Night of the Never-Ending Horror Movie List

"You wanna see something really scary?" How about the sight of a blogger regurgitating the same old tired list every Halloween?

Yep, welcome to the resurrection of our list of best horror films of the '80s.

The list was generated two years ago by reader suggestions, reviews of the movies and a little personal opinion here and there. It's not as long as our previous lists of best comedies, worst songs, best videos and worst films. But it'll still give you a great guide to picking movies to watch between now and the end of the weekend.

Excerpts from critic reviews are only included in the top 5 for this list. Critics are traditionally harsh on horror movies and their comments weren't pretty beyond the very best of the movies. I picked the "taglines" for the rest of the flicks.

Enjoy the list and remember: "You can't choose between life and death when we're dealing with what is in between."

TOP 20 HORROR FILMS OF THE '80s:

20. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986): Dennis Hooper, Caroline Williams. "After a decade of silence... The buzzz is back!"

19. C.H.U.D. (1984): Daniel Stern, John Heard. "You Won't Want To Know What It Means."

18. The Changeling (1980): George C. Scott, Jean Marsh. "Whatever you do...DON'T GO INTO THE ATTIC."

17. Hellraiser (1987): Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins. "Demon to some. Angel to others."

16. The Evil Dead (1981): Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss. "The Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror."

15. Fright Night (1985): Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale. "If you love being scared, it'll be the night of your life."

14. House on Sorority Row (1983): Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson. "Sisters in life. Sisters in death."

13. Re-Animator (1985): Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott. "Herbert West Has A Very Good Head On His Shoulders... And Another One In A Dish On His Desk."

12. The Lost Boys (1987): Jason Patric, Corey Haim. "Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire."

11. Dressed to Kill (1980): Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson. "Every Nightmare Has A Beginning ... This One Never Ends."

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): Johnny Depp, Robert Englund. "A scream that wakes you up, might be your own."

9. The Believers (1987): Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver. "They exist. Fear them."

8. Return of the Living Dead (1985): Clu Gulager, James Karen. "They're back ... They're Hungry ... And they're NOT vegetarian."

7. Prince of Darkness (1987): Donald Pleasance, Jameson Parker. "It is evil. It is real. It is awakening."

6. Christine (1983): Keith Gordon, John Stockwell. "Hell hath no Fury ... like Christine."

The top 5...

5. The Shining (1980): Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall. One critic said: "It is not just a great horror film; it is a psychological profile of how people wrestle with their unsavory pasts."

4. Night of the Creeps (1986): Jason Lively, Steve Marshall. One critic said: "Rarely is a horror comedy as much fun to watch as this movie is."

3. American Werewolf in London (1981): David Naughton, Jenny Agutter. One critic said: "It may be one of the best endings to any movie, ever."

2. The Thing (1982): Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley. One critic said: "If you don't repeatedly drop your jaw and gape at the screen in disbelief, you might need to lay off the PCP."

1. Poltergeist (1982): Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams. One critic said: "This is the movie The Amityville Horror dreamed of being."

The scariest scenes: The face-ripping scene, that dreaded clown, the bodies floating in the pool. The list goes on and on. The cast of Poltergeist was virtually unknown before the movie. And though ToBe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is given credit for directing it, rumor had it that writer Steven Spielberg often took control of the shooting, giving this move the quintessential 80s feel.

So there's the list. Feel free to share your darts and laurels.

Speaking of horror flicks...

We have two Halloween podcasts from previous years to choose from, if you're in the mood for a real fright. Either pick our Halloween audio commentary from earlier this month, or our shorter and livelier (i.e. more sober) podcast honoring our favorite horror flicks of the decade from a few years ago.

Comments

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[rxg8or]

Thanks for the image of David Naughton transforming into the Werewolf of London on the blog page. I'll be thinking of that while I try to go to sleep at night.

One movie that can still give me the creeps (although it technically wasn't the 80's) is the Salem's Lot from 1978 (or 79). While it didn't really follow the book, Danny and Ralphie Glick floating up to the window and scratching on it ("Let me in") still gives me the willies to this day.

Good times!

[Douglas Arthur]

How about Slaughter House Rock? OK, the movie totally sucks dirty ashtrays, but it does feature the inimitable acting "talents" of Toni Basil and a soundtrack by DEVO! Can't get much more 80's than that! I don't think it is on DVD, and that is ok. I bought the VHS on eBay for about a buck and a half.

[Roy, UK]

Has anyone seen "Rock and Roll Nightmare", where a rock band are supposedly picked off one by one by Satan before the lead singer reveals it to be a ruse so he could summon the forces of good and defeat satan once and for all?

...just me then. This'll give you a feel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmxtDl-u1aQ

[Emma]

I agree that you posted Poltergeist as number 1. It's really scary. I remember watching it when I was in Elementary and I have to cover my face with pillow!
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[gabby]

hi I love all your scary stuff its soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool can you put more up its so cool thank you by and I hate brittany

[Marissa]

Precisely, Jeff.

[Jeff in Cuba]

Riss,

Is that as opposed to "cheery satanic horror"?

[Marissa]

I realized only a year ago that my fear of scary movies was due to my mother's tales of REAL ghost stories when I was little. Why a mother would choose to creep out her own children is beyond me.
Last Halloween I forced myself to watch numerous frightening movies. Those include THE EXORCIST; NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET; POLTERGEIST; FRIGHT NIGHT (which is funny and Chris Sarandon is sexy as hell) and some other freaky movie I can't recall. I did all of this alone and with the lights off.
I think I'm cured of being totally freaked out.

There is one movie that I absolutely cannot and will not watch again because it scared me so much the first time: THE FIRST POWER (1990) with Lou Diamond Phillips. It's described on IMdB as "scary satanic horror."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099578/plotsummary

[Miguel]

These lists are always subjective,but for me "Evil Dead" should be higher and my friend,you forgot "Evil Dead 2"!! That`s top 5 for sure.
I would make it:

1-An American Werewolf in London
2-The Shining
3-The Thing
4-Evil Dead 2
5-Poltergeist

Good list,all the way.

[Michelle]

"Nightmare on Elm Street" still freaks me out. *shudder*

[Jeff in Cuba]

If I had been around when this list was hatched I would have plugged hard for "Miracle Mile".

It's a bit of a genre-bender, and plays off more as a thriller than a classic horror movie, but it's the most terrifying, unnerving thing I've ever seen in a theater.

[Bassnote]

The sad thing is, I can't watch horror movies anymore. My wife hates them, and gets nightmares, and I won't show them to my kids because they are too young. I've been dying to watch Halloween, Return Of the Living Dead, and American Werewolf for weeks now.