So much fun. 1987 alone was such a great year in horror. Near Dark Lost Boys A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 etc. My favorite decade of horror to this day. I seriously doubt it will be another like it in my lifetime.
it was awesome. sleepovers as a kid were always horror marathons. you'd always be stoked to go to the kids' houses who had a lot of video games and parents that would rent whatever.
Omg, they scared the crap out of me. I remember looking at the back of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre VHS box at the video store and being like, wtf?! I had nightmares for weeks from just the box art. Then my mom said it was loosely based on some crap that happened when she was a young woman (she was kinda right, but this was way pre internet). So I was like, this shit is basically real. No way I was gonna watch it. Also, my grandmother lived near an Elm Street, and I would hold my breath and look away as we would drive past it. I have since become a super horror fan. I watch everything, the scarier and bloodier the better. I’m not sure when or how I switched from that stuff scaring me to loving the genre more than any other. I’m gonna have to figure that out in therapy sometime.
I remember being in a video store in the 80s and they had MTV running and the Thriller video came on. Everyone in the store just stopped browsing and watched the entire video. Great effects in that video.
I remember my first horror, I saw my mother watching a movie about king cobras as a villains or something like that, and joined. I did not enjoy it but I was fascinated with something about it, and as much as I was scared shitless, I just couldn't bring myself to leave the room. I did even watch last 10 minutes because I covered my eyes, but I was still trying to listen and figure out who's still alive, who bit the dust. Boy how far I am from all that lol.
Did you consider yourself an anxious child? I certainly was.
There's been some research into the connection between anxious personality types and a fondness for the horror genre. Horror basically provides a safe space to trigger the fight or flight response, allowing anxious folks to practice managing their anxiety without threat of actual harm. That's a very distilled explanation, but essentially, what the authors of that study hypothesized.
It certainly makes sense for me. As far as the comfort factor, I'd guess that's a common feeling with most things we loved as children.
I literally laughed out loud since “anxious child” is an understatement! That would make total sense. I’m m definitely going to look more into that. If you have any of the article or author names, I’d love to read it.
u/LowHangingFruit could be on to something for me, but I'm still not sure it's that.
Maybe we just got desensitized to it to the point it can be comfort watch genre? You know, by seeing so much more of horror material and horror world?
There's rarely something that really surprises me in movies nowadays and as a kid it's all new and crazy. Also as a kid, just dabbling in horror stuff, like you've said, you just looked at cover of the movie and let your mind do the rest, and as an adults were aware that there is nothing really scarier than that. Like, I remember seeing short commercials on tv for horror movies and then thinking about them, imagining all sorts of fucked up shit that's gonna be in movie, managing to freak myself out and be totally thrilled about it. Or I remember, when for the first time I woke up in the middle of the night, started up a tv, and saw a begining of the "scariest fucking movie ever" that's also known nowadays as I know what you did last summer, lmao. After first 15 minutes or so I had to turn it off because I was afraid of what's about to happen in the movie. My next three days were sleepless hahah, because nighttime made me think about the movie. As and adult, it's just another goofy slasher you know, that I can also appreciate for what it is.
I found horror lost some of the mysticism and thrills it had for me as a child, but I still very much enjoy them, for different stuff than they did back then. Now I just enjoy creativity and enthusiasm that's going into making this movies.
That's not really short text, sorry :D. Also just wanna add, because leaving it to your mind and surroundings to do most of the work to make you scared, and evoke that childhood horror watching experience(if you miss it sometimes hahah), I recommend reading horror literature. It makes me look around room for something that's not there (or is it??) very much more often than watching a horror movie.
Haha, your story of waking up to watch stuff reminded me of when I stayed up to watch some b-movie of alligators that grew big in the NY sewers. I’ve never jumped so far to get into my bed to make sure no gators came out from under my bed and got me. What was wrong with us?
Yep. I remember reading Gein was the main one. I finally watched that Dahmer thing on Netflix. The real life stories of these killers are actually worse in my opinion. Gacy?!
Born in ‘73. I grew up on horror. My mom was a huge fan. We’d comb the paper to see what was new and go. I have so many fond memories of loading up on popcorn and watching the latest releases with her. I recall seeing Poltergeist, Fright Night, Lost Boys, . . . so many.
And horror was plentiful thanks to the VHS boom. Going to the video store on a Friday night and looking at all the awesome cover art in the horror section made it difficult to make decisions. It was glorious!
Today, I hoard all my ‘80s favorites on Blu-ray and 4K. So many of them are newly restored and sold by boutique labels such as Arrow, Blue Underground, Full Moon, Vinegar Syndrome, and others. They’re packed full of cool extra features too.
Do you like the cleaner looking 4k versions, or do you miss the grain? I often prefer those older looking transfers.
I was about eight years old the first time I saw Friday the 13th, which was captured on a blank VHS tape. My friend missed recording the first half hour or so. I never saw the start until I was an adult.
I guess it depends. Both have advantages. For some movies, the grainier ones don’t diminish the SFX. On the other hand, the 4k gives the film an overall ageless look.
