Remember when movies could get away with almost anything and audiences had mastered the skill of mindlessly entertaining themselves? Yes, we are talking about the 1980s, a time when horror movies were not supposed to be taken seriously! Let us face it, it is a fact! We do not always look for a mind-altering, character-defining film.
There are moments when you just want to curl up on the couch and turn off your brain. These films come in handy during difficult times, and they go well with a few beers. If you are ready to silence your inner critic, we are here to delight you today with some classic guilty pleasures. We have compiled a list of the most underappreciated 80s horror films that purists still enjoy today!
C.H.U.D. (1984)
George Cooper used to be a famous fashion photographer, but now, he has forgotten fame and fortune. He is invested in a project, where he photographs the homeless people in New York City, and many of these people live in the city’s sewers and tunnels. Meanwhile, there has been a strange case of missing people, and many of them are underground dwellers.
NYPD Captain Bosch is investigating the case, and the man who runs the local homeless shelter believes that the whole thing is a major government cover-up. They soon discover the presence of strange cannibalistic monsters, who live underground.
Previously, they used to prey upon the homeless living there, but with a drop in their population, they have taken to hunting people on the surface. This is a part of a larger government conspiracy, and the few well-wishers must come up with a plan to get rid of these creatures!
C.H.U.D. might not be a polished monster classic, but it certainly is an enjoyable one! This atmospheric monster thriller has serious budgetary constraints, but it makes up for the shortcomings with a gritty vibe coupled with real-life New York locations. The script has some priceless lines, and the subtle humor bodes well with all the suspense.
The creature effects might seem rough, but the cheesy practical effects can still give some of the modern-day CGI a run for its money. The C.H.U.D. or the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers are basically those individuals who were exposed to toxic waste, and they mutated into monstrous beings.
We were quite impressed with the delightful casting, and Christopher Curry from Starship Troopers fits into the role of the police officer quite nicely. The likes of John Heard and Kim Griest are also pretty impressive. These are not exactly your usual depth-less B-movie characters, and they help in making this an enjoyable film.
In fact, New York City acts as a character on its own, and the grim, dirty background makes things very realistic. The touch of a serious conspiracy underneath the apparently simple monster drama is charismatic, and we completely understand why this film went on to become a cult favorite. There was a sequel to this movie, which happened to be a disaster, but this one is certainly ripe for some late-night entertainment!
The Stuff (1985)
This movie will make you question the next unknown dessert that you enjoy! The story begins with a mysterious, but a delicious white gooey substance that oozes out from the Earth. It is soon marketed as a new sensational dessert, and the American people develop a taste for it. This new product is lapped up, but there is more to this delicious treat than what meets the eye!
The product has a rather sinister origin and the entity takes over the minds of those who consume it, turning them into zombie-like humans. They simply cannot get enough of this dessert, and they will do just about anything to continue snacking on this bizarre substance! Is there a cure for this madness or will the entire country sink into insanity?
Perfecting a horror-comedy is a work of art and The Stuff seems to have ticked all the right boxes. Larry Cohen is known for his satirical pieces, and this movie is his unique monster movie satire mixed with a fun social commentary on consumerism. Make no mistake, this film is entertaining to the bone, and the numerous plot twists are sure to keep you guessing.
The Stuff is quite an interesting concept, and this delicious dessert transforms people into obedient zombies, hungry for more of it. The effects are nicely handled and the stuff looks quite appealing. It is, of course, a parable about excessive consumerism brainwashing people, but even without such philosophical interpretations, it is quite an enjoyable affair.
The narrative contains thrills, some remarkable sequences, and some ironical moments laced with tongue-in-cheek humor. The acting performances are impressive, and Michael Moriarty impresses the most in the lead role.
The plot is bordered on the Blob, but with a twist of course! The inventive gore is delightful, and the only downside of this film is that it can make you avoid ice cream for a while! It is certainly worth a shot, and Larry Cohen’s innovative horror-comedy is not something to miss out on.
The Funhouse (1981)
Amy and her boyfriend Buzz visit a sleazy traveling carnival, and they are accompanied by two other teenagers, Amy’s best friend Liz and her boyfriend Richie. The four teens get high and explore the carnival, but they are completely unaware of the danger lurking around. Richie comes up with a bizarre challenge for the group, where they must spend the night in the Funhouse, which is a dark ride.
They settle down after the park closes, and this is when they notice the ride assistant. He seems to be a rather strange fellow wearing a Frankenstein’s Monster mask, and we soon discover that he is a maniacal killer.
