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The Best Horror Movies Of The 1980s

Updated November 10, 2020 105.8k votes 5.3k voters 184.1k views181 items

List RulesMovies in the horror genre that were originally released in the 1980s

This list of the best 80s horror movies is a lengthy one, with good reason. The 1980s were a phenomenal decade for classic horror films, with some of the best, scariest, creepiest and in some cases, campiest films ever made. Several of the greatest horror films ever made were released in the 80s. This list of the top scary films from the 1980s is by no means complete, so feel free to vote for your favorite horror movies to come out of Hollywood. You can also rerank this list any way you like.

The 1980s ushered in a kind of golden age for horror flicks, with so many titles coming out so fast that it was difficult to keep up. Every week, a handful of new and freaky horror films were released in theaters. And sequels? Oh good grief, the sequels! '80s horror movies included the originals and sequels for the wildly popular Nightmare on Elm Street, Evil Dead, and Friday the 13th franchises. Halloween, while released in the late-1970s, did spawn several sequels released in the 80s.

While slasher horror films and monster movies have existed since the early days of cinema, the genre reached its height in the 1980s. Every major horror film, with a handful of exceptions, featured some sort of psycho killer on the loose, stalking poor, helpless (and clueless!) teenagers. Sometimes these killers were human, other times they were aliens or – gasp! – murderous clowns. Graphic violence was the norm, the shock value kept going higher and higher, and these films were certainly among the most nausea-inducing great films of all time.

Need more horror? Check out the best 1990s horror movies as well!

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The Thing
Kurt Russell, Keith David
Released: 1982
Directed by: John Carpenter
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The Evil Dead
Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi
Released: 1981
Directed by: Sam Raimi
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Aliens
Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton
Released: 1986
Directed by: James Cameron
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A Nightmare on Elm Street
Johnny Depp, Robert Englund
Released: 1984
Directed by: Wes Craven
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The Shining
Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall
Released: 1980
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
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Friday the 13th
Kevin Bacon, Tom Savini
Released: 1980
Directed by: Sean S. Cunningham
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The Lost Boys
Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman
Released: 1987
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
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Poltergeist
Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams
Released: 1982
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
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Hellraiser
Doug Bradley, Andrew Robinson
Released: 1987
Directed by: Clive Barker
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Creepshow
Stephen King, Ed Harris
Released: 1982
Directed by: George A. Romero
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Evil Dead II
Bruce Campbell, Kassie DePaiva
Released: 1987
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An American Werewolf in London
Jenny Agutter, Frank Oz
Released: 1981
Directed by: John Landis
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Fright Night
Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowall
Released: 1985
Directed by: Tom Holland
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Predator
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura
Released: 1987
Directed by: John McTiernan
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Pet Sematary
Stephen King, Fred Gwynne
Released: 1989
Directed by: Mary Lambert
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John Carpenter's The Fog
Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh
Released: 1980
Directed by: John Carpenter
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A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Patricia Arquette, Laurence Fishburne
Released: 1987
Directed by: Chuck Russell
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Halloween II
Jamie Lee Curtis, Dana Carvey
Released: 1981
Directed by: Rick Rosenthal
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They Live
Roddy Piper, Keith David
Released: 1988
Directed by: John Carpenter
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The Fly
Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum
Released: 1986
Directed by: David Cronenberg
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Gremlins
Steven Spielberg, Corey Feldman
Released: 1984
Directed by: Joe Dante
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Child's Play
Brad Dourif, Catherine Hicks
Released: 1988
Directed by: Tom Holland
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Christine
Kelly Preston, Alexandra Paul
Released: 1983
Directed by: John Carpenter
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Friday the 13th Part 2
Betsy Palmer, Lauren-Marie Taylor
Released: 1981
Directed by: Steve Miner
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Silver Bullet
Gary Busey, Corey Haim
Released: 1985
Directed by: Dan Attias
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