10 Campy Sci-Fi Movies Worth Watching, Ranked

Science fiction has proven to be one of the most prolific and adaptable genres in film history, lending itself to a wide variety of stories in different tones, styles, and approaches to filmmaking. Some of the most legendary and acclaimed films of all time are a part of the sci-fi genre, ranging from classic blockbusters like Star Wars to recent hits like Poor Things. While there will always be an ingrained appeal for serious sci-fi stories, the endless potential of the genre has also led to many over-the-top masterpieces of campiness.

Whether it be an initially serious sci-fi film that has only grown more comedic and campy as time has passed or a wildly absurd sci-fi venture built from the ground up to be as campy and chaotic as possible, campiness has been ever-present in the genre since its inception. As much as serious stories are told within the genre, the ability and concepts of using technology, space, and other creatures to tell stories outside of reality lend themselves to perfect camp-fueled movies.

10

‘Southland Tales’ (2006)

Directed by Richard Kelly

Director Richard Kelly had already proven himself to be an effective experimental visionary with his abstract cult classic Donnie Darko, yet Southland Tales proves to ramp up the chaos and absurdity to campy comedic levels. The film takes place in a futuristic Los Angeles on the brink of economic and environmental disaster, following the stories of various intricate personalities with their own strange stories. These range from an action star stricken with amnesia to an adult film star creating a reality television project and a police officer uncovering a vast conspiracy.

Southland Tales holds nothing back in terms of creating the strangest, most chaotic viewing experience imaginable, with many of these strange occurrences being so awkward and unexplainable that audiences can’t help but laugh. The style of campiness certainly isn’t for everyone, with the film garnering a notorious reputation and becoming wildly overhated by audiences, yet those who are on the same wavelength as the film can’t help but fall in love with it.

9

‘Flash Gordon’ (1980)

Directed by Mike Hodges

Few campy sci-fi movies are as emblematic of a specific style and era of culture and filmmaking as Flash Gordon was in the ’80s, fully exemplifying all the wild stylings and energy of the decade. The space opera superhero film adapts the comic book hero of the same name, fully living up to the insanity and chaotic non-serious nature of the original comic book story. The film follows a star football quarterback traveling with his friends to the far-off planet Mongo to fight the tyrannical Ming the Merciless to save the Earth from his rule.

Visual flair and flashing lights were the key to transforming Flash Gordon into an icon of over-the-top campiness, with the execution and entertaining practical effects furthering the film’s status as an icon of the era. It certainly helps that Sam J. Jones finds the perfect balance of heroism and lunacy with his performance as Flash Gordon, not leaving a single scene uninteresting as they bounce from wild setpiece to wild setpiece.

8

‘M3GAN’ (2023)

Directed by Gerard Johnstone

It’s rare to see a modern sci-fi film that is truly in touch and amplified by campy elements, as the rise of self-aware and meta comedy largely contrasts with the brash stylings of campy filmmaking. One of the few major exceptions from modern sci-fi horror, however, is M3GAN, a film that fully embraces its strangest and most chaotic tendencies to make for a gloriously violent and entertaining thrill ride. The film combines the best elements of campy sci-fi and campy horror to create a beautiful blending of both worlds that quickly became a widespread phenomenon.

Whether she’s doing a stylishly choreographed dance before butchering her latest victim or singing David Guetta‘s “Titanium” as a lullaby song for a little girl, nearly everything that M3GAN does is caked in a layer of glorious campiness. The film fundamentally understands the fun and enjoyment to be found in a sadistic killer doll story in the modern era, and while it certainly has its messages on overreliance on technology, the campiness is what sets it apart as a modern horror classic.

7

‘The Stepford Wives’ (1975)

Directed by Bryan Forbes

A 70s satirical thriller classic whose off-kilter execution and polarizing commentary have made it a defining cult film of the era, The Stepford Wives fully lives up to its gargantuan reputation. The film follows the quaint community of Stepford, Connecticut, where Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) and her family have recently moved to for a new suburban life. However, Joanna soon finds herself uncovering a sinister and deadly truth concerning the seemingly perfect behavior of the town’s female residents.

The Stepford Wives is one of many movies that has been widely parodied and explored in the decades since its massive release, yet such widespread knowledge of the film doesn’t take away from its core strengths. In fact, it proves to only add to the film’s signature style of energy, with the inherent campiness and over-the-top nature directly playing into its themes and creepy undertones. While the film received various sequels and even a remake in 2005 with Nicole Kidman, none of them hold a candle to the inherent campy mastery of the original.

6

‘Dune’ (1984)

Directed by David Lynch

Considering just how much widespread praise and acclaim Denis Villeneuve‘s modern interpretations of Frank Herbert‘s novel have been, many are quick to forget just how standout and memorable of an experience David Lynch‘s Dune is. While it may not go nearly as in-depth as the recent sci-fi hits, the mix of practical effects, otherworldly visuals, strange costumes, and over-the-top performances gives the film a distinct flavor of campiness that has made it a cult classic.

