Both American Horror Story: 1984 and Wonder Woman 1984 are set in the same year if you think about it. And these are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Hollywood’s fascination with 1984. The year gave us some of the most memorable, if not the most terrifying, horror films.
The year 1984 provided something for everyone, from terrifying films like Nightmare on Elm Street and Gremlins to pure horror comedies like Ghostbusters and The Toxic Avenger. While it may appear like 1984 was a simpler time than 2022, the cold war, the prospect of a worldwide nuclear disaster, the assassination of the then-Indian Prime Minister, and other crises plagued the year.
In some shape or another, all of these events have found their way into contemporary films. In this video, we will look at the ten most terrifying films from the year 1984. George Orwell, all hail! Let us get started, shall we?
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
At the end of the third film of the franchise, Jason was presumably killed by one of the characters. It was supposed to be the last Friday the 13th film, but the popularity and money motivated its producers to give Jason another shot. Naturally, the fourth installment came to life, in which Jason’s seemingly dead body is taken to the morgue for an autopsy.
However, Jason wakes up from the dead, and immediately hack-saws his way through the coroner before gutting a poor nurse with her own scalpel. Gruesome stuff, really! And, as should be expected from a Friday the 13th film, Jason once again begins his journey towards Crystal Lake, while his teenage victims also head in the same direction for a weekend getaway.
The group of teenagers reaches Crystal Lake and meets a girl named Trish and her younger brother Tommy, who play a major role in the film. In fact, Tommy would later become Jason’s archenemy and appear in two more Friday the 13th films. Anyway, Jason soon begins his slaughter-fest, and it’s not before long that Jason’s violent streak is underscored by the teens.
Much like the third installment, even this film, directed by Joseph Zito, was deemed to be Jason’s last depiction, and hence it was marketed as The Final Chapter. However, fate wanted more Jason in this world, a lot more Jason. Nevertheless, The Final Chapter should receive full marks for effort, but there was little to no novelty in the film’s plot.
The Tommy angle was something no one expected, and they’d later make him Jason’s nemesis, but apart from this, The Final Chapter had very little to put on the table. Having said that, it is one of the best films of the franchise, if not the best. Speaking of Jason, don’t forget to check out our other video on Jason Voorhees, his mother, and the rest of the franchise.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Imagine a monstrosity that haunts you not in the real world, but in the mysterious, shadowy world of dreams; that’s what made Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street an invention that inspired several future films. The film begins with a teenage girl named Tina Gray, who wakes up from a terrifying nightmare in which a horrid figure with razor-sharp blades for fingernails attacks her.
The next day, she wakes up with four mysterious slashes, which made it clear that the attacks she suffered in her dreams were carried into real life. It wasn’t long before that Tina was finally killed by the mysterious figure. The following day, one of Tina’s friends Nancy experiences a similar episode when she sleeps in her class, but Nancy knew better than to remain asleep. She deliberately came in contact with a hot pipe in her boiler room dream, and woke up with excruciating pain, only to find an actual burn on her arm.
Soon, Nancy finds out that the disfigured man from her nightmares was once called Freddy Kreuger, a child serial killer who took the lives of around 20 children. Although he was released by the court on technical grounds, the victims’ parents burned him alive. It became evident to Nancy that Freddy had taken the form of a vengeful ghost who was trying to quench his psychopathic thirst for killing.
Director Craven took the simple idea of sleep and painted it with marvelously insidious colors to provide the 80s audience with a fresh experience, which had both gore and food for thought. The struggle to differentiate between reality and dreams was depicted through the lens of promiscuous teens and morality play. Despite becoming one of the more successful franchises with six sequels, one reboot, and one crossover with the Friday The 13th franchise, Craven’s original will always remain the best of the lot, and for the right reasons. Freddy Kreuger was played by the legendary Robert Englund, who is all set to appear in the fourth season of the popular Netflix show Stranger Things.
C.H.U.D.
The film begins with a woman named Flora Bosch and her cat being attacked by a mysterious creature that emerged from a manhole in a dark and deserted street. It turns out that these creatures were mutated human beings who had come into contact with hazardous nuclear and chemical waste that was being kept in New York’s abandoned subway tunnels by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
It is an independent wing of the government that deals with maintaining public safety and health issues that may arise because of nuclear activities. Despite a clear mandate from the bureaucracy, the N.R.C. kept depositing nuclear waste in the subway tunnels. Eventually, the homeless tunnel dwellers of the city came into contact with the same and eventually mutated into cannibalistic humanoid creatures.
Once the population of the tunnel dwellers dwindled, these cannibalistic monsters started targeting the people on the surface. While the attacks continue and the N.R.C. attempts to keep the outbreak caused by Contamination Hazard Urban Disposal a secret, a photographer and a cop attempt to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearances.
