The 80s definitely ushered in a new version of horror that we hadn’t seen yet and it was something that had been building for a while and was finally unleashed. Some might say that it was still a precursor in its own right but back in the 80s lets be honest, just like every decade people thought it couldn’t possibly get any better. One thing you can say is that the movies started to get a lot more gory and in turn the shock value started to rise as people were willing to sit in their seats for almost two hours just to see what was coming around the corner or out of the shadows next. That’s a big part of what made the 80s horror so great, you had no idea what was coming and it mixed cerebral horrors along with visceral ones in a big way. You had no idea if the monsters were going to scare their victims to death or tear them apart, and sometimes it was a happy medium between the two. Well, maybe not so happy.
Here are five of the best horror movies from the 80s.
5. Evil Dead 2
You could be wondering why I’m not adding in the first Evil Dead since I’m usually so adamant that the first movie is usually the best. That’s because I’ve also said that there are movies in which the sequel or the remake, whatever you want to call it, is that much better. Ashe almost felt like he was being kept under lock and key in the first movie, whereas in the second he had a lot more interaction and a lot more chances to show just how great he can be, and how hilarious. This one kind of took the idea of the Evil Dead a little further and added a bit of comedy into it, which was a big part of what made it so great and such a cult classic.
4. The Lost Boys
It would seem that the 80s was a decade in which comedy and horror were easy to combine since the Frog brothers added a very noticeable comedic act to this otherwise impressive vampire movie. You can ask just about anyone and they’ll likely tell you that this is one of their all-time favorite vampire movies since quite honestly for the 80s and even after the decade was over it proved to be one of the most revered of the bunch. When you think about all the vampire movies that have been made that’s saying something considering the competition it’s up against with movies like Salem’s Lot, the original Dracula, and many others.
3. Friday the 13th
How many people would you think still get it wrong when they’re asked who the first killer in this movie was? It’s so easy to get fixated on Jason that many people tend to forget about his mother and her deadly vendetta against any and all campers that came to the spot where her son had died. Of course, given that he didn’t really die you can kind of argue that she was just killing for sport and not for any real purpose. But all the same it’s kind of funny to think that people tend to regard themselves as horror buffs and then don’t know the answer to this one simple question. Mrs. Voorhees was the first real terror of Crystal Lake after all, her son was just a quick study.
2. The Thing
Shapeshifting in movies isn’t all that new of an idea but it’s still just as terrifying now as it was then. When you think about a creature than assume the shape, features, and apparently even the voice and mannerisms of those around you, there’s no telling just who’s who and who’s safe. Stuck in the middle of an icy wasteland is also the least likely spot that one could think of to make a stand and possibly survive against a thing that can create pincers, claws, and anything else it needs to tear a person to pieces. The prequel that came out much later was ripped to pieces since it didn’t seem to fit the fans’ idea of what should have happened, but hey, given that it was trying to explain this movie it should have been assumed that anything would go.
1. Nightmare on Elm Street
As if shapeshifting, vampires, psychopathic killers, and all the rest weren’t enough, this is one killer that you can’t even fathom how to defend against unless you’re up for some serious reading into myths and legends that you might have thought were a bunch of hogwash. Attacking people in their dreams doesn’t hardly seem fair unless they’ve managed to find a way to control their subconscious, which many people have no clue about in any case. But give props to Nancy, she did manage to outsmart Freddy for a little while, for all the good that it did.
One, two, it sucks to be you, three four, Freddy’s coming back for more.
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