarist, Jack Butler, played by real-life guitar hero Steve Vai. Eugene's soul and Willie's freedom are on the line.
5. "Near Dark" (1987) Rotten Tomatoes score: 83% Caleb, a young cowboy, meets a mysterious girl, Mae, and after a peculiar encounter, finds himself transformed into a vampire. He's thrust into a nomadic group of vampires, including the menacing Severen and the ancient, eerie Jesse. The group prowls the night, always on the road, but Caleb struggles with their ruthless ways.
As the FBI and his father pursue him, the tension escalates. Caleb's loyalties are torn between his new vampire family and his human past. A high-octane chase leads to a face-off between the vampires and the authorities.
4. "Miracle Mile" (1988) Rotten Tomatoes score: 91% Harry, a young musician, receives a random payphone call warning him of nuclear apocalypse in just 70 minutes. Panicking, he tries to find his new love interest, Julie, amidst the chaos of L.A. The city descends into anarchy as the rumor spreads, with looting and violence erupting.
Harry encounters various oddball characters, each reacting to the end-of-the-world news in their own way. He finally finds Julie, and they make a desperate dash to the helipad for a last-minute escape.
3. "Roadgames" (1981) Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% Imagine you're driving a truck through the Australian outback. That's Pat Quid, a trucker with a penchant for playing amateur detective. He picks up a quirky hitchhiker, Pamela, and together they start suspecting another driver is a serial killer. They see suspicious packages, odd behavior, and even a dingo that might know too much.
As they try to convince the police and themselves about the killer's identity, the tension ramps up.
2. "Honkytonk Man" (1982) Rotten Tomatoes score: 93% Set during the Great Depression, Red Stovall is a country singer with tuberculosis, and his time's running out. He takes his nephew Whit on a road trip to Nashville for a once-in-a-lifetime audition at the Grand Ole Opry.
The journey is rough, with Red's health failing and them facing various hurdles, like car troubles, run-ins with the law, and bars that are as welcoming as a kick in the teeth. But it's not all gloom – there's plenty of singing, bonding, and a taste of the honkytonk life.
1. "Midnight Run" (1988) Rotten Tomatoes score: 95% Jack Walsh, a former cop turned bounty hunter, is tasked with bringing accountant Jonathan Mardukas back to L.A. Mardukas embezzled millions from a mob boss and jumped bail.
Their cross-country journey is anything but smooth. The FBI and the mob are hot on their trail, leading to a series of close calls and comic mishaps. As they travel, Jack and Jonathan form an unlikely bond, with Jonathan's earnestness slowly breaking through Jack's cynical exterior.
