The Top 20 MERICAN 80s Horror Movies

[Dukefrukem]

It's HALLOWEEN! So time for 80s horror game with Dukefrukem: the genre that absolutely terrified me as a child. Walking into the VHS rental store (which was close enough to ride my bike to), pretending to look at films suited for a ~10 year old (Back to the Future, Burbs and Star Wars were frequent rentals), out of the corner of my eye I would really be mesmerized by the art in the horror section - VHS tape sleeves. Sometimes my friends with older brothers would rent movies for us, and we'd just pick the VHS that looked the coolest on the shelf. I have very fond memories of the terror I felt watching these movies, and somehow I always wanted more. It became an adrenaline. Every new horror movie led to a different scary thing I didn't know existed. And since then, I've always loved that feeling.

So this list is dedicated to the B-movie, campy, body horror, slasher decade that made me the man I am today.

if anyone can successfully predict the top 3 movies on the list, they will win a free copy of any movie of their choosing from the list (blu-ray or digital (hell or DVD if you want)). Furthermore, if anyone can successfully predict any 3 movies sequentially, you will win a copy of one of those three movies (of your choosing). If anyone guesses the correct spots of any 5 movies, they will win a copy of one of those five movies (of your choosing).

I'm just planting this seed now- because I'm going to do some other stuff in this thread, but don't start guessing until I release the hints later this month.



What qualifies to be on this list?


They need to (at least) be jointly made in America
They need to have been RELEASED between 1980 and 1989 in the US (according to IMDB)
They need to be of the horror genre (or sub genre) according to IMDB's top 4 categories


No movies are exempt from this list!

Hints will be released October 12


1. Every year is represented on the list with the exception of 1989 and 1983
2. Year of my birth was a good year for horror- three films are represented
3. There are there directors on this list that have 2 movies represented
4. Two of the films on this list are remakes, Three films are adaptations
5. Four films on this list are from two different franchise, 17 films are either part of a franchise (at least 1 sequel made), are a remake itself or have since been remade. (18 if you include films in pre-production)
6. Five of the films on this list are sequels
7. Two films on this list were nominated for Academy Awards, one film won.
8. Tom Savini had a “role” in 2 films, Core Feldman makes two appearances and the scream queen herself makes one "visual" appearance
9. In two films there are zero on screen deaths
10. Three films are inspired by H. P. Lovecraft.


HM: Will begin October 15

HM1: Xtro (1982)
HM2: Day of the Dead (1985)
HM3: Sleepaway Camp (1983)
HM4: Silent Night Deadly Night (1984)

List will begin October 20

20. Terror Train (1980)
19. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
18. Fright Night (1985)
17. Friday the 13th the Final Chapter (1984)
16. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
15. From Beyond (1986)
14. April Fool’s Day (1986)
13. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
12. Gremlins (1984)
11. The Burning (1981)
10. The Shining(1980)
9. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
8. Re-Animator (1985)
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
6. Evil Dead II (1987)
5. The Fly (1988)
4. The Blob (1988)
3. Poltergeist (1982)
2. Evil Dead (1981)
1. John Carpenter's the Thing (1982)

Recap of past Lists:

The Top 20 MERICAN 90s Horror Movies - http://matchcut.artboiled.com/showthread.php?6311-The-Top-20-MERICAN-90s-Horror-Movies

The Top 18 MERICAN 90s Action Movies - http://matchcut.artboiled.com/showthread.php?5944-The-Top-18-MERICAN-90s-Action-Movies

[Dukefrukem]

Before we get into Honorable mentions, I'm going to post a few posters that terrified me as a kid.
Some of the art on these movie covers were brilliant. Some of these I didn't see until recently.

https://bandsaboutmovies.files.wordpre ss.com/2017/09/dolls1.jpg

https://eu.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/124/MPW-62123

https://gramposters.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/80s-horror-movie-posters-80poster9.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lZOyNV0.jpg

https://www.grayflannelsuit.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/april-fools-day-slasher-movie-poster.jpg

https://www.grayflannelsuit.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/the-stuff-movie-poster-19854.jpg

[Skitch]

I adore The Stuff. I'll never forget watching that on a 10" black and white tv as a kid and it terrified me. Some of this artwork is why I started collecting VHS again.

[Dukefrukem]

I adore The Stuff. I'll never forget watching that on a 10" black and white tv as a kid and it terrified me. Some of this artwork is why I started collecting VHS again.