Few movies gain success in their opening weekend, while there are others that take years to build a fanbase. I mean, John Carpenter’s The Thing was bashed left, right, and center, upon its release, and we all know how the film is rated today. Directed by Douglas Cheek, the film is one of the horror genre’s best-kept secrets and deserves more love than it receives. Yes, the plot is loose at times, and the acting is cold, but the film manages to stay afloat throughout its runtime because of its creature effects and the more than frequent jump scares. What works best for the film is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously and knows that its only goal is to entertain its gore-hungry audience. And well, that’s exactly what C.H.U.D. does.
Ghostbusters
Parapsychology professors Peter, Ray, and Egon experience their first ghost at the New York Public Library. However, their claims are refuted, and they are fired by the dean of Columbia University. Out of work and determined to make a difference, the trio took up arms. More like nuclear-powered weapons to trap ghosts and contain them. They monetized their skills and started a venture called Ghostbusters to conduct paranormal investigations.
Although the business was initially not very promising, their big break came when a cellist named Dana Barrett encountered a dog-like demonic entity that said the word Zuul. The Ghostbusters then began their research on Zuul and found that it was the name of a god of destruction from another realm, and the dog-like demon was a demi-god and Zuul’s servant.
Not before long, did strange events begin throughout the city, and the number of ghostly encounters surged rapidly. Ghostbusters become famous for their skills, but they must buckle up for a challenge that’s larger than anything they had imagined.
To say the least, what The Exorcist is to horror, Ghostbusters is to horror comedies. I mean, it was the top-grossing comedy film until Home Alone broke its record in 1990. With two animated shows, a sequel in 1989 and 2021, and a reboot in 2016, the film has made a place in the hearts of everyone who has had the luxury of watching it.
It was essentially directed by Ivan Reitman, but it can be said without doubt that Bill Murray stole the thunder from everyone, including the directors, and maybe even Sigourney Weaver. Having said that, the film was far more intelligent than initially perceived, and it serves as a soft satire on subjects like capitalism, inequality, pollution, immigrants, etc. We implore you to rewatch it with these things in mind, and your love for Ghostbusters will only increase.
Gremlins
An inventor named Randall Peltzer struggles to find an apt Christmas gift for his son Billy. He goes to an antique store in Chinatown, and chances upon a tiny, furry creature called Mogwai. Mr. Wing, the antique store’s owner, tells Randall that the Mogwai was not for sale, but unbeknownst to Mr. Wing, his grandson gives away the little furry creature to Randall. However, the grandson warns Randall of three things.
Number one, the Mogwai shouldn’t be exposed to sunlight, which was lethal to it. Number two, the creature shouldn’t be exposed to water, and number three, the Mogwai, shouldn’t be fed after midnight. Randall takes away the Mogwai and presents it to Billy, who absolutely loves it. However, fate wanted other things, but more importantly, the scriptwriters had written a story.
It wasn’t before long that the Mogwai was exposed to water, after which it reproduced, and five more of them came into the world. Out of these, the one with stripes was the most cunning of them and dominated the others of its kind. Soon, the entire town was rampant with the terror of thousands of little reptilian creatures that not only destroyed property but also led to injury and loss of life. It was now up to Billy and a few others to stop the menace before it was too late.
There is probably some moral lurking somewhere in this strange but lovely film about cute, furry pets wreaking havoc and unleashing their wrath on a quaint Norman Rockwellian town. But, you know what, even if my previous sentence was wrong about the moral, Gremlins is a beautiful yet horrific tale of love and friendship, but it’s been layered with different shades of horror, suspense, and violence. If you’ve got a pet, you’ll probably relate. And, if you never had a pet, you’d probably thank your stars.
The Toxic Avenger
We’ve been obsessed with the Avengers for quite some time, and now there are other superheroes joining the foray. But much before MCU and D.C. movies took the world by storm, there existed a strange superhero who went by the names The Toxic Avenger and The Monster Hero. Well, this guy fighting crime and criminals used to be a 98-pound adult named Melvin Ferd Junko the third.
Back when he wasn’t a superhero, he used to be bullied by three members of the health club, where he served as a janitor. On one fateful day, things went out of hand, and Melvin found himself neck-deep in a large drum filled with toxic waste.
Although his body was on fire, he managed to douse it in his bathtub. The waste and the fire should have killed Melvin, but instead, he mutated into a muscular and powerful man, albeit with a horrendous face. That was how Melvin, the meek guy became the mighty and monstrous hero. Melvin began dispensing his vigilante style of justice and ended up falling in love with a beautiful blind girl, whom he had recently rescued.
With its maniacal and farcical sense of humor, what Shaun of the Dead does to zombie movies, Toxic Avengers does to superhero films, especially the likes of Deadpool. This low-budget B-Movie became a surprise hit at the box office, and the producers couldn’t help but reel in the success with several sequels.