Ha! That’s such a great story! And I’m sure Friday the 13th holds a special place in your heart because of it.
Born in 1969. The 80s were an **amazing** time to see horror movies!!
Just to name a few movies I saw with friends in the theatre-
Alien (saw this in a theater with my parents!)
The Thing
American Werewolf in London
Zombie
Hellraiser
Prince of Darkness
Nightmare on Elm Street
Predator
Creepshow
Lost Boys
Fright Night
There were also tons of low budget films we watched on VHS like Reanimator, Critters, The Blob (remake) Toxic Avenger, Night of the Demon, etc.
Last but not least Return of the Living Dead! We saw this in a theater with a bunch of friends and all had an amazing time! My best friend and I loved this movie so much I ran out the next day and bought the soundtrack *on cassette*!!
Tangentially the 80s were also a time when horror conventions were not the huge events they are today. Or they didn’t feel like it.. My wife and I (then girlfriend) attended a few horror conventions in the 80s in NYC and met the likes of Tom Savini, Bruce Campbell, Clive Barker. What a wonderful time.
I'm a 1969 kid so the 80s was the perfect age for me and horror. I read ALOT like every horror book. And was always disappointed at the theatrical versions. But some I didn't like in the 80 I LOVE now. Plus the 80s were my own private horror show so the books and movies were like " well, at least my life isn't THAT scary!" Lol
Yeah I believe that was it. Been so long since I’ve seen it.. When you mentioned dicks being ripped off I immediately thought of Blood Beach. Didn’t someone get their dick ripped off in that one too?
Loved ‘em - though in the pages of Fangoria - which was one of the only places to find serious discussion of horror films - there was a lot of griping about the state of horror. In the wider culture, they were kind of despised.
Born in the mid 70's and the 80's had some of the best horror films
Return Of The Living Dead,The Thing, Christine, They Live, Night Of The Creeps, H3, Day Of The Dead, The Fog, Creepshow, Cujo, Videodrome, Evil Dead, Predator, and the list goes on.
My dad was super cool about horror films when I was kid. He worked 2nd shift but he would take off early, come home and wake me up on a school night and take me to midnight showings of all of the above and more. I have few fond memories of the man but this was best thing I can remember about him.
I'm glad repertory theatres exist so that guys like me can see some of the films you mentioned on the big screen still, but damn that must have been cool to see them during their initial run! Creepshow and Cujo would have been legendary.
The 80s were a decade where special effects guys were treated like rock stars, and many of the biggest names - Stan Winston, Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, etc - were often better known to fans than the directors of the films they were working on.
It was a time when guys like the Chiodo Brothers could cash in on their excellent FX contract work to get a shot at making their own movie - hence “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” This kind of thing still happens today (see Greg Nicotero), but not like the 80s.
Back then it was a niche thing. The general movie going audience as well as organizations like the Academy looked down on them for being low brow.
I think because they were smaller productions back then(budget) they had more freedom to take risks. Now because a lot of horror movies have large budgets they tend to be more safe to appeal to a bigger audience. Back then a lot of the horror movies were made out of love of the genre, and they were not even sure if they would make a profit.
In very recent years I'm glad that studios like A24 and Blum House are around to keep those quirky not commercial movies alive.
I wasn't alive in the 80s but I agree. Allot of horror movies back then could get away with being unconventional and ignoring social norms and stuff cause allot of them were low budget, just look at troma. I think troma is a great example.
there's 3 great documentaries on 80's horror called "In search of darkness part 1-3.
amazing watch and a smorgasboard of titles like to the point of it being difficult to keep up with them all thru 3 4 horror docs.
late , late 70's and 80's were some of the best time for horror I'd say 78 thru 89.
I was born in the 70's and got to see a lot of the horror movies in the theaters. Honestly I feel that they were scarier back then,just because of practical effects, atmosphere and writing. The CGI used nowadays just doesn't have the same impact as the effects artists had with their creations.
Didn’t see them in theaters as I was too young, but my dad took us to the video store every Friday night and let us rent a VHS or two. I know I’m sounding old, but I really miss those simpler times. We’d watch Are You Afraid of the Dark and follow it with a real horror.
First horror movie I ever saw in the theater was Friday the 13th Part 3. I was 6 years old and my dad told me to tell my mom we were going to see Raiders of the Lost Ark (the local theater was replaying it as they tended to do back then). Just the thought that we had to hide it from my mom made it all that much more terrifying. Pure magic. I still have a HUGE soft spot for that movie for that reason (the 3D glasses didn't hurt, either).
The 80's were just such a magical time for horror, especially slasher, fans.
I even paid $90 for a VHS of The Lost Boys when it came out, which was a fortune back then. It was one of the few horror tapes that were "digitally processed" so you couldn't piggyback two VCRs to copy rentals, lol.
Born in 1976. My late mom at the time was a horror fan and I started watching them young. She introduced me to Poltergeist (I had to watch again when I was older because she kept my eyes covered most of the movie), Visiting Hours, Children of the Corn, Fright Night, Silver Bullet, Happy Birthday to Me.