Let me tell you something.... it does NOT hold up.

[Irish]

Very much looking forward to the list. I remember in Duke's last thread like this, Skitch guessed the correct order a coupla times and I got close. That was a lotta fun.

The memories of old horror VHS covers are dead on. Those things had like a magnetic pull for me and my friends.

One question: The thread title says "80s" but your post says only movies from 1990-99. Which is it?

[Skitch]

Let me tell you something.... it does NOT hold up.

Oh I watched it a year or two ago and it may be the nostalgia talking but it totally did for me. :D. But I would never question if it didnt for others.

[transmogrifier]

The Stuff is horrid.

[Morris Schæffer]

Ah yes those horror VHS tapes. I know the feeling Duke. I remember being freaked out by these:

http://i.imgur.com/TrEj8Pj.jpg

http://www.freecovers.net/preview/0/07ea91ff5aacbff50d4707e867a881 96/big.jpg

And oh man that tagline for the 2nd one :)

[Dukefrukem]

Very much looking forward to the list. I remember in Duke's last thread like this, Skitch guessed the correct order a coupla times and I got close. That was a lotta fun.

The memories of old horror VHS covers are dead on. Those things had like a magnetic pull for me and my friends.

One question: The thread title says "80s" but your post says only movies from 1990-99. Which is it?

Bwhahaha, that was a copy paste from my last horror thread that you mentioned. Fixed.

[Dukefrukem]

Ah yes those horror VHS tapes. I know the feeling Duke. I remember being freaked out by these:

http://i.imgur.com/TrEj8Pj.jpg

http://www.freecovers.net/preview/0/07ea91ff5aacbff50d4707e867a881 96/big.jpg

And oh man that tagline for the 2nd one :)

I think I didn't take that time period for granted. Where today, can you see genre movies, laid out on shelves, with the covers facing outward? Even if you go into a physical store today to look for DVDs or something, they are all stacked sideways. You NEVER see the cover art. So going to a rental store in the 80s and 90s, they would separate everything by genre. The Comedy section would always have WHITE covers. The Action section would be FIRE and EXPLOSIONS. And Horror would have these incredible art. And the horror ones were interesting to me because they told a weird story.

For example, the April Fools Day one above, I would be thinking: Is she hosting a party? Why did she tie her hair like that? Did she invite everyone into a room to kill them all? Why did she even dress up to do this?

[Dukefrukem]

If anyone wants to recap:

The Top 20 MERICAN 90s Horror Movies - http://matchcut.artboiled.com/showthread.php?6311-The-Top-20-MERICAN-90s-Horror-Movies

The Top 18 MERICAN 90s Action Movies - http://matchcut.artboiled.com/showthread.php?5944-The-Top-18-MERICAN-90s-Action-Movies

[MadMan]

From Beyond is great. The Stuff and April Fool's Day are solid.

[Dukefrukem]

My top 20 list is pretty solid- but I've been watching a ton of stragglers from this decade to make sure there wasn't anything I missed.

[Dukefrukem]

Hints coming tomorrow- I have a couple more movies to watch tonight to feel good about my top 20.

[Dukefrukem]

Hints are released- let me know if any clarification is needed.

1. Every year is represented on the list with the exception of 1989 and 1983
2. Year of my birth was a good year for horror- three films are represented
3. There are there directors on this list that have 2 movies represented
4. Two of the films on this list are remakes, Three films are adaptations
5. Four films on this list are from two different franchise, 17 films are either part of a franchise (at least 1 sequel made), are a remake itself or have since been remade. (18 if you include films in pre-production)
6. Five of the films on this list are sequels
7. Two films on this list were nominated for Academy Awards, one film won.
8. Tom Savini had a “role” in 2 films, Core Feldman makes two appearances and the scream queen herself makes one "visual" appearance
9. In two films there are zero on screen deaths
10. Three films are inspired by H. P. Lovecraft.

Bring on the guesses! (can be sent via PM)

[Dukefrukem]

Reminder to get your guesses in- I'm going to try and start this on Sat, but I can wait if people want to tweak their lists.

[Dukefrukem]

No guesses yet.

[Skitch]

Sorry dude. I've been working dawn to dark. This transition to new job...the old job is trying to kill me. Its like it knows I'm about to escape.