The teenagers panic, but their efforts to leave the funhouse are in vain. It turns out that the crazy murderer is the son of the funhouse’s barker, and there is a demonic side to this deformed killer. The teens try their best to protect themselves from his murderous spree, but can they survive this battle to the death!
When this movie was released, the slasher flicks were making the big bucks. The poster of this film suggested that it was going to be another run-of-the-mill slasher flick, but it turned out to be something more. While this annoyed some of the fans, we admire this well-made atmospheric thriller that has a subtle flavor of a slasher. You know Tobe Hooper is not a director to be playing around, and he succeeds in introducing some spine-chilling moments to make things spice.
The director also cleverly uses the props in the funhouse to add to the atmosphere, and he is helped by a relatively unknown cast punching way above their weights. While The Funhouse might not rank up there with the likes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist, it is still one of Tobe Hooper’s better works. Yes, the plot does get predictable after a point, but fighting a crazed killer never gets boring for the audience.
It has some old horror standards, such as dumb teenagers getting into trouble, and the characters certainly conform to the typical slasher flick stereotypes. Basically, this film is everything that 80s horror stands for, and that is why it has a special place in our hearts!
Phenomena (1985)
Jennifer is the teenage daughter of a famous actor, and she has some trouble with sleepwalking. However, she has a special ability, where she can communicate telepathically with insects. When she arrives at a boarding school, her special skills come in handy while solving a string of mysterious murders.
A Scottish entomologist Prof. John McGregor is investigating the case of a possible serial killer who is murdering young girls in the region. After Jennifer’s friend disappears all of a sudden, and the professor is killed, she realizes that the killer has her as the next target. Can she outsmart the killer, and put an end to this menace?
This film has been directed by famous Italian director Dario Argento, and he regards this as one of his best works. Clearly, there is something special about this movie that makes it such an enchanting experience. It ranks above the rest simply because of its originality, and the weird stuff fits right into the narrative. The story is moving, and there are shocking twists that change your whole perspective from time to time.
It was fun to watch the pet chimpanzee of the professor, but apparently, it wasn’t all that fun for Jennifer Connelly who had to shoot with the moody ape. She got her finger bitten off during one of the scenes, and she had to be rushed to the hospital to have it re-attached. However, it has to be said that a 14-year-old Jennifer Connelly made the world take notice of her acting skills with this film.
The visuals are haunting enough to make it seem like a proper horror flick, and it also has the thrills of a classic slasher flick. Speaking of slasher movies, there is a serious element of gore in this movie and the brutal killings can be a bit too much for the weak-hearted.
The only major issue with this film is that it drags along a bit too much at times. Shortening the narrative by a good fifteen minutes would have done the trick. Otherwise, Phenomena is a bizarre and genius horror flick that will leave you bewildered!
Of Unknown Origin (1983)
We don’t exactly have friendly relations with rodents, but just how crazy can one get over the presence of one! In this movie, Bart Hughes is an ambitious man with a sorted life. He has the perfect family and a job that has tons of opportunities to move up the ladder. His wife and son leave for a vacation, but Bart has to stay back to work on a project that has the potential to get him a promotion.
However, this simple move has greater repercussions and Bart doesn’t have the slightest idea. He finds out about the presence of a rat in his basement, and he goes a bit crazy while trying to kill the rat. Bart loses sense of his surroundings and even his own self, and he ends up destroying most of his house while trying to finish off the rodent. Of Unknown Origin is an exciting horror-thriller that treads the fine line between man and beast.
We often look for innovation, when it comes to horror flicks, and we cannot imagine something more creative than having a rat as the main antagonist. This movie makes the simple premise very convincing and helped by some good visuals it makes quite an impact on the audience. The narrative becomes increasingly surreal, and the man and rat standoff reach darkly comic proportions.
The protagonist is played by Peter Weller, and it seems like Robocop is not equipped enough to handle the threats of a deadly rodent! We have a rather unusual antagonist here, a rate that shows signs of being strangely smart. Bart is struggling to cope with the pressure of work, and his solitude and stress add up to create an insane situation. He turns from a normal person to a psychotic maniac with an unexplained obsession.
The movie promises loads of fun, and it is quite entertaining to watch Bart try several methods to get rid of the pest. He uses everything from small traps to poison, but nothing seems to work. Is the animal actually a figment of his imagination?
Well, we leave that to your wise sense of judgment, but we can assure you of some shocking jump scares that will take you by surprise. Peter Weller comes up with a solid performance and makes his role quite convincing. Overall, this rat invasion horror-thriller is going to be an enjoyable affair, and you might be pleasantly surprised by the quality of this movie.
