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
The Private Eyes
›PG1980 · Comedy, Mystery, Horror · 91m · Don Knotts, Tim Conway, Trisha Noble
The lord and lady of a capacious manor are killed, and the lord's ghost seems to have returned to knock off the staff one by one, causing Inspector Winship and Dr. Tart to investigate the wacky house and its inhabitants.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
›PG-131983 · Horror, Crime, Mystery · 100m · Ian Richardson, Donald Churchill, Denholm Elliott
When a nobleman is threatened by a family curse on his newly inherited estate, detective Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate.
Don't Go to Sleep
›NR1982 · Horror, TV Movie · 93m · Dennis Weaver, Valerie Harper, Robin Ignico
One year after a young girl dies in a car accident, her sister begins seeing visions of her, while the family home is plagued by strange happenings.
Cat's Eye
›PG-131985 · Horror, Thriller · 94m · Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King
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.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
›PG-131988 · Comedy, Fantasy, Horror · 96m · Cassandra Peterson, William Morgan Sheppard, Daniel Greene
Arriving in the small town of Fallwell, Massachusetts to claim her inheritance, horror hostess Elvira receives a less than enthusiastic reception from the conservative locals, including her sinister uncle Vincent.
The Entity
›R1982 · Horror, Mystery, Thriller · 125m · Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, David Labiosa
A single mom is raped by an invisible force. Her psychiatrist believes the experience stems from childhood trauma, while she knows something supernatural is at play.
The Serpent and the Rainbow
›R1988 · Horror, Thriller · 98m · Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae
A Harvard anthropologist is sent to Haiti to retrieve a strange powder that is said to have the power to bring human beings back from the dead. In his quest to find the miracle drug, the cynical scientist enters the rarely seen netherworld of walking zombies, blood rites and ancient curses. Based on the true life experiences of Wade Davis and filmed on location in Haiti, it's a frightening excursion into black magic and the supernatural.
Basket Case
›R1982 · Horror, Comedy · 91m · Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, Beverly Bonner
A young man carrying a big basket that contains his extremely deformed, formerly conjoined twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.
Night of the Comet
›PG-131984 · Comedy, Horror, Science Fiction · 95m · Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran, Kelli Maroney
After a comet wipes out most of life on Earth, two Valley Girls find themselves fighting against cannibal zombies and a sinister group of scientists.
Dreamscape
›PG-131984 · Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller · 99m · Dennis Quaid, Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer
In order to diagnose the psychic traumas suffered by his patients, Dr. Paul Novotny gets young Alex Gardner to enter their dreams.
Wolfen
›R1981 · Horror, Thriller · 115m · Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos
A New York City cop and an expert criminologist trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral animals discover a sinister connection between the crimes and an old legend.
The Star Chamber
›R1983 · Drama, Thriller · 105m · Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Yaphet Kotto
As violence escalates in Los Angeles and heinous murders are committed, Steven Hardin, a young judge of the California Supreme Court, must struggle with his tortured conscience and growing despair as he watches helplessly as the ruthless criminals brought before his court go free because clever lawyers find obscure loopholes in the law.
The Boys Next Door
›R1986 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · 91m · Maxwell Caulfield, Charlie Sheen, Patti D'Arbanville
Roy and Bo leave their small town the weekend after graduation for a short road trip to LA. Soon, they find themselves lashing out and leaving a trail of bodies behind them. The violence escalates throughout.
The Midnight Hour
›1985 · Comedy, Horror, TV Movie · 94m · Jonelle Allen, Shari Belafonte, LeVar Burton
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?
Terror in the Aisles
›R1984 · Horror, Documentary · 84m · Donald Pleasence, Nancy Allen, Fred Asparagus
A non-stop roller coaster ride through the scariest moments of the greatest terror films of all time.
Brimstone & Treacle
›R1982 · Mystery, Drama, Horror · 87m · Sting, Denholm Elliott, Joan Plowright
A mysterious stranger inserts himself into a troubled family's life, blurring the lines between good and evil as he cares for their disabled daughter.
Sleepaway Camp
›R1983 · Horror · 85m · Mike Kellin, Katherine Kamhi, Paul DeAngelo
Years after a terrible boating accident, Angela is sent to Camp Arawak where a series of bizarre and violent "accidents" begin to claim the lives of various campers.
Nighthawks
›R1981 · Action, Crime, Thriller · 99m · Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Rutger Hauer
When one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.
The Burning
›R1981 · Horror · 91m · Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer
A caretaker at a summer camp is burned when a prank goes tragically wrong. After several years of intensive treatment at hospital, he is released back into society, albeit missing some social skills. What follows is a bloody killing spree with the caretaker making his way back to his old stomping ground to confront one of the youths that accidentally burned him.
Alligator
›R1980 · Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller · 91m · Robert Forster, Robin Riker, Michael V. Gazzo
A baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives by eating discarded lab animals that have been injected with growth hormones. The now gigantic animal escapes the city sewers and goes on a rampage, pursued by a cop and a big-game hunter.
Freddy's NightmaresSeries
›TV-141988 · Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy · 2 seasons · Robert Englund
The evil, sinister killer of the "Nightmare On Elm Street" movies, Freddy Krueger, hosts this show, where each week, he shows us a tale of evil and death about the lives of people who live in Springwood.
Eyes of Fire
›R1983 · Horror, Drama · 86m · Dennis Lipscomb, Guy Boyd, Rebecca Stanley
In 1750, an adulterous preacher is ejected from a small British colony with his motley crew of followers, who make their way downriver to establish a new settlement of their own beyond the western frontier.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
›1982 · Drama, Romance, TV Movie · 102m · Anthony Hopkins, Derek Jacobi, David Suchet
Quasimodo, the hunchback bellringer of Notre Dame's cathedral, meets a beautiful gypsy dancer, Esmeralda, and falls in love with her. So does Quasimodo's guardian, the archdeacon of the cathedral, and a poor street poet. But Esmeralda's in love with a handsome soldier. When a mob mistakes her for a witch, it's up to Quasimodo to rescue her and claim sanctuary for her in the cathedral.
The Appointment
›1983 · Horror · 90m · Edward Woodward, Jane Merrow, Samantha Weysom
Prophetic nightmares precede a family's confrontation with an evil, unseen force.