[Dukefrukem]

Hah no worries. I dont mind waiting. Just sending friendly reminders here and there.

[Dukefrukem]

Gizmo's guesses are in.

[Dukefrukem]

:cool:

[Dukefrukem]

Honorable Mention: Xtro (1982)
Director : Harry Bromley Davenport
Threat(s) Xtros
https://media.giphy.com/media/ixb3bPU1Ak9Ve/giphy.gif
Threat Premise :
A man who was abducted by aliens returns to his family three years later, but his presence affects them negatively (understatement of the year).

Why I’m mentioning it: It’s UK Film, so it doesn’t qualify for the list, but I’m mentioning here anyway. We talked about this movie a few years ago and it’s bizarre as hell. Half alien half human hybrids, impregnating humans… I also think this movie was one of the first horror movies I ever saw as a kid. There are some scene in that resemble a dream that have stuck with me for years. So I think I saw this when I was little and it had a huge impact on me. It’s pure 80s horror joy and should be watched by all.

Best Death: Birthing Scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFfhccg3UM8

[Dukefrukem]

HM: Day of the Dead (1985)
Director : George A. Romero
Threat(s) Dumb and Slow Zombies
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/mzaIc.tcDPNyNLsr4kKRcw--~A/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3 c9NTAwO2g9Mjcx/http://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/16a89e4d11d944d20f0fb23e74f45d 04
Threat Premise : A small group of military officers and scientists live in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun by zombies.

Why I’m mentioning it: I have to. It’s a solid zombie film, and I’ve watched this movie a million times, but every viewing I feel it becomes more generic and tiresome. It doesn’t have the same lasting appeal that Night and Dawn have and I really don’t like the introduction to the new ideas surrounding zombies that Romeo wrote around Land of the Dead.

Best Death: Rhodes Death
https://media.giphy.com/media/26tPmGBk8S45D7Jfi/giphy.gif

[Skitch]

LOVE Xtro. Day is still my favorite of the series. Rhodes death is so freaking extreme. Watched Day of the Dead: Bloodline this morning. Spoiler alert, its sucked.

[Dukefrukem]

Bloodline is so bad. So bad. So is the other direct to dvd sequel they made a while back.

[Dukefrukem]

HM: Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Director : Robert Hiltzik
Threat(s) Mystery Killer

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oCw-8izdx_o/V0s6MYgdeSI/AAAAAAAANy8/-mBwBN6BXlglSR6sIgXPiADgouLpfDa 4ACKgB/s1600/07sleepawaycampshorts1-b2tOX3.jpg

Threat Premise : Angela Baker, a traumatized and very shy young girl, is sent to summer camp with her cousin, a bunch of pedophiles, and campers aged 10-30. Shortly after her arrival, people start to die if you try to rape her, or if you call her bad names.

Why I’m mentioning it: Honestly, this didn’t come close to making the top 20 if I were ranking all the 80s Horror movies. But it so needs to be mentioned because it’s one of the films that had the biggest impact on me from a pure shock factor. For those that don’t know about the ending, I won’t spoil it here, but you should watch it for yourself. Overall this is a poorly acted, bloodless slasher but makes some waves in the kind of way you would expect from a film trying to diversify itself from Friday the 13th. There sure are a lot of horror movies made in the 80s around camping.

Best Death: Ending- Presented without comment or Gif.

[Skitch]

I also would say its a "good" movie but I love that freaking weird ass flick.

[Dukefrukem]

HM: Silent Night Deadly Night (1984)
Director : Charles E. Sellier Jr.
Threat(s) “Santa Clause”
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/silentnight03_zpsnbpcpnlt.gif
Threat Premise : After his parents are murdered in front of him, a tormented teenager goes on a murderous rampage dressed as Santa, due to his stay at an orphanage where he was abused by the Mother Superior.

Why I’m mentioning it: This stands out as a way more unique over the top slasher more than most slashers in this decade, even though it’s a technical mess from an editing and filming perspective. A super long intro/backstory, that takes a while to get to present day, where the killer (Billy) has been traumatized his whole life, finally breaks down and starts his rampage. He becomes some kind of killing monster- brute strength, muttering the words “punish!” before he kills his victims. I’m also mentioning it because it has the 2nd best pair of breasts I have ever seen in a horror movie. (#1 is Halloween 2). This blonde is smokin’ hot for 1984.

