The Crypt Charts
The Top 13 Horror Movies of 1985
The thirteen horror films of 1985 that the crypt judged worthiest, ranked by the Crypt Score.
Ranked by Crypt Score · Updated weekly · captured Jul 20, 2026
Eligibility: a title needs at least 2 rating sources and 1,000+ votes to chart — no thin-data entries.
The Return of the Living Dead
R1985 · Comedy, Horror, Science Fiction · 91m · Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews
When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies.
Fright Night
R1985 · Comedy, Horror · 107m · Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall
Charley Brewster, a high school student, accidentally discovers the true and creepy nature of Jerry Dandrige, his dashing and enigmatic new neighbor; but no one seems willing to believe him.
Day of the Dead
NR1985 · Horror, Drama, Mystery · 101m · Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato, Jarlath Conroy
As the world is overrun by zombies, scientists and military personnel in an underground Florida bunker must decide on how they should deal with the undead.
Fortress
1985 · Drama, Horror, Thriller · 88m · Rachel Ward, Sean Garlick, Elaine Cusick, Laurie Moran
After being kidnapped by four masked men, a teacher and her students rebel by plotting against the criminals.
Phenomena
R1985 · Horror, Thriller · 110m · Jennifer Connelly, Daria Nicolodi, Fiore Argento, Federica Mastroianni
A young girl, with an amazing ability to communicate with insects, is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.
Cat's Eye
PG-131985 · Horror, Thriller · 94m · Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King, Kenneth McMillan
Three short stories linked by a stray cat that roams from one tale to the next, in this creepy triptych that begins as Dick tries to quit smoking by any means necessary. Next, we meet Johnny, an adulterous man who's forced by his lover's husband onto a building's hazardous ledge. Finally, Amanda is threatened by an evil gnome who throws suspicion on the family cat.
The Midnight Hour
1985 · Comedy, Horror, TV Movie · 94m · Jonelle Allen, Shari Belafonte, LeVar Burton, Peter DeLuise
Phil, Melissa, Mitch, Mary, and Vinnie are high school friends, who unwittingly raise the dead on Halloween night. Once the dead have returned, Pitchford Cove will never be the same again....or will it?
Return
1985 · Horror, Fantasy, Romance · 82m · Ariel Aberg-Riger, Lee Stetson, Karlene Crockett, Lenore Zann
After reading an article about hypnotic regression, a woman whose maternal grandfather died when she was only three years old contacts the hypnotic subject named in the article believing that he is the reincarnation of her grandfather, and hoping that she can learn the truth about how he died.
Silver Bullet
R1985 · Horror · 95m · Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Tovah Feldshuh, Megan Follows
The small city of Tarker's Mills is startled by a series of sadistic murders. The population fears the work of a maniac, but sightings of a mysterious, hairy creature soon spread. People lock themselves up at night, but there's one boy who's still outside…
Lifeforce
R1985 · Horror, Science Fiction, Action · 102m · Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, Mathilda May
A race of space vampires arrives in London and infects the populace, commencing an apocalyptic descent into chaos.
The Stuff
R1985 · Horror, Science Fiction, Comedy · 86m · Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris, Paul Sorvino
Amalgamated Dairies hires David Rutherford, an FBI man turned industrial saboteur, to investigate a popular new product called “the Stuff,” a new dessert product that is blowing ice cream sales out of the water. Nobody knows how it’s made or what’s in it, but people are lining up to buy it. It's got a delicious flavor to die for!
House
R1985 · Comedy, Horror, Fantasy · 92m · William Katt, George Wendt, Richard Moll, Kay Lenz
A divorced horror novelist coming to terms with the disappearance of his young son inherits an old mansion home to malevolent supernatural residents.
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