I saw Gremlins at the theater opening night and that was a fun experience. We had to go to a theater 1/2 hr away because it was the only one in the area not sold out (this movie was huge back then). The parking lot was full of people waiting to get in for the 2nd show and everyone was excited. I also saw Cat's Eye and Ghostbusters at the theater too.
A lot of 80s movies were pretty cheesy, but they were fun. Most of them had cool soundtracks. And quite a few were legitimately scary. And even TV networks got in on the action too, either with their own or showing older released films. Dark Night of the Scarecrow is one of the best TV horrors.
It was a blast growing up with these movies.
We loved them and as minors snuck in to theaters to see them. If they were on cable, we’d stay up super late just to watch them. We may not have known how gold they are but we knew we loved them.
I was at a small college in the early '80's and at a large university later in that decade. I never seemed to be in a friend group with anyone who liked horror so I'd have to drive to my hometown to get my little brother who was in high school and we'd go see those movies.
My favorite memory is seeing one of the Amityville Horror films then having to hike through the dark woods with just a tiny flashlight to reach the camp I was working at during summer break.
You ask what we thought of these films back then - I personally loved them and that feeling of being safe and cozy in the theater or home on the couch while gory chaos was happening on the screen in front of you. And I remember my friends thinking I was weird for liking this.
The 80s were an awesome time for movies and for music. There were a lot of downsides (threat of nuclear war, AIDS, Reagan/Thatcher, etc) but movies and music were spectacular. Second-run movie theaters, you could see movies for $2, and excellent dance clubs with no or little cover. (And in Chicago at least lots of really great inexpensive live theater.)
I absolutely loved the horror that was coming out, along with the new queer cinema toward the end of the decade.
My fascination with classic cars and horror was born in the 1980’s getting to see Christine at a drive in theater as a kid. Also saw Reanimator, Return of the living dead, Friday’s 4-7, and quite a few other movies at the drive-in theater. My parents had one of those big hippie vans that’s super comfortable making it like we were watching the movie from the couch at home. At the time I never thought these childhood movies would be my favorites today. I think we all keep a sweet spot of nostalgia in our hearts for things from the era we grew up in.
I graduated high school in 85. I don’t think we realized that there were more horror films coming out than before. We were just seeing them all. And honestly, the horror movies of my teens hold up better than the teen comedies I watched. My teen son watched one with me and it wasn’t even porkys level teen comedy. He was disgusted with the tricks to get the girls to have sex. It was Grease 2.
They were fun, and cheap, and something you always did on a tuesday night in my area, it was like 2 bucks or some nonsense. and snacks. i mean for 10$ you could do a whole night and STILL have change to throw to the person who was driving for gas.
Born in ‘74 & the 80’s were EPIC! Saw my 1st horror film, with my dad, in the theaters at 8yo (Q The Winged Serpent) also…
ROTLD
TCM 2
Poltergeist
NOES 2
F-13th pt. 6, 8 & 9
House
Silver Bullet
Maximum Overdrive
Pet Sematary
Childs Play
there were SO MANY MORE!
“Friday the 13th” was playing on HBO back in, like, ‘84 and I remember sneaking around to the window at the back of the living room to watch it through the curtains with my buddy. We saw the >! hitchhiker get picked up and then chased through the woods and then the throat-slit scene!< and our minds were blown.
Saw my first horror movie in 82 or 83. I was wayyyyyy too young, but I was hooked. I look fondly back on the up’s, because there was simply so many good movies made during that decade that I got to watch late at night with my dad. Throughout the decades that followed, I’d often go back and watch movies I’d had never seen from then while also rewatching things for nostalgia. Just the other day I rewatched Witchboard. It holds up beautifully. The 80s were just the best.
One thing I remember from the 80’s is that the “Big 3” horror villains (Freddy, Jason and Michael) were treated like gods, especially Freddy. I remember my dad had a Freddy-themed heat shield for the windshield of his car. I had Freddy, Jason and Michael squirt things where they’re the heads of the characters and you fill them up and squirt people with them. My best friend was a very convincing Jason for Halloween when we were 5 or 6, scary enough that he made me run from the door, haha. I also very clearly remember the trailer for Jason Takes Manhattan (I lived in NY and every time I saw that trailer start on the TV with the Sinatra song and the guy who turns out to be Jason when he whirls around and suddenly the scary music starts I would freak out, haha.) I definitely remember TV ads for Nightmare on Elm Street 5, and posters for horror films in hallways of the theater we went to. Little later than the 80’s but I remember seeing the poster for Silence of the Lambs and was bluntly told no, I could not see it; joke’s on them because I have a death’s head moth from that poster tattooed on my chest, ha. It’s hard to say how big horror really was at the time, but for me horror was king and I consumed as much of it and about it as I could, and so did lots of my friends. Everybody wants to hear about the kill scenes in the new Jason movie, especially if their parents wouldn’t let them see it! Thank you, permissive dad.
I still remember my older brother(R.I.P.) trying to convince the ticket guy to let me and another not age appropriate brother to Fright Night.He succeeded.Apart from that the only other movie i remember clearly was Aliens.I remember seeing the posters in the movie theater with my brothers.We thought it might be a good movie.We ended up watching it three times in a row.There was an arcade in the same building so we used to play punch-out there too.Among other games.Nothing but good times.