With just a slight twist to style and tonal approach, it’s easy to have a lot of fun with the strange, over-the-top world of Arrakis, as all the talk of spice and political plotting quickly caves in on itself when the film shows off Sting in metal underwear. The film still features a lot of the iconic moments present within Herbert’s original novel, yet Lynch still manages to create a blockbuster sci-fi experience that is far from standard and ordinary by any means.

5

‘Mars Attacks’ (1996)

Directed by Tim Burton

A love letter to the cheesy, campy sci-fi horror B-movies of the past, Mars Attacks takes the classic concepts of widespread alien invasion and gives it a massive blockbuster scale and an over-the-top satirical angle. Tim Burton makes sure to overwhelm every aspect of the film with his signature charm and dark humor, not being afraid to have these goofy CGI aliens transform entire waves of people into skeletons. The film is at its best when the aliens are in an unstoppable mad frenzy, and the film brings out the most creative campiness in both the aliens and the bumbling human characters.

The film almost plays out like a joke is being made on the audience, with one of the largest A-list casts that the 90s could provide coming to create this schlocky, over-the-top B-movie with a nearly $100 million budget. Everyone in the film is as over-the-top and goofy as possible, whether it’s Jack Nicholson playing a hilariously ineffective president or any of the other massive supporting cast including the likes of Danny DeVito, Jack Black, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, and much more.

4

‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

Director Paul Verhoeven has always done a brilliant job of combining campiness with effective social satire for his films, whether they’re massive hits like Total Recall or overhated masterpieces like Showgirls. However, arguably, the director’s most entertaining, campiest, and simultaneously most brilliant work of art is Starship Troopers, the explosive and over-the-top satire of militarization and propaganda. The film follows young Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) and his ventures as a soldier in the Mobile Infantry, traveling to another planet to fight in a war against an alien species of bugs.

Starship Troopers is the type of brilliantly executed movie that could be equally appreciated as a scathing and destructive satire of fascist ideals as well as a no-nonsense action film with top-of-the-line practical effects. It’s this beautiful blending of tones, effects, and goofy performances that all comes together to make the film one of the most entertaining sci-fi experiences that the 90s have to offer. The film has only grown more beloved as the years have gone by, with its signature charm and brilliantly intelligent messaging resonating with more and more audiences.

3

‘Xanadu’ (1980)

Directed by Robert Greenwald

Few genres are more inherently campy and over-the-top than musicals, so combining the filmmaking style of musicals, sci-fi concepts, and the unrestrained energy of the ’80s created Xanadu, one of the most infamous musicals of all time. The film follows a relatively loose plot about transforming a run-down auditorium into a rollerskating club, yet this only acts as the jumping-off point for various mind-melting dance numbers where characters travel off to space in a flurry of neon colors.

Xanadu is about as close as a singular film experience can get to simulating a narcotic-induced fever dream, with overwhelming bright colors and a chaotic lack of structure giving the film a wildly distinct energy. The film’s inherent campiness and over-the-top approach to its musical sequences have garnered it unexpected respect over the years, being a symbol of 80s culture as a whole and with its inherent strangeness adding to its appeal.

2

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (1975)

Directed by Jim Sharman

One of the most iconic and immediately recognizable pillars of campy filmmaking, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has an overwhelming legacy as one of the most unrestrained and magical film experiences out there. The film combines a wide variety of different genres, including comedy musical, horror, fantasy, and science fiction, to create a wildly entertaining and unpredictable experience from beginning to end. The plot follows that of a chaotic take on Frankenstein, with a transvestite mad scientist (Tim Curry) creating a powerful muscle man known as Rocky.

The actual story being told is only the surface of the madness and glory that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as the film is much more focused on the glorious pleasure and excitement of its musical sequences. The film became an instant classic upon its release, embracing its campiness and showing just how much fun and entertainment can be found from letting loose and having fun at every possible moment. It’s difficult to consider a cult musical more iconic and influential than The Rocky Horror Picture Show, still being just as prominent in culture 50 years later.

1

‘Barbarella’ (1968)

Directed by Roger Vadim

An icon of sci-fi sleaze that manages to constantly one-up itself in terms of campiness and ridiculousness, Barbarella is in a league of its own when it comes to campy sci-fi greatness. The film takes place in a far-off future where it follows the overly sexual and highly dangerous Barbarella (Jane Fonda), who is tasked with stopping a vicious scientist who has created a weapon that could destroy humanity. While a sleazy sci-fi film more focused on sex appeal than actual storytelling seems tacky at first, there is an underlying greatness and self-awareness of Barbarella that makes its campy storytelling truly brilliant.

The film certainly doesn’t stray too far away from the traditional tendencies and selling points of other exploitation films of the era, yet its exceptional production design and over-the-top writing gives it an inherent charm and step above its contemporaries. The film wouldn’t work nearly as well as it does without a committed and brilliant lead performance from Fonda, who fully understands the appeal and excitement of the character and story and goes all out to elevate everything around her. With a massive legacy that has been sustained for decades, all of the expectations in the galaxy are placed upon the upcoming remake with Sydney Sweeney to bring the story to the modern era.

NEXT: Campy Horror Movies Worth Watching, Ranked