Decade
1980s Horror
The horror that defined the 1980s — ranked by Crypt Score, from era-defining classics to the deep cuts worth resurrecting.
625 titles
Amazing StoriesSeries
›TV-PG1985 · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Comedy, Family · 2 seasons
A truly amazing, fantastical, science fiction, funny and odd, and sometimes scary, sad and endearing anthology series presented by Steven Spielberg with guest appearances by many famous actors, actresses, and directors.
Hammer House of HorrorSeries
›TV-MA1980 · Mystery, Drama · 1 season
Each self-contained episode features a different kind of horror, varying from witches, werewolves, ghosts, devil worship and voodoo, but also includes non-supernatural themes such as cannibalism, confinement and serial killers.
Special Bulletin
›1983 · TV Movie, Drama, Thriller · 103m · Ed Flanders, Kathryn Walker, Roxanne Hart
An evening of TV programming is interrupted by breaking news: in Charleston, South Carolina, two Coast Guard personnel and two members of a local news team have been taken hostage by a group of terrorists who are seeking to destroy the triggers of all local nuclear devices. Moreover, the terrorists threaten to detonate their own device if their demands are not met.
They Live
›R1988 · Science Fiction, Action, Thriller · 93m · Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster
A lone drifter stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.
Videodrome
›R1983 · Horror, Science Fiction, Mystery · 88m · James Woods, Debbie Harry, Sonja Smits
As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.
The Lost Boys
›R1987 · Horror, Comedy, Thriller · 97m · Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest
When an unsuspecting town newcomer is drawn to local blood fiends, the Frog brothers and other unlikely heroes gear up to rescue him.
The Return of the Living Dead
›R1985 · Comedy, Horror, Science Fiction · 91m · Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa
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.
Angel Heart
›R1987 · Horror, Mystery · 113m · Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet
A down-and-out Brooklyn detective is hired to track down a singer on an odyssey that will take him through the desperate streets of Harlem, the smoke-filled jazz clubs of New Orleans, and the swamps of Louisiana and its seedy underworld of voodoo.
Re-Animator
›NR1985 · Science Fiction, Comedy, Horror · 86m · Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton
Conducting clandestine experiments within the morgue at Miskatonic University, scientist Herbert West reveals to a fellow graduate student his groundbreaking work concerning the re-animation of fresh corpses.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
›NR1986 · Crime, Horror, Thriller · 83m · Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles
Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.
The Changeling
›R1980 · Horror · 107m · George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas
After a tragic event happens, composer John Russell moves to Seattle to try to overcome it and build a new and peaceful life in a lonely big house that has been uninhabited for many years. But, soon after, the obscure history of such an old mansion and his own past begin to haunt him.
The Deliberate Stranger
›NR1986 · Drama, Crime, Thriller · 185m · Mark Harmon, Frederic Forrest, George Grizzard
Based on a true story, this film depicts the life of Ted Bundy, the serial killer. In 1974, after having murdered several young women, he leaves Seattle for Utah, where he is a law student and where other girls disappear. It takes the cooperation of a number of police forces to work efficiently on this case. Soon, but not soon enough, the police eliminate endless possibilities and close in on him. Bundy is tried in the media and his good-boy attitude brings him sympathy but also the hatred of many.
MonstersSeries
›TV-141988 · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery, Comedy · 3 seasons
Monsters is a syndicated horror anthology series which originally ran from 1988 to 1991 and reran on the Sci-Fi Channel during the 1990s. Similarly to Tales from the Darkside, Monsters shared the same producer, and in some ways succeeded the show. It differed in some respects nonetheless. While Tales sometimes dabbled in stories of science fiction and fantasy, this series was more strictly horror. As the name implies, each episode features a different monster, from the animatronic puppet of a fictional children's television program to mutated, weapon-wielding lab rats.
The Chronicles of NarniaSeries
›1988 · Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure · 3 seasons · David Thwaites, Camilla Power
The Chronicles of Narnia is a British television miniseries adapting four of C.S. Lewis's books, blending live-action with animation for fantasy elements like Aslan and the creatures. The first series—The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe—aired from 13 November to 18 December 1988; the second—Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader—aired from 19 November to 24 December 1989; and the third—The Silver Chair—from 18 November to 23 December 1990. Each series consists of six episodes each.
Fright Night
›R1985 · Comedy, Horror · 107m · Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse
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.
Dressed to Kill
›R1980 · Thriller, Mystery, Horror · 105m · Michael Caine, Nancy Allen, Angie Dickinson
After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing her only witness.
Southern Comfort
›R1981 · Thriller, War · 106m · Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward
A squad of National Guards on an isolated weekend exercise in the Louisiana swamp must fight for their lives when they anger local Cajuns by stealing their canoes. Without live ammunition and in a strange country, their experience begins to mirror the Vietnam experience.
Eureeka's CastleSeries
›1989 · Kids, Comedy · 1 season · Noel MacNeal, Pam Arciero, Lynn Hippen
Eureeka's Castle is an American children's television series that aired on Nickelodeon from September 4, 1989 to June 30, 1995.
Near Dark
›R1987 · Horror · 94m · Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen
A farm boy reluctantly becomes a member of the undead when a girl he meets turns out to be part of a band of vampires who roam the highways in stolen cars.
The Hidden
›R1987 · Action, Science Fiction, Horror · 97m · Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, Ed O'Ross
When average, law-abiding citizens suddenly turn to a life of hedonistic behavior and violent crime, Detective Tom Beck is tasked with helping young FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher determine the cause.
Beauty and the BeastSeries
›TV-PG1987 · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Crime, Drama · 3 seasons · Ron Perlman, Roy Dotrice, Jay Acovone
Savvy Assistant District Attorney Catherine Chandler is saved by a noble, beast-like man named Vincent, who lives in a secret, utopian community beneath New York City. They share a psychic bond, and he protects her from above.
Day of the Dead
›NR1985 · Horror, Drama, Mystery · 101m · Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato
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.
Body Double
›R1984 · Crime, Mystery, Thriller · 114m · Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry
After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully finally catches a break: he gets offered a gig house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills. While peering through the beautiful home's telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous woman dancing in her window. But when he witnesses the girl's murder, it leads Scully through the netherworld of the adult entertainment industry on a search for answers—with porn actress Holly Body as his guide.
Dead Calm
›R1989 · Thriller, Horror · 96m · Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Billy Zane
An Australian couple takes a sailing trip in the Pacific to get over the recent loss of their son. While on the open sea, they come across a sinking ship with one survivor who is not at all what he seems.