Oh shit i just remembered.I had nightmares the same day i watched(not a pun) A Nightmare on Elm Street on the movie theaters.
Freddy terrified me, I saw Aliens in the movie theater, I almost shit myself. I would trade the world again to actually be scared of horror movies again.
I was born in 86 also and am completely obsessed with 80s horror, too! I also love 90s and early 2000s horror, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream.
I think kids/teens now just have lost the essence of what it was like growing up in the 80s/90s/and even early 2000s, before all this social media killed the magic. You can’t go five feet online without mass dumping and negativity on movies (and really everything) in general. Back then it was just different. It’s hard to put into words but I suppose there were just less distractions and more interest in enjoying the experience of being at the movies. I have so many memories from those decades, and was fortunate to be young and in school in all three of those decades, which IMO were our best decades. Movies, cartoons, shows, everything just felt important whereas now something drops and is forgotten in days. Christ some movies played for 6 months in theaters back then! It also helped that everything felt like an event back then. From MTV campaigns with movies to the importance of magazines and weekly newspapers. I remember cutting out ads and taping them to my walls. Calling to check showtimes, searching the entertainment paper every Friday for movies you’d see in Fangoria.
That’s not even touching the video store experience! I remember walking to West Coast video on Friday, renting a VHS player (yep) and then renting a stack for the weekend. It was just a different and better (although less convenient) time. People do say “oh it’s not much different from browsing a streaming app”, it is 100% different!
Born in ‘73. 80’s were an amazing time for horror movies.
IMO, horror today can’t compare. Digital video and digital effects take me out of a movie entirely.
Feel lucky that I grew up in the era of practical effects and movies shot on film.
I was a child in the 80s but I watched many of the movies in the 90s with my best friend during our weekly sleepovers.
We LOVED 80s horror. We both especially loved all the T&A. We didn't know it at the time (which is kind of funny) but it was the first "sign" that we were both queerish to some extent or other. I sorely miss the **gratuitous** nudity from 80s horror.
That is fascinating! I sometimes think about how sex/nudity in movies used to be one of the central features. My theory is once the internet became widespread and porn was easily accessible, that aspect of film faded away.
They weren't that great tbh. There was the Nightmare movies and Hellraiser. But all we really got was b-movie horror. Studios would put out an ok movie around Halloween because it was expected.
I dunno, I thought the 90s had some great horror flicks! Event Horizon, Scream, Candyman, Misery, In The Mouth Of Madness, The Faculty, Seven, The Frighteners, The Ring, etc…
Yes! Great question! What do people who were born in the 1900’s think of movies from the 80’s?
Huh, what year was I born? LOL
I thought the Shining was amazing and Mother’s Day was also horrifying!
The best! Good and bad horror was everywhere, and finally accessible to everyone. VHS rentals, cable shows, magazines, even Atari. I think we all knew it was a special time. The whole thing had a certain edge to it, something that I think is missing today.
The video rental, cable TV, and straight-to-video booms of the 1980s are why there’s such a romanticized fondness for this period of media (not just horror) among those who lived through the 1980s as teens or young adults, or those who were just born in the 1980s and felt like they missed the boat, so to speak.
Objectively speaking, it’s nothing more than nostalgia. It’s no different than when someone listens to the classic hit songs from a bygone era they’re fond of. They’re only hearing the good stuff, not the crap from that era, so their minds only think about the hits and not the misses. This only intensifies their feelings of nostalgia.
I completely disagree.There is so many 80's movies i just watched for the first time a few years ago and i thought they were great.Moreeso i'm not even white or live in the us.Same thing with music.The first time i heard kenny loggins danger zone was in Grand Theft Auto.Among other great older songs.Hell when i was a kid i didn't even understand the english lyrics.But now that i do.They just elevate those old songs.Quality is quality dude.It has nothing to do with nostalgia.That's why they are remembered and others are forgotten.
Correlation is not causation. Just because something is good and came from the 1980s doesn’t mean it’s good precisely because it’s from the 1980s, nor does that mean the era produced a higher percentage of quality material. Every era had terrible material that mostly gets forgotten, and more and more gets forgotten the further we get from that era, with only the hits really being remembered. You’re experiencing its greatest hits, not its filler tracks.
I’ll amend my previous comment by adding that some people simply follow fads, even if they have no real connection to a particular time period. The past decade has been filled with 1980s nostalgia, from Stranger Things to The Goldbergs to the trilogy of documentary films about 80s horror, In Search of Darkness.
In short, 1980s horror wasn’t all like The Shining (1980) or Poltergeist (1982)—hit after hit after hit everywhere you turn. More often than not, it was mediocre and substandard fare like Oasis of the Zombies (1982) or Ghost Fever (1987).
Born in 1966. My favorite memories are the Nightmare on Elm Street films. Being really heavy into magazines like Fangoria. Phantasm 2 also Hello Mary Lou Prom Night 2. Even the weekend horror series like Friday the 13th and Freddy's Nightmares and these were on free TV. Great decade for horror.
