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Hollywood doesn't always have the monopoly on greatness. Join us as we count down our picks for the most groundbreaking independent films that proved you don't need a massive studio budget to make cinema history! From found-footage horror to multiverse-bending sci-fi, these indie triumphs left the big studios scrambling to keep up.
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00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best examples of successful
00:10films produced, financed, and or distributed outside the major studios or streaming companies.
00:24Number 10. Iron Lung
00:26I see that question in your eyes. For what purpose do we remain alone in the dark?
00:37With his presence on YouTube, Markiplier built a massive channel over the last decade. This
00:42played a part in making his independent horror, Iron Lung, a success. He even found a way to put
00:46his movie in theater chains without traditional distribution. The first time director adapted the
00:51video game of the same name, delving into a creepy plot with a claustrophobic setting.
01:06The high concept involving a submarine drove enough people to the theater to make a serious
01:11profit. Proving he's more than his internet persona, Mark Fischbach might have helped to
01:15inspire other viral creators to do the same.
01:22Number 9. Napoleon Dynamite
01:24Napoleon, give me some of your tots.
01:30No, go find your own.
01:32Come on, give me some of your tots.
01:33No, I'm freaking starved. I didn't get to eat anything today.
01:39God, gross. Freaking idiot.
01:44Jared Hess's debut movie harkened back to his short film, Palooka, and created an awkwardly
01:50funny trip through high school. Made for only $400,000, the comedy became a surprise hit at the
01:55Sundance Film Festival and went on to become a box office success. The film turned John Heater
02:00into a star and went on to be a cult classic. Watch this. What the heck are you doing?
02:13That's what I'm talking about.
02:14Many people remember everything from the quotable lines to the offbeat sense of humor, culminating
02:20in an epic dance number. It reminded everyone you can make people laugh and stand out for less
02:25than a million dollars.
02:34Number 8. Fargo
02:36So what's the deal now? Gary says triple homicide?
02:39Yeah, it looks pretty bad. Two of them are over here.
02:42Where is everybody?
02:44Well, it's cold, Margie. Watch your step, Margie.
02:50In the late 80s and early 90s, Joel and Ethan Coen created twisted worlds of black comedy,
02:56violence, and crime. They received attention and praise for their varied film careers,
03:01before Fargo. The 1996 movie was something of a turning point for the brothers,
03:05earning them both critical acclaim and an Oscar for best original screenplay.
03:09Uh-huh. Well, I'm a police officer from Up Brainerd investigating some malfeasance,
03:14and I was just wondering if you'd had any new vehicles stolen off the lot in the past couple of
03:18weeks.
03:21Specifically, a Tancala Sierra.
03:27Mr. Lundegaard.
03:29It's one of their quintessential works that finds the funny in a kidnapping plot.
03:33Powered by performers like Frances McDormand and William H. Macy,
03:36the story feels like the perfect balance between intrigue and entertainment.
03:40The filmmakers went on to further fame for other classics,
03:43like The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men.
03:46And I guess that was your accomplice and the wood chipper.
03:53And those three people in Brainerd.
04:02And for what?
04:03Number seven, Parasite.
04:22World cinema fans might have known Bon Joon-ho back in the 2000s, but Parasite elevated the man's artistic status.
04:29His class satire won the Palme d'Or, earned rave reviews, and went all the way to the Academy Awards.
04:35It was also the first non-English language film to win Best Picture.
04:52The movie's take on success, family, and South Korean culture transcended the original setting.
04:58Its genre-defying story proved that a great idea can work almost anywhere.
05:02After this film, the director went on to make Mickey 17 with big Hollywood actors like Robert Pattinson and Mark
05:08Ruffalo.
05:20Number six, Little Miss Sunshine.
05:22What happened was, I was a bit upset.
05:25So I said some things that I shouldn't have said, and I did some things that I shouldn't have done,
05:29and subsequently I was fired from my job and forced to move out of my apartment and move into a
05:33motel.
05:36When you think of the mid-2000s, this movie might best encapsulate the indies of that era.
05:41Little Miss Sunshine spotlighted newer filmmakers, dynamic performers, and a dramedy feel.
05:47It was also another Sundance darling that went the distance.
05:50As both a critical and commercial success, this story of a misfit family and their road trip clearly spoke to
05:56viewers.
05:57Pull over, please!
05:58Get him to pull over, please!
06:00Pull over!
06:00Richard, pull over the car!
06:01It's alright!
06:02We're pulling over!
06:03I'm pulling over!
06:04Alright, stop!
06:05It's alright!
06:06Wait!
06:06Dad!
06:07No, no, wait!
06:07Wait!
06:08Sit down!
06:08God, this better be good!
06:10I'm pulling over!
06:12Alright!
06:12The movie was smart to include veterans like Alan Arkin, alongside up-and-coming actors like Paul
06:16Dano.
06:17It ended up winning both Oscars and Independent Spirit Awards.
