8 Amazing Horror Movies From the 1980s

A doozy just in time for Halloween.

The number scheme I've set up for this series is getting out of hand, but I can't back out now. So we're doing eight movies today, why not.

As a reminder, I'm trying to avoid blockbuster titles and pick ones you hopefully haven't seen yet. Obviously Nightmare on Elm Street and The Thing and Hellraiser and Evil Dead are cool as shit.

Creepshow (1982)

This collab between Stephen King and George A. Romero is so fun. It gives you five bite-sized stories in one anthology. There's a bit of everything: sci-fi, monster, psychological. Each type of horror is represented simply but effectively. It doesn't ask a lot of the viewer—just sit back and enjoy! Perfect for Halloween movie night.

Also, Stephen King plays a country bumpkin and it's amazing.

Brain Damage (1988)

Boy meets parasitic brain monster. Parasitic brain monster attaches to boy's brainstem, creating a euphoria that can only be sustained if the monster is fed human victims. The weirdest, freakiest way to say "Don't do drugs, kids."

This one is insane. Campy and gross, I can't recommend it if you're squeamish. But also if you're squeamish, why are you here? Especially in the 80s one?

This is what that little fucker looks like by the way:

Motel Hell (1980)

Hillbilly siblings run a roadside motel with a food stand the locals rave about. The meat for that stand secretly comes from human victims who are "harvested" after being buried in the ground up to their heads and muted via vocal cord slicing. Gnarly, right?

Motel Hell gives Texas Chainsaw and Psycho, but goofy, putting a comedic spin on icons like Leatherface. It's disgusting, offbeat, and much-loved by cult horror fans.

Demons (1985)

I want to take this moment to salute balls-to-the-wall slaughterfests like Demons. Uniquely 80s bloodbaths we can never duplicate today, no matter how hard we try.

This one is a Dario Argento classic. Argento is one of my favorite filmmakers ever; he's the dude behind Suspiria, Martin, Dawn of the Dead, and a ton of other movies either as a writer, producer, and/or director. Busy man.

Also, this movie has the BEST soundtrack. Billy Idol, Mötley Crüe, Saxon, Accept. It's so quintessentially 80s it makes me yearn for a decade I wasn't alive to witness.

Below is the least gory picture I could find associated with this film:

The Toxic Avenger (1984)

The Toxic Avenger does something unique and wonderfully distasteful with the superhero genre. The titular hero is mutated and horrifying, and he brutalizes the bad guys instead of punching them a few times.

What do I mean by brutalizes? Two words: milkshake machine. Another two words: deep fryer.

This is a simple world where everyone gets what's coming to them, and what's coming to them is very over the top. Drug dealers are dismembered. Bullies are driven off of cliffs. We're supposed to root for this guy? you might be thinking. The answer is YES. Just roll with it.

And no, I haven't seen the remake. I'm not all that interested, but maaaaaybe I'll give it a try. When you achieve perfection, what more is there to do?

Possession (1981)

The first time I watched Possession, I didn't get it. I thought it was boring and full of itself. And I still think it's full of itself, but I appreciated it a lot more on the second watch. I watched it again because I was determined to get something from it. Other horror fans made me feel like I was missing out.

It's sort of giving A24 vibes before A24 was a thing (I feel the eyerolls of haters already). Just really experimental and somber and bare. In a time of gore, boobies, and ax murderers, Possession is so dang serious. It's one of those movies people can pick apart and debate over, so if you're into something more cerebral, give it a go.

My analysis of this film's meaning: Marriage sucks.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

Ryan Murphy could never come CLOSE to pulling off what this movie does. This movie makes you feel bad. Bleak, joyless, and direct, it sensationalizes nothing. Nobody gets any dimension or redemption. Henry gets no joy or thrill out of the violence. He just...does it.

So why watch something like that? I dunno. It's really well-made. It feels like you're seeing something you shouldn't be. It shows you the evilness people are capable of bare-faced. And it's brutally honest next to the true crime shlock of the 2020s.

Basket Case (1982)

I saved one of my all-time favorites for last, as usual. I stumbled upon Basket Case thanks to a meme. Yes, a meme. And what an insane, disturbing stumble it was.

Conjoined twins separated at birth. Both survive. One is...in bad shape. And murderous. Also they have a telepathic connection. Also they're tracking down the doctor who separated them at birth. Belial, the malformed brother, is actually really, really creepy.

Basket Case is low budget, nasty, unsettling, and tasteless. I love it so much.

And now, I leave you with this:

OH GOD.

Honorable Mentions

Man, the 80s were so fun (minus the politics) I have to mention a few more movies:

• Tenebre

• Slugs

• Scanners

• Evil Dead II (might even be better than the first one)

• The Lost Boys

• Killer Klowns From Outer Space

• Pumpkinhead

• Silent Night, Deadly Night

• The Church

More than a few, maybe.

Eventually I'll do 9 movies from the 90s but...wow. That's gonna be a tough one. I don't even like 90s horror all that much, but I'll do my best!