I watched a couple this past month for spooky season, and I think the 80s is probably my favorite decade for horror.
A couple weeks ago I watchedThe Fly, which was just an incredible film. The practical effects still largely hold up, but the acting is what really carried the story. The only thing that kind of bugged (🪰) me about it was that
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her creepo boss became a hero at the end.
I also just saw Hellraiser, which I’d always been curious about since I saw the VHS cover as a kid: the guy with the nails in his face looked terrifying! This is another one where the practical effects hold up, but is really held together by the characters and their relationships. I liked when
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Kirsty was banishing the cenobites at the end, and her boyfriend tried to take the box from her to finish it, but she slapped his hand away to do it herself. It was a really small moment, but told you a lot about her as a character.
My favorite 80s horror though is The Thing. I swear I’m not that into body horror, it’s just that all the best 80s horror movies were pushing the boundaries, and that’s where the line was for a lot of people. Again, this one has amazing practical effects, but the actors and writing carried the movie.
So, what’s your favorite 80s horror?
The Shining is just so beautiful, but in this more psychological, spiraling into madness, I really love Possession and Videodrome. Serial-killer horror I like Manhunter, the introduction of Hannibal Lecter to cinema (Red Dragon is a remake of this movie).
Street Trash, Class of Nuke 'em High, Return of the Living Dead are some of my favorite thrashy campy movies. Street Trash is quite disturbing though
Dude I thought I was the only person that remembered Street Trash, what a fever dream that one is
I forget that The Shining was an 80s movie, it feels very 70s in it’s execution. What a picture though.
The only other I’ve seen on your list was Return of the Living Dead. I loved Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, and this one wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Still a fun campy horror movie though.
I’ll look into the rest, thanks for the recs.