An exceptionally poor “greatest horror of the ’80s” list that made its way around Facebook inspired me to make a correct listing. So here is the list of the best of ’80s cinematic horror. The lowest ten or so are a bit rough but once you hit the halfway point everything is gold.
#50. Warlock (1989)
Not much in horror or story, but Julian Sands is outstanding as an escaped warlock from the past and Lori Singer is respectable as the girl whose house he drops into.
#49. Critters (1986)
Very uneven, but still the best of the killer hand-puppet films (unless you count Gremlins as a killer hand-puppet film).
#48. The Entity (1986)
Thought of as shocking at the time with its story of a woman being repeatedly raped by an invisible entity, it excels in Barbara Hershey’s performance and lags behind with some unnecessary characters and poor pacing.
#47. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The cleverest of the slasher films suffers from horrible acting and directing, but the supernatural element is fun.
#46. Bad Taste (1987)
Itâs hard to imagine that this comedy gore-fest was the starting place of Peter Jackson. Thereâs nothing to think about, but it is D-level fun.
#45. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
I canât say this film is good or enjoyable, but it is interesting. It is also foul. Itâs all blood, decapitation, rape, and pain, with real animal killings tossed in for effect.
#44. Pumpkinhead (1989)
A solid demon revenge story with a better than average monster that lacks punch or characterization. Watch it for the monster, which makes sense since FX monster-maker Stan Winston is the director.
#43. Creepshow (1982)
An enjoyable anthology based on E.C. comics, nothing is impressive nor is anything too weak.
#42. Puppetmaster (1989)
The â80s were a big time for producer Charles Band and his fun, low budget horror flicks. You donât watch his stuff for depth. In this case you watch simply because puppets with knives are cool.
#41. Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
Evil space clowns arrive at a small town and go on a rampage. The humans arenât much, but who doesnât love evil space clowns?
#40. House (1986)
A haunted house mystery that is concerned as much with gags as with horror.
39. Day of the Dead (1985)
The third in Romeroâs zombie series, and far weaker than the previous Dawn of the Dead. It is mainly memorable for Bub the zombie.
#38. Nekromantik (1987)
I have to call this horror although it is never frightening, but certainly edgy. A couple that enjoys necrophilia gets a new play toy, which is particularly troubling as the wife prefers the dead body to her husband. This one is for shock.
#37. Wolfen (1981)
Part of the resurgence of werewolf films, Wolfen is very heavy in theme. It is mainly a mystery and works well once but isnât a film for repeat viewing.
#36. Sleepaway Camp (1983)
A slasher that understands how silly slashers are. It gained its level of fame from its surprise ending.
#35. The Beyond (1981)
One of Lucio Fulciâs best. Like many of the Italian horror films of the time, it is surreal and doesnât make a lot of sense even considering the surreal nature. But it is pretty, and bloody, and interesting.
#34. The Blob (1988)
A remake of the less-than-stellar â50s film, this version presents a great monster and much lesser characters.
#33. Waxwork (1988)
David Warner carries out evil deeds in his wax museum with a group of annoying students. The plot is a waste and the characters are best forgotten, but the monster vignettes are worth the price of admission, particularly those with Dracula and the Marquis de Sade.
#32. Night of the Creeps (1986)
A formulaic zombie comedy, but the formula is carried out with style and humor.
#31. Troll (1986)
A troll takes over the sister of a young boy and he, with the help of June Lockhart, must save the world.
#30. Fright Night (1985)
Part of the â80s modernizations of classic monsters, Fright Night is either a fun but stupid vampire film or a questionable but clever commentary on homosexuality.
#29. Night of the Comet (1984)
Itâs a pair of valley girls verses zombies in post apocalyptic Los Angeles. Iâve watched this many times including at the theater in â84 and always enjoy it.
#28. Evil Dead II (1987)
Bruce Campbellâs Ash has become one of the iconic horror characters. There is plenty thatâs good in Evil Dead II, but in the end this is all about Ash.
#27. The Howling (1981)
The lesser of the two major werewolf films of the â80s, The Howling is a strong film, but even more important being the first in a long string of pack movies.
#26. Prince of Darkness (1987)
An epic new view of the devil and a clever time twisting story is brought down by poor acting and confusion. Director John Carpenter ruled the â80s and this is the first of multiple of his films on this list.
#25. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
A brilliant piece of cinema art that is more impressive than enjoyable, but it is truly impressive. It can be taken as cyberpunk or insanity or any of ten other possibilities.
#24. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
A branch from Night of the Living Dead that added humor and zombies who wanted âbraaaaiins.â
#23. They Live (1988)
The second John Carpenter movie on this list, I question that it counts as horror, but too many others say that it does for me to leave it off. It is more properly classified as science fiction with a high dose of message. In the near future, things are pretty much as they are now, just worse, with a secret conspiracy keeping the average man down.
