The Best Horror Movie … From Each Year Of The 80s!

1980 : // The Shining

A stunning Stephen King adaptation by legendary auteur Stanley Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange), The Shining is the ultimate in eerie slow-burn story telling. Setting the tone from the very beginning as the classic ominous score plays over Kubrick’s sumptuous birds-eye shot of the doomed Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson – One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest), as he drives through the Colorado mountain ranges on his way to a job interview at the vast Overlook Hotel. Nicholson has never been better as the struggling author who agrees to caretake the hotel during its winter off-season, in the hope that within the solitude and isolation he can overcome his writers block and pen his master piece.

Joining him are his wife Wendy (Shelly DuVall – Popeye) and young son Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is blessed with a special gift that makes him susceptible to experience the supernatural and telepathically communicate with others like him. Jack is warned that a previous winter caretaker had been driven mad by the isolation of the hotel and had murdered his family with an axe before killing himself with a shotgun. But undeterred the family take up their post with Jack and we watch as he slowly descends into his own madness, fuelled by the spirits that live within the walls of The Overlook.

The family become snowbound in the hotel and totally isolated from the outside world. Danny’s nightmarish premonitions and visions of the hotels ‘guests’ accelerate as his fathers madness takes hold, and the audience becomes fully engaged with him and his mothers fight for survival. The Shining is a masterclass in suspense with a sumptuous tone and style delivered by Kubrick, who absolutely made King’s source material his own with the chilling aesthetic of vintage seventies psychological Horror, overlapping into the new decade. KZ

1981 : // An American Werewolf In London

Director John Landis (National Lampoon’s Animal House / The Blues Brothers) was best known for creating a number of iconic comedy movies, but pulled an absolute Horror classic out of the bag when he delivered An American Werewolf In London. The movie is perhaps best known for its outstanding practical special F/X and makeup created by the Oscar winning Rick Baker (Men In Black), who designed and crafted the quintessential human-to-werewolf transformation scene … which to this day has never been bettered.

The movie begins with American backpackers David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) as they find themselves in an unusually unfriendly small Yorkshire Hamlet one evening after dark, where the locals in The Slaughtered Lamb pub are less than welcoming. Against all advice the pair end up walking across the moors where they are attacked by some kind of beast. Jack is killed and David wakes up sometime later in a hospital in London where he is cared for by Nurse Alice Price (Jenny Agutter). But from here things start to get really weird for David!

He dreams that he is a wild animal hunting in the woods, and is visited by the haunting and slowly decomposing Jack who gives him the bad news that they were attacked by a werewolf, and that as the sole survivor David is damned to turn into a lycanthrope himself at the next full moon. The only way he can break the curse is to take his own life! As well as the grizzly practical F/X and make-up helping to provide some truly nightmarish scenes of Horror, Landis also conveys a darkly comic tone throughout the movie, particularly noticeable within the engaging dialogue and perfect chemistry between David and Jack, throughout this damn fine werewolf flick. KZ

1982 : // The Thing

John Carpenter’s The Thing is quite rightly considered to be one of the finest Sci-Fi / Horror movies ever created. Made at a time that the legendary Master of Horror (Halloween / The Fog) was in his prime, and with iconic creature designs created by Rob Bottin (Robocop / Total Recall), providing mind bending Body-Horror which is still considered to be the pinnacle of practical special F/X to this day. The movie is a loose remake of Howard Hawks’ classic Sci-Fi creature feature The Thing From Another World (1951) – with both movies being adapted from John W. Campbell’s 1938 novella Who Goes There?

In addition to the simply amazing F/X that have unquestionably stood the test of time, The Thing is also a movie which provides a masterclass in suspense and paranoia as an American scientific research base in Antartica is infiltrated by an alien being, which can shape shift and take the form of any animal or man it comes into contact with. The crew become hopelessly isolated within what becomes their own frozen desolate prison, as they try to survive the creature as it takes them out one by one, with the characters quickly coming to the realisation that they can trust no-one but themselves.