The Entity (1982)
Carla Moran is a single mother, and she is finding it hard to make ends meet. She is desperately trying to get her life back on track, and the troubles of this mother of three are increased with the presence of a mysterious entity. She experiences an inexplicable supernatural incident, where an invisible entity molests her.
The attack by this unseen force leaves her in shock, and the doctor seems to think that this is simply a result of her own personal trauma manifesting through herself. Carla is caught up in a dilemma, trying to distinguish between facts and fiction.
However, it soon turns out to be more than a psychological thing, and she is attacked by the unseen force in front of her children as well. When the attacks turn increasingly violent, she must find out a proper resolution. But, how does one escape from such abstract evil?
When Martin Scorsese recognizes a movie as one of his favorite horror flicks of all time, you know there is going to be some serious substance. Many have dubbed The Entity as one of the most disturbing horror flicks from the 80s, and they aren’t exaggerating. It is said to be based on true incidents, and the tales of a helpless suburban mother will leave you shaken. It might look like a fairly traditional horror flick, except for the main premise, where the evil spirit is interested in having its way with Carla.
Barbara Hershey delivers a fiery and wholesome performance as the protagonist, and without her acting skills, the movie wouldn’t have been the same. Beneath the usual storyline, there is an interesting underlying theme of violation.
The narrative has some gritty moments of tension, and the overall creepy atmosphere gets to the audience after a point. The make-up effects are nicely done, and even the special effects deserve a word of appreciation. Sidney J. Furie’s direction makes the journey full of suspense, and the finale is surely going to blow your minds!
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
Dr. Dennis Alan from Harvard is back from a successful research trip in Amazonas, and this time he is invited by the president of a Boston pharmaceutics industry. He is asked to travel to Haiti to look into a bizarre incident, where a man who died in 1978 has now returned to life.
The president of the pharmaceutics industry, Andrew Cassedy, wants the samples of the drug used on this man. This rumored drug reportedly renders the recipient paralyzed, but he retains his consciousness. The doctors are often misled by the use of this drug, and they pronounce the victims dead.
Dr. Dennis Alan heads to Haiti, and he starts off a shocking and surreal investigation on this matter. He meets the doctor treating the man who is back from the dead, and to add to his troubles, Haiti is in the middle of a revolution. With time, he uncovers some sinister secrets that might throw some light on the birth of the zombie legend! It turns out that death is only the mere beginning of an extensive journey to hell!
We are simple people. We hear the word of a Wes Craven film, and we go and watch it! The Serpent and the Rainbow are not one of his classics, and you certainly don’t need to analyze every single thing in the movie intricately. As long as you enjoy what is being thrown at you, it will end up being a thoroughly entertaining film.
There is a sense of creepiness that engulfs the narrative, and the man behind horror gems like Nightmare on Elm Street brings another perfect horror thriller for the fans. What we loved the most about the story is the realism and the idea of voodoo zombies. The narrative is not just about the horror aspect, but it also involves the politics of the land.
The dictator of Haiti becomes a part of the plot, and even those looking past the horror aspects will find a solid cultural document here. As for the acting performances, Bill Pullman leads a spirited cast, and the supporting actors have done a decent job as well. However, it has to be said that a lot of the plot points don’t really make much sense.
For instance, the ending is somewhat stupid, and the logical inconsistencies might be troubling for some. Ignore such flaws, and you can enjoy an exotic voodoo zombie spin-off that offers some nightmarish moments.
Street Trash (1987)
Alcohol is known to have certain adverse effects on the body, but the ones shown in this movie will make you stop before reaching for the bottle! The story begins with a liquor store owner in Brooklyn, New York City. He finds a few cases of cheap, acidic booze in his basement, and since it has been lying there for a very long time, the quality is questionable. The owner decides to sell this liquor to the local hobos, but he is unaware of the impact it would have on those consuming it!
Anyone who drinks this booze melts away, and a cop is determined to solve the mystery. He is also after the tyrannical Vietnam vet, who apparently has a self-proclaimed kingdom in the junkyard helped by some other homeless vets under his command. As the stories come together, Street Trash combines some dark comedy with body horror and the end result is mightily entertaining!
The 80s came up with a lot of the so-called zero-budget horror movies, and many of these films could surprise you with the end result. Street Trash is one of the latter, and it gained quite a reputation courtesy of the splatter effects. It was hilarious and grotesque at the same time, watching the homeless people melt from the inside out into multi-colored goo.
There are plenty of jokes, some extremely inappropriate, to keep you on your toes, and while this is not a masterpiece, you wouldn’t forget about Street Trash quite easily. In the middle of the toxic hooch narrative, there are also two derelict brothers, who are struggling to survive from the deranged Vietnam vet.
