30. Razorback (1984)
Few horror films will ever top Jaws, and plenty of horror films know that. So, instead of trying to top Steven Spielberg’s classic, they have applied the same formula to movies that take place on land and in the sky. Razorback is the giant hog movie of Jaws knockoffs, but it’s also unfair to disregard it as a rip-off.
Razorback is incredibly stylish and boasts some highly effective horror set-pieces, all the while taking advantage of an Outback setting that lends itself perfectly to scare fare. As far as creature yarns go, however, few movies are better than this. It also possesses a surprisingly nasty streak at points, which might surprise some viewers who think a pig movie will be full of laughs. (Kieran Fisher)
29. The Blob (1988)
A meteorite crashes into Earth just outside a small town. From the crash emerges a slimy pile of goop with a never-ending appetite. As the entity begins to consume more and more townspeople it grows larger and larger. Soon government officials show up to lock down the town and contain the amoeba-like organism. Unsurprisingly, these government officials aren’t entirely honest. The gelatinous creature actually isn’t from space. It’s biological warfare the US government created for assistance during the Cold War. As often is the case with the US government, the results were a disaster and they tried to cover them up and that just created a bigger disaster.
Chuck Russell‘s remake of The Blob is a gory masterwork of practical effects magic — the bloody melty death of Paul (Donovan Leitch) is a highlight of ’80s cinema — but it’s also a relevant commentary on the incompetence of our leaders. The blob’s first victim is a homeless man that is hit by a car shortly after being attacked by the creature. He’s rushed to the emergency room and the first thing they do is go on about whether or not he has the proper health insurance to cover the costs. Topical. This was released in 1988. (Chris Coffel)
28. Phenomena (1985)
When people ask what the best Dario Argento movie is, the answer is a definitive Deep Red (1975). But when people ask what my personal favorite Argento is… well, the answer can only be Phenomena. Jennifer Connelly stars as a teen sent to an elite boarding school by her celebrity father, but in addition to weird teachers and bullies, the school is also home to a killer. Oh, and Connelly befriends a wheelchair-bound Donald Pleasance who really digs her ability to communicate with insects.
Also, there’s a razor-wielding chimpanzee too. Argento blends his giallo tastes with some bonkers plot beats, scores it all to Goblin and heavy metal, and just keeps ramping it all up through a bloody, maggot-filled ending. It’s all manner of glorious, and while he has better-crafted films elsewhere there’s absolutely no denying the high degree of pure horror fun he’s unleashing here. (Rob Hunter)
27. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
The ’80s are littered with films built on an absurd premise. Get a title that screams hilarity and wrap a plot around it. I rented plenty of dumb ass movies based on gag titles, and more often than not, they were never as clever as you imagined. Killer Klowns from Outer Space gets a chuckle out of the title, but then it delivers on every ounce of its preposterous concept. The Chiodo Brothers (Charles, Edward, and Stephen) lean heavily into sincerity and achieve their giggles from their characters’ staunch seriousness. Killer Klowns with cotton candy ray guns. They ain’t no joke, and they’ll happily make your insides your outsides and jam their fist into your newly formed puppet body. Gross. Genius. Hilarious. Still somehow scary. (Brad Gullickson)
26. Fright Night (1985)
When you suspect that there’s something strange about your new neighbor, there’s only one thing to do about it: make the leap to suspecting he’s a vampire, and pledge to do whatever it takes to bring him down. The greatest compliment I can give Fright Night is that it features a scene where Chris Sarandon wears a sweater to the club and that’s not even the best part of the movie. The best part is that it’s a rip-roaring good time with a script as sharp as vampire fangs and a showcase for big-screen legend Roddy McDowall to have a hell of a lot of fun as a washed-up horror actor turned real-life slayer. Fright Night packs a wonderfully goofy punch with horror, humor, and some A+ special effects. (Anna Swanson)
25. Pieces (1982)
In many ways, Pieces is a simple slasher about a killer with mother issues who just wants to build a fleshy jigsaw puzzle. It’s sleazy, violent, and everything you want to find in a slasher film. What makes Pieces a cut above the rest, however, is its forays into pure absurdity. This includes a scene in which fake Bruce Lee performs random kung-fu sequences because he had “bad chop suey.” Is it offensive? Sure it is. But it’s hard not to admire Pieces’ utter disregard for appropriateness and good taste. Don’t even get me started on the utterly majestic opening scene. Just go watch Pieces. (Kieran Fisher)
24. The Evil Dead (1981)
When director Sam Raimi, producer Rob Tapert, and star Bruce Campbell made The Evil Dead, they likely didn’t think their film would make a profound impact on cinema. They probably thought with their meager budget and buckets of blood that the film, in a best-case scenario, would make back its budget and maybe get them another movie. But on the back of its frightening sense of vérité realism, not to mention the little black book of Night of the Living Dead distributor Irvin Shapiro, the film screened at Cannes where author Stephen King was in attendance. Coked out of his mind and loving every minute of it, King would declare it “the most ferociously original horror films of the year,” and the rest is blood-soaked history.