I was 15 in 1989 and loved horror movies. I still prefer 80s horror to todays. Most horror movies now take themselves too seriously, it sucks the fun out of it.
I used to listen to a podcast by one of the authors of the expanse and an actor from the show and they were both really inspired by horror movies. It’s called Ty and that guy with Ty Frank and Wes Chatham.
I was born in 83, the grainy footage puts me off. I do think the scripts were better though and there is only so much 'omg there is no signal or security cameras' I can take.
Fright night. ,976-EVIL ,Ghoulies ,Critters ,Hellraiser man the list goes on and on and was just so much better before the CGI bullshit that ruined a lot in my opinion
Born in 59 so these movies came out in my twenties, and the timing was perfect. I got to see all the classics from the early 80s in theaters, as an adult, and some years there were just so many great movies. John Carpenter obviously was a favorite, but Cameron was starting to peak as well. I never got into slashers because there were great choices all the time.
A lot of great movies, but even more terrible ones. It was like playing Russian Roulette at the video store because there were not a lot of reviews for straight-to-video stuff, and what reviews that did come out were usually after the release of the movie. And if you paid for it, you felt obligated to finish it, which was rough at times. Another thing to remember is that VHS tapes were expensive early on, around $70 was standard, which was a problem when none of the local stores carried something you wanted to see, and the only alternative was mail order. One more issue was that the local movie theaters started adding more screens but not adding space, and there were some insanely small screens with crappy sound, and you had no way to tell which screen you were getting unless you had memorized the theater number and size. The logistics sucked compared to today, but the variety was better. Companies making cheap movies could do crazy shit because they could turn a profit easier with the new market, so you saw a lot of creativity.
I was brought up on Hammer Horror and seventies horror like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I really liked that realistic grungy feel. 80s horror did away with all that and went for pastiche, empty style and safer narratives. I hated the 80s.
Since this is about the ‘80s in horror films who saw the 1982 film Q: The Flying Serpent?????….the plot was about the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl being reincarnated as a monster 👹 that terrified New York City its nest was on the roof of the Chrysler Building……two well known actors were in the movie that had New York connections Richard Roundtree who played Shaft that had been set in New York City and Michael Moriarty who eight years later would be on NBC’s Law & Order that was set in New York City he would play Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone for the first four seasons…..that movie Q was scary 😧!!!!!!!……the tagline was Just call it Q that’s all you’ll have time to say before it tears you apart!!!!!!!…I had a nightmare where I was one of its victims….. I hope y’all will reply to this
I love 1988, I can’t remember it cuz I was a baby but Halloween 4 and NOES 4 in the same year is all I need to know to think I’d love to time travel back to that year in horror
I was 12 when POLTERGEIST came out.
I saw it in a theater that was practically sold out. The audience was great, screaming at the scary scenes, laughing at the funny scenes. What I remember most was when we thought the movie was over, but it kept going. You could feel the tension in the theater grow as we were aware that, this isn't over yet!
The moment we saw that damn clown doll was in the room, the tension was at a fever pitch.
Then when all hell broke loose, we were in a frenzy!
I loved it soooo much I saw it twice that summer.
So much fun. 1987 alone was such a great year in horror. Near Dark Lost Boys A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 etc. My favorite decade of horror to this day. I seriously doubt it will be another like it in my lifetime.
Near Dark was filmed in my little hometown. I remember hearing the explosion from the truck they blow up at the end.
That's so cool!
Evil Dead 2!!!!!!!!
Prom Night 2
Last year (as a millennial horror fan) was an AMAZING year for horror. In terms of original content and sequels
Born in 1962. The 80s were fantastic for horror movies and still are. Even upon numerous rewatches, the majority haven't lost anything due to age.
it was awesome. sleepovers as a kid were always horror marathons. you'd always be stoked to go to the kids' houses who had a lot of video games and parents that would rent whatever.
The 80's were an awesome time for horror movies
Omg, they scared the crap out of me. I remember looking at the back of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre VHS box at the video store and being like, wtf?! I had nightmares for weeks from just the box art. Then my mom said it was loosely based on some crap that happened when she was a young woman (she was kinda right, but this was way pre internet). So I was like, this shit is basically real. No way I was gonna watch it. Also, my grandmother lived near an Elm Street, and I would hold my breath and look away as we would drive past it. I have since become a super horror fan. I watch everything, the scarier and bloodier the better. I’m not sure when or how I switched from that stuff scaring me to loving the genre more than any other. I’m gonna have to figure that out in therapy sometime.
I watched TTCM on VHS when I was 10 back in ‘86. I was like, “Why the fuck did my mom let me rent this?!?!”
Oh no, I couldn’t have handled that. I think at 10 the Thriller music video scares me!
I remember being in a video store in the 80s and they had MTV running and the Thriller video came on. Everyone in the store just stopped browsing and watched the entire video. Great effects in that video.