Best Death: Deer Antler Impalement
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/silentnight06_zpssxhvlelq.gif

[Dukefrukem]

I'll start this on Halloween if Irish and Skitch want to get guesses in.

[Skitch]

I can accomplish anything as long as I have a due date. :)

[Dukefrukem]

I can accomplish anything as long as I have a due date. :)

I'm changing the due date to this Friday- so I can start on the weekend.

[Skitch]

Sorry duke, I got slammed at work and wont have time to put a list together. I will just have to enjoy the reviews.

[Dukefrukem]

#20: Terror Train (1980)
Director : Roger Spottiswoode
Threat(s) Mystery Killer
https://brainwavestalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/terror-train-fi-572x381.png
Threat Premise : The scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis is back. This one also starts with a prank gone wrong https://image.ibb.co/nC8bFb/terrortrain.gif, resulting in the psychotic breakdown of a fellow classmate. Cut to three years later and the pre-med classmates are about spend a costume party during New Years Eve on a train. It quickly becomes a 'who'd done it' with everyone in masks and costume.

Why It Made the List : A 'who done it?' slasher with a mystery killer and a reveal at the end. In a lot of ways, Terror Train establishes a lot of horror tropes before most other films. 1) Mystery Killer 2) Mystery Killer who is mistaken to be someone else because they are wearing a mask 3) Promiscuous teengers (or young adults) with seemingly no sixth sense for danger 4) Unique environment making it impossible to call for authorities

Best Scare: Dead body falls out of hiding
https://media.giphy.com/media/7QJ79zLmHQ15S/giphy.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#19: Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Director : Tommy Lee Wallace
Threat(s) Robots
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/halloween304_zps4rddnayz.gif
Threat Premise : Kids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock.

Why It Made the List : I really do appreciate the misdirection and left turn this franchise made with this movie. In the middle of dozens of Fright the 13th and Nightmare on Elm street sequels, Halloween decides to something completely different. It aligns really well with the camp that the 80s fully endorses. In the 80s, were robots realistically anything more than assembly line arms? What really was the end game here? (rhetorical) Turn kids into bugs and replace them with these weird soulless robots? Ancient magic will be revealed to do what?? So many questions that make this hilariously fun to watch.

Best Death: Family Death Scene
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/halloween302_zpsnrrt5ivi.gif

[Morris Schæffer]

Heh in that prank gone wro:Dng Gif, you can see Ellis (Actor Hart Bochner) from Die Hard on the far left.

[Dukefrukem]

#18: Fright Night (1985)
Director : Tom Holland
Threat(s) Vampires (and Werewolves)
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/frightnight4_zpsucy98p5q.gif
Threat Premise : A horror-obsessed teenager discovers that his next door neighbour is a murderous vampire.

Why It Made the List : I love paranoia movies. Burbs, Disturbia, Summer of 84, Rear Window, and this- they will try to uncover a secret that no one else seems to believe and of course, end up being right after paying the price.

Best Death: Vampire Death Scene
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/frightnight5_zpsbw0f3z6l.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#17: Friday the 13th the Final Chapter (1984)
Director : Joseph Zito
Threat(s) Jason Voorhees
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/JasonFinalChapter03_zpsru8quyt w.gif
Threat Premise : After being mortally wounded and taken to the morgue, murderer Jason Voorhees spontaneously revives and embarks on a killing spree as he makes his way back to his home at Camp Crystal Lake.

Why It Made the List : Most people (that I’ve spoken to) about this franchise hate the supernatural aspect of Jason Voorhees. The opposite end of this argument would be Mike Myers “is just a guy” going around killing people. And Jason Voorhees was “just a guy” until this film; where his brute strength and resurrection first comes into play.

So much sexual exploitation in part 4- Two skinny dip scenes, two sex scenes, teens watching a porno and to top it off, Corey Feldmen. Part 4 is where Jason really becomes Jason. He's less man, and more killing machine. The brute strength of Jason shines through on a few occasions which only emphasizes the mystery surrounding his "resurrection". Or did he not die in the first place?

Part 4 is also where horror films get a bad reputation for on screen characters acting stupidly. Why run home because a young Corey Feldmen is home alone, but leave him seconds later to investigate the house next door? No matter, Crispin Glover has a fantastic death scene (as well as the most dated dance scene in movie history) and there's some great stunt work for 1984. Tom Savini also returns as the makeup/special effects artist which also shines through brilliantly in the end. Savini was absent from F13 Parts 2 and 3.

