Entertainment Swindon

80s Horror Movies, Be Afraid! Be Very Afraid!!

The 1980s was a decade that saw Horror hit the screens with high body counts, gore, a non-stop conveyor belt of slasher movies carrying on from the late 1970s and pushing the envelope on what was acceptable with many movies drawing protest against their screenings in cinemas and several being outright banned.

Here at Entertainment Swindon, we’ve put together our Top Ten 80s Horror Movies.

No1 – The Thing (1982):

Quite possibly the best horror film ever made! John Carpenters 1982 version of the Thing has stood the age of time, still gaining new younger fans for this horror classic.

During an exploration in Antarctica, a group of researchers come across a Norwegian facility near their research station. They soon come to realise Something horrible happened there. After discovering that the Norwegians had stumbled across something horrific; they leave, but something comes back with them.

No2 – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984):

A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced us to serial killer, Freddy Krueger. An evil spirit returning to Elm Street through the dreams of kids, lurking in the dream world, ready to rip you apart with his razor sharp clawed glove. I remember seeing this movie for the first time on good old VHS. My parents had rented it from our local video store and whilst they were out, my 10yr old self, popped the nightmarish video that had me staying awake for many nights to come!

I did see however a way to make money from it and using our video recorder, I copied the film onto a blank tape which I copied again and again to sell to my mates at school.

This first outing by Krueger was definitely the best in the franchise and still very much one of the best horror films ever made.

No3 – Friday 13th (1980):

The 1980s saw the genre of slasher movies go into overdrive! In this film, campers and camp counsellors start being killed one by one. Even after watching the movie, if you ask who does the killing, most will say the hockey mask wearing Jason Voorhees. But actually, the killer in the original movie that goes on to spawn many more sequels, including a cross over with Freddy Krueger is Jason’s mother Mrs Pamala Voorhees avenging the death of her child Jason at the camp in 1957 who died because camp counsellors who were supposed to be supervising Jason were busy having sex.

Crystal Lake turns into a slasher bloodbath, typical of 80s Horror and still a popular horror to sit back on the sofa to watch on Halloween.

No4 – Aliens (1986):

Following on from Alien in 1979, Aliens is a Sci-Fi horror. The original narrowly missed out on this top ten due to it being made in 1979 was definitely a horror set in space, Aliens for some will be seen as a Sci-Fi and disputed by Sci-Fi fans as not a horror, but I like many see Aliens as a movie that bridges both genres. And today still ranks in the top two movies in the franchise.

After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Agreeing to accompany a team of crack space marines to LV-426, the marines, along with Ripley find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt. Then all hell is let loose as the marines disturb the nest of Aliens, leaving the marines and Ripley to battle for their lives to escape the planet. Unlike the 1979 original, Aliens is a fast paced action horror, definitely worth sitting back on the sofa this Halloween with the popcorn.

No5 – Hellraiser (1987):

Initially Hellraiser was banned in Ontario by the Ontario Film and Video Review Board, deemed not approved for the films entirety, contravening community standards due to brutal and very graphic violence and torture. It took several cuts for the film to finally be passed by the Ontario Film Board before being released in August 1987.

Sexual deviant Frank, played by Sean Chapman inadvertently opens a portal to hell when he tinkers with a box he bought while abroad. The act unleashes gruesome beings called Cenobites, who tear Frank’s body apart. When Frank’s brother and his wife, Julia, move into Frank’s old house, they accidentally bring what is left of Frank back to life. Frank then convinces Julia, his one-time lover, to lure men back to the house so he can use their blood to reconstruct himself.

If you want a brutal gorefest, then this is the movie for you this Halloween.

No6 – Poltergeist (1982):

Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer through MGM/UA Entertainment on 4th June 1982, gaining instant major critical and commercial success, becoming the 8th highest grossing movie of 1982.

Since then the movie has gone on to be recognised as a horror classic that subsequent movies in the franchise never really lived up to. Poltergeist was named by the Chicago Film Critics Association as the 20th Century’s scariest film ever made, nominated for three Academy Awards, and made No:84 on American Film Institute’s 100 Years 100 Thrills.

Definitely one of my favourite Horror movies, unlike many of the genre in the 80s, this movie wasn’t a slasher and didn’t rely on gore and violence to hook its fans.

No7 – American Werewolf in London (1981):

I remember the first time I saw this movie, it was on VHS rented by my parents, I was about 7 or 8yrs old, and that first transition into the werewolf in nurse Alex (played by the legendary Jenny Agutter) living room haunted me for years, even now watching the movie, hairs on the back of my neck prick up sending a shiver down my spine! When you think it was a movie made back in 1980, way before the age of CGI, it’s amazing how realistic the special effects were.

This is one horror that still gets me today as an adult, so sit back on the sofa, have your popcorn at the ready, turn out the lights and when it gets to that living room scene, press pause at the moment David has transitioned into the werewolf, just after he drops out of picture and then the head of the wolf pops back onto the screen. Wonder round your living room and see how eerie it is as the wolfs eyes follow you round the room wherever you stand as if it is going to jump out of the screen and attack you. Its worth watching just to see that for yourself!

