After the massive success of Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), a wave of cheap rip-offs emerged, trying to replicate the same dust storms, anarchy, and brutal car mayhem. With leather outfits, biker gangs, brutal gladiator fights, and exploding vehicles, these films delivered pure grindhouse chaos in a post-apocalyptic package.
Here are the 10 best and most insane post-apocalyptic exploitation films.
1. The Road Warrior (1981) – The king of the genre
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is the reason this genre exists in the first place.
Mel Gibson’s Max roams the wasteland and helps a small colony fend off a sadistic biker gang led by the masked Humungus.
With epic car stunts, explosive chases, and a nihilistic tone, this is the blueprint for all Mad Max clones that followed.
2. 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982) – Italian gang chaos
A mix of The Warriors and Mad Max, this Italian rip-off follows a gang war in a post-apocalyptic Bronx.
The film is packed with leather outfits, brutal brawls, and explosions, and has more style than many of its peers.
Bonus: Fred Williamson as a gang leader!
3. The New Barbarians (1983) – The most over-the-top rip-off
This Italo-Mad Max clone is one of the sleaziest and campiest post-apocalyptic films ever made.
A mysterious hero (wearing a transparent bubble helmet!) fights a cult of cannibals in a wasteland filled with exploding cars.
Director Enzo G. Castellari goes full throttle with cheap special effects, absurd outfits, and insane plot twists.
4. 2020 Texas Gladiators (1983) – Mad Max meets gladiators
A group of masked warriors protects a settlement in a destroyed future, while biker gangs, mutants, and Nazi-like villains try to take over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia60L–6Xsg
With brutal fistfights, futuristic weapons, and pure chaos, this is Italian exploitation at its best.
5. Battletruck (1982) – New Zealand’s take on Mad Max
After the oil crisis, anarchy reigns, and a sadistic warlord drives a massive tank through the wasteland to pillage villages.
A lone hero fights back in this brutal New Zealand version of Mad Max with epic vehicle action.
6. Exterminators of the Year 3000 (1983) – Leather and lasers galore
This ultra-low-budget clone follows rebels fighting over the last sources of water in the wasteland.
With biker gangs, gory decapitations, and explosive shootouts, it feels like the ultimate VHS-trash flick.
7. A Boy and His Dog (1975) – The weirdest post-apocalyptic film ever
Long before Mad Max, this twisted sci-fi film told the story of a young survivor who can telepathically communicate with his dog as they wander a devastated world.
The film combines dark humor, dystopian horror, and bizarre sexual politics, making it one of the most unique post-apocalyptic films ever made.
8. Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988) – Post-apocalypse meets mutant frogs
Rowdy Roddy Piper (famous for They Live) plays the last fertile man on Earth, recruited to impregnate women while battling mutated frog-people.
With cheesy practical effects, insane characters, and pure grindhouse vibes, this is a cult favorite among VHS junkies.
9. Steel Dawn (1987) – Patrick Swayze as a post-apocalyptic samurai
Patrick Swayze plays a silent warrior in a barren wasteland, fighting a brutal gang over the last water source.
Think Mad Max meets Shane, with a dash of Star Wars vibes.
Swayze with a sword in the apocalypse? Yes, please.
10. Warrior of the Lost World (1983) – The most gloriously bad of them all
This campy sci-fi western follows a hero on a talking motorcycle as he battles a totalitarian regime in a ruined future.
With sluggish chases, cheesy lasers, and over-the-top villains, this is a cult classic for lovers of pure VHS trash.
Pure post-apocalyptic pulp
Mad Max clones are bizarre, violent, cheap, and often hilariously off, but they all share that raw charm of grindhouse cinema.
