The '80s are known for being a decade filled with some of the best horror movies. It might just be the '80s nostalgia talking, but that doesn't mean that there weren't tons of heavy-hitters, since this is pretty much when blockbuster horror movies really got rolling. That being said, they can't all be winners, so for every great horror movie from this decade, there were some that were absolutely terrible.
However, a movie doesn't exactly have to be good to be fun and enjoyable. Here's a look at some '80s-era horror movies that are wonderful for talking over loudly and laughing at with a group of likeminded friends who know how to have fun with the best of the worst.
Spookies (1986)
Spookies opens with a kid who's run away from home after realizing that his family forgot his birthday, and is now wandering the woods when he's approached by a totally not suspicious dude in a leather jacket. The stranger is mostly normal, just wanting conversation. Too bad he gets murdered right after the kid runs into a nearby mansion. That being said, this is the last time the film makes sense.
The almost-nonsensical Spookies is (in)famous in the horror circle for being two movies crammed into one, as production was a confusing nightmare. Originally titled Twisted Souls, it initially focused on a group of partying teens who enter the monster-infested haunted house and try to survive the night. The kid's search for a party and the inclusion of the creepy old narrator/Spookies Dungeon Master who wants to sacrifice the partying teens' souls to his dead bride was added later in what was retitled Spookies.
Pumpkinhead (1988)
Pumpkinhead is one of those films that probably doesn't deserve all of the hate it gets. While there's definitely no way to get any two people to agree on whether they like or hate Pumpkinhead, it really does have something for anyone. It's basically a movie about a man who gets revenge on some teenagers for hurting his son by going to a Voodoo practitioner, and then decides he should call the whole thing off. Unfortunately, once the plan is in motion, there's no reeling it back.
The Voodoo angle is kind of rare today, and the creature effects are awesome and Pumpkinhead himself looks incredible. While it takes a while to get where it's going, the last half hour or so is great.
Troll (1986)
Almost always overshadowed by the "Best Worst Movie" Troll 2, the first Troll in the confusingly complicated franchise deserves to be talked about. Troll is as absurd as its famous sequel, but there's also a familiar face in the form of Seinfeld's Julia Lewis-Dreyfuss, who played Elaine in the show.
If that's not enough, there's plenty more in Troll to keep people entertained. Originally conceived as a fantasy, the sequels are actually unofficial despite the similar-ish premises. Troll is technically about an apartment infested with magical beings, though its confused tone makes it feel more like an awkward horror.
Return Of The Living Dead Part II (1988)
Everyone remembers the original Return of the Living Dead and the third (i.e. the one with a zombie girlfriend), which has since become something of a cult classic. However, most gloss over the second film. Part II has a plot similar to the first, although it's slightly different.
Here, a group of teens comes across an oil drum that contains one of the zombies, and once again they release the chemical agent that started the zombifying horrors of the first movie. Part II almost gets farcical in a way that isn't always fun in addition to being pretty much just a repeat of the first film's morbid antics. In fact, the sequel features two returning actors from the first whose characters straightforwardly admit to feeling a sense of déjà vu.
The Howling III: The Marsupials (1987)
For those who aren't familiar with the Howling franchise, they're loosely connected werewolf films which may or may not be about other non-wolf related were-creatures. What the connecting thread between the movies is, though, is lost on most. In The Marsupials, the Ozploitation (i.e. Australian exploitation cinema) industry takes over the franchise and spits out a movie where -- you guessed it -- people turn into murderous marsupials.
The issue with The Marsupials isn't that it couldn't have been a good time if it had a more compelling plot, but it basically ends up being some awful X-Men/Wolfman hybrid. There's a new race of mutants who are part-marsupial and the government is doing their best to deal suppress the next stage in ugly human evolution.
Mad Ron's Prevues From Hell (1987)
Mad Ron's Prevues From Hell isn't so much a movie as it is a feature-length montage of trailers for grindhouse and exploitation films from the '70s and the early '80s. The film consists of bookends from a narrator (aka Mad Ron) and provides context for the trailers being shown plus a witty little pun about it.
The rest of the film is largely trailers, with some other commercials thrown in. The movies shown range from pretty grisly and a little uncomfortable to the absolutely silly, but both make for a pretty good time.
Chopping Mall (1986)
Chopping Mall is technically a slasher but in an unconventional way. It feels like the movie that Spongebob got nightmares from, in which robots took over the world and acted suspiciously like Mr. Krabs. Here, a group of teens sneaks into a shopping mall, staying after hours in hopes of partying when the mall closes. Little did they know, the security guards in the mall have been replaced with robots who are controlled by a murderous Artificial Intelligence that's meant to exterminate anyone they come across.
There was actually a failsafe installed to make sure that Chopping Mall didn't even happen but unfortunately, it malfunctioned. Now, the kids are picked off one by one by an over-zealous security robot that looks like Alpha 5's missing stepbrother.
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
There's an old Looney Tunes cartoon in which Bugs Bunny explores Transylvania and meets classically spooky monsters, such as a vampire, Frankenstein's Monster, mummies, werewolves, and more. Transylvania 6-5000 basically has the same plot, although it's live-action and stars Jeff Goldblum, Ed Begley Jr., and Geena Davis.
Here, two tabloid reporters investigate supposed sightings of the Frankenstein's Monster in Transylvania, but there's something weird about each monster they meet. Fans of old cartoons and Jeff Goldblum who don't mind really cheesy movies should check this out.
New Year's Evil (1980)
New Year's Evil is kind of a wreck. From the incredibly cheesy take on punk rock to some laughably bad writing, it's just kind of all over the place and not sure what it wants to be. That, and no one wanted a New Years Eve slasher film, anyway. This movie was pretty much just a product of all the holiday-themed slashers of the late '70s and into the '80s, but New Year's Kill just doesn't make sense.
A slasher on Halloween night? Sure! Friday The 13th? Alright, makes sense. Christmas? Why not? But New Year's Eve? The event itself is already a mess, and the fact that its slasher movie expects audiences to believe that the misogynistic killer is murdering ladies in every time zone is laughable.
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
The great thing about Sleepaway Camp is the twist, which actually won't be revealed here due to the fact that doing so would be detrimental for newcomers. To discuss the film's other merits, it's actually a great slasher with some brutal kills. Like many post-Friday the 13th slashers, Sleepaway Camp takes place at a summer camp where campers and counsellors start disappearing. The killer isn't revealed until the end, but they employ tons of creativity when doing their business, using boiling grease to a hair iron.
Sleepaway Camp is more on the gruesome side, but it's a rollicking good time -- especially if watching it with those who've never seen it before, just to see their reactions. Even if its final twist didn't exactly age like fine wine given today's sensibilities, Sleepaway Camp is still a so-bad-it's-good legend that horror fans should see at least once.