Best Death: Neck Twist and Naked Swim
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/JasonFinalChapter01_zpsdriv6um i.gif
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/JasonFinalChapter02_zpsswlvgl4 f.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#16: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Director : Chuck Russell
Threat(s) Freddy Krueger
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/dreamwar03_zpsfjthprxz.gif
Threat Premise :
A psychiatrist familiar with knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.

Why It Made the List : Finally, the kids have the ability to fight back. I hated the sequel to the first movie because it didn’t make sense. If Freddy could take over kids who dream about him, why did he need to do anything in their dreams to begin with? This one, starts using the Matrix to fight Freddy where kids think of their wildest dreams to become, warriors, like the title says.

Nancy is back! So I guess she didn't go crazy like the last movie had established. Instead, she's gone to college and studied how the human body dreams and has been hired as an intern at a local hospital. There, she meets the Dream Warriors, a group of kids suffering from the same nightmares as she did, except one of them has the power to have them share the same dream (Inception style). By using this power, the Dream Warriors fight back against Freddy as their perception of themselves are wizards, strong man, bad-ass chick with knives, cartwheel girl, and loud talker kid.

The ensemble cast makes this a fun Freddy movie. A young Laurence Fishburne makes an appearance. There's some really great death scenes such as the puppet Freddy scene and death by TV. They also establish that Freddy can take control of his dead body (which are bones by now) and walk around in the real world after they get a hint from the ghost of Freddy's mother that if you bury Freddy on hallowed ground, it will put an end to the nightmare.

Best Death:Tie: Puppet Death and TV Death
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/dreamwar01_zpsz60lcjgg.gif
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/dreamwar02_zpsccp2qnpl.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#15: From Beyond (1986)
Director : Stuart Gordon
Threat(s) The Resonator + Beyond Stuff

http://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/frombeyond01_zpsnsn6cqie.gif

Threat Premise : A group of scientists have developed the Resonator, a machine which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality.

Why It Made the List : I absolutely love, the kind of practical effects that give off a rubber gooey monster look. To me, this absolutely defines the 80s. A mad scientist found a way to tap into the human brain that normal humans cannot see, and EVERYONE loses their mind. Bizarrely out of place sexy, brains being sucked out through eye sockets and kinky horror sex all become staples of this movie. Barbara Crampton is masterful as she slowly loses her mind throughout the movie.

Best Death: Finale
http://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/frombeyond03_zpsy3da0e6d.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#14: April Fool’s Day (1986)
Director : Fred Walton
Threat(s) Pranks and a Shocking Mystery

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/aprilfools01_zps63n8bmej.gif

Threat Premise : A group of eight college friends gather together at an island mansion belonging to heiress Muffy St. John to celebrate their final year of school. Thats when the terror begins.

Why It Made the List : The house everyone is staying at is filled with gags which makes the setup of the premise fun and mysterious. Door knobs come off doors, lights turn on when you turn another off, a googlely eyed cat clock hidden behind a painting with shifting eyes... you never know if the next scream is because of a practical joke, or real terror.

Thomas F. Wilson! Aka Biff Tannen is doing his best non-Biff role. I enjoy ensemble casts like this- different array of characters, constantly at odds, trying to figure out what's really going on. Excellent finale.

Best Scare NO ONE DIES!: Painting Shifty Eyes
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/aprilfools02_zpstcxxmi4l.gif

[Dukefrukem]

So photobucket was down for most of the day yesterday, so not sure if these gifs will show up or not. They might be just cached for me.

[Dukefrukem]

#13: The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Director : Dan O'Bannon
Threat(s) Zombies
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/rotld01_zpsovttu9hx.gif

Threat Premise : Two medical supply warehouse employees release toxic gas from a drum left there by the government from a past failed experiment. The gas turns cadavers into zombies. They chop up the bodies in a crematorium and the smoke reaches the clouds, and it begins to rain down on a cemetary… causing zombies to rise from the grave.

https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/rotld02_zpsqk1nck5r.gif

Why It Made the List : I originally liked this movie, then I hated it, then I loved it again. I went through a weird phase where I didn’t want any camp in my zombie movies, and I couldn’t get past the scene where the zombies use the radio to call for “more brains” Or the zombie dressed up like a police offer.
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/rotld07_zpsg2mmrwud.gif

But this movie is so great. It has everything. Camp. Gross practical effects, strange nudity. It has several groups of people coming together to try to figure out how to get out of the mess they are in. Linnea Quigley is smokin’ hot (btw, she’s the same naked girl in Silent Night Deadly Night), and R.I.P. James Karen. They definitely don’t make em like this anymore.

https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/rotld06_zps3fsyhyeu.gif

Best Death: Homeless man died in the hands of the hot naked zombie
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/rotld08_zpsswijvlzg.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#12: Gremlins (1984)
Director : Joe Dante
Threat(s) Gremlins
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/gremlins02_zps7eho4000.gif

Threat Premise : They fed them after midnight
Why It Made the List : Superb score, excellent 80s premise. It has all the 80s tropes. Mean woman who threatens to kill dogs in front of a crowd of people? Where is PETA? But it's okay, because you know the woman will get a taste of her own medicine later in the film. In this case, she gets thrown out of a window when the gremlins re-wire her stair chair. (I burst into laughter during this scene)

You know it's the 80s when there's a weird character trait; the main character brings his dog to work at a bank? Why? It appears as though his mother is stays home all day. Steven Spielberg produced this so there's plenty of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. homage. There's plenty of humor, like gremlin's trying to speak or randomly doing human stuff like playing the trumpet or hanging out the bar, and there's plenty of dark humor, like the kitchen rampage and Stripe's death.

Even though the gremlins origin is never explained (if it were remade today, there would be a backstory) I probably would be suspicious if I was the kid and my father told me not to feed it water. What kind of organism doesn't need water to live?

Best Death: Presented without comment- other than this is hilarious
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/gremlins01_zpsysqmfn05.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#11: The Burning (1981)
Director : Tony Maylam
Threat(s) “Mystery” Killer

https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/burning01_zpspff7kscy.gif

Threat Premise : A former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.

Why It Made the List : Well crafted for 1981; but boy does the beginning of this film define the phrase "that escalated quickly". I'm not sure how two small candles can turn into THAT kind of inferno.

For a horror movie and 1981 the sexual exploitation is running at high octane with girls running around with shirts with no bras and bikinis, scenes of girls showering, the classic skinny dipping scene... We are introduced to Jason Alexander as Dave, playing a miniature version of George Costanza.

If anything, this movie is trying ride the coattails of Friday the 13th; albeit a tab better constructed and paced; A slasher movie taking place at an active camp, with plenty of difference characters and much better death scenes.

Best Death: Surprise Canoe Slaughter
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/burning07_zpsfr1cmjgx.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#10: The Shining(1980)
Director : Stanley Kubrick
Threat(s) Ghosts?
http://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/shining02_zpsaldeevwm.gif

Threat Premise : Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. Madness that lurks within tears their winter apart.

Why It Made the List : There isn’t much else to be said that hasn’t already been said about the Shining. Kubrick has all the right touches. The DP did a perfect job making the environment haunting. Combined with Jack Nicholson's performance, it’s just a perfect storm of terror. I recommend these two youtube videos on how Kubrick made the set pieces intentionally confusing for the audience. The set designs were made to be impossible if the Overlook Hotel existed in real life. And the video does a great job showing the floorplans combined with video evidence.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sUIxXCCFWw

Best Scare: The fact that the ghosts let him out of the pantry
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/shining01_zps15zcn19q.gif

[Gizmo]

Good stuff so far. I think a few of my guesses are actually on the list.

[Dukefrukem]

#9: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
Director : John Carl Buechler
Threat(s) Supernatural Jason Voorhees
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/friday04_zpscmwyq7og.gif

Threat Premise : The Jason movie that went off the rails? Part VII strays away from the previous six slashers and adds a new factor in the mix. Jason is accidently resurrected from the bottom of Crystal Lake by Tina, who has telekinetic powers. (why is it no one could find Jason's body after part VI? He was not that far away from the surface?)

Why It Made the List : This might be a controversial pick, but it’s my favorite Jason movie. Jason's urge to kill has never been higher and he has never been more powerful. He also takes form as the Jason we all know and love... a towering decayed corpse, who's spine is revealed from the surface of his skin.

Jason relentlessly kills more teens who are renting a house on the lake, and also uses some random power tools in the process. Jason never runs in this movie like he has in the past. he walks at a slow pace that victims cannot seem to escape. Jason also appears to teleport around its victims, showing up at just the right times. Tina uses her powers to fight off Jason and its the first time in the series someone actually stands up to him. In one of the cooler parts of the movie, Tina uses her powers to squeeze the Hockey Mask off Jason and strangle him with a power cord. Fantastic classic horror scene.

Best Death: Skinny Dipping Death (minus the skinny dipping)
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/friday01_zpsdkwm2hre.gif

[Skitch]

I would've been very wrong. :)

[Dukefrukem]

#8: Re-Animator (1985)
Director : Stuart Gordon
Threat(s) Zombies
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/rean01_zpscs4zzpn7.gif

Threat Premise : Dark weird drama revolving around a mad scientist, Jeffery Combs, who is dating Barbara Crampton, the dean of Miskatonic University’s daughter, located in the imaginary town of Arkham, Massachusetts. Combs’ mission is re-animate dead flesh much to the dismay of his counterparts working at the University.

Why It Made the List : I'm a huge fan of Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness and this movie needs credit for coming out BEFORE both of them. There is plenty of comedy gold with over the top ridiculousness and slapstick humor. But it’s also a very gory movie that is so self-aware, that even Barbara Crampton looks like a genius.

Give Crampton a gold medal for dealing with full frontal nudity, being licked by a severed head and just not giving in to what, at the time, was an X-Rated movie when first released (or Unrated). She was completely devoted to Stuart Gordon here and in the Beyond.

My favorite scenes are headless Dr Hill, The mindless zombie dean, naked zombie party and quotable lines such as “I suggest you get yourself a pen!” and “Cat dead, details later” The score is also wonderful as it is a “homage” to Alfred Hitchcock’s psycho. The zombie cat puppet is also very Sam Raimi.

Best Death: Naked Zombie Party/Dr. Carl Hill Dies a 2nd time
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/rean02_zpsi6b5n6s4.gif
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/rean03_zpsb98po2ty.gif

[Dukefrukem]

I would've been very wrong. :)

It should start to get more obvious as we approach the top 5.

[Dukefrukem]

Good stuff so far. I think a few of my guesses are actually on the list.

A lot of your guesses were on there. I was surprised how high you had Gremlins.

[Dukefrukem]

#7: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Director : Wes Craven
Threat(s) Freddy Krueger
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/nightmare03_zpsap07lpwz.gif
Threat Premise : The monstrous spirit of Freddy Krueger seeks revenge by invading the dreams of teenagers whose parents were responsible for his untimely death.

Why It Made the List : The thing that makes Nightmare such a good 80s slasher is the personality they gave Freddy. Most slashers in the 80s are either faceless, brute force killers, lacking the personality and style that makes this movie so fun. Even for such a low body count that the first movie delivers, as the originality of the deaths are excellent.

There are some classically great scenes such as the stretchy arm Freddy, Freddy cuts his own finger off to reveal green blood, the bathtub claw between crotch scene and my favorite scene that has haunted me since childhood, Nancy sleeps during class and sees her friend being dragged down to the boiler-room leaving a blood trail in the hallway.

The only thing that really lacks about this movie is the finale- which ends abruptly and ambiguously.

Shout out to Evil Dead playing on Nancy's TV and Lin Shaye (the Conjuring) as the teacher.

Best Death: Johnny Depp being sucked into a bed and spit out to the ceiling
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/nightmare02_zpsxijqa9bl.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#6: Evil Dead II (1987)
Director : Sam Raimi
Threat(s) The Book of the Dead
https://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/evildead201_zps5om9gmlg.gif

Threat Premise : Ash Williams and his girlfriend Linda find a log cabin in the woods with a voice recording from an archaeologist who had recorded himself reciting ancient chants from “The Book of the Dead.” As they play the recording an evil power is unleashed taking over Linda’s body.

Why It Made the List : This movie defines me. Ash chasing around his hand (that he cut off himself), laughing with the furniture, getting thrown through the woods by a mystery force… I could watch this movie every day for the rest of my life and love every second of it.

Best Scare: Ash’s girlfriend dancing to jump scare LOLz
https://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/evildead203_zpsqqxisybf.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#5: The Fly (1988)
Director : David Cronenberg
Threat(s) Jeff Goldblum as the Fly
https://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/fly02_zps1sbvwms0.gif
Threat Premise : Seth Brundle makes a huge scientific and technological breakthrough in teleportation, he decides to test it on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a common housefly manages to get inside the device and the two become one.

