Best Horror Movies of the 80's

Silent Scream

Director Denny Harris decided to make Silent Scream his entry and exit into the film industry with a not-so-gory slasher film that stars the ever so dark Barbara Steele as a homicidal mute.

The story follows four college kids who are looking for a place to stay for the semester. Luckily, they all happen upon a large beach house that a woman and her son rent out. What the kids don't know is that the family is hiding their mute and homicidal daughter in the attic.

If you like the look and feel of the late 70s/early 80s slasher films, then Silent Scream might be a good choice for your next rental. Be warned that the pacing is slow, which might scare off those who need the fast pacing of modern day horror movies. Overall, the acting is decent, and Barbara Steele really stands out in her role. Definitely worth a watch.

When you talk about 80s horror movies, A Nightmare on Elm Street is an obvious choice to put on the list. Freddy is too cool, and it would be a crime to leave him off. The guy parties when he's killing teens, and he's just fun to watch.

When I was a kid, I was terrified of Freddy. The fact that he would invade your dreams, a place where anything can happen, and often seem out of our control, really scared me. I would have nightmares about him, and be afraid to go to sleep. That is exactly what a horror icon should do.

Watch the trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street and see how freaky Freddy was in the original.

Halloween may be credited with kickstarting the slasher genre, but it was 1980s Friday the 13th that made it into a fashionable genre. Jason Voorhees is so bad that he didn't even have to have more than 10 seconds in the first film to become known as a merchant of fear!

When he took his famous mask off of the fat kid in part three, an icon was born.

The story is usually the same thing receycled over and over, but the settings change. Jason has been in the woods, in the city, in space...everywhere. He's definitely a legend.

With Christmas right around the corner, lets take time to get into the holiday spirit. This is Christmas horror...80s style.

Silent Night, Deadly Night isn't the first to take on the holiday themed horror film, but it did it right.

The story is about a child, Billy Chapman, that sees his parents murdered by a man in a Santa suit. He grows up in an orphanage with the strict nun Mother Superiror. He grows up with a deep fear of Santa, and his boss forces him to play Santa for children. This sends Billy on a pscyhotic rampage where he "punishes" those that have been naughty.

It's not the greatest movie ever made, but it's entertaining.

Fright Night is so 80s that it almost seems like a parody of a movie from the 80s. From the clothes, to the music, to the way that the people act, there is no confusion about when this movie took place.

We get to see Prince Humperdinck as a vampire! Roddy Mcdowall plays a timid vampire hunter/actor/host of the late night television show Fright Night.

We kind of get a Hitchcock's Rear Window feel with this movie, and there is no doubt that Fright Night, and Rear Window are on the same artistic level. Charlie Brewster sees some weird stuff going on in his neighbor's house. He recruites the help of his friend Evil Ed, and the washed up actor Peter Vincent to help him destroy the vampire.

Child's Play is a great example of movie makers having fun with an idea, and just how crazy 80s horror movies could be. Who would have thought that a "My Buddy" doll could be so scary.

We see that a doll is possessed after a crimial does a voodoo ritual to place his soul in the doll in an effort to get away from the cops. A boy becomes the owner, and is able to communicate with the doll, who happens to be killing everybody. Nobody believes the boy, and it soon becomes too late.

Child's play scared me as a kid. The thought of a toy coming to life freaked me out. Especially since Chucky resembles that stupid "My Buddy" doll.

The Killer Klowns From Outer Space is one of those movies that is so stupid that it is enjoyable. It's actually about a bunch of aliens, that for some reason look like clowns, as they try to take over a small town.

They look like clowns, and have weapons that look fake, and like something that a clown would have. I don't believe there is anymore explanation needed as to why this is a great movie.

I put this up here because it's a favorite of mine. There is some real 80s camp value here.

I couldn't leave John Carpenter's remake of The Thing off of the list. This is just a great movie, and I believe that this is when Carpenter was at the top of his game.

Kurt Russell (who makes the movie especially hardcore) plays a sceintist that is on an expedition with other scientists in Antartica. While there, they are forced to battle with a shape-shifting alien. They have no way of communicating with the outside world, and they do not know wich of them is (are) not human.

The sense of isolation is great here. Being completely cut off could drive anybody mad. But, when you're also forced to fight an alien that can take any form, then you're completely screwed.

An American Werewolf in London is one of the best werewolf movies out there, in my opinion. The transformation scene is a classic, and is often considered the best ever filmed (though there is often debate between the change in this movie and the change in the Howling).

We follow two young Americans as they travel across Englad during their trip to Europe. They are attacked by a werewolf. One is killed, the other becomes a werewolf himself.

The music is great, there are funny moments in it, and there are also some fightening scenes. This movie has it all. I recommend this movie for anybody that enjoys horror movies, and especially if you like werewolves.

More Great 80's Horror Movies

I've mentioned some of the horror movies from the 80s that I own and enjoy, and there are a few more that are just as good. If you're still not satisfied, you can find many more 80s horror movies at my astore Jack Plissken's 80s Horror Movies.

I hope you enjoyed the lens so far.

Happy browsing.

April Fool's Day

The Blob

Happy Birthday to Me

Hellraiser

House

The Wraith
(Special Edition)

/The Howling
Special Edition

Day of the Dead
(Divimax Special Edition)

The Return of the Living Dead
(Collector's Edition)

Creepshow
(Snap Case)

The Evil Dead

Children of the Corn

The Entity

Poltergeist

My Bloody Valentine
(Special Edition)

Maniac

(30th Anniversary Edition)

Prom Night
(Widescreen)

Pet Sematary
(Special Collector's Edition)

Let's Move On To The 90s!