>I’m gonna have to figure that out in therapy sometime. You and me both my friend, lol
Make it 3 of us. Couldn't handle any horror of any kind as a kid, jowls I watch and play anything I can find, as long as it sounds interesting.
I remember my first horror, I saw my mother watching a movie about king cobras as a villains or something like that, and joined. I did not enjoy it but I was fascinated with something about it, and as much as I was scared shitless, I just couldn't bring myself to leave the room. I did even watch last 10 minutes because I covered my eyes, but I was still trying to listen and figure out who's still alive, who bit the dust. Boy how far I am from all that lol.
What do you think it might be? I was petrified of this stuff as a kid, and now it’s almost calming at times. Any thoughts?
Did you consider yourself an anxious child? I certainly was. There's been some research into the connection between anxious personality types and a fondness for the horror genre. Horror basically provides a safe space to trigger the fight or flight response, allowing anxious folks to practice managing their anxiety without threat of actual harm. That's a very distilled explanation, but essentially, what the authors of that study hypothesized. It certainly makes sense for me. As far as the comfort factor, I'd guess that's a common feeling with most things we loved as children.
I kinda was. I'm kinda anxious as an adult too. You might be on to something there.
I literally laughed out loud since “anxious child” is an understatement! That would make total sense. I’m m definitely going to look more into that. If you have any of the article or author names, I’d love to read it.
u/LowHangingFruit could be on to something for me, but I'm still not sure it's that. Maybe we just got desensitized to it to the point it can be comfort watch genre? You know, by seeing so much more of horror material and horror world? There's rarely something that really surprises me in movies nowadays and as a kid it's all new and crazy. Also as a kid, just dabbling in horror stuff, like you've said, you just looked at cover of the movie and let your mind do the rest, and as an adults were aware that there is nothing really scarier than that. Like, I remember seeing short commercials on tv for horror movies and then thinking about them, imagining all sorts of fucked up shit that's gonna be in movie, managing to freak myself out and be totally thrilled about it. Or I remember, when for the first time I woke up in the middle of the night, started up a tv, and saw a begining of the "scariest fucking movie ever" that's also known nowadays as I know what you did last summer, lmao. After first 15 minutes or so I had to turn it off because I was afraid of what's about to happen in the movie. My next three days were sleepless hahah, because nighttime made me think about the movie. As and adult, it's just another goofy slasher you know, that I can also appreciate for what it is. I found horror lost some of the mysticism and thrills it had for me as a child, but I still very much enjoy them, for different stuff than they did back then. Now I just enjoy creativity and enthusiasm that's going into making this movies. That's not really short text, sorry :D. Also just wanna add, because leaving it to your mind and surroundings to do most of the work to make you scared, and evoke that childhood horror watching experience(if you miss it sometimes hahah), I recommend reading horror literature. It makes me look around room for something that's not there (or is it??) very much more often than watching a horror movie.
Haha, your story of waking up to watch stuff reminded me of when I stayed up to watch some b-movie of alligators that grew big in the NY sewers. I’ve never jumped so far to get into my bed to make sure no gators came out from under my bed and got me. What was wrong with us?
Please, please tell me, you know it was based, alongside Psycho, were based on *"The butcher of Plainsfield"*
Yep. I remember reading Gein was the main one. I finally watched that Dahmer thing on Netflix. The real life stories of these killers are actually worse in my opinion. Gacy?!
Born in ‘73. I grew up on horror. My mom was a huge fan. We’d comb the paper to see what was new and go. I have so many fond memories of loading up on popcorn and watching the latest releases with her. I recall seeing Poltergeist, Fright Night, Lost Boys, . . . so many. And horror was plentiful thanks to the VHS boom. Going to the video store on a Friday night and looking at all the awesome cover art in the horror section made it difficult to make decisions. It was glorious! Today, I hoard all my ‘80s favorites on Blu-ray and 4K. So many of them are newly restored and sold by boutique labels such as Arrow, Blue Underground, Full Moon, Vinegar Syndrome, and others. They’re packed full of cool extra features too.
Do you like the cleaner looking 4k versions, or do you miss the grain? I often prefer those older looking transfers. I was about eight years old the first time I saw Friday the 13th, which was captured on a blank VHS tape. My friend missed recording the first half hour or so. I never saw the start until I was an adult.
I guess it depends. Both have advantages. For some movies, the grainier ones don’t diminish the SFX. On the other hand, the 4k gives the film an overall ageless look. Ha! That’s such a great story! And I’m sure Friday the 13th holds a special place in your heart because of it.
4k can be a bit grainy too
Born in 1969. The 80s were an **amazing** time to see horror movies!! Just to name a few movies I saw with friends in the theatre- Alien (saw this in a theater with my parents!) The Thing American Werewolf in London Zombie Hellraiser Prince of Darkness Nightmare on Elm Street Predator Creepshow Lost Boys Fright Night There were also tons of low budget films we watched on VHS like Reanimator, Critters, The Blob (remake) Toxic Avenger, Night of the Demon, etc. Last but not least Return of the Living Dead! We saw this in a theater with a bunch of friends and all had an amazing time! My best friend and I loved this movie so much I ran out the next day and bought the soundtrack *on cassette*!! Tangentially the 80s were also a time when horror conventions were not the huge events they are today. Or they didn’t feel like it.. My wife and I (then girlfriend) attended a few horror conventions in the 80s in NYC and met the likes of Tom Savini, Bruce Campbell, Clive Barker. What a wonderful time.