Regular Carpenter leading man Kurt Russell (Escape From New York / Big Trouble In Little China) stars as helicopter pilot Macready, who the audience latch on to as the main protagonist among the group, and heads a fine cast which also includes Keith David (They Live) Richard Masur (Risky Business) and Donald Moffat (Clear And Present Danger). Amazingly the film absolutely bombed at the box office back in ‘82, and was considered a complete failure for Carpenter as audiences flocked instead to see Steven Spielberg’s family friendly Sci-Fi flick E.T, which was released around the same time. But The Thing quite rightly found its cult following and is now thought of as one of the legendary director’s finest films. KZ

1983 : // Psycho II

Revisiting such a beloved classic Horror / Thriller as Alfred Hitchcock’s Pscycho (1960) some 23 years later in a thoroughly different time for movies, is a gamble that could have gone horribly wrong. But thankfully that was not the case when Anthony Perkins returned to the iconic role of Norman Bates. Written by Tom Holland (Fright Night / Child’s Play) and directed by Richard Franklin (F/X2: The Deadly Art of Illusion) Psycho II opens with a black & white revisit of Janet Leigh in that iconic shower murder scene. The camera pans to the Bates house as we hear Norman once again shout at his mother, and as the credits roll the palate turns to colour.

In the present day Norman Bates has been judged sane and is being released back into the community. Lila Loomis (Vera Miles – The Wrong Man) sister of the murdered Marriane Crane from Psycho protests, but her concerns fall on deaf ears as it is explained he was never convicted of murder due to reasons of insanity, and Norman returns home. Perkins continues to play the character with a jittery childlike nervousness, slipping back into the role like a favourite old jacket, and on his first night home he flashes back to the night that he poisoned his mother and immediately the film has the audience questioning his sanity. He begins a job as a kitchen assistant in a local diner, and his appearance in the town is met with mixed reception. He ends up offering a waitress a room for the night at his motel, and we continuously question his motive as he becomes startled and agitated by objects that he connects with murder, and the events of the first film.

The movie pays continuous homage to the original Psycho as we are kept in suspense as to whether or not Norman is going to kill again. We suspect of course that he is, but it also becomes apparent that someone is clearly messing with him. And as new murders start mounting up, the viewer wonders whether it is actually Norman killing again, or is someone else pretending to be his mother? The movie provides a Slasher vibe indicative of its time, taking influence from the likes of the early Friday The Thirteenth and Halloween films with some good gore and practical F/X. While the narrative plays out with many intriguing twists and turns, in which despite a whole load of corny dialogue and weird humour at times, turned out to be a surprisingly strong Horror sequel. KZ

1984 : // A Nightmare On Elm Street

By 1984 Slasher’s were all the rage and Horror’s in vogue sub-genre, but it was about to be hit with one almighty surprise in originality when film-maker Wes Craven (The Last House On The Left / The Hills Have Eyes) delivered A Nightmare On Elm Street. And as iconic as the movie itself was, the star of the show was unquestionably the razor finger gloved psychopathic child murderer Freddie Krueger (Robert Englund). Freddie was by no means your run of the mill Michael Myers or early Jason Vorhees type of killer. He was a stalker of dreams, as shown in the very opening sequence of the movie. And this meant that his prey had nowhere to hide!

A Nightmare On Elm Street was a Horror movie like no other, introducing a fantastical concept that was written and delivered superbly by Craven and his strong cast of characters including Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp), and of course Englund himself as the deranged haunter of nightmares. The plot revolves around Nancy and her friends, teenagers who live on Elm Street in Springwood, Ohio, who all discover that they are having the same dream about the same maniac. Only when Freddie catches and kills them in their sleep … they die for real. This is first highlighted in one of the all time classic Horror kill sequences, as the sleeping bloody body of Tina (Amanda Wyss) is dragged from her bed, up the wall and across the ceiling in front of her boyfriend Rod (Jsu Garcia).

Freddie picks off Nancy’s friends one by one while stalking her in her own dreams, leaving her to try and figure out why this happening, who Freddie is, and how she can stop him. There are so many iconic scenes of terror throughout the movie, which has a wonderfully dark tone and a perfectly matched score. The makeup and prosthetics used to create the severely burned Freddie Krueger are spot on, and the use of practical F/X and Body-Horror are perfectly executed for the time. The film would of course go on to become one of the biggest players in the genre, spawning a further six sequels before finally taking a break after Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1993). KZ

1985 : // Fright Night

A truly wonderful Vampire flick and one of the finest of the sub-genre, that also managed to be utterly quintessentially eighties. While also paying homage to the Hammer Horror Films of the 50s and 60s, as well as taking more than a dollop of inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954). Fright Night was written and directed by Tom Holland (Psycho II / Child’s Play) and starred William Ragsdale as Charlie Brewster, a teenage late night Horror TV fan living in suburbia, who takes a keen interest in his shadowy new neighbour Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon – The Nightmare Before Christmas).

