Kult-Zilla’s – Essential Horror Movies of 1986!

Love Horror Movies … Enjoy Horror Fiction !?👇

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1. // The Fly

Videodrome (1983) director David Cronenberg’s critically acclaimed remake of this 1958 classic creature feature, follows journalist Veronica (Geena Davis –Thelma and Louise) as she meets reclusive and eccentric scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum – Jurassic Park) at a scientific convention. She is searching for a new story and agrees to accompany Seth to his home and research lab, in order to see the invention that he claims is going to change the world.

Here he shows her two teleportation pods, and is seamlessly able to transport one of her stockings from one to the other. Seth convinces Veronica to sit on the discovery while he works on his ultimate goal, which is to successfully transport a living organism. So far his attempts at doing this have failed. Veronica agrees to shadow him while he continues his research, and as they spend time together, an intense romance ensues. Although Seth’s obsession with completing his work remains his priority.

Following an argument, an intoxicated Seth decides to experiment on transporting himself. But what he doesn’t realise is that a fly had entered the chamber with him. From here over a period of time, a grotesque transformation takes place as Seth’s DNA merges with that of the insect, and Veronica finds herself in the middle of her own unimaginable horror-story. Cronenberg’s direction is superb as we witness Seth’s body fall apart and metamorphosis, and Goldblum delivers a superb performance in this character driven Sci-Fi / Horror masterpiece. KZ

2. // Aliens

In 1979, director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) delivered a movie like no other at the time. A Sci-Fi / Horror flick which pushed the boundaries of film-making, and is a stonewall classic of the genre. Alien was a huge success and absolutely holds up to this day in the same way that the original Star Wars movies do. A sequel had long been discussed, and when James Cameron – coming off of his own hit Sci-Fi / Horror The Terminator in 1984 – reportedly walked into an executive meeting; wrote Alien on a chalk board, and then added a $ to the word … the studio knew they had their man.

Cameron’s pitch was to go bigger and to go harder, and he developed a near perfect script. In Alien, warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver – Ghostbusters) was the sole survivor aboard the USCSS Nostromo, after a deadly Xenomorph infiltrated the spaceship and destroyed its crew. Aliens quite rightly follows the story of Ripley, as she is saved from floating aimlessly in deep-space, cocooned in a stasis-pod some 57 years later. There is a strong theme of motherhood throughout the story, first as Ripley herself must deal with the fact her 11 year old daughter has now died at the age of 66; and of course with the alien Xenomorph itself, in the way that the queen reproduces in this second story.

When Ripley is asked to join a squad of space marines on a mission to discover what has happened to a colony of planetary terraformers the company have lost communication with, it is a case of deja vu as she must relive her nightmare. But this time there is not just one deadly Xenomorph to contend with. While in a perfect character arc, her mothering instinct comes into play as on the planet she discovers Newt (Carrie Henn) – a terrified young orphaned girl. Aliens goes big on the action in comparison to the first movie, and features a fine supporting cast including Michael Biehn (The Terminator), Paul Reiser (Beverly Hills Cop), Lance Henriksen (Pumpkinhead) and Bill Paxton (Near Dark). KZ

3. // Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

By the mid-eighties, the Friday The 13th series had established itself at the top of Horror’s Slasher sub-genre. It’s original 1980 movie was an unashamed rip-off and cash grab created on the back of the success of John Carpenter’s seminal Halloween (1978), but it would soon exceed that series in terms of its output. With a low budget / high profit strategy, the franchise would churn out almost one each year, and with Part VI: Jason Lives in 1986, they would create arguably one of the finest in the franchise … and certainly a fan favourite.

It was the movie that really took things to a heightened supernatural level, with iconic killer Jason Vorhees (C.J Graham) resurrected from the grave via a bolt of lightening. In a twist of fate this happens courtesy of former foe Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews – The Return Of The Living Dead), who embarks on a misjudged attempt to exhume and cremate Jason’s body in order to destroy him once and for all. Instead, Jason is set free to resume his reign of terror on Crystal Lake – which this time around happens to be full of children who have arrived for the summer season.