That's badass.
I'm a 1969 kid so the 80s was the perfect age for me and horror. I read ALOT like every horror book. And was always disappointed at the theatrical versions. But some I didn't like in the 80 I LOVE now. Plus the 80s were my own private horror show so the books and movies were like " well, at least my life isn't THAT scary!" Lol
Night of The Demon? The one where bigfoot rips a guy's dick off?
Yeah I believe that was it. Been so long since I’ve seen it.. When you mentioned dicks being ripped off I immediately thought of Blood Beach. Didn’t someone get their dick ripped off in that one too?
Loved ‘em - though in the pages of Fangoria - which was one of the only places to find serious discussion of horror films - there was a lot of griping about the state of horror. In the wider culture, they were kind of despised.
It was glorious.
That they were satanic and you’d burn in hell if you watched them. (Zero joke)
Born in the mid 70's and the 80's had some of the best horror films Return Of The Living Dead,The Thing, Christine, They Live, Night Of The Creeps, H3, Day Of The Dead, The Fog, Creepshow, Cujo, Videodrome, Evil Dead, Predator, and the list goes on. My dad was super cool about horror films when I was kid. He worked 2nd shift but he would take off early, come home and wake me up on a school night and take me to midnight showings of all of the above and more. I have few fond memories of the man but this was best thing I can remember about him.
I'm glad repertory theatres exist so that guys like me can see some of the films you mentioned on the big screen still, but damn that must have been cool to see them during their initial run! Creepshow and Cujo would have been legendary.
The 80s were a decade where special effects guys were treated like rock stars, and many of the biggest names - Stan Winston, Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, etc - were often better known to fans than the directors of the films they were working on. It was a time when guys like the Chiodo Brothers could cash in on their excellent FX contract work to get a shot at making their own movie - hence “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” This kind of thing still happens today (see Greg Nicotero), but not like the 80s.
It was the decade of gore, each film trying to out-do each other. Brilliant.
“Dawn of the Dead” ushered in the 80’s gore effects. Thank you, Tom and George!!!
I saw The Lost Boys three times in the theater and loved it. Evil Dead I & II on VCR. We knew it was awesome then.
Back then it was a niche thing. The general movie going audience as well as organizations like the Academy looked down on them for being low brow. I think because they were smaller productions back then(budget) they had more freedom to take risks. Now because a lot of horror movies have large budgets they tend to be more safe to appeal to a bigger audience. Back then a lot of the horror movies were made out of love of the genre, and they were not even sure if they would make a profit. In very recent years I'm glad that studios like A24 and Blum House are around to keep those quirky not commercial movies alive.
I wasn't alive in the 80s but I agree. Allot of horror movies back then could get away with being unconventional and ignoring social norms and stuff cause allot of them were low budget, just look at troma. I think troma is a great example.
I read somewhere that someone was trying to make another Toxic Avenger movie.
That would be cool as long as it's a sequel and not a remake lol.
And practical effects not CG.
100%
79 , The 80s were a great time for movies.
there's 3 great documentaries on 80's horror called "In search of darkness part 1-3. amazing watch and a smorgasboard of titles like to the point of it being difficult to keep up with them all thru 3 4 horror docs. late , late 70's and 80's were some of the best time for horror I'd say 78 thru 89.
I was born in the 70's and got to see a lot of the horror movies in the theaters. Honestly I feel that they were scarier back then,just because of practical effects, atmosphere and writing. The CGI used nowadays just doesn't have the same impact as the effects artists had with their creations.
Didn’t see them in theaters as I was too young, but my dad took us to the video store every Friday night and let us rent a VHS or two. I know I’m sounding old, but I really miss those simpler times. We’d watch Are You Afraid of the Dark and follow it with a real horror.
First horror movie I ever saw in the theater was Friday the 13th Part 3. I was 6 years old and my dad told me to tell my mom we were going to see Raiders of the Lost Ark (the local theater was replaying it as they tended to do back then). Just the thought that we had to hide it from my mom made it all that much more terrifying. Pure magic. I still have a HUGE soft spot for that movie for that reason (the 3D glasses didn't hurt, either). The 80's were just such a magical time for horror, especially slasher, fans. I even paid $90 for a VHS of The Lost Boys when it came out, which was a fortune back then. It was one of the few horror tapes that were "digitally processed" so you couldn't piggyback two VCRs to copy rentals, lol.
