Budget: $31,665
The low-budget classic by maverick filmmaker became the symbol of every teenage slacker during the 90s’. This simple black and white film portrayed the daily lives of store clerks Dante Hicks and Randal Graves. The initial budget was only $27,575 and only went up to a measly $31,665.
By the opening weekend, it had already made more than that. In the U.S. alone, it made a total of $3 million, a surprise fortune for an indie filmmaker and comic book nerd. From that moment on, Smith became more than just a hipster filmmaker. He’s now a pretty successful director. A big leap from the convenience store clerk he once was.
Annabelle
Budget: $6.5M
James Wan is the mastermind director behind several of the terrifying horror movies. He started off his journey in Hollywood when he directed cult classic "Saw" back in 2004. Then, he wowed audiences a few years later with his stellar behind-camera performance in "Insidious," followed by both of "The Conjuring" films.
But in 2014, he struck again when he produced the incredibly creepy prequel to "The Conjuring" — Annabelle, a movie about a possessed doll directed by John Leonetti. The film grossed nearly $260 million, which is even more impressive than it sounds when you factor in its $6.5 million budget. It was such a hit that it spawned the release of a prequel in 2017 and a sequel in 2019.
Eraserhead
Budget: $10,000
This David Lynch’s was a feature film, and in true Lynchian fashion, it was, of course, an experimental style horror film. This tiny budgeted movie initially took some time to gain attention, but by the time it did, it had become an unstoppable cult hit. In 2004, the United States Library of Congress entered it into the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
That sure is a measly amount of money for such an influential film. The film is a fixture in film schools and collections of budding film enthusiasts to this day.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Budget: $140,000
Making a good horror film is like striking gold. These things can be piggy banks, running up millions at the box office. People do love their thrills. This was certainly the case for "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," as it brought in $30.9 million in the U.S. alone. The film became an instant classic and the template for the gory slasher film. The film also spawned a series of sequels, making it an obvious choice for horror nights around the world.
The film, according to Entertainment Weekly, has been listed as the second scariest film of all time, following "The Ex." Thanks, Leatherface. This character will forever be burned in our minds.
Slacker
Budget: $23,000
Richard Linklater, the master of coming-of-age stories, out-did himself in the 1991 low-budget comedy-drama "Slacker." The film, which only had a shoestring budget of $23,000, ended up grossing over $1.2 million in the U.S. Part of the budget came out Linklater's own credit card.
The film even inspired the low-budget hit "Clerks." Not only was this a box-office surprise, but the British film magazine "Empire" included it in its list of 50 greatest American independent films.