The word indie movie or independent film has been a much bandied about term nowadays. Earlier the term was reserved for movies that were low-budget with quirky subjects. Some little-known actors starred in them. Of course, nowadays the line between indie movies and mainstream movies has been blurred. Simply because more and more of the bigger stars are trying to make their presence felt in indie movies.
These types of movies give them to explore newer genres and exercise their acting talent more comprehensively. When we speak of indie movies several films immediately come to mind such as Clerks. The Blair Witch Project and more. But there are indie films that people today do not recognize as indie films. Yet they have been sleeper hits. Let's find some of the lesser-known indie films that have enjoyed their moment under the sun in the past.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
This 1990 film is an underrated gem. Nowadays anime films or video game movies are all the rage. So, this movie came out long before when they became a rage. This movie with a little help from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, had heroes clothed in half-shell made their big-screen debut quietly and went away with all the accolades. The film went on to collect major moolah at the box office almost $200 million and was known as one of the top grosser independent films for quite some time.
House Party
It looks that the year 1990 was the year of indie films. It was not your typical dark or sepia-tinted, Sundance-material film. It just goes to show that indie films can be fun too. It is a student film, starring Martin Lawrence portraying the life of the writer/director Reginald Hudlin Harvard life. It became a bonafide hit, thanks to the cool new hip-hop moves and it even led to three sequels after that.
Dirty Dancing
The 90's dance movies were very cool and Diety Dancing is certainly proof of that. This was the indie hit that elevated the indie genre to a whole new level. Would you believe it that the movie's makers had no belief in it and they were quite surprised it was such a resounding hit? The original plan was to release it directly to video after one week. But it became the highest-grossing movie at that time, collecting $213 million at the box office.
It was thanks to word-of-mouth. and the movie almost became a cult one at that time. The wonderful soundtrack and the dancing sequences of course added to the charm. It is still a favorite among most people and they can't stop viewing it whenever it is aired on TV. Indie or not it still features as one of those movies that you can go back to whenever you feel down in the dumps.
The Brave Little Toaster
This is a big hit among the ’90s kids. This was the animated movie where the household appliances suddenly had a life of their own. The film was at first planned as a Disney movie, but the studio deserted the movie as happens with so many small indie movies. There was still hope in the form of a group of some ex-Disney employees who had full faith in the movie. The Brave Little Toaster became the first animated movie to be screened at Sundance, but it only reached cult status when it enjoyed its reruns on the Disney channel.
Halloween
Halloween later enjoyed many sequels, but the beginning of the film. did not have as great a beginning. John Carpenter (the director) had only a meager amount of $325,000, to begin with. It was the beginning of the slasher movies with a teenager Jamie Lee Curtis playing the protagonist. It lured passionate moviegoers to the screen for several months.
So, you see you cannot put indie films inside the box, they come in several shapes, genres, and more. But they are as much a blockbuster material as the big films with big stars you get to hear about all the time. If you are an indie movie freak, it's imperative for you to unearth these classic gems and discover the wonders behind these small indie movies doing big business at the box office.