Empire's The 50 Greatest Teen Movies

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By Ben Travis, James White, Ian Freer, James Dyer, Alex Godfrey, Nick De Semlyen, Ella Kemp, Chris Hewitt | Posted 24 Jul 2020
Adolescent adventures. High school horror stories. Crushing crushes and perfect prom nights. The teen movie is a cinematic favourite, magnifying the hopes, dreams, greatest fears and glittering futures of youngsters onto the big screen with snappy dialogue, earworm soundtracks, and grand romantic gestures. Though they evolve every few years along with teenage culture itself, teen movies are time capsules forever documenting a time and place on celluloid – as well as containing formative performances from cinematic greats.

Team Empire opened up its old angst-filled diaries to draw up a list of the greatest ever teen movies – the most quotable, banger-fuelled, swoonsome classics that capture all the pain and glory of the teenage experience. Teen movies aren’t just films featuring teens – they say something about what it is to be a teenager, dialling in on the secondary school years where social circles are everything, first loves are life or death, and the promise of a bigger future awaits. Whether you’re a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess or a criminal, there's something here for you.

Sincerely yours, the Empire Club.

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  1. 1 new

    Clueless

    1995, in 8 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    The Breakfast Club

    1985, in 10 top lists Check
  3. 3 new

    Back to the Future

    1985, in 25 top lists Check
  4. 4 new

    10 Things I Hate About You

    1999, in 2 top lists Check
  5. 5 new

    Mean Girls

    2004, in 4 top lists Check
  6. 6 new

    Ferris Bueller's Day Off

    1986, in 11 top lists Check
  7. 7 new

    Dazed and Confused

    1993, in 7 top lists Check
  8. 8 new

    Carrie

    1976, in 11 top lists Check
  9. 9 new

    The Lost Boys

    1987, in 3 top lists Check
  10. 10 new

    Booksmart

    2019, in 3 top lists
    Check
  11. 11 new

    Lady Bird

    2017, in 11 top lists Check
  12. 12 new

    American Pie

    1999, in 6 top lists Check
  13. 13 new

    Grease

    1978, in 12 top lists Check
  14. 14 new

    American Graffiti

    1973, in 17 top lists Check
  15. 15 new

    Eighth Grade

    2018, in 3 top lists
    Check
  16. 16 new

    Rebel Without a Cause

    1955, in 16 top lists Check
  17. 17 new

    Scream

    1996, in 8 top lists Check
  18. 18 new

    Fast Times at Ridgemont High

    1982, in 8 top lists Check
  19. 19 new

    Election

    1999, in 7 top lists Check
  20. 20 new

    Say Anything...

    1989, in 3 top lists Check
  21. 21 new

    Love, Simon

    2018, in 1 top list
    Check
  22. 22 new

    Heathers

    1988, in 7 top lists Check
  23. 23 new

    A Nightmare on Elm Street

    1984, in 8 top lists Check
  24. 24 new

    Spider-Man: Homecoming

    2017, in 3 top lists Check
  25. 25 new

    Easy A

    2010, in 0 top lists Check
  26. 26 new

    Blockers

    2018, in 0 top lists
    Check
  27. 27 new

    Donnie Darko

    2001, in 21 top lists Check
  28. 28 new

    Rushmore

    1998, in 11 top lists Check
  29. 29 new

    The Craft

    1996, in 2 top lists Check
  30. 30 new

    The Hate U Give

    2018, in 0 top lists
    Check
  31. 31 new

    Juno

    2007, in 12 top lists Check
  32. 32 new

    Pretty in Pink

    1986, in 2 top lists Check
  33. 33 new

    To All the Boys I've Loved Before

    2018, in 1 top list
    Check
  34. 34 new

    Brick

    2005, in 8 top lists Check
  35. 35 new

    Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

    1989, in 2 top lists Check
  36. 36 new

    Dirty Dancing

    1987, in 10 top lists Check
  37. 37 new

    Dope

    2015, in 0 top lists Check
  38. 38 new

    Cruel Intentions

    1999, in 0 top lists Check
  39. 39 new

    Superbad

    2007, in 5 top lists Check
  40. 40 new

    Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

    2018, in 21 top lists Check
  41. 41 new

    Jennifer's Body

    2009, in 1 top list Check
  42. 42 new

    Napoleon Dynamite

    2004, in 4 top lists Check
  43. 43 new

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower

    2012, in 2 top lists Check
  44. 44 new

    The Edge of Seventeen

    2016, in 0 top lists Check
  45. 45 new

    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

    2007, in 4 top lists Check
  46. 46 new

    Adventures in Babysitting

    1987 — a.k.a. A Night on the Town, in 0 top lists Check
  47. 47 new

    The Inbetweeners Movie

    2011, in 0 top lists Check
  48. 48 new

    Twilight

    2008, in 2 top lists Check
  49. 49 new

    Kidulthood

    2006, in 0 top lists Check
  50. 50 new

    Blinded by the Light

    2019, in 0 top lists
    Check
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Last updated on Aug 8, 2020; source