06:21Bridging the gap between prestige and independence, this grounded adventure was more than just a fun pageant.
06:41Number five, the Blair Witch Project.
06:44Did you take it?
06:46No, I didn't take the f***ing map, man.
06:52I'm not playing head games, man.
06:54If anyone's playing head games, you're playing head games, but I'm not playing head games.
06:58With horror movies, you don't need big stars or a huge budget to wow viewers.
07:03The Blair Witch Project proves that point, and then some.
07:06Sending three actors into the woods with cameras, the filmmakers, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez,
07:11created a new model for movie making.
07:13The frightening plot feels all too real, as the found footage set up adds to the authenticity.
07:18No, that's the tree we crossed.
07:20That tree is down, that's the same one.
07:25Oh, God!
07:26No.
07:28You've got to be killing me, this is a joke!
07:31Thanks to a viral marketing campaign, some people even thought that the performers really went missing.
07:35With an engaging concept and good word of mouth, this experience went on to inspire the next
07:40generation of filmmakers.
07:42You could argue that Hollywood has been chasing the success of this project ever since.
08:00Number four, everything everywhere all at once.
08:19Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, also known as The Daniels, this labor of love
08:24required a relatively small team of dedicated artists. The cast included both international
08:29stars like Michelle Yeoh and former child stars like Kehui Kwan. Taking a family story into
08:35sci-fi territory, a densely packed plot about the multiverse powers this Oscar winner.
08:40I can't let you do that either.
08:41I'm in with the cat!
08:45See, I don't think you understand the meaning of that word.
08:57Everything Everywhere All At Once relies on extensive post-production techniques,
09:01with a result that rivals big budget effects projects. Critics and fans alike championed the
09:06release all the way to the Academy Awards. After making hundreds of millions at the box office,
09:11the Daniels showed that a bold vision and some awesome casting choices can go a long way.
09:36Number three, Night of the Living Dead.
09:55You could argue that the zombie was never the same after this came out. Made by some indie filmmakers in
10:00Pennsylvania, Night of the Living Dead is a contained thriller that started a legendary series. Director
10:05George A. Romero created a black and white movie filled with terror, desperate survivors, and slow
10:10walking enemies. The film excels in making you feel locked in a house with the characters.
10:26Romero kept building on this concept, following up his original with sequels like Dawn of the Dead
10:31and Day of the Dead. It's a highly influential part of horror for the 20th and 21st centuries.
10:36Inspiring homages and remakes, this project helped to energize an entire sub-genre.
10:42Let's get out of here!
10:45Come on, come on!
10:47My jacket's gone!
10:57Number two, Pulp Fiction.
10:59Ezekiel 25, 17.
11:03The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny
11:10of evil men.
11:12Arriving on the scene in the early 1990s, Quentin Tarantino quickly made a splash with his violent
11:17heist film, Reservoir Dogs. The impressive debut was just the beginning for a director preparing for
11:22his magnum opus. Pulp Fiction allowed the writer and director to flourish with his cool dialogue,
11:27pop culture references, and slick song choices.
11:36An incredible cast led by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson did career-defining work too.
11:42Breaking narrative conventions, Tarantino wrote the screenwriting playbook by subverting a number
11:47of crime movie tropes. The film might have inspired copycats, but it also helped to make the filmmaker
11:52a household name.
12:12Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
12:16The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper's menacing classic created a leather-clad franchise,
12:22ride you drive.
12:33Clerks, Kevin Smith made filmmaking look easy,
12:36launching his own cinematic universe.
12:38I'm just so dumb, but I'm going to have a bonnet.
12:40He needs to have some discs and ass!
12:46memento, Christopher Nolan's mind-bending thriller brought him to a wider audience.
13:05My Big Fat Greek Wedding
13:07A crowd-pleasing comedy that covers the culture shock of two radically different families.
13:35The Passion of the Christ
13:37Mel Gibson's controversial epic explored the end of Jesus' life and broke records.
14:00Number 1. Halloween
14:03Michael?
14:05Michael?
14:10It's amazing to think that Halloween started as an indie horror film.
14:14John Carpenter's take on the Boogeyman inspired a franchise,
14:17with Michael Myers scaring people for decades after.
14:20The scary movie had a predominantly young cast and an ordinary setting,
14:24sneaking up on audiences with its terrifying surprises.
14:39Carpenter's vision included one of the genre's most mysterious and enduring villains.
14:43The filmmaker also did his own score, adding to the mood of an already spooky plot.
14:48Hollywood later made millions off of the sequels and reboots.
14:51Slashers would never be the same, with Myers and his mask entering the pantheon of iconic cinematic images.
15:13Do we forget another groundbreaking indie?
15:16Let us know in the comments below.
15:17Let us know in progress today.
15:18Let us know in about two theaters with classicalievement.
15:21We'll answer those in reaganometries,
15:23Let us know in about three theaters and our fanatics in our rhetoric.
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