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The Quintessential Guide To 80's Horror: 130 Must See Flicks (Part 3)

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62. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge: While I love this flick for the nostalgia it summons, it’s technically a steaming pile of shit, to be honest. The story is as convoluted as can be, and Mark Patton is really a terrible lead (it’s not a surprise that he eventually opted to pursue a career behind cameras rather than in front of). The film’s saving grace comes in the form of a fun pool party scene, and a colorful showing by the charismatic Robert Rusler.



63. Re-Animator: This H.P. Lovecraft adaptation is hilarious, disgusting, creepy and memorable. Oft viewed as one of the finest features on the ledger of notable genre contributor, Stuart Gordon, Re-Animator not only remains extremely popular, it spawned some decent follow-ups.



64. The Return of the Living Dead: When it comes to horror scribes, Dan O’Bannon clearly outshined the majority of his contemporaries. His exploration of typical zombies is fun and memorable. Like Gordon’s Re-Animator, this one too paved the way for some decent sequels, though none rivaled the quality of the original.



65. lver Bullet: What? A superb werewolf flick, based on a clasc Stephen King piece? No way!



66. Aliens: Hands down one of the greatest sequels made, Aliens is regularly condered superior to Ridley Scott’s original, Alien. If you’re into action infuon, you’ll likely agree, as this one is petal to the metal from the jump, with a whole legion of aliens gracing the screen and an awesome cast to boot.



67. April Fool’s Day: I’m not a masve fan of this slasher installment, as it sports one of the most disappointing concluons in history, miserable “gore” and a script I likely could have penned at eight years old (where was I on that one?). All the same, this one’s picked up quite the cult following, so I know there are plenty of you who disagree with me!



68. Critters: Freaky little creatures with a knack for quick transport, intergalactic bounty hunters and Dee Wallace? I’m all in!



69. Demons 2: Bava’s follow-up to Demons is entertaining, but I stand by my belief that it lacks the impact of the first film. I know hordes of fans who find the flick superior to its predecessor, and while I enjoy it, I can’t say I fit into that strangely opinionated bunch.



70. The Fly: David Cronenberg struck a gold mine with this remake. Not only is it superior to Kurt Neumann’s 1958 original, it’s insanely disturbing for numerous different reasons. Jeff Goldblum is pitch perfect in his portrayal of Seth Brundle, the script receives an amazing dose of care, and the special effects are absolutely mesmerizing. If you’re going to seek out any remake, it out to be this one!



71. Friday the 13th Part VI: Another Voorhees flick that’s fun for what it is: brainless slaughtering. I know there isn’t much of anything fresh to this story, but I love ole Jason just the same!



72. From Beyond: Another Lovecraft adaptation featuring Jeffrey Combs? A terrifying parallel universe? Stuart Gordon at the helm? Effing awesome 80’s magic right here!



73. Gothic: This one may have been overlooked by many, but that snubbing isn’t justified. As a freak for horror, I find the exploration of Mary Shelley’s motivation to create Frankenstein fascinating. Incorporate a bunch of extremely unsettling sexual endeavors and you’ve got yourself a winner.



74. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer: Michael Rooker’s depiction of Henry Lee Lucas is disgusting, and quite frightening. The ease with which he slaughters innocent victims is a thing to remember, and although this film is overtly bleak, it’s also wonderfully engaging. The dismemberment scene is certainly one for the history books.



75. The Hitcher: Talk about a lesson in long distance traveling: never, ever, under any circumstances pick up a hitchhiker. If you honestly can’t see the potential danger in it, look to Rutger Hauer for an example of the potential dangers that await the lonesome traveler. This is one fantastic film that boasts one of the finest climaxes the genre has produced.



76. House: This story of a tormented Vietnam veteran turned author offers a load of quirky comedy, interesting creature effects and a few sound performances (namely from William Katt and George Wendt). The film hasn’t held up as well as others, but it’s still an enjoyable feature all the same.



77. Night of the Creeps: NOTC redefines cheesy greatness. We’ve got a handicapped wise ass, a nerdy would-be hero, grotesque slug-like creatures that prefer the confines of the human cranium and Tom Atkins on hand. How in the hell can you fail with that insanely over-the-top combination? The mple answer is: you can’t!

78. Poltergeist II: The Other de: I may be cyber-crucified for this, but I tend to enjoy this sequel more than its predecessor. The late Julian Beck is downright terrifying as Kane, the creepy preacher man/ghost that roams the roads nging an even creepier jingle about the good lord. This one surpasses unsettling!

I really enjoyed this section of your list. So much nostalgia here - these are the movies I remember watching when I was just a kid!

Fright Night is, hands down, one of my all-time favorite horror films. Roddy McDowell is legend. Chris Sarandon manages to play the perfect bastard. It is just such a damn good film. I do so hope the remake does it justice - banking on David Tennant to pull it through.

Poltergeist II is a damn good film. Introducing Kane kept the film fresh. And let's face it - you think of Poltergeist, you think of Kane. Honest to god, I worked in a nurng home for several years and there was a gentleman there - kind as all get out - that GREATLY resembled Beck in that film. I couldn't help myself, had to keep my distance.

Once again, r, fantastic article. Enjoying this series very much.

thank you much. I'm a little confused as to why these followups arent getting near the traffic that the first installment got, but as long as there are some readers digging this piece, I'm happy!

REANIMATOR ftw!

I have to watch Fright Night again... i used to love it when i was a youngin'. I actually just caught a bit of Fright Night part 2 on HBO yesterday. I finally saw Henry not too long ago and i didn't like it at all - but i will admit this, it was a truly disgusting film. Otis was more fucked up than Henry, imho, and almost made it easy to sympathize with Henry.

I'm still trying to get into Argento films. I have yet to find one that really pulls me in and makes me a fan. Maybe Demons will help me out in that area, although i see he didn't direct it.

Keep 'em coming, Matt!