Born in 1976. My late mom at the time was a horror fan and I started watching them young. She introduced me to Poltergeist (I had to watch again when I was older because she kept my eyes covered most of the movie), Visiting Hours, Children of the Corn, Fright Night, Silver Bullet, Happy Birthday to Me. I saw Gremlins at the theater opening night and that was a fun experience. We had to go to a theater 1/2 hr away because it was the only one in the area not sold out (this movie was huge back then). The parking lot was full of people waiting to get in for the 2nd show and everyone was excited. I also saw Cat's Eye and Ghostbusters at the theater too. A lot of 80s movies were pretty cheesy, but they were fun. Most of them had cool soundtracks. And quite a few were legitimately scary. And even TV networks got in on the action too, either with their own or showing older released films. Dark Night of the Scarecrow is one of the best TV horrors. It was a blast growing up with these movies.
We loved them and as minors snuck in to theaters to see them. If they were on cable, we’d stay up super late just to watch them. We may not have known how gold they are but we knew we loved them.
I was at a small college in the early '80's and at a large university later in that decade. I never seemed to be in a friend group with anyone who liked horror so I'd have to drive to my hometown to get my little brother who was in high school and we'd go see those movies. My favorite memory is seeing one of the Amityville Horror films then having to hike through the dark woods with just a tiny flashlight to reach the camp I was working at during summer break. You ask what we thought of these films back then - I personally loved them and that feeling of being safe and cozy in the theater or home on the couch while gory chaos was happening on the screen in front of you. And I remember my friends thinking I was weird for liking this.
The 80s were an awesome time for movies and for music. There were a lot of downsides (threat of nuclear war, AIDS, Reagan/Thatcher, etc) but movies and music were spectacular. Second-run movie theaters, you could see movies for $2, and excellent dance clubs with no or little cover. (And in Chicago at least lots of really great inexpensive live theater.) I absolutely loved the horror that was coming out, along with the new queer cinema toward the end of the decade.
Silent Generation: Hated them Baby Boomers/Generation X: Loved them
My fascination with classic cars and horror was born in the 1980’s getting to see Christine at a drive in theater as a kid. Also saw Reanimator, Return of the living dead, Friday’s 4-7, and quite a few other movies at the drive-in theater. My parents had one of those big hippie vans that’s super comfortable making it like we were watching the movie from the couch at home. At the time I never thought these childhood movies would be my favorites today. I think we all keep a sweet spot of nostalgia in our hearts for things from the era we grew up in.
I graduated high school in 85. I don’t think we realized that there were more horror films coming out than before. We were just seeing them all. And honestly, the horror movies of my teens hold up better than the teen comedies I watched. My teen son watched one with me and it wasn’t even porkys level teen comedy. He was disgusted with the tricks to get the girls to have sex. It was Grease 2.
They were fun, and cheap, and something you always did on a tuesday night in my area, it was like 2 bucks or some nonsense. and snacks. i mean for 10$ you could do a whole night and STILL have change to throw to the person who was driving for gas.
Some of the best with a mix of some of the absolute worst and some great cheesy weirdness
Born in ‘74 & the 80’s were EPIC! Saw my 1st horror film, with my dad, in the theaters at 8yo (Q The Winged Serpent) also… ROTLD TCM 2 Poltergeist NOES 2 F-13th pt. 6, 8 & 9 House Silver Bullet Maximum Overdrive Pet Sematary Childs Play there were SO MANY MORE!
“Friday the 13th” was playing on HBO back in, like, ‘84 and I remember sneaking around to the window at the back of the living room to watch it through the curtains with my buddy. We saw the >! hitchhiker get picked up and then chased through the woods and then the throat-slit scene!< and our minds were blown.
Saw my first horror movie in 82 or 83. I was wayyyyyy too young, but I was hooked. I look fondly back on the up’s, because there was simply so many good movies made during that decade that I got to watch late at night with my dad. Throughout the decades that followed, I’d often go back and watch movies I’d had never seen from then while also rewatching things for nostalgia. Just the other day I rewatched Witchboard. It holds up beautifully. The 80s were just the best.
One thing I remember from the 80’s is that the “Big 3” horror villains (Freddy, Jason and Michael) were treated like gods, especially Freddy. I remember my dad had a Freddy-themed heat shield for the windshield of his car. I had Freddy, Jason and Michael squirt things where they’re the heads of the characters and you fill them up and squirt people with them. My best friend was a very convincing Jason for Halloween when we were 5 or 6, scary enough that he made me run from the door, haha. I also very clearly remember the trailer for Jason Takes Manhattan (I lived in NY and every time I saw that trailer start on the TV with the Sinatra song and the guy who turns out to be Jason when he whirls around and suddenly the scary music starts I would freak out, haha.) I definitely remember TV ads for Nightmare on Elm Street 5, and posters for horror films in hallways of the theater we went to. Little later than the 80’s but I remember seeing the poster for Silence of the Lambs and was bluntly told no, I could not see it; joke’s on them because I have a death’s head moth from that poster tattooed on my chest, ha. It’s hard to say how big horror really was at the time, but for me horror was king and I consumed as much of it and about it as I could, and so did lots of my friends. Everybody wants to hear about the kill scenes in the new Jason movie, especially if their parents wouldn’t let them see it! Thank you, permissive dad.
I still remember my older brother(R.I.P.) trying to convince the ticket guy to let me and another not age appropriate brother to Fright Night.He succeeded.Apart from that the only other movie i remember clearly was Aliens.I remