The 10 Best B-Movies of 2014

Like with 2011, 2012, and then 2013 this is my Annual list of my personal favorite B-Movie releases of the last year. There is still plenty of movies from this past year that I haven't yet seen, so it's possible I've potentially skipped over a few diamonds in the rough due to that, since this list is based off what I've actually watched myself. Also, this list is solely based off what has hit home video formats and Video On Demand services in 2014, so movies that aired on TV stations like Lifetime or the SyFy Channel this year, but never came out on DVD, BluRay, and VOD services yet, does not count for this. I want this as a list of movies that you could potentially pick up yourself or have easy access to legally obtaining. Likewise, some of these movies may have aired on TV in previous years, but didn't actually get released on home video formats or VOD until 2014, thus I count them as 2014 movies for that reason.

The following list won't be in any specific order, as I clearly love all of them for them to even be on the list to begin with, so putting them in any kind of ranking order beyond that is a bit moot.

- Mercenaries was Asylum's all-female jab at cashing in on The Expendables 3, and I'm glad they did as it turned out to be one of my all-time favorite movies by them. Good action scenes, funny one-liners, great chemistry between the all-star female cast (made up of Kristanna Loken, Zoe Bell, Vivica A. Fox, and Nicole Bilderback) all come together to make this a really entertaining and fun action flick. I would love to see director Chris Olen Ray make further adventures with this ragtag team of badass chick mercenaries.

 - The generically-titled Scarecrow was one of those SyFy Originals that seemed to have come and gone and has left most people's memories, yet for some reason I seemed to love it and find myself going back to from time to time. Unique supernatural creature design, fun kills, good characterization and acting, entertaining action set pieces, nice amount of different locations and environments, and some decent twists, this one has everything I look for in a supernatural killer-themed SyFy Original.

- Extraterrestrial was surprisingly creepy, but also had an even mix of comedic scenes thrown in, made possible by a well-acted and likeable lead cast that actually made you care about what happens to them. Throw in cameo scenes by fan favorites Michael Ironside and Emily Perkins, some really good, truly creepy scenes of the cast being stalked, hunted, and eventually abducted by these well-designed aliens, a fun back and forth between found footage and traditional-shot styles, and some interesting unique auditory cues and it's easy to see why this one is on my favorites list.

 - You didn't think I'd have a Best Of list without the most infamous of the 2014 B-Movies, did you? The cult phenomenon surrounding Asylum's Sharknado series is arguably even more interesting than anything in the wacky movies themselves. Still, right off the bat it's pretty easy to see why this sequel obtained it's pop culture status, and that's because the movie is as insanely stupid... and awesome... as it sounds, and B-Movie fans are sure to love every minute of it as Sharknado 2: The Second One is even cheesier and crazier than the original. You can read B-Movie Shelf contributor Michael Banno's full previously-posted review of this one here.

 - Ragnarok is a foreign action/adventure creature feature from Norway that's an even mix of Jurassic Park, Anaconda, and Indiana Jones as a struggling single father has to drag his kids along to uncharted wilderness with himself, his friend, and their attractive female guide while they search for ancient viking artifacts and find not only what they're looking for, but also a deadly giant snake monster guarding it.The fun character dynamics, thrill-ride Jurassic Park-style action scenes, and really well-made CGI snake monster makes this one a must-watch for any monster movie fan.

- Airplane vs Volcano, starring Dean Cain, is way better and more engaging than it has any right to be. An airplane stuck in the middle of a giant ash cloud made by a ring of erupting volcanoes is where the majority of the action takes place, but oddly enough the movie not only holds your interest but has you on the edge of your seat, thanks largely in part to the phenomenal special effects, above-average acting, and just the total insanity of the plot and the scenes of destruction that come with it.

- Age of Tomorrow is one of those Asylum mockbusters that just blew me away with it's sheer ambition and scope. We follow unrelated groups of characters through a city being invaded, a jungle-centric alien homeworld, a mothership disguised as an asteroid, and culminating in an epic space battle. Truly nobody is safe in this one as it's filled with tons of great twists. CGI effects are also great and add to the fun. You can read my full previously-posted review of this one right here.

- Cabin Fever 3: Patient Zero was a prequel I was initially not looking forward to after the abysmal Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. Luckily my fears were unfounded as the movie was a fun, gory, and at times genuinely creepy and well-shot entry in the Cabin Fever saga, playing things mostly straight instead of comedic, minus a couple choice scenes such as two women cat fighting each other amidst both of them decaying away. Plenty to love here for both Cabin Fever fans and horror fans in general.

- The Babadook was a refreshingly chilling, gothic, and fresh kind of story that played out more as a character drama/thriller than actual horror movie, yet has enough horror-ish scenes and themes in there to please any fan of the genre. Inventing a brand new and unique 'boogeyman' of sorts, the Babadook 'creature' itself will go down in history alongside the other memorable greats of horror movie history, and will more than likely be the cause of sleeping with your lights on that night.

- Asylum's RoboCop mockbuster, Android Cop, was a nice little surprise filled with great effects, great acting, great characterization, and a surprisingly great story that had more meat on it's bones than what you'd expect from an Asylum production. And to top it all off it was just a genuinely good fun time, made up of some hilarious one-liners and comedic beats, mixed in with well-shot and well-choreographed action. You can read my full previously-posted review of this one here.





All in all, another great year for B-Movie fans, so much so that I actually had the hardest time yet compiling my year-end list and narrowing it down to just ten movies. And while these are just my personal favorite ten, there are still plenty of other good, fun, worthy B-Movies from this past year that fans can sink their teeth into as well.

Actually, below you'll find three such movies that almost made my list but, for one reason or another, just couldn't quite be included.

 HONORABLE MENTIONS

- The third and final entry in the Mega Shark saga, Mega Shark vs Mecha Shark, saw not only the most well-made and fun entry in the series thus far, but also the return of one of the main cast from the original movie, the one and only Debbie Gibson! The new cast also brought lots of fun to the table as well, and quite honestly the only reason this wasn't included in the above list was that with only ten movies being included, and wanting some variety so that it wasn't all just Asylum movies, I had to draw a line and cut some out. You can read my full previously-posted review of this one here.

- Exists was the found footage killer Bigfoot movie that Willow Creek should have been but wasn't. Made by one half of the duo behind The Blair Witch Project and the equally-creepy Altered, this one was fun and creepy, brought down a few points though only by some of the more unintentionally funny moments such as a Sasquatch using what seemed like wrestling moves on a character and other similar questionable moments sprinkled throughout.

 - At The Devil's Door was a creepy atmospheric 'demon baby' movie that took the unique choice of following three separate mini-stories, if you will, of three separate women, who all got the unfortunate curse of being pregnant with this demon baby and proceeded to be stalked and haunted by the demon that put it in them. Only thing stopping this underrated gem from being on my Best Of list is the fact that it ends on a horribly disappointing anti-climatic note, and is filled from beginning to end with absolutely painfully dreadful acting, taking you out of an otherwise great little horror movie more often then should be allowed.