In the 80s, there were many popular movies that were made during this time of great change in American culture. It wasn’t until the 1980s that Hollywood began to produce a lot of horror films. Today, people are still interested in horror movies and are very curious about the best movie of the 80s.
This article will look at some of the most popular horror movies released in America during the 1980s. These movies have been considered classics for many years now, and have helped define certain aspects about American culture, including our fascination with true crime stories and slasher films.
The Shining (1980)
This iconic movie takes place in the US and follows a family who lives in a haunted hotel. Stanley Kubrick directed this film, which was based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. His purpose for making this movie was to make horror films less cartoonish, and he wanted actors to bring their own emotions into their roles so that they could really get into the part.
This movie was initially nominated for “mock” awards, such as Razzie Awards’ nominations for Shelley Duvall, the lead actress, as the worst actress. Nowadays, though, The Shining is known as one of the most iconic horror movies of all time.
Friday the 13th (1980)
This movie has a plot about a group of teenagers who are staying at a summer camp. It is perhaps one of the most known slasher movies in the history of US cinema, and kickstarted the trend of having slasher franchises focusing on the villain as a mascot alongside other cult classics at the time, such as Halloween (1978). This movie’s lead villain, Jason Voorhees, is considered a horror icon and has been referenced in many movies and video games.
Poltergeist (1982)
This movie is one of the most beloved horror movies from the 80s, and was created by Steven Spielberg. It’s a story about a family who moves into a home that is haunted by ghosts. The ghosts start to traumatize the young daughter in the family, making their lives extremely difficult.
Poltergeist prompted the trend of ghosts invading technology, as its main attraction was how the ghosts channeled themselves through the family’s TV. This movie received critical acclaim, as well as awards such as “Best Special Visual Effects” at BAFTA and two Oscars nominations.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
This movie is made by Wes Craven, a prolific director known for his classic horrors. Aside from the Elm Street franchise, he also became known for his Scream franchise, which began in the mid-90s.
This 1984 movie is about people getting nightmares of being attacked by a man with a disfigured face in the boiler room. This villain takes the form of Freddy Krueger, and terrorizes him when he is asleep. This film was extremely popular during its time, and was acclaimed for being able to keep the audience on their toes by confusing them with which events were real and which were hallucinated by the characters.