With a fatalistic mood accenting its geysers of gore, The Evil Dead is a much more strenuous exercise in horror than its comedic successors, but it’s a tone that makes it stand apart. It may be uber low-budget, mired in clichés of its own making, but for every hokey rubber mask the audience sees, they get the shit slapped out of them with an unbridled terror of the likes they weren’t anticipating in 1981. For all of its intensity, The Evil Dead’s greatest impact came from its DIY spirit. Budding filmmakers saw the film, with all of its clever, home-spun energy, and thought “I think I can do that too.” Only in the 1980s could a film with this many melting faces feel so inspiring. (Jacob Trussell)
23. Prince of Darkness (1987)
People often dismiss John Carpenter‘s middle entry in his unofficial “Apocalypse” trilogy as a lesser work, but those people are dumbasses. The film follows a group of researchers who descend on an abandoned church to investigate the green goo swirling in the basement, and it’s not long before Carpenter’s script (credited to Martin Quartermass) starts smashing together mathematics and Satan into a spectacular blend of science and horror. Possessions, icky skin ailments, a zombiefied Alice Cooper, and more are unleashed against a dwindling number of survivors, and all of it works towards one of Carpenter’s best and most memorable endings.
The film also features one of the terror maestro’s best and most under-appreciated scores with some pounding and propulsive synth beats pushing viewers closer and closer to the nightmare. Part supernatural horror, part siege film (reminiscent of Assault on Precinct 13 at times as outsiders fight to gain entry), and an all-around slice of dark fun, Prince of Darkness is top-tier Carpenter and a devilishly good time. (Rob Hunter)
22. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Heather Langenkamp made her first return to Elm Street with the third film in the series, Dream Warriors. Nancy, now an intern therapist, visits “suicidal” teens at Westin Hill Psychiatric Hospital. Understanding these teens aren’t trying to take their own lives but are instead being tormented while they sleep by Freddy Krueger, Nancy helps them to take back their dreams and defeat the Springwood Slasher.
First-time director Chuck Russell teamed with Frank Darabont, Bruce Wagner, and Wes Craven to craft the perfect Freddy film. It balances the dark and sinister Freddy from the first film with the trademark wit he developed over the rest of the series. And then there are the kills, which are the best the franchise has to offer. Whether it’s Jennifer (Penelope Sudrow) getting her big break on TV — Freddy’s head stretching out the top of the TV set is pure nightmare fuel — or Phillip (Bradley Gregg) being turned into a human marionette, it’s hard to top these death scenes. (Chris Coffel)
21. The Fog (1980)
The Fog usually just misses the cut when fans list their all-time favorite John Carpenter films, but if it came from a less prolific and accomplished director than the master of horror himself, it might be considered a definitive work. When a maritime haunting threatens a coastal California town on its centennial birthday, a hitchhiker, a priest, a local, a DJ, and her son all become involved in a race against the clock to save the town from vengeful spirits.
The Fog’s seaside setting is stunning, as is Carpenter’s original score, and when the cold fog rolls in, you can all but feel it in your bones. The film’s unique mythology and cool design make it memorable, and an outrageously great cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, and Hal Holbrook is just the icing on this cake by the ocean. (Valerie Ettenhofer)
Related Topics: 31 Days of Horror Lists, Horror