Why It Made the List : It's so clear to see the production value of films in the 80s range when you watch several in a row. Coming off of Sleepaway Camp, and Children of the Corn, going directly into this movie, the Fly might as well have been made in 2018. The lighting and color pallet is so far superior than most films in the early 90s. The Thing and Poltergeist are two rare exceptions.

Cronenberg takes no time setting up the premise (which takes other films what feels like a lifetime to get going) and just like that, 3 minutes in, we already know who our main players are, and Jeff Goldblum's angle. Geena Davis does fine keeping up with Goldblum and the rich atmosphere and set design early, really adds to the terror, and sets up some wonderful payoff. E.g. the arm wrestle scene and the "how a fly eats" scene. Rick and Morty were right to turn Cronenberg's name into an adjective.

Best Scare: Vomit acid
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/fly03_zpsumdr0cfx.gif

[Dukefrukem]

I just realized, over the weeks of looking at this list over and over that I have two #5s...

[Dukefrukem]

#4: The Blob (1988) Gizmo Guessed this spot correctly
Director : Chuck Russell
Threat(s) A giant blob
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/blob02_zpsmnq5yinj.gif
Threat Premise : Deadly blob from another planet which consumes everything in its path.
Why It Made the List : Aside from having one of the best death scenes in all of horror, it’s a classic ‘the kids know everything but no one believes them until it’s too late’ story. Definitely one of the best remakes out there, combined with excellent VFX for 1988 and believable acting, this is one of my favorite 80s romps.
Best Death: Sucked through drain
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/blob03_zpslj6zoxsn.gif

[Morris Schæffer]

The Blob has some memorably icky kills.

[Dukefrukem]

#3: Poltergeist (1982) Gizmo had this at #8
Director : Tobe Hooper jk Steven Spielberg
Threat(s) The Poltergeist
https://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/polter02_zpswovgcalr.gif
Threat Premise : Broken dishes and furniture moving around by itself. Things get progressively worse … because the script says so.
Why It Made the List : It wasn’t the clown, the skeletons in the pool, the man ripping his own face off (though that was scary), the Poltergeist monster thing… it was the fact that a tree came into a bedroom, picked up a kid, and started to eat him that scared the crap out of me as a kid.

Best Scare: Tree eats Boy :
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/polter03_zpsbwmh9wwh.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#2: The Evil Dead (1981) Gizmo had this at #1
Director : Sam Raimi
Threat(s) The Book of the Dead
https://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p707/Bangstard/evildead04_zpsxgjr9fro.gif
Threat Premise : When a group of college students finds a mysterious book and recording in the old wilderness cabin they’ve rented for the weekend, they unwittingly unleash a demonic force from the surrounding forest.
Why It Made the List : I watched this franchise backwards, and I don’t think what I saw in Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness could have prepared me for this. I remember it clearly, renting this from blockbuster video- I think I was in middle school, I couldn’t watch this movie during the daytime. Cabin in the Woods forever was associated with the Book of the Dead.
Best Death: Tree rape: Controversial I know, but again, this movie had such a huge impact on me, this scene was burned into my mind forever.
https://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/evildead01_zpslshrpha5.gif

[Dukefrukem]

#1: John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) Gizmo had this at #3
Director : John Carpenter
Threat(s): The Thing
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/thething02_zpsgfilzglb.gif
Threat Premise : Scientists in the artic find themselves at odds with a mystery organism that can take the form of any person it kills.

Why It Made the List : It has everything. Mystery. Terror. Gore. Isolated victims. Excellent practical effects. I’m not sure I need to explain this one too much but it’s my absolute favorite horror film of all time. Perfect from beginning to end. Actually, I take that back. The one thing Carpenter should have done was remove the shot of the spaceship crashing into Earth in the introduction. It’s easily explained later in the film when they visit the Norwegian camp.

Best Death: Palmer head eats Windows head- Most people might say chest mouth is the best, and it probably is, but this head scene is so scary and so funny at the same time.
https://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/thething03_zpsuhcac87o.gif

[Dukefrukem]

And that does it. Gizmo you had all the right movies in the top 5 but just couldn't get them 100%. Thanks for playing. Hoping to do this again with maybe a category that people would be more interested in.

[Skitch]

Well done.