It’s down to Tommy to warn anyone who will listen to him, recruit people to his cause, and track down Jason in order to send him back to the Hell he came from! Written and directed by Tom McLoughlin (Sometimes They Come Back), Jason Lives marked a turning point in the series, and cemented it as one of the Big 3 Slashers of the eighties. And with neither Halloween or A Nightmare On Elm Street releasing rival movies in 1986, Jason Lives and it’s comic undertones would have a free run at landing nicely as a standout movie for Slasher fans in this year. KZ

4. // From Beyond

In 1985, writer / director Stuart Gordon (Dolls) adapted vintage Horror author H.P Lovevraft’s Re-Animator, into the now cult-classic zany Horror movie starring Jeffrey Combs (Necronomicon) and Barbara Crampton (Jakob’s Wife). And just a year later, he would revisit the works of the legendary writer for From Beyond, an inter-dimensional cosmic Body-Horror, which may not quite be so well known, but certainly holds up alongside Re-Animator in terms of quality and sheer spectacle.

In fact, the pair of cult movies make for quite the double bill, with both Combs and Crampton rejoining Gordon for the crazy ride. Produced and co-written by Brian Yuzna (Society) for Charles Band’s Empire Pictures, From Beyond is a visceral thrill ride packed full of gloopy practical F/X and cosmic Horror that really push the visual boundaries. It tells the story of Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel), a scientist who opens a portal to another dimension, after inventing a device designed to stimulate the pineal gland in order to heighten human perception.

After experimenting with the device named The Resonator, his partner Dr. Crawford Tillinghast (Combs) is incarcerated in a psychiatric unit following the discovery of the decapitated body of Pretorius in their laboratory. But when he and his psychiatrist Dr. Katherine McMichaels (Crampton) return to the lab along with Detective Bubba Brownlee (Ken Foree – Dawn Of The Dead), to prove his theory that The Resonator has caused the death of Pretorius … all hell breaks loose. When they turn on The Resonator they create a dimension rip, bringing the demonic soul of Dr. Pretorius back From Beyond … along with all manner of other-worldly weirdness. KZ

5. // The Hitcher

The Hitcher might just be one of the most intense Psychological-Thrillers of the mid-eighties. The road movie takes inspiration from Steven Spielberg’s Duel (1971) – the TV film based on Richard Matheson’s classic short story, in which a motorist is terrorised on the desert roads by an unseen truck driver. The Hitcher takes that premise, but shows us the psychopath, played with pure menace by Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner). And it’s the magnetic and sinister performance of Hauer that really takes this story to the next level.

C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders) plays Jim, a young man driving alone along the highways of West Texas on a rainy night. He picks up John Ryder (Hauer), but instantly regrets it as he soon realises the stranger he now has in his car is somewhat unhinged … and that is to put it mildly. When Ryder pulls a knife on him and confesses he is a serial killer prowling the highway for victims, Jim manages to kick him out of the moving car. He is elated, hoping his troubles are over … but he soon discovers that they have only just begun.

Ryder stalks Jim across the open roads. It seems that whatever he does, or whoever he meets, he just isn’t able to shake the killer from his tail. The Hitcher was written by Eric Red (Near Dark), and directed by Robert Harmon (Nowhere To Run). It superbly conveys the emotions of dread and paranoia within Jim. Whilst Hauer puts in one of the performances of his career as the sadistic murderer who takes enormous pleasure in the hunt and psychological torment of his prey; as he forces poor Jim into a deadly game of cat and mouse. KZ

6. // Demons 2

Produced and co-written by legendary Italian Horror film-maker and master of Giallo; Dario Argento (Suspiria), Demons 2 is the follow up to the Gonzo gore-fest Demons (Demoni), which released just one year earlier in ‘85. Both Demons movies were directed by Lamberto Bava (A Blade In The Dark / Delirium), son of the godfather of the Italian Horror scene; Mario Bava (Black Sabbath / Blood and Black Lace). The Demons films are both utterly unforgettable, brutal and visceral with outstanding practical F/X, showcasing the very best of the Italian Horror cinema of the era.

