9. Rivers Edge (1986)
When Dennis Hopper plays the one of the more sane characters in a film you know you can throw all expectations out the window. Such is the case with Rivers Edge. Its a movie that gets under your skin and no matter how hard you try youll never get it out. This is a good thing. Rivers Edge is the nightmare about teenagers that John Hughes was glad he never had. Instead of whining during Saturday detention, the teens in Rivers Edge drink, take drugs, sleep around, and listen to Slayer. Their world comes crashing down when one of their own murders his girlfriend and then brings his pack of friends to view the body. This one event propels the movie as we watch Crispin Glovers speed addled teen trying to help his friend elude the cops while Keanu Reeves contemplates turning him in. In all of this, Dennis Hopper plays one of the few adult figures in the movie. He spends most of his time living in the woods with an inflatable sex doll and a thousand mile stare. Again, he ends up being one of the more normal people in the story. Take that for what its worth. Every parent in the world should receive a copy of Rivers Edge with every newborn. Then they should spend that childs upbringing watching it and making sure that their kids never turn out like the ones in this film. Tragically, its the type of movie that doesnt get made today while its themes become more and more relevant.