Decades of Terror 2021: 1980s Weird Movies: Decades of Terror

By Steve Hutchison

Steve Hutchison reviews 100 amazing weird horror films from the 1980s. Each film is analyzed and discussed with a synopsis and a rating. The movies are ranked. How many have you seen?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Hutchison
• Release date: Feb 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781778870033

Steve Hutchison

Artist, developer and entrepreneur in film, video games and communications Steve Hutchison co-founded Shade.ca Art and Code in 1999, then Terror.ca and its French equivalent Terreur.ca in 2000. With his background as an artist and integrator, Steve worked on such games as Capcom's Street Fighter, PopCap's Bejeweled, Tetris, Bandai/Namco's Pac-Man and Mattel's Skip-Bo & Phase 10 as a localization manager, 2-D artist and usability expert. Having acquired skills in gamification, he invented a unique horror movie review system that is filterable, searchable and sortable by moods, genres, subgenres and antagonists. Horror movie fans love it, and so do horror authors and filmmakers, as it is a great source of inspiration. In March 2013, Steve launched Tales of Terror, with the same goals in mind but with a much finer technology and a complex engine, something that wasn’t possible initially. He has since published countless horror-themed books.

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Tales of Terror’s

Decades of Terror 2021

1980s Weird Movies

INTRODUCTION

Steve Hutchison reviews 100 amazing weird horror films from the 1980s. Each film is analyzed and discussed with a synopsis and a rating. The movies are ranked. How many have you seen?

#1

The Shining

1980

Secluded in a remote hotel for the winter, a family is terrorized by ghosts.

8/8

The Shining is the ultimate ghost movie. It is not only about the dead coming back, but about vice, mental illness, and human evil. It is a slow burn that never gets boring because when nothing happens, photography does. It is among Kubrick’s best work and one of the best horror movies ever made. The hotel is a dense psychedelic labyrinth, and the script follows the same theme and logic.

Fans of thrillers get a thick depiction of family violence caused by alcoholism and supernatural lovers get scary ghosts. When mental illness and seclusion are gradually added to the equation, claustrophobia takes a new meaning. This is a long feature that constantly foreshadows, setting a stressful and uncomfortable tone that is as efficient psychologically as it is viscerally.

The set design is right out of a nightmare. The actors are so vigorous and meticulous it is troubling. Family horror, when approached so brilliantly, becomes something we can all relate to. It is never explicit with taboos but quickly hints at many twisted concepts that make the movie highly rewatchable. Get ready to be immersed and shook up. Prepare for the horror experience of a lifetime!

#2

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

1987

Teenagers held in a mental institution become the victims of a mad man who invades nightmares and kills through them.

8/8

Fully established now, the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise takes full advantage of the mid-80’s way to do things when it comes to supernatural slashers. This time around, we focus on a group of troubled kids held in a psych ward and not taken seriously when the deadly nightmares kick in. The new setting is a great stepping stone. The fact that the victims are confined adds to the threat.

Until now, in Springwood, personalities weren’t clearly defined and character arcs were privileged over character traits. The different protagonists are now full-on stereotypes. They are sympathetic, nonetheless, and, though their situation is sad, they are an entertaining bunch. Their personas become a critical part of the plot when they learn they can shape their dreams to survive the night.

The movie is dark, magical, gimmicky. Prosthetics and animatronics play a significant role. Heather Langenkamp’s character returns and Krueger is still played by Robert Englund. The initial mythology lost in the previous entry is shunned and resumes. It’s everything the first sequel should have been. It’s is ambitious, looks great, and pushes fantasy even further than the previous films did.

#3

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

1988

Haunted by a specter in her nightmares, a teenager discovers she is propagating her death curse among her friends.

8/8

This third sequel in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is a gift to the MTV generation. It walks in the footsteps of the previous film but brings its own immature, bratty flavor. Not as dramatic but still tense, it creates ambiance through music as much as lighting and set design. The soundtrack is mostly composed of pop-rock, yet the song selection still serves the eeriness.

Freddy is still scary but now seems self-aware, camera-conscious, and plays it cool. The movie has memorable mind-fuck moments, atmospheric dream sequences, and fun characters you can’t help but care for. The third movie was character-centric and so is this one. It is now established that whatever talent or strength you have or wish you had in real life you can use as weapons in nightmares.

The direction is energetic, methodically paced, the dialogue hip, though slightly awkward at times, and there is always something interesting going on. The script is dense and eventually deals with time loops, location warps, and the groundhog day effect. The new eccentricities are a hazy delight. The murder scenes are imaginative, completely over the top, lengthy and gory.

#4

Labyrinth

1986

A teenage girl is given 13 hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother who has been kidnapped by a wizard.

8/8

Labyrinth draws obvious parallels with Alice in Wonderland, but it is its own thing. It’s about a teenage girl stuck in what seems like an endless maze, trying to rescue her baby brother. David Bowie’s character stole him. Yes, this kids’ movie is incredibly dark, but it’s done in good taste. It’s not gory and it’s never vulgar. It’s a fully immersive experience and you’ll never forget it.

The atmosphere is palpable. The sets are astonishing, the matte painting breath-taking and the puppetry perplexing in every possible way. The movie sucks you right in in the first minutes. David Bowie’s music will transport you through this epic adventure. All his songs are earworms. He plays the eccentric antagonist; an evil wizard called the Goblin King.

Creature artist Ron Mueck gives the monsters a soul of their own. His contribution is significant. His characters are frightening. They are both imaginative and repulsive. This is a modern fairy tale courtesy of Jim Henson, who directs. The man can do no wrong. Jennifer Connelly can sure act and her beauty is stunning. She can deliver dialogue as few can. This film is a true masterpiece.

#5

Creepshow

1982

A monster escapes from a horror comic book and visits a battered boy to inspire him in his vengeance scheme.

8/8

As if right out of an EC Comic, Creepshow uses a variety of colored lights and gobos. Still painting morphs into real footage, then back to the comic world to isolate each of the 5 segments. The wrap-around story centers on the frustrations of a young boy who gets physically abused by his father and is, in itself, a strong story featuring unique effects and surreal sociopath characters.

There’s something for everyone in this anthology, namely evil ex-lovers, monsters, alien forms, plants, bugs, and revenants. There’s light humor and