Demons (1985) was set in a cinema complex, with the crowd trapped inside becoming infected with a grotesque murderous rage inexplicably linked to the Horror movie they are watching. Demons 2 switches the setting to a city apartment block, reminiscent of David Cronenberg’s Shivers (1975). A Horror movie linked to the events of the first film is playing on TV, which various inhabitants of the building are watching. And as the film within the film begins to turn horrific, a ravenous demonic entity escapes into the real world … and unleashes pure hell!

The ensuing bloodbath is a thrill ride of pure carnage, as each demonic kill produces a new demon, with the human population trapped in the apartment cut down to just a handful of survivors left to fight for their lives. The blood and gloop from each demon also spreads the infection, with a dog transforming and turning on its owner in one particularly memorable and horrific scene. It is a simple premise, done before, and done many times after – think 2007s [REC] – but few have done it better. Demons 2 stars Nancy Brilli (Body Count), Carolina Cataldi-Tassoni (Mother Of Tears), Bobby Rhodes (Demons) and Asia Argento (The Church). KZ

7. // Psycho III

When Alfred Hitchcock (Vertigo) developed Robert Bloch’s novel and released Psycho in 1960, he created one of the most revered Horror films of all time, while laying down a prototype for the Slasher sub-genre. The film is iconic for many reasons. That shower scene, the score, the killing of its star protagonist half way through, the Bates Motel setting … and Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) himself. The schizophrenic killer with a deadly mother complex became one of the icons of Horror, but Perkins played the character with an almost sympathetic vulnerability.

This character trait would come to the forefront and play a key narrative role, when in 1982 against all odds, writer Tom Holland (Fright Night) and director Richard Franklin (F/X2) would create Psycho II. A surprisingly strong legacy sequel which brought the character and its setting into the eighties, and had the viewer question whether Bates had been cured of his murdering tendencies or not. It’s success would spawn talks of a third film, and this time there was no inclination for a 32 year wait.

Psycho III is without a doubt the sleaziest entry in the franchise, helped by the despicable character of Duane (Jeff Fahey – The Lawnmower Man), a sociopathic guitar-playing drifter who stumbles across Bates Motel and is given a job by Norman. Perkins himself directs the movie, and shows a real flair for capturing the era with some pretty gorgeous cinematography by Bruce Surtees (Risky Business). This is certainly the best looking and most stylised entry in the Psycho franchise … whilst the story is also pretty damn good. KZ

8. // Critters

In 1984, the Spielberg produced and Joe Dante (The Howling) directed Gremlins was a box-office hit, and kickstarted a trend for the Little- Creature Feature movie which would become extremely popular as the decade progressed. And Critters is perhaps the very best of the bunch that followed. It is a Sci-Fi heavy, dark comedic B-movie Horror-flick, set in a quintessential small American town with a pretty fine cast including Dee Wallace (E.T / Cujo), M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple), and Billy Zane (Titanic / Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight).

The movie was the debut feature from director Stephen Kerek (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure), and follows a gang of ravenous alien creatures – the Krites – who escape from an asteroid prison and end up crash landing on Earth in rural Kansas. The Krites are pursued by two shapeshifting bounty-hunters, one of whom takes the form of Rock-Star Johnny Steele (Terence Mann). While the residents of the small-town – including the Brown family – must deal with the unwelcome alien invasion.

The original script for Critters was actually floating around prior to the release of Gremlins, and following the success of the Amberlin movie it was picked up and rewritten in order to capitalise on the growing market. It is thoroughly a product of its time. A great representation of a Horror flick from the mid eighties which doesn’t take itself too seriously, injects plenty of fun, and despite its many comfort blanket tropes, provides something very unique for the time as it pays homage to the American Sci-Fi movies of the 1950s. KZ

Words by Mark T. Bates

Love Horror Movies … Enjoy Horror Fiction !?👇

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‘The Curious Dark (Vol.1)’ – By Mark T. Bates