The 1980s are now seen as a time in human history that is characterised by vibrancy, vigour, and danger. The cinema eventually altered as time saw everything else change. Production design and visual magnificence reached astonishing heights throughout this era because to developments in special effects, filmmaking, and film development. Thanks to aspiring masters of their trade like Wes Craven, James Cameron, John Carpenter, Stuart Gordon, and David Cronenberg, horror saw a revival. See some of the top horror films by the aforementioned directors and other ones from the 1980s.
1. They Live (1988)
Director- John Carpenter
John Nada is a jobless man who roams a large American city looking for something to do. He eventually locates a job as a worker and a place to stay, but one day he experiences a dreadful event. A set of sunglasses that allow John to view people’s genuine faces are found. In fact, a significant portion of the population in this metropolis is made up of Andromeda-born aliens. They maintain human ignorance while governing our world as they see fit. To join them in the battle against the aliens, Nada must track out the remaining men who are aware of what is happening.
2. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
Director- Shinya Tsukamoto
An extreme sado-sexual “Metal Fetishist” runs onto the street while in excruciating pain from a festering wound on his thigh. A white-collar worker and his girlfriend’s automobile then strikes the extreme sado-sexual by mistake. Strangely enough, the salaryman doesn’t actually pass away; instead, he finds himself in the middle of a mysterious and excruciatingly majestic transformation that twists and turns the malleable human flesh into an unbreakable bond with the powerful, icy iron. Nothing can now stop the beautiful final mutation since there is no going back.
3. Re-Animator (1985)
Director- Sturat Gordon
After the horrifying episode at the Institute of Medicine in Switzerland, Herbert West, an ambitious medical student, travels to New England, obsessed with the concept of transcending the barrier of death and determined to prove his theory. Soon Herbert will resume up where he left off, persuading his sceptic roommate Dan Cain to join his bold endeavour while initially experimenting with dead feline tissue and eventually fresh human cadavers. The university will inevitably begin to overflow with West’s reanimated corpses as the two young scientists delve deeper and deeper into unexplored territory, gaining the attention of his arch-nemesis, Dr. Hill, who longs to claim credit for this amazing discovery. Even with a little assistance, the dead will rise once again.
4. Predator (1987)
Director- John McTiernan
The U.S. government hires Dutch, a soldier of fortune, to covertly save a group of politicians besieged in Guatemala. However, something is very awry when Dutch and his team—which now includes weapons specialist Blain and CIA operative George—arrive in Central America. The group learns they are being pursued by a vicious creature with superhuman strength and the ability to blend into its environment after discovering a trail of dead bodies.
5. The Terminator (1984)
Director- James Cameron
The “Terminator,” an invincible cyborg-assassin, is sent back to 1984 Los Angeles from a dystopian 2029 in which the cold machines have controlled the entire world. He begins his murderous mission to assassinate Sarah Connor, the most significant woman in human history. Kyle Reese, a courageous member of the human Resistance Army, emerges from the same war-torn post-apocalyptic future and vows to stop the synthetic killer from destroying the last vestige of humanity. However, the Terminator is emotionless, doesn’t sleep, and, most importantly, won’t stop until the unpleasant work at hand is completed.
6. From Beyond (1986)
Director- Stuart Gordon
Dr. Edward Pretorious dies, and Dr. Crawford Tillinghast, his dependable assistant, is abandoned to rot in a mental institution because they were unable to control the uncontrolled power of the Resonator, the strange gadget that stimulates the pineal gland. Soon, the Resonator will start to hum once again, under the watchful eye of the modest psychiatrist Dr. Katherine McMichaels, in a last-ditch effort to revive the ambitious Dr. Pretorious’ futile experiment and finally open the door to the otherworldly reality of the fourth dimension. Numerous unseen and terrible beings eagerly await the opportunity to enter our reality in the lovely nightmare realm in exchange for boundless knowledge and the reawakening of the latent sixth sense.
7. Aliens (1986)
Director- James Cameron
Ellen Ripley is called back 57 years after her close brush with the reptilian alien species from the previous film, this time to assist a squad of highly skilled colonial soldiers in fending off the evil extraterrestrials. But this time, a space colony on the moon LV-426 has been overrun by aliens. The colonial marines discover they are up against more than they anticipated when they are asked to examine the abandoned space colony. The space marines engage the aliens in combat with specially adapted machine weapons and plenty of firepower. A small girl who is the lone survivor of the nearly destroyed space colony must be protected by Ripley as the Marines make every effort to defend themselves.
8. Critters (1986)
Director- Stephen Herek
The Brown family—Jay, Helen, their daughter April, and their son Brad—must ward off the nefarious little aliens when the weird fuzzy aliens land on a farm. The Brown family must fight the fur balls and free April on their own because two bounty hunters with superhuman ability are pursuing the violent creatures from beyond. However, the warriors aren’t particularly successful.
9. The Fly (1986)
Director- David Cronenberg
Research scientist Seth Brundle, who works for Bartok Sciences, created “Telepods,” which are two-matter transmission pods that can transfer any thing through space from one “Telepod” to the other. But Seth doesn’t successfully teleport until he meets journalist Veronica Quaife, who motivates him to change the system. Seth utilises himself as a test subject for a matter transmission experiment, teleporting himself without realising his genes have been combined with those of a house fly stuck in the telepod with him. However, something goes tragically wrong. As his modified genes start to take control, Seth now finds himself slowly transforming into the terrible mutant creature known as “Brundlefly,” engaged in a bloody conflict.
10. Prince Of Darkness (1987)
Director- John Carpenter
An abandoned cathedral in Los Angeles has long held a dark secret in its basement. A priest from a strange cult gets kill. So when the door to the basement gets open, the other priest finds a vat filled with a green liquid. A group of graduate physics students are contacted by the priest to look into it. Unluckily, they learn that the liquid contains Satan’s very essence and that he will unleash HIS father, an all-powerful Anti-God! Later, when the Devil advances to free his father, the liquid self-animates and turns some of the pupils into zombies.