Charlie becomes obsessed after seeing a coffin being delivered to the house the night his neighbour moves in, while the murder count in the small town they live in mysteriously increases at the same time, with one decapitated body showing up after another. Charlie watches his neighbour at night from his bedroom as a succession of sultry women visit that subsequently disappear, but he is seen spying by Dandridge and becomes terrified as in turn the mysterious neighbour also begins to take an interest in him. However when Charlie starts to convey his fear that a vampire has moved in next door to those he loves, no-one believes him all putting it down to his over zealous imagination … a now classic Horror trope!

And a trope that has maybe never been done better, as Fright Night is perfectly executed and incredibly well paced. With a slickly written script and great performances from the two lead, as well as Roddy McDowall (Planet Of The Apes) as the washed up TV Vampire hunter Peter Vincent who Charlie turns to help in his hour of need. The film also features some great gore and practical F/X, featuring a pure and unadulterated 80s soundtrack and tone, playing on classic Vampire lore while adding a thoroughly fresh take of its own, with just the right amount of sinister humour and sex appeal. KZ

1986 : // The Fly

David Cronenberg (Scanners / Videodrome) directed a string of movies in the 80s which quite rightly earned him the reputation as the Master of Body-Horror! And perhaps best of all within a near perfect run of films came The Fly, his remake of the classic 1958 Sci-Fi creature feature. Cronenberg’s re-imagining will always be in the conversation when discussing the greatest re-makes of all time, and the movie is a near perfect Horror, full of suspense and drama, with a love story at its heart and of course mind bending visual F/X.

In the opening scene we are introduced to journalist Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis – Thelma & Louise) as she attends a science fair in search of a story for her magazine. She meets the nerdy reclusive Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum – Jurassic Park), who takes her back to his apartment and shows her the teleportation pods he has invented. She struggles to convince her editor (John Getz – Blood Simple) that Brundle is anything more than an illusionist at first, and is talked into holding off running a story by the inventor, who instead asks her to continue to visit him and document, as he aims to complete his work and successfully teleport living matter.

They fall in love as they spend time together, but following an argument over her editor and ex-boyfriend Seth gets drunk on champagne, and experiments on transporting himself, not knowing that a fly has entered the pod with him. Over the course of the thrilling second act we see Seth begin to change. At first the transformation is positive as he finds an increase in strength and athletic ability, but then his body starts to slowly deform into something else, and it is here that both the makeup and practical body F/X were groundbreaking. The pacing and the script is just perfect as the final act descends into pure Horror, as Seth’s transformation both body and mind into the monster completes. And Veronica finds herself in a fight for her life, as well as those around her. KZ

1987 : // The Lost Boys

When you think of movies that absolutely epitomise 80s style, Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys is a film that instantly springs to mind. It tapped into the emerging MTV generation by blending a cool soundtrack, with a distinctive tone and a cast of hip young actors. And some unforgettable moments of Horror which would totally revolutionise the Vampire sub-genre at the time. The Lost Boys is unquestionably one of the iconic movies of the era, and the premise for the story revolves around recent divorcee Lucy (Diane Wiest – Edward Scissorhands) who moves to the fictional Californian Seaside resort of Santa Carla (The Murder Capital of the World!) with her two teenage sons Michael (Jason Patric – Sleepers) and Sam (Corey Haim – Silver Bullet).

The two brothers are instantly aware that there is something different about Santa Carla, and on their first night in town while exploring the nightlife of the bustling Boardwalk, Michael finds himself attracted and drawn to the mysterious Star (Jami Gertz – Twister). He soon discovers she is a part of an even more mysterious gang of bikers, led by the striking and seemingly fearless David (Kiefer Sutherland – 24). Michael is dared to race David and his gang, and wanting to prove himself to Star accepts. He is almost killed as they ride to a cliff edge, before Michael is taken to an underground hang out unaware he has entered a Vampire’s lair.