While the sequels are not really worth mentioning, the original took the 80s crowd by storm, and today, The Toxic Avenger has a strong cult following. A proof of the same is the fact that Legendary is working on a movie that will reimagine Melvin’s adventures from a contemporary standpoint. As you may very well know, it’s going to star Peter Dinklage, who has been creating a strong resume after his excellent performance in HBO’s Game of Thrones.
Night of the Comet
The film is set on an Earth that’s experiencing the repetition of an event that once destroyed dinosaurs. Apparently, Earth is within the tail of a huge comet that’s passing by. Although the people in Southern California are rejoicing and celebrating the rare celestial event, an eighteen-year-old girl Reggie spends the night with her boyfriend in a steel-lined projection booth where they display some aggressive love for each other.
Meanwhile, Reggie’s younger sister accuses her stepmother of cheating on her father and ends up spending the night in a steel shed in their backyard. The girls wake up the next morning only to find that the entire town has been engulfed in a red hue and clothes lying around in every possible direction.
Reggie’s boyfriend Larry steps out of the projection booth, only to be killed by a zombie. Somehow, Reggie manages to reach her sister, Sam, and they both realize that their respective steel havens saved them from the comet’s effects, which either reduced people to red dust or turned them into zombies.
How often do we come across a film that borrows its elements from films like Boris Sagal’s The Omega Man and Romero’s zombies? Night of the Comet is one such film, but despite borrowing tropes from other films, it is an entirely fresh experience. Thom Eberhardt’s film is a witty and unpretentious science fiction film, and discarding it as just another end of the world B-Movie would probably lead to a criminal charge. The only way to understand the beauty that this film is to watch it.
Dreamscape
Alex Gardner is a powerful psychic who used to be part of a state-funded research project on psychics. He escaped the research program, only to return several years later and meet his mentor, Dr. Paul Novotny. It turns out that Paul and his colleague Jane, have managed to develop a technology that enables psychics to connect their minds with that of other people, but for this, the psychics have to submit themselves to R.E.M. sleep.
Although Novotny’s project was intended to help in the treatment of several mental disorders and nightmares, an evil government agent named Bob Blair hijacked the project and wished to execute the assassination of the President of the United States. Now, it was up to Alex, Jane, and Novotny to save the day, and well, the President too. Oh, and yes, Alex invades Jane’s dreams so that they can throttle the bed a bit.
So, Dreamscape is many things. I mean, it’s a love story, a science fiction thriller, and also a political conspiracy thriller. And whenever directors and scriptwriters have attempted to put so many things into a 90-minute film, it ends up looking like porridge. However, Dreamscape is a well-made and well-crafted film that works well because of its screenplay and humor. While some may feel that it’s just another twisted storyline, Dreamscape holds a special place in the hearts of many sci-fi and thriller fans. It’s definitely worth a try.
Rats: Night of Terror
According to the film, Earth was left in a dystopian state after a nuclear holocaust that took place in the year 2015. However, the film is based 225 years later, in the year 2240, when Earth has been divided into two groups of people. The affluent live comfortably in underground cities, while the poor or the New Primitives live on the surface, under the scorching sun. Under these circumstances, a group of eleven people come across a piece of land that was still fertile and blooming with fruit trees, a water reservoir, etc.
They did notice that the place also had rotting cadavers, but their hunger for fresh food and water overpowered their fear of death. They all settled in the abandoned village, unbeknownst to the fact that a large horde of hungry, mutated rats were waiting to feast on them. These people will have to go a long way to save themselves from man-eating rats, but will they survive?
Bruno Mattei is known for his exploitation films, including several controversial nunsploitation films. Nevertheless, Night of Terror is one of his more watchable films, and thankfully for the right reasons. No, the film doesn’t aim to win an Oscar or anything else for that matter. What it does correctly is that it does not take itself too seriously, while trying to make each sequence unique in its own special way. There’s not much to take away from this one, but you’ll have a blast if you turn on Night of Terror on a Saturday night with a few chilled ones.
Mutant
The vacation of brothers Josh and Mike in the South really takes a dive to the South when they go off-road and end up in a village where residents are either falling sick or disappearing. Not able to leave the village that night, the brothers accept help from Sheriff Will, who provides them with shelter at a bed and breakfast. However, Mike gets dragged under the bed by an unseen force.
Josh soon begins searching for his missing brother but doesn’t succeed. During his search, he meets Holly, a school teacher, who offers him help. Josh, Holly, and Sheriff Will soon discover that the residents of the village are mutating into bloodthirsty vampires as a reaction to the toxic waste of a new factory. It’s not before long that the entire village becomes a victim of the artificial disease.
John Cardos’s film is not entirely fresh, not even by the 80s standards. However, it still packs a bit of dark humor, which is the only thing that works in its favor. But on second thought, Mutant is a film that shouldn’t be examined for its depth or story. It may be a forced storyline, but then who doesn’t like evil corporations and outbreaks of vampirical zombies. That was all in this video, do let us know which one of these you remember and which ones you’re gonna watch at your next leisure.