Five Memorable Horror Movies of the 1980s

The 1980s ushered in a grand new era of horror cinema. With the advent of home VCR machines and video rental stores, the average horror fan was presented with endless evenings of nasty entertainment to watch and re-watch. From blockbuster Hollywood film to little-known independent, any film had a shot at cult classic status. Following are five great horror films from the 1980s. Maybe not the "top" five, but five that are noteworthy and a worthy candidate for any night of movies.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven, 1984). Nightmarish bogeyman reaches out through dreams to murder teenagers in inventive and grisly ways. Though technically a slasher film, Nightmare borrowed from dream argument theory to create a story in which characters question their perceptions of reality and illusion. Not only that, but it was downright scary, with Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger the burnt, finger-bladed child murderer.

Poltergeist (Tobe Hooper, 1982). Happy family moves into newly built happy suburb only to find they're living on top of an ancient Indian burial ground - and the inhabitants are most unhappy. There are plenty of supernatural films that are scarier (Hellraiser springs to mind), but Poltergeist effectively critiqued the superficiality of middle-class America and ended by leaving viewers with the message that love conquers all boundaries.

Evil Dead II (Sam Raimi, 1987). Boy takes girl to remote cabin and accidentally unleashes the forces of evil. Hilarity ensues. Evil Dead II was a splatter comedy that effectively infused horror with elements of The Three Stooges. To this day, Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell continues to pack the house at horror conventions.

The House by the Cemetery (Lucio Fulci, 1981). A quaint little New England house hides a gruesome supernatural killer. Who? What? Why put a horribly dubbed, confusing, and frankly laughable film on a list of "top five horror movies?" Because it's a great introduction to the world of the giallo, Italian horror-suspense films featuring much gore and little actual acting. Possibly the most terrifying element of the movie is Giovanni Frezza as Bob, the angelic mop-topped blonde boy with the most bizarrely dubbed voice ever heard.

The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980). Steven King can complain as much as he wants, but Kubrick's interpretation of King's novel was a tight, tense, nearly auteur tale of mental instability interwoven with beautifully nightmarish scares. And Jack Nicholson's over-the-top performance as Jack Torrance is one of the most iconic and defining of his career.