1986 was a banner year for American horror cinema. While the Reagan-era strictures placed on the MPAA would eventually weed out graphic violence in horror movies by the end of the decade, 1986 remains one of the bloodiest and most brutal years the genre has ever seen. Among the year's sterling achievements remains David Cronenberg's The Fly, which won an Oscar for Best Makeup.
In addition to Cronenberg's visual display of onscreen carnage, 1986 saw some of the best horror filmmakers deliver exciting new movies, including James Cameron, Tobe Hooper, Stuart Gordon, Fred Dekker, Fred Walton, and many more.
House
After directing Friday the 13th Part II and III, Steve Miner left the moneymaking franchise to enter House, a hugely satisfying horror-comedy that delivers side-splitting humor and neck-slashing terror in equal measure.
Written by Fred Dekker and Ethan Wiley, House follows PTSD-ridden Vietnam Vet turned horror novelist Roger Cobb (William Katt), who moves into his aunt's old after her suicide. With his son Jimmy missing, Roger's attempt to write a new novel manifests murderous zombies who descend from a hellish portal in the bathroom medicine cabinet.
April Fool's Day
Fred Walton directs one of the all-time great cinematic sleights of hand in April Fool's Day, a pseudo-slasher whodunit with high replay value.
When nine college friends gather at one of their lavish lakeside mansions, the fun and games turn deadly when the guests begin to die, one by one, under mysterious circumstances. As the survivors work to piece the clues together to identify the killer, a gigantic charade ensues that makes the audience reconsiders everything that came before it.
From Beyond
One year after making Re-Animator, the late Stuart Gordon brought back several familiar faces for From Beyond, a hyper-gory horror outing based on H.P. Lovecraft's short story of the same name.
The film tracks a team of scientists led by Dr. Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs) and Dr. McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) that develop The Resonator, a device that allows humans to witness supernatural activity beyond the earthly realm. Of course, the invention comes at the cost of hordes of monstrous mutations with murderous intent.
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer
John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is one of the rawest, most visceral, and deeply upsetting horror movies ever made. Inspired by true events, Michael Rooker stars as Henry Lee Lucas, a deranged psychopathic killer who teaches his friend Otis (Tom Towles) how to murder.
When Otis' cousin Becky (Tracy Arnold) arrives, Henry consigns the family members as part of his brutal killing spree, which includes the indiscriminate slaughter of several strangers in the Chicago area.
Little Shop Of Horrors
After something as dark as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a little levity is in line. As such, Frank Oz's Little Shop of Horrors continues to be one of the greatest horror remakes of all time, as well as one of the best genre spins of 1986.
The musical horror-comedy stars Rick Moranis as Seymour Krelborn, a shy and nerdy florist who pines for his abused neighbor, Audrey (Ellen Greene). Upon purchasing a mysterious Venus fly trap-like plant that can sing and dance (and unfortunately has a penchant for human blood), Seymour becomes famous and wins Audrey's heart in the process.
Night Of The Creeps
After writing House released the same year, Fred Dekker made his directorial feature-film debut with Night of the Creeps, an uproarious meta-horror-comedy about parasitic slugs turning college kids into mindless zombies.
Following an alien experiment that goes awry in 1959, an infected teenager is frozen for study. When two nerdy frat pledges accidentally let the body free, it unleashes scores of extraterrestrial parasites that slither into the brains of various students in search of human hosts. In conjunction with a laconic sheriff (Tom Akins), the two students fight back and try to end the deadly alien invasion.
Manhunter
Before Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for portraying the sophisticated cannibal Hannibal Lecter, the character was originated on the screen by Brian Cox in Manhunter.
Directed by Michael Mann from the Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon, Manhunter traces FBI profiler Will Graham's (William Petersen) dogged attempt to catch a serial killer known as The Tooth Fairy (Tom Noonan). Graham enlists the help of Lecter, a highly intelligent murderer he arrested years prior, to catch the Tooth Fairy before the next full moon strikes.
The Hitcher
Rutger Hauer delivers one of the all-time scariest villainous performances as John Ryder, aka The Hitcher. Written by Eric Red and directed by Robert Harmon, the movie takes the terrifying stalk-and-slash template to a whole new level.
After picking up the seemingly pleasant hitchhiker on a deserted stretch of highway, Jim (C. Thomas Howell) is slowly tormented by the enigmatic Ryder. When Ryder reveals he is a wanted serial killer, he frames Jim for a series of murders while trying to kill him in the process. Left to his own devices, Just must outwit Ryder and outrace the police before it's too late.
The Fly
David Cronenberg's mastery of unsettling body horror reached a pinnacle with the release of The Fly in 1986. A remake of the 1958 sci-fi film of the same name, the story centers on Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), an ambitious scientist out to create the first teleportation device.
After accidentally entering the teleportation pod with a common house fly, Seth learns his device acts as a perfect gene-splicer rather than a teleporter. Soon, Seth morphs into a heinous and hideous hybrid of horrific proportions.
Aliens
The best horror movie turning 35 years old in 2021 is James Cameron's Aliens, the hyper-paced video game-like sequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi horror classic.
Aliens embodies everything a sequel should strive for. It's bigger, bolder, bloodier, and above all, does not attempt to merely recreate the original. When Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is outfitted with a militaristic team to visit Moon LV-426 and exterminate an upgraded race of alien predators, one deadly problem arises after another. In the attempt to rescue the young orphan Newt (Carrie Henn), Ripley faces the giant Alien Queen in an epic battle for the ages.