The 80s was a decade where horror movies completely transformed. The advent of better special effects and technology helped to create more gruesome and extreme. The subject matters also expanded greatly, creating a more diverse range of frights for willing audiences. Some of the most iconic and genre-defining films were also spawned in the 80s.Movies likeEvil Dead,A Nightmare On Elm Street,Child’s Play,andFriday the 13thall came out of the 80s and created horror icons that continue to endure and still have franchise entries and spinoffs being made today.
The 80s also spawned some lesser appreciated films that, although maybe achieved cult status, are not as well known in the present. Movies that were gateways for younger viewers or apocalypse portents or featured waxworks coming to life to wreak havoc. This list looks at 5 of these films that should be given their horror dues.
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The Gate
Released in 1987 and featuring a 14-year-old Stephen Dorff in his first feature role,The Gaterevolves around2 young boys who accidentally release minions of Hell from a hole in their backyard. There is a definite air ofDon’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Deadstyle mischief toThe Gate, albeit with demons. The kids, left alone in the house while their parents go away for the weekend, have to combat the forces of evil to save themselves and the world. Despite the kid-friendly comradery and rubber suit monsters, the movie features some genuinely traumatizing imagery and moments.
After the initialopening of the gate, one of the kids embraces what he believes to be his dead mother. Instead, the apparition is the dog belonging to his friend and the dog who promptly dies. Some monsters and demons try to capture the kids, re-animated corpses that break through walls, and several instances of eye stabbing. The movie spawned one sequel, with a remake being originally slated for a 2011 release that has since gone quiet.
The Blob
The 1988 remake ofThe Blobis a wholly more gruesome affair than the 1958 original but follows the same general plot.A meteorite falls from spacecarrying a jelly-like blob lifeform that devours everything in its path. Cue lots of scenes of people being slowly and horrifically dissolved either entirely or from the inside out as Shawnee Smith and Kevin Dillon try to convince the rest of their town that sentient jello is trying to wipe them out.
What makes the 1988 movie stand out, apart from the slimy practical effects, are the strong performances from the main cast. Both Smith and Dillon deliver great performances of exasperated opposites being thrown together to save their town. Another standout is Del Close who plays the Reverand Meeker, a man who slowly descends into religious fervor, believing that the blob is the bringer of abiblical extinction event.
Waxwork
WhileWaxworkmay lack the menacing atmosphere of other wax-based horrors such asHouse of Wax,it does feature zany energy that makes it more akin to an adultMonster Squad. A group of college students, headed by Zach Galligan, visits a strange wax museum that features 18 displays of the most reviled and evil figures in history. The catch is that once they cross the rope barriers surrounding the exhibit they are pulled into a pocket dimension where the display lives and it wants them dead.Waxworkis a movie for monster fans, featuring one of thebest werewolves committed to film.
The movie is over the top, campy, and features one of the 80s favorite storylines: evil voodoo bringing things to life. Along with the comedy elements, there is a good amount of gore and smart characters who subvert the usual horror film protagonists.
Xtro
Xtroisan alien abduction moviethat is a nasty, hallucinatory showcase of special effects. Panned upon release but since finding an audience in horror fans,Xtrois the story of Sam, a father who is abducted by aliens and returns 3 years later. However, upon his return, it’s obvious that Sam is not the same as he was. What follows is a slow burn nightmare of grisly alien murders and transformations as Sam works to transform his son and create further offspring. The new Sam insinuates himself back into the life of his family, who have moved on without him, and begins to exert his influence over his son.
WhileXtroisn’t one of the best-acted movies of the 80s, it is notable in itsnightmarish qualities which leave an impactand a shudder down the spine long after watching. The recent blu-ray release also featured an alternate ending in the UK that was deemed too abrupt for release originally.
Prince of Darkness
Released in 1987,Prince of Darknesswas directed byhorror legend John Carpenter. The movie is the second part of what Carpenter labeled his Apocalypse Trilogy, the first beingThe Thingand the third being In theMouth of Madness.The plot of the movie follows a group of students tasked with investigating a strange vial of liquid found in the lower chambers of a monastery. It turns out to be the liquid form of Satan which promptly begins spraying all over anyone it can and possessing them. As the night goes on, the homeless population of the city begins to gather outside, trapping them in the church as the survivors begin to experience a shared dream, a warning from the future of the coming of the Anti-Christ.
As well as a Satanic green liquid,Prince of Darknessoozesatmosphere and dread. People turn to bugs, others begin to decay, and all the while the warning from the future looms over the survivors almost ensuring their demise. Alice Cooper also makes an appearance as a member of the homeless population that prevents the survivors from escaping.
