158 Donald Pleasence Movies, Ranked Best to Worst

Frustrated with escape attempts, the German army moves a large group of Allied prisoners of war to a high-security POW camp. The film portrays a fictional account of how over 200 prisoners, led by RAF Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett, dug a deep, long tunnel to execute an even greater mass escape plan to further harass the enemy.

A six year old boy, Michael Myers, mercilessly kills his teenage sister, Judith on the Halloween night in 1963. He is imprisoned for fifteen years. Now 21, Michael escapes and returns to his hometown to figure out his next unaware victims – a female babysitter and her friends. The only person who understands his intentions is his psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis.

After a prostitute is murdered in Warsaw, Major Grau of the German intelligence investigates the case, and he finds evidence that makes him suspect three Nazi Generals. Soon, it also seems that there is a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.  

In an alternate reality, Manhattan Island in New York City has been converted into a maximum security prison following a 400% increase in crime in the United States. When Air Force One is hijacked and the President is crash-landed into the island, former Special Forces soldier and convicted robber, Snake Plissken, is coerced into launching a rescue initiative.

Based on the play of the same name by Harold Pinter, this British drama film tells the story of a naive and lonely man named Aston, who allows a homeless old man to live with him, out of sympathy for the latter. However, Aston’s brother Mick starts tormenting the old man. 

This comedy drama thriller film follows the story of two wounded American gangsters who are on the run. They soon find refuge in the secluded castle of a young British couple. However, all is not what it seems.  

Two drivers are tied at first place in a local stunt race. They decide to have a contest to determine who will own the prize, a dune buggy. However, things get ugly when a mobster destroys the vehicle. Therefore they decide to get revenge and declare a war on him.

A cynical and burnt-out middle-aged Labour MP finds himself in a stalled career and failed marriage, all thanks to his stubbornly leftist leanings. After a brief affair with a younger woman, he has the chance to salvage his marriage but it may come at the cost of his career.

NASA spaceship is hijacked and the Americans think that it is the Soviets while the British accuse the Japanese. Accordingly, James Bond is sent to Japan to find a solution. Once there, he has to face danger at every step; but carries on with his task with the help of Aki, a Japanese secret service agent. 

The Eagle Has Landed is a war drama film which tells the story of a Nazi officer, who devises a plan to kidnap or assassinate Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister.  Their plan seems to be going well, until certain events begin to threaten their success.  

On his deathbed, King Henry VIII, of England recounts his six marriages while surrounded by his courtiers and his family. He discusses his motivations for marrying Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymor, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and lastly, Catherine Parr who remained his wife and Queen consort until his death. 

General Alexander Scott is a well respected member of the Third Reich's inner circle. But in reality, he is a British spy, who has been planted in the German Army towards the end of WWI.  The story, which begins in 1939, depicts his struggle to keep his true identity hidden while continuing to pass on the much needed information to the British. 

Though descended from a family of celebrated sailors, Royal Navy Captain Ambrose, is troubled with chronic seasickness. After the war, he buys a crumbling amusement pier in a small British coastal town of Sandcastle-on-sea, but encounters strong opposition from local authorities. However, he finds a way through the storm to save the Victorian pier from demolition and makes it a thriving venture.

THX 1138 is a sci-fi action drama film, which takes us to a futuristic society of the 25th century, where sex is outlawed, and people are given designations instead of names.  The film revolves around a few individuals who rebel against this rigidly-controlled society. 

Fantastic Voyage is a science fiction film which revolves around a brilliant scientist Jan Benes, who develops a blood clot in his brain. Using the technology he had created, which can miniaturize matter, a team of experts enter his body, hoping to be able to help him.

The Greatest Story Ever Told is a historical drama film which revolves around the life and the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, presented in two parts.  

The second installment in the Halloween film series, the story centers on Michael Myers and his traumatized victim Laurie Strode, whom he has earlier failed to kill. It describes how he chases Laurie into the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, on the way killing nurses and doctors, until he is engulfed in flame, yet continuing with his chase.  

After returning from an extended business trip, Frank discovers that his girlfriend Jamie is now working at a resort hotel, where the owner seems to have bought her affection, in exchange for various gifts.  As tensions rise, he holds her hostage. However, as the police negotiations try to talk him into giving himself up, Frank feels being pushed further and further into a corner. 

A middle-aged Captain of a steamboat believes in rigorous self-control when it comes to one’s needs, emotions and desires. However, things take a turn when begins to develop feelings for a beautiful female stowaway.

Dalchimski, a former KGB agent, is sent to the US, to stop few sleeper agents who have been hypnotized to attack government entities when they hear certain coded words.

