Coming of Age in Cinema: A History of Teen Movies

You can tell a lot about people by their favorite teen movies. For baby boomers teen movies were about monsters from outer space, usually watched from the backseat of a car at the local drive-in. Most of these films were B-movie schlock, made on a shoestring budget. But a funny thing happened on the way to adult hood. Teen movies grew up as well.

Every generation has its favorite teen movies, and you can often tell how old someone is based on what picks they make for the best teen movies ever made. With that in mind, here are a few teen movies that cross the lines between generations. We'll start old school and work our way to the present.

Top Teen Movies by Generations
These teen movies are the best of their decades.

Top Teen Movies of the 1950s
The '50s are when teen movies, and teens for that matter, really came into their own. Aside from some monster movies, such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Them, It! and Creature from the Black Lagoon that were aimed squarely at the teen audience, teen films are ones featuring teens and issues important to teens of that era, and often, beyond.

Rebel without a Cause
Nicholas Ray's 1955 classic launched James Dean into superstardom. The movie pushed the bounds when it was released with underlying homoerotic tension between Sal Mineo and Dean. It was subtle of course, this being the Eisenhower administration and all, but the film bristles with tension and superb performances throughout.

To watch the original theatrical trailer for Rebel without a Cause, click HERE.

Top Teen Movies of the 1960s
Teen movies waned a bit in the 1960s as Hollywood struggled to find an audience in the ever-changing counterculture movement resulting in a host of beach blanket bingos.

Splendor in the Grass
Natalie Wood is 6 years older in this 1961 tale of young lovers. Warren Beatty is hunk that drives Natalie Wood crazy - literally.

Top Teen Movies of the 1970s
The '70s began with the Film Brats coming of age and producing a body of films noted for gritty realism exploring serious issues. In a portent of things to come, the late '70s saw a rise in teen movies. One of the best was made by Mister Film Brat himself.