10 Great Modern Horror Movies That Were Made For Next To Nothing

10. Cockhammer (2009)

Did I just say ?cheap and nasty"? Well... the title alone might give you some vague hints as to the overall tone of this madcap diabolical odyssey from US writer-director Kevin Strange. Having been made for a mere $500, it clearly qualifies as cheap; and given that it's loaded with bodily fluids, gross-out/stoner humour, and gratuitous nudity (literally the very first shot is of a pair of naked breasts), that pretty well covers the nasty.

But don't let any of that fool you. While it's got 'acquired taste' written all over it, this lurid tale of a snuff porn filmmaker/black magician (one of two roles played by Strange in the film) who sets out to gain supreme demonic power is a truly witty, well-made film. The real ace up its sleeve is Strange's script; while the budget restraints keep things very small scale, the machine-gun fast dialogue is dizzying and often hilarious, so long as you appreciate low humour.

Given how unusually literate a no-budget horror movie Cockhammer proves to be, it's not entirely surprising that Kevin Strange has since stepped back from filmmaking to pursue a career as an author.