Yes, the '80s were filled with sci-fi and horror classics, but what about the films that slipped through the cracks? Here are some you might have missed

By Don Kaye
Special to MSN Movies

Last week we took a fond look back at the best the 1980s had to offer in science fiction, horror and fantasy films, with every movie we listed not just a stone-cold classic but a popular favorite as well. This time, we're checking out the overlooked gems of the decade: movies that got made, often got distributed and perhaps even seen, but for one reason or another did not take off at the box office or even end up in the cultural mainstream.

Bing: Find out more about overlooked movies from the '80s

There are many reasons for this: A film could have been too provocative, too weird, too experimental or even too earnest for it to connect with mainstream moviegoers in a big way. The thing is, however, they tried. There were a lot more opportunities for independent filmmaking and distribution alone during the '80s than there are now -- aided by the rise of the VCR and home video -- and plenty of genre films were produced that might not make it in today's tighter economic and creative climate.

There are too many to fit into a simple list of 10, but here we go -- the strange, the goofy, the weird, the chilling and the sometimes great -- the overlooked sci-fi/horror films of the 1980s.

(CINEPRO/Universal/Everett Collection)