He is tricked into drinking the blood of David believing it to be wine, and finds out the hard way just what his new ‘friends’ are, and what he is now going to become. It comes down to his younger brother Sam to save his soul, and with the help of his new found associates comic book store workers Edgar (Corey Feldman – Stand By Me) and Alan Frog (Jamison Newlander – The Blob), he has to come up with a plan to rid the town of its Vampire curse, culminating in a thoroughly thrilling climax. The Lost Boys is stylish throughout, delivering moments of dark humour alongside its scenes of Horror, and with all number of iconic characters who deliver a succession of memorable and quotable lines, from a slickly written script. KZ

1988 : // Child’s Play

Another highly original Horror movie that arrived in the 80s and set up a fine series of sequels, while launching a new icon of the genre into popular culture. Child’s Play was directed by Tom Holland (Fright Night) and written in conjunction with Don Mancini, and opens with a scene of action as serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif – The Exorcist III) is being chased down by Detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon – Fright Night) one rainy night. He is shot and killed as he hides out in a toy store, but not before he is able to conduct a voodoo chant which transports his soul into a talking Good Guy Doll, when lightening strikes the building.

The dolls are that season’s must have toy, and on young Alex Vincent’s (Andy Barclay) sixth birthday his hard up widowed mother Karen (Catherine Hicks – Fever Pitch), manages to buy the very same doll from a dodgy looking street hustler. Alex is totally smitten with the doll – Chucky – but it soon becomes apparent that the soul of Charles Lee Ray within Chucky still harbours a lust for blood, and on the very first night Andy’s babysitter meets a grizzly fate. Andy becomes a suspect in the killing and as the film progresses, his mental state comes under scrutiny. All the while Chucky torments his mother and all of those around him, as he plans to transfer his soul to Andy in order to truly be alive again, while Detective Norris tries to make sense of it all.

The premise of the movie was intriguing and proved wildly popular at the time, as it offered a further fresh take on the Slasher sub-genre with an air of the supernatural. The narrative provides some substantial Voodoo lore to justify the rules of Chucky being possessed and essentially becoming alive, while the movie is slickly shot by Holland with plenty of POV shots from Chucky as he scuttles around. There is a quintessential 80s New York aesthetic and plenty of gore within a number of inventive kill sequences, and with Child’s Play 2 (1990) and Child’s Play 3 (1991) the series really took over the mantle from A Nightmare On Elm Street, as the big Horror franchise of the time. KZ

1989 : // Pet Sematary

Another fine adaptation of a sinister Stephen King novel book-ends this list, with the dark and eerie Pet Sematary, a tale of a grieving father and a magical burial ground with powers of resurrection. Music video director Mary Lambert who was more used to working with the likes of Madonna and Sting, was a left-field choice to be given the reins on creating a Horror movie from the words of the biggest Horror writer in the world (King would also write the screenplay of his novel). But she certainly did his material justice and would also return to helm Pet Sematary II in 1992.

Dale Midkiff (Time Trax) stars as Louis Creed, a medical doctor who following taking a new job at a university in Maine, moves into a small town home with his wife Rachel (Denise Crosby), their young daughter Ellie and toddler son Gage. Their house sits on a main road and Gage almost wanders into the path of an oncoming truck soon after arriving, but is saved by their kind old neighbour Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne – The Munsters), who lives on the opposite side of the busy highway. There is an immediate air of mystery around the surroundings of their new home, and on his first day at work Louis is presented with a dying student who was hit by a car while jogging, and has suffered a horrific head injury.

That night Lous is visited by the phantom of the deceased student and warned about the dangers of the Indian burial grounds his house sits close to. Soon after Louis is left home alone while his wife and children visit her parents for Thanksgiving. His daughters pet cat Church is found dead by Jud, who decides to show Louis the powers of the cemetery, where after they bury Church he miraculously returns home. Seemingly unharmed, although now with a somewhat more vicious streak to his nature. Louis is then faced with the ultimate existential decision when his young son is eventually killed by a truck as he runs after a kite onto the highway. And Louis in his grief must decide whether or not to bring Gage back from the dead, and face the consequences of what that may look like if he does. KZ

Words by Mark Bates