Angela Burrows, an accomplished efficiency, expert tries to change the way things are done at a Scottish Tweed weaving company but runs up against traditional values and the accountant Mr. Martin. The battle of wits between the sexes eventually ends with Martin winning but losing his heart to Burrows. 

Oh, God is a fantasy comedy film which tells the story of Jerry Landers, a hard working assistant manager working at a supermarket, who lives an uneventful life with his wife Bobbie Landers and their two kids. His life takes a turn when God Almighty appears in his life as a good natured old man. He decides to make Jerry his messenger for the modern world.

The Pied Piper is a fantasy drama film, which takes us to 1349 Germany, when the town of Hamelin is plagued by rats. They hire a wandering pied piper to lure the rats away. However, when they refuse to pay for his services, he hires the children of the town away. 

Dracula is a horror drama film which takes us to the year 1913. After surviving a shipwreck, Count Dracula comes ashore and begins his search for an immortal bride.

Mr Freedom is a satirical superhero film which tells the story of Mr Freedom, a vigilante superhero sanctioned by the US government, who is assigned on a mission to prevent a Communist takeover of France, and at the same time solve the murder of a French superhero.  

British scientists manage to find a cure for an ongoing plague, but their government refuses to publish the research, and decides to keep it a secret. However, foreign powers trick a scientist into handing over the information to them.

Escape to Witch Mountain is a science fiction adventure film which revolves around Tony and Tia, two orphaned siblings, having extraordinary psychic powers. Things get complicated when they attract the attention of a selfish millionaire, who decides to kidnap them and use their powers for his own gain.  

Phenomena is a horror mystery film which revolves around a young girl who has an unusual but interesting ability which allows her to communicate with insects. She is soon transferred to a Swiss boarding school. When a string of murders occur, she thinks her abilities might prove very useful.  

Kleinman is a timid bookkeeper, who wanders around town and tries his best in finding a dangerous serial killer who is on the loose.  

This 1978 Canadian-French film revolves around a detective investigating the brutal murder of a teenage girl. However, conflicting testimonies within the victim’s own family makes the case harder to solve.

During WWII, British RAF Flight Lt. Michael Quinn, stationed in far-east Asia, is asked to join army intelligence and learn Japanese language to interrogate Japanese POWs. He falls in love with his pretty Japanese instructor Sabby, or Suzuki San. She is, however, perceived as an enemy by the British officers, so they marry secretly. But the destiny has different plans!

Based on an unfinished novel of the same name by F Scott Fitzgerald, this drama film tells the story of a movie producer, who works tirelessly in a time of turmoil. However, problems arise because he neglects and disrespects the other studio executives, and they feel like they would be better off without him.

Young David Balfour is cheated out of his inheritance by his Uncle Ebeneezer Balfour, who has David kidnapped by sea captain Hoseason. David forms a friendship with Alan Breck on board the ship and the two embark on a life-changing adventure, with David even falling in love with Catriona. 

While cleaning the basement in the church, Father Loomis comes across a canister which is filled with a volatile green substance. He soon comes to know that the liquid is the spirit of the Devil. Problem arises when the container is opened, unleashing an evil force on humanity.

Senior British secret agent John Craig is given a final assignment to locate a defecting Russian scientist Kaplan, who is believed to be living as a goatherd in Turkey. While Craig encounters opponents at every step, his adversaries mistakenly kidnap a beautiful innocent bystander Miriam. Although it complicates his mission, Craig decides to rescue Miriam as he feels responsible for her. 

A retired and widowed French commercial pilot arrives in Montreal, and is soon asked to identify the body of his estranged son Julien, who was killed in a police shootout. However, he soon sees that the body is not of his son, but a criminal who was in possession of his son’s passport. Fearing that his son may be in grave danger, he embarks on a quest to find him.

Adapted from Jean Giraudoux’s 1945 play La Folle de Chaillot, the movie follows Countess Aurelia and her three friends as they learn about a big conspiracy to drill oil from beneath the streets of Paris. The women decide to take action against the powerful men that include financiers, military men, and a religious opportunist by putting them on trial for crime against society.

Sam is a clerk working for a jeweler who dreams of stealing a fortune in diamonds one day. Although, he manages to execute his plan eventually, he ends up killing a man in the process.

A pianist who loses his hands in a plane crash undergoes a transplant surgery arranged by his fiancée. He receives the hands of an executed criminal. However, the hands have the same murderous tendencies of the previous owner. 

Count Von Plasma, a vampire who is the head of an isolated European country, wishes to kidnap the Queen of England, hoping it will draw tourists to his country. However, he mistakenly kidnaps another woman named Edna, who happens to be the aunt of Barry McKenzie. Along with his friends, Barry sets out to rescue her and bring her back.     