The director Jim Muro brings multiple plots and makes them come together after a point. He maintains a sordid and warped tone throughout the narrative, and there are some show-stopping moments, which are so messy that you would be reminded of the best of 80s B-horror.
The dark humor, as we said, doesn’t hold back punches, and maybe it is because people could get away with a lot back in the day. The special effects are the icing on the cake, and exploding and melting humans are simply instances of the effects gone right. The enthusiastic cast performed with considerable zest, and the vibrant cinematography deserves some good words. In short, this is a silly, messy, movie that is far too much fun to not be enjoyed!
Re-Animator (1985)
Herbert West is an ambitious medical student, who is obsessed with the quest of overcoming the obstacle of death. He developed a fluid that is capable of bringing dead tissues back to life, but his work in Switzerland is interrupted by the mysterious death of his professor. Herbert moves to New England, and he continues where he left off. He starts off with experiments on his fluid with dead feline tissues and soon takes it up a notch with fresh human cadavers.
Herbert is joined by his skeptic roommate Dan Cain, and they soon start going deeper into unexplored territories. When the campus starts brimming with several reanimated corpses, there are going to be consequences that the young scientists did not bargain for! This movie based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft stands as a firm reminder of why one shouldn’t try to tamper with the natural ways of life and death!
It is not an easy task to assemble the stories of H.P. Lovecraft into movies. Most attempts haven’t exactly succeeded, and Re-Animator wouldn’t as well, had it not been for the silly tone of the narrative. The story takes the 80s propensity for gore, and never attempts to be too serious. In fact, if the narrative was even remotely realistic, it would have been a terrible watch! The movie throws up gallons of blood and internal organs, and you can imagine the kind of gore that will make the gore-hounds happy!
The effects are purposely cheesy, but even with that, the movie is not meant for the squeamish. There are some wild turns and as the experiments grow outlandish and dangerous, you know things are about to go wrong very soon! This campy movie is helped by the cast, and David Gale and Robert Sampson are fun in their respective roles.
Barbara Crampton is charming as the girlfriend, and Stuart Gordon surely knows a thing or two about how to make the most of his actors! If we must point fingers, then the performance of Bruce Abbott isn’t exactly convincing.
The crazy and sadistic characters are far from reality, and they literally have no compassion for anything. But then, we began by saying how this film was never meant to be taken seriously, and if you just want some pure entertainment, go ahead and enjoy Re-Animator! The sequels to this movie, however, are not as charming!
From Beyond (1986)
The parallel universe of pleasure doesn’t always have a happy conclusion, as many of you know from the Hellraiser movies! From Beyond offers a different take on this alternate universe, and Stuart Gordon brings you the chilling story of a machine called the Resonator! Dr. Edward Pretorius and his assistant Crawford, develop this machine, which can stimulate the sixth sense through the pineal gland.
After activating the machine, Crawford watches in horror as strange creatures are seen flying in the air. But, Edward refuses to turn off the machine even as the experiment seems to go out of control! Finally, the neighbors hear the ruckus and call the police, and they arrive to find Dr. Edward Pretorius beheaded and Crawford trying to escape.
It seems rather obvious that he is the culprit, and he is sent to a psychiatric institution, and Dr. Katherine McMichaels requests for his custody. Together, they go on to turn on the machine one more time, and this time, Dr. Pretorius appears in a disgusting mutant shape and attacks them. Is the path to unlimited pleasure riddled with infinite pain from beyond?
Stuart Gordon surely knows how to make use of Lovecraftian stories, and he does that one more time after Re-Animator. He takes the original story and adds his own gruesome elements to keep things interesting. We have to say that the best moments of the film come when the narrative sticks to the original Lovecraftian tale, and the innovations are more of a miss.
The climax, for instance, is somewhat predictable and the only things going for it are the remarkable special effects. The slimy monstrous things look terrific, and coupled with a spine-tingling soundtrack, things presented perfectly. In many ways, this is a homage to the monster flicks of the past, and considering the low budget, the end results are fascinating.
The tongue-in-cheek acting performances are noteworthy, and Jeffrey Combs shines in his crooked role. Barbara Crampton is a treat to watch, and she can make people go weak in their knees in her black leather outfit! From Beyond is a movie that you can watch multiple times, and this can be an ideal pick for a Halloween night movie marathon!
