Here's a guide to every Michael Caine Horror Movie, ranked worst to best. The iconic Michael Caine made his uncredited debut with 1946's Morning Departure, a World War 2 submarine drama. In the years that followed, Caine rose up the ranks through small roles in British movies and TV shows, such as Dixon of Dock Green. 1964 war epic Zulu was the film that put Caine on audiences' radar, and he's rarely been out of work since.
Some of his most acclaimed performances come with movies like Educating Rita, The Cider House Rules and 1971's Get Carter. By Caine's own ission, he was never shy about taking a good paycheck to appear in terrible films, with some of the biggest offenders being Beyond the Poseidon Adventure or On Deadly Ground. The latter movie and Bullet To Beijing even made Caine mull retirement, but a ing role in the 1996 Jack Nicholson thriller Blood And Wine made him reconsider.
Even in his later years, Caine has been prolific, including many ing parts in Christopher Nolan movies like the Dark Knight trilogy. Here's every Michael Caine horror movie, ranked.
5. The Swarm (1978)
The Swarm isn't only the worst Michael Caine horror movie, it's a regular guest on lists of the worst movies ever produced. The film came from the production stable of disaster movie producer Irwin Allen, who made blockbusters like The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. These projects would combine major stars with high-concept pitches, with The Swarm following Caine's scientist trying to stop a massive swarm of killer bees from destroying Texas. Despite a cast that includes Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland, The Swarm is massively dull, with stilted dialogue and poor visual effects.
4. Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
Jaws: The Revenge - which has its own Italian horror ripoff - isn't quite as terrible as its reputation suggests, but it's the dictionary definition of a sequel that didn't need to happen. The story sees the family of the late Chief Brody being stalked by a great white shark, while his widow Ellen (Lorraine Gary) falls in love with charming pilot Hoagie (Caine). In Jaws 4's defense, there are a couple of creepy sequences like the banana boat attack, the score is fantastic and having a romance between two characters over the age of 50 is nice for a Hollywood blockbuster. That said, the premise is daft, the effects are often bad and it's a slog for long stretches.
3. The Hand (1981)
The Hand is notable for being one of Oliver Stone's first movies, and another of Caine's so-called "paycheck" films, which in this case he took to pay for a new garage. The movie cast Caine - who believes Tom Hanks is his best impressionist - as a comic book artist whose hand is severed during a crash, and as he struggles to adjust post-accident, it seems his missing hand is attacking those who have wronged him. Despite the cartoony premise, Stone plays the material oddly straight - which just makes the inherent goofiness of The Hand more apparent. Caine goes full ham as madness overtakes his character, but it's neither his nor Stone's finest work.
2. Stonehearst Asylum (2014)
Michael Caine's most recent horror is a psychological thriller that brought Session 9 director Brad Anderson back to an asylum. The story follows a psychiatrist who arrives at the titular building for an internship, where she later discovers the patients have literally taken over the asylum and locked up their doctors. Stonehearst Asylum received mixed reviews, but it's got a great cast - including Underworld star Kate Beckinsale and Caine - rich visuals and intriguing themes, even when the points it makes aren't subtle.
1. Dressed To Kill (1980)
Dressed To Kill is Michael Caine's best horror movie by far, and one of director Brian De Palma's best movies period. The film is slickly directed, featuring prolonged, Hitchcockian scenes of suspense with stylish visuals and erotic undertones. Sadly, the twist ending reveal is deeply problematic by modern standards - or '80s standards, for that matter - but viewers who can forgive the movie this element will be richly rewarded.