Psychiatrist Dr. Tremayne recounts cases of strange patients to colleague, Dr. Nicholas. In first case, squabbling parents’ young son imagines a tiger hankering after meat. Next, an antiques dealer is haunted by his uncle’s portrait and a Penny-Farthing bicycle. In third, a man’s unusual attachment to a dead tree arouses wife’s jealousy. Fourth horror is about a literary agent and a cannibal luau.  

Also known as the Race for the Yankee Zephyr, the movie follows Gibbie Gibson, his daughter, Sally, and his lodger ,Barney Whitaker, who are in a race against time to recover a treasure from a World War II plane wreck. But treasure hunter Mister Theo Brown and his men stand in their way. 

A group of military officers get frustrated with the corruption and repression of their government, and decide to start a coup and overthrow the current regime. However, the leader of the coup discovers that there may be a spy in their midst.  

Robert Adamson is an American railroad engineer in colonial Africa, who sets out from Mombasa, Kenya, to Lake Victoria, in order to plot out a route for the first transcontinental railroad in Africa. He is accompanied by Jane Carlton, a young woman, whose father and fiance have both disappeared in the African wilds.

Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff is a drama film which takes us to 1954, to a small town in Kansas. It revolves around a lonely and depressed high school teacher named Evelyn, who is liked by students and her co-workers, but is unsatisfied with her job regardless. Her life takes a different turn when she is raped by an African American janitor working at the school.

The film is an anthology of three cat horror tales as told by horror writer Wilbur Gray, who genuinely believe that cats are supernatural creatures, who are capable of calling the shots. While two stories depict cats taking revenge on the murder of their mistresses, the third tale relates how a little girl use witchcraft to avenge her cat.  

Howard is an American engineer living in Istanbul, who is targeted for assassination, as he has made contributions to the Turkish Navy. Eventually he manages to escape with the help of police Colonel Haki, and decides to board a ship to safety from his hotel. On board, one of the passengers seem suspicious.

Matchless is a science fiction comedy thriller film which tells the story of a secret agent who possesses an ancient ring that can grant him invisibility powers for a short time, once every ten hours. He is in pursuit of a criminal mastermind, but at the same time, he also has to deal with an enemy agent who is also in pursuit of the ring.

After accidentally switching passports, things get complicated for a woman traveling on a train, when she is mistaken for a spy by opposing factions who are also traveling on the same train.

Where is Parsifal? is a comedy film which revolves around an eccentric inventor who lives in a castle. He has invented a laser skywriter which he wants to sell for millions. However, several people are interested in his invention.  

This suspense drama film revolves around an American ambassador to Israel, who tries to bring peace to the Middle East conflict, through his unconventional ways. However, his efforts are hampered at every turn, and his personal life is threatened. 

A Knight’s Dirty Work is an action adventure crime thriller film which tells us the story of a group of British aristocrats who calls themselves the ‘Knights of Avalon’. Discontent with the justice system, they start executing judgments on people whom they consider criminals. However, an officer working for the Scotland Yard soon starts having suspicions.     

A movie company sets up their headquarters in an army barrack as it wants to shoot a sci-fi film that not only showcases the real location but also portrays the soldiers as actors. However, only confusion and chaos prevails while the Commander tries to convince the crew to move their set to a nearby haunted house. 

After lying in a coma for around a year, Michael Myers attempts to start another killing rampage. He goes after his niece Jamie who has been confined to a mental institution. Meanwhile Dr Sam Loomis, a psychiatrist starts suspecting that there might be a psychic link between Michael and Jamie.

Six years after Michael Myers had terrorized Haddonfield, he returns in pursuit of his niece named Jamie who had managed to escape with her newborn child. He tries to hunt her down with a mysterious cult which has sinister plans for her child.

This martial arts action film tells the story of a secret agent, whose partner is killed by an international drug cartel. He teams up with a karate expert and sets out to take them down.

This musical adventure comedy film tells the story of Sergeant Pepper’s famed musical group, which used to provide music to weary soldiers during the First World War. Ever since then, he and his band has been spreading the message of joy, love and peace to the world. After he passes away, it is up to Billy Shears, his grandson, to carry on the group’s tradition.

Lucy and Gino Carlesi’s newborn baby-boy is abnormally strong, and apparently, he is possessed by a satanic spirit. Following mysterious incidences and also, death of baby’s wet-nurse, the parents approach Dr. Finch, who refuses to accept that the baby could be involved in any such violence. Now, their only hope is Gino’s nun sister, Albana. Can she succeed in expelling the evil? 

Years after his death, descendants of the famous scientist Baron Frankenstein return to his castle, hoping that they will find a family fortune that might still be hidden there.