#22. Predator (1987)
Arnold fights a monster in the forest. The monsterâs great, Arnold does a good job of being Arnold and lots of people die.
#21. Trancers (1985)
A future policeman and zombie fighter travels back to the 1980s to stop a criminal and the zombies he creates. It is the second Charles Band film on this list and it is a lot of fun.
#20. The Lost Boys (1987)
The best of the teen vampire films, acting as a metaphor for teen isolation and uncertainty. The serious side mixes easily with the comedy.
#19. The Fly (1986)
In this remake of the â50s classic, the melodrama has been replaced by body horror. It is one of David Cronenbergâs better works and wonderfully squishy. We will see him again on this list. This is one that I could easily move up on this list.
#18. The Lair of the White Worm (1988)
A young Hugh Grant and a young Peter Capaldi (thatâs Doctor Who), verses a sexy snake vampire and an ancient god-wormâwhatâs not to love?
#17. Angel Heart (1987)
Supernatural-noir. A P.I. is hired to find a missing singer but it is clear that something is very wrong. It bogs down a bit in the middle but the rest is great, with Mickey Rourkeâs best performance and solid support from Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet (in a role that got her booted from The Cosby Show) and Charlotte Rampling.
#16. Re-Animator (1985)
Based so loosely on a H.P. Lovecraft story that itâs hardly worth mentioning, Re-Animator is as much fun as you can have with a zombie. Forget the weak lead, this film is owned by Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West, the maddest of mad scientists.
#15. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The solitary, cursed werewolf enters the modern age with effects that blew everyone away. I prefer the humor and the twisted bits, but however you look at it, this is one of the best werewolf movies.
#14. Cat People (1982)
Almost everyone misses the point of this one. This is the stuff of myths, of a dream-like past, innocence, lust, gods and worship. Itâs gorgeous to look at and has little connection to the 1940s film of the same name.
#13. A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
It is as if The Evil Dead was merged with a martial arts film which was merged with a romance. That may not sound like it, but this is a beautiful film. If you donât know Chinese fantasy films, this is the one to start with.
#12. The Fog (1980)
John Carpenter again. A great, standard ghost story
#11. Gremlins (1984)
Itâs easy to remember how funny Gremlins is. More often, people forget how much real horror is in it. It goes to some pretty dark places.
#10. From Beyond (1986)
A companion film to Re-Animator, with the same stars (Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton), same writers, same director, same producer, and based on another Lovecraft story, From Beyond is the same kind of dark twisted fun. This is as Lovecraftian as film gets.
#9. Lifeforce (1985)
I donât call many films âguilty pleasures,â but if ever the term applied, it is with Lifeforce. We have naked and extremely sexy space vampires, the start of the zombie apocalypse, spies, swords, and Patrick Stewart kissing Steve Railsback. This is entertainment.
#8. Videodrome (1983)
David Cronenbergâs finest exploration of body horror as a sleazy TV exec (James Woods) goes looking for S&M programming and instead finds the world changing around him, conspiracies and secrets, body morphing, and Debbie Harry. Long live the new flesh!
#7. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (1988)
The first sequel (and only one worth seeking out) to Hellraiser expands on the universe of the Cenobites. Kirsty is back, helping a girl with the unfortunate skill of solving the puzzle boxes to Hell. Doug Bradleyâs Pinhead, the poet of pain also returns and is joined by a new Cenobite.
6. Altered States (1980)
Filled with all the weirdness director Ken Russell is famous for, Altered States follows a scientist played by William Hurt as he fanatically searches for the meaning to the universe, and finds it. It is brilliant and thought-provoking, though could use a few less minutes of drug trips.
#5. The Thing (1982)
John Carpenter has four entries on this list and this is his masterpiece. Carpenter improves on John W. Campbellâs classic short story of men stranded at a scientific outpost with a monster that can appear as anyone.
#4. Poltergeist (1982)
Perhaps the finest version of the standard ghost story since 1944âs The Uninvited, Poltergeist is scary and clever and it has been copied over and over again.
#3. Aliens (1986)
Yes, it is a space action picture, but it is essentially a haunted house story, except the house in on another planet and the ghosts are xenomorph killing machines.
#2. The Hunger (1983)
Vampires done as an art house film. David Bowie, Susan Saradon, and Catherine Deneuve are perfect in this sexy story of loneliness and need.
#1. Hellraiser (1987)
Choosing a #1 among the top 10 is a bit silly as they are all gems and on another day I could see shifting them around. The fact that this was a horror list just somehow gave Hellraiser a bit of a boost. Well, it is one of the greatest horror films of all time, so why not give it the top spot. Clive Barker creates a new kind of horror picture and a new horror icon with Pinhead. Iâve spoken to Doug Bradley about it and while heâs been pretty unimpressed with a majority of the sequels, he was as overwhelmed as I with Barkerâs vision. This is horror.