Top Horror Movies from the '80s

The '80s were a special time for horror movies! It was time to turn up the envelope on the genre, and so it was that during this decade some of the most inventive and gruesome, gore-caked horror ever was released in theaters and the newly emerged home video market. It even got so rich during the '80s, with everyone trying to outdo one another in the shock department, that some countries such as the U.K. had to establish government censors and ban lists stemming from the fear that this new wave of horror would twist the minds of the innocent. Here is a guide to the top horror films of the '80s that left many with a fair share of memorable shocks and nightmares.

John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness - This little gem might appear as a surprise to many seeing it appear on a list comprised of the top '80s horror movies. But make no mistake about it, John Carpenter serves up one of the most menacing, unique, and creative horror movies ever made in Prince of Darkness. The premise of Prince of Darkness is utterly fantastic as far as horror movies go. The Catholic Church seems to have a big problem on it's hands! It seems that a secret sect of the church has been keeping something imprisoned in an archaic capsule deep within a basement of a church in Los Angeles that of all things resembles a mass amount of a popular glowing green sports drink. They don't know quite what to make of it but an ominous diary left behind by one of the secret sect's recently deceased members indicates it's very bad. The Church brings in an outside team specialists to solve the dilemma for them. This team is led by a well renowned physics professor and his personally selected crew, which is made up of mostly very promising university students from various fields. As the professor's team begins to crack the code horrific events and hints of a coming apocalypse begin to unfold as the evil in the capsule awakens. Prince of Darkness opened in 1987 with some moderate success, but it largely slipped under the radar of many horror fans. Bit by bit, appreciative word of mouth has managed to elevate the movie's status from a cult horror movie into a substantially meaningful piece of work for the horror genre. Prince of Darkness is by far the most creatively unique horror movies of the 80's, and even stands as one the best such examples in all the history of horror film cinema. Therefore, while not as well known as numerous mundane slasher flicks that dominated the 80's horror genre, Prince of Darkness nonetheless deserves it's place amongst the top horror movies of the 80's.

Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn - This superior sequel to Sam Raimi's virginal filmmaking effort The Evil Dead, is sure one creepy but hoot of a movie. Bruce Campbell reprises his legendary role as Ash, as this film starts off as a bit of remake of the first by recapping the main gist of events from the first entry. Ash and his girlfriend find the evil cabin out in the woods, they naively play the tape which speaks the words which summon the Evil Dead, the evil takes his girlfriend and then Ash... But then we jump into the actual sequel. Ash has managed to survive, but soon the daughter of the cabin's missing owners appears with a small posse in tow, and they believe Ash is a deranged madman whom has killed the previous occupants. This sets off a whole slew of events where Raimi gets to play with his trademark brand of creative camera work and penchant for slapstick humor. Evil Dead 2 is a legend when it comes to '80s horror movies, and this list just wouldn't be a true list of the top '80s horror movies without it.

Hellraiser - As a whole class of serial killers donning masks rode shamelessly upon the coattails of Michael Meyers success well into the '80s, Clive Barker, an up and coming horror writer and playwright was also about to leave his mark on the film genre. Released in 1987, Hellraiser introduced an entirely new monster to 80's horror movie film goers, Pinhead and the Cenobytes! The Cenobytes were someone's twisted idea of a good prize for solving a strange occult puzzle box. Instead of stalking you around a campground, the Cenobytes simply tortured and mutilated the bejesus out you before condemning you to hell, simply because they thought they were actually doing you a favor. Hellraiser featured some of the most grotesque and disturbing images of graphic violence ever seen up to that point in horror movies, and Pinhead became an instant horror movie monster icon. The popularity of the first film launched an entire franchise of other films and pop-culture media, so without a doubt, Hellraiser gets a deserved spot on the best horror movies of the 1980s.

Re-Animator - Loosely on the Herbert West: Re-Animator tale that was penned by H.P. Lovecraft, the straight to video gore-fest Re-Animator became a top 80's horror movie by rentals alone. Jeffrey Combs portrayal of the mad genius Herbert West's obsession with defeating death by means of a zombie making serum, is one of the most memorable roles in all of '80s horror. Re-Animator is well renowned for it's over the top gore as well. You'll be hard pressed to find a 30s or 40s something male who doesn't remember the scene involving a severed head and a naked Barbara Crampton with at least a certain amount of glee.

An American Werewolf In London - In 1981 John Landis brought this award wining horror/comedy to theaters around the world. It was one of the first werewolf movies in sometime, and it's success was responsible for a few other pretty decent films popping up in the '80s which also depicted humans with a lupine curse. An American Werewolf in London is a crafty movie! It is renowned for being chock full of black comedy and award winning special FX... But the storyline also deals more intimately with the problems attached by having the curse of the werewolf upon you than any other werewolf movie made before or since. Unfortunately, An American Werewolf in London has become a bit of a forgotten relic, but those who remember it and the stir it caused in the early '80s would be hard pressed to argue it's definite value in being considered amongst the best horror movies from the '80s.