Shocker (1989)
A serial killer is on the prowl, and he poses as a TV repairman Horace Pinker on the outside. He finds his way to the house of the investigating officer Lt. Parker and kills his family. His only surviving son Jonathan has an unexplained psychic connection to the killer through his dreams. He guides his father to Horace Pinker, and although he manages to escape, he is later caught in the act of kidnapping.
He is sentenced to death in the electric chair, but no one knew that Pinker had promised his soul to the devil in return for some strange powers. He comes back from the dead as an energy source, and he is now deadlier than ever! He takes over the bodies of random people, and the murderous spree continues. Can Jonathan find a way to bring the notorious killing entity into the real world?
The only thing deadlier than a maniacal serial killer is one who comes back from the dead with special powers! Wes Craven’s innovative take on a supernatural killer might be somewhat quirky, but it is enjoyable beyond any doubt. The influences of A Nightmare on Elm Street are quite obvious, but there are subtle changes that set this apart.
The narrative begins as a usual slasher flick, but there soon comes the paranormal touch when the killer comes back from the dead. One could argue that the film’s layout is a bit erratic, but it is hardly a concern because you aren’t watching some Oscar-nominated classic! The acting performances are nothing out-of-the-world, but they all fit nicely into the roles.
One major debate surrounding this film is whether the makers should have toned down the cheese. Well, we respectfully disagree because that is precisely the charm of the 80s horror flicks! The special effects feel rushed and they are hilarious at times, but given the meager budget, it is still good enough. Watch out for the final bits of the film because they promise to be the most original and the finest parts of the narrative. If you are a Wes Craven fan like us, you must try this one out simply for the bizarre experience of it!
Society (1989)
We all have certain family traits that we aren’t particularly proud of, but everything falls in front of the trauma faced by a young teenager Bill Whitney. He comes from a rather upper-class family, and his parents seem to mix amongst similar-status people. However, he is pretty down-to-earth, and he often feels like a misfit in the family dynamics.
Things are revealed when his sister’s boyfriend David bugs the family. He brings Bill some disturbing footage of a sick society, where people indulge in all sorts of perversions from incest to other twisted fantasies. After the death of David in a mysterious car accident, Bill takes it upon himself to investigate his family further. The findings will leave him scarred, and also end up being an unforgettable trauma for the audience!
Society has to be one of the weirdest horror movies we have ever come across. This fast-paced bizarre narrative takes you by the scruff of your neck and doesn’t let go till the demented finale. It has to be one of Brian Yuzna’s most controversial movies, but it is also one of his finest works.
This is his take on the fight of the classes, and he presents the same in a rather original fashion. The movie starts off like just another conspiracy thriller, but the unpleasant secrets of the family add a horrifying touch to the story. The suspense thickens with time, and the disgusting yet fascinating final moments end up being the extremes.
Society is helped by the brilliant work done by special effects genius Screaming Mad George, and the shunting party is brought to life with the perfect yuckiness around it. The actors have done a decent job, and even with everything going for the movie it is a tragedy that it did not rake in the big bucks. If you can handle a fair share of twisted stuff, you can go ahead and check this creepy horror movie that questions the boundaries of ethics at every step!
THE CHANGELING (1980)
John Russell is a music composer, who is traumatized after the death of his wife and daughter in a car accident. He finally decides to deal with his sorrow and rents an old mansion to live in peace and compose his music. However, he has no idea about a supernatural presence in the house. The spirit of a child has been trapped in the mansion for ages, and it uses John’s despair to uncover decades of deceit and wrongs done to it.
The child had been murdered back in the day, and someone linked to the killings is roaming around free. John gets help from the person who helped John get the mansion, and together, they go about finding the answers that might be the key to setting the spirit free!
It is said that this movie was based on a true incident, and while the facts might be debatable, the film is undoubtedly a spooky experience. It starts off with a sudden tragedy, and soon the protagonist finds himself leaving in a haunted mansion. The Changeling thrives on some terrific performances from the cast, and George C. Scott is outstanding as the protagonist.
The narrative takes some time to set the atmosphere right, but once the build-up is complete, you are all set for a delightful story. The director Peter Medak does a great job at building the suspense slowly and steadily, and instead of cheap jump-scares, he opts for the slow-burn effect of a haunting ambiance.
This movie is never really about blood and gore, so you shouldn’t be expecting a lot of violent moments. The final scenes of the movie will stay with you forever, and it is a revenge story that satisfies that audience. All in all, this is a chilling ghost story that is spooky, but also quite touching, and you certainly cannot skip this classic 80s horror flick!
We know that despite our best efforts we have only brought you the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of other movies during the 80s, which went under the radar but offered some solid entertainment. Indeed, those were the days! Let us know in the comments below, your favorite picks from 80s horror!