No8 – The Lost Boys (1987):

This movie is worth watching just for the sound track!… The instant I saw this movie, I couldn’t wait to race out to buy the sound track on LP. The movie starring Kiefer Sutherland has become a cult classic, a movie that just screamed out I love the 80s! The hair, the fashion, it was pure 80s all over the screen and watching back now, just brings back such fond nostalgic memories growing up in the 80s.

Teenage brothers Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim) move with their mother (Dianne Wiest) to a small town in northern California. While the younger Sam meets a pair of kindred spirits in geeky comic-book nerds Edward (Corey Feldman) and Alan (Jamison Newlander) a pair of self-proclaimed vampire hunters. Older brother Michael becomes fascinated by Star, a beautiful girl he spots on the boardwalk, though she seems to be with David (Kiefer Sutherland), the leader of a biker gang.

Whilst hanging out with Star and David’s biker gang in a cave, Michael is offered a bottle of blood which he drinks and turning him into a half vampire. Younger brother with the help of his new vampire hunter friends work out that Michael’s condition is reversible if the head vampire David is killed.

Definitely a movie worth watching.

No9 – The Fly (1986):

When scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) creates a teleportation device, he decides to test its abilities on himself. Unknowingly whilst teleporting himself between two teleportation pods, a housefly slips into the pod, merging Seth and the fly which leads to a mutation giving him superior strength and fly characteristics.

As Seth becomes increasingly fly-like, Brundle’s girlfriend (Geena Davis) is horrified as the person she once loved deteriorates into a monster, but Seth becomes obsessed with becoming a family by using the teleportation pods to merge them to become one.

No10 – The Fog (1980):

The Northern California fishing town of Antonio Bay, built 100 years ago over an old leper colony, is the target for revenge by a killer fog containing zombie-like ghosts seeking revenge for their deaths.

It’s the towns centennial, and the crew of a clipper ship is about to take revenge on the town for causing the ship ‘Elizabeth Dane’ and its crew to drown after it crashes into the coastal rocks. At the strike of midnight, a fog drifts in from the sea upon the town, anyone caught in it wont survive.

Town priest, Father Malone, discovers his grandfather’s diary. The journal reveals that a century earlier, in 1880, the 6 founders of Antonio Bay (including Malone’s grandfather) deliberately wrecked a clipper ship, so that its wealthy, leprosy-afflicted owner Blake would not establish a leper colony nearby. The conspirators used the gold plundered from the ship to establish the town.

Local radio presenter broadcasting her show from the the towns lighthouse realises whats going on and begs anyone to save her son from the fog who is at home and to head to the church for safety.

At the church the townsfolk find a large gold cross in the church wall from the Elizabeth Dane, the Priest offers to hand back the gold to the ghosts from the fog to save the towns people from retribution for their ancestors crimes that led to the death of the ships crew.

No11 – Maniac Cop (1988):

It’s Jason in a cop uniform… An often forgotten movie from the 80s horror genre which also spawned a couple of sequels, I love this film!

Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (played by Bruce Campbell), finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered.

As Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins) investigates these mysterious killings, the death toll rises and he suspects a mysterious police cover-up. This “maniac” cop must be stopped, but it might not be so easy! He isn’t an ordinary man. He’s inhuman, driven by supernatural forces, and ready to take on the entire police force, hell-bent on revenge!

This is definitely a movie screaming out for a re-boot! Done right and staying true to the original movie, this could launch a character from the slasher genre that has been forgotten about in the shadows of Jason and Michael.

No12 – The Howling (1981):

Another werewolf movie makes it into the top 20, and again a great movie that had special effects ahead of its time.

From the director of Gremlins and Piranha comes the ultimate masterpiece of primal terror. Filled with edge-of-your-seat suspense, “genuine thrills and amazing special effects”, this riveting werewolf tale sinks its teeth into your deepest fears and never lets go.

Severely shaken after a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, TV newscaster Karen White (Dee Wallace, E.T.) takes some much-needed time off. Hoping to conquer her inner demons, she heads for “the Colony,” a secluded retreat where her new neighbours are just a tad too eager to make her feel at home. Also, there seems to be a bizarre link between her would-be attacker and this supposedly safe haven.

After several nights of being tormented by savage shrieks and unearthly cries, Karen ventures into the forest to find answers, she makes a terrifying discovery. Now she must fight not only for her life… But for her very soul!

No13 – The Shining (1980):

This film is truly one of the scariest movies of all time and is not for the faint hearted. A film that actually hated by its author Stephen King, he hated how Kubrick relegated Wendy, played by Shelley Duvall as a weak character who seemed to just be there to cry and be a punching bag to Jack Nicholson’s character Jack.

That said although I would say the book is better, one of the few horror novels I’ve actually read, BUT… Kubrick’s 1980 movie adaptation of The Shining was one of the greatest horror movies of all time.

At first, the film feels a bit empty. Nicholson’s Jack seems nutty from frame one, providing little arc for his character. Each character sees visions, leaving the audience no easy points of identification. The apparitions seem to know more about the story than we do, fostering some very real twists and turns. Kubrick constantly pulls the rug out from under us in relation to what is real and what is not.

This film is truly one of the scariest movies of all time and is not for the faint hearted.

No14 – Cujo (1983):

Another Stephen King classic… According to the legendary novelist, King was inspired whilst on a trip to a mechanic during the spring of 1977. In an interview with The Paris Review in 2006, he described how the mechanics Saint Bernard dog emerges from the garage, growling at him and lunging at his hand. only to be stopped in time by the mechanic who hit the dogs hind legs with a wrench.

Often a forgotten horror when you sit down thinking what horror shall I watch tonight, but a movie that everyone should check out.

No15 – Childs Play (1988):

There’s nothing innocent about Child’s Play!…

He’s just a cute doll that wants to be friends… What could be scary about that? Well, how about a vicious serial killer transfers his consciousness into a doll called Chucky using voodoo.

Child’s Play would be the movie to close the door on a decade of slashers. Stepping into the 90s, Child’s Play would spawn a franchise of movies and more recently, a TV series that would pay homage to the slasher genre with a twisted sense of camp humour.

Sit back and enjoy this classic horror that has definitely stood the test of time.

No16 – Evil Dead (1981):

A true ‘Cult Classic’!… This movie has truly cemented itself over time as one of the cult classics of horror. Filmed in 1979 and released in 1981, this is the first film in what would become a franchise. It introduces the franchise’ protagonist Ash, the Book of the Dead (the Necronomicon), and the Deadites.

The film instantly from the get-go attracted controversy, particularly for its scene where a possessed tree, yes thats right a possessed tree rapes a young woman. This scene landed film maker Raimi in hot water and was subsequently highly censored and even banned in many countries.

No17 – Fright Night (1985):

Meet Jerry Dandridge. He is your new neighbour, a nice, young man who likes to sleep in late. You might think he’s the perfect neighbour. But before inviting Jerry in for a nightcap, there’s just one thing you should know. Jerry prefers his drinks warm, red and straight from the jugular!

It’s FRIGHT NIGHT, a horrific howl starring Chris Sarandon as the seductive vampire and William Ragsdale as the frantic teenager struggling to keep Jerry’s deadly fangs out of his neck. Only 17yr old Charley Brewster (Ragsdale) knows Jerry’s bloodcurdling secret. When Charley can’t get anybody to believe him, he turns to TV horror host Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), who used to be the “Great Vampire Killer” of the movies.

Can these mortals save Charley and his sweetheart Amy (Amanda Bearse) from the wrathful bloodsucker’s toothy embrace? If you love being scared, FRIGHT NIGHT…will give you the nightmare of your life.

No18 – Re-Animator (1985):

Adapted from H.P. Lovecraft’s sepulchral 1922 pulp horror story, arguably the first such tale to ever consider scientifically affected corpses as zombies, Re-Animator is Stuart Gordon’s cult classic trip into the realm of the living dead.

Conducting clandestine experiments within the morgue at Miskatonic University, scientist Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs, From Beyond) reveals to fellow graduate student Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) his groundbreaking work concerning the re-animation of fresh corpses.

West’s secret reagent is a powerful injection with the capacity to give life where there is none – destined to capture the imagination of the entire scientific community. However, between life and death is a thin thread of understanding and when obsession gets the better of West, there is no stopping his wicked ways – dead or alive!

Presented complete and uncut in gore-glistening HD with all-new special features, Re-Animator is a true horror-fest of mortal manipulation in the most demented sense.

No19 – House (1985):

Roger Cobb is an author who has just separated from his wife. He moves into a new house and tries to work on a novel based on his experiences in the Vietnam War. A comedy horror, that see Cobb move into his dead aunts house, where soon after he starts having graphic nightmares of his time in Vietnam phenomena from within the house haunting him in his waking hours.

Cobb is haunted by his late aunt, and a deformed monster, attacked by levitating garden tools and even his wife who transforms into a hideous hag like creature, before he is pulled into a dark abyss when he opens his bathroom medicine cabinet where he locates his lost son Jimmy.

I’ll leave the rest for you to check out, its a funny horror, a bit dated, but worth a nostalgic watch.

No20 – The Stuff (1985):

Are you eating it…or is it eating you? The Stuff is the new dessert taking supermarket shelves by storm. It’s delicious, low in calories and – better still – doesn’t stain the family carpet…

What’s not to like?! Well, for a start it has a life of its own, and we’re not talking friendly live bacteria… Young Jason seems to be the only one who doesn’t love The Stuff – in fact he won’t go anywhere near it, after having seen the pudding crawling around the fridge one night. What’s more, everyone who eats The Stuff has started acting really weird… Now, teaming up with wise-cracking industrial saboteur “Mo”, Jason must put a stop to The Stuff and the organisation behind it or face a gooey, gloopy demise.

Courtesy of horror auteur Larry Cohen (director of the It’s Alive series and scribe behind the Maniac Cop trilogy), The Stuff is a titillating treat for the taste-buds which blends elements of films such as Street Trash with the straight-up B-movie flavour of The Blob.

So grab a spoon and dig on into The Stuff – the taste that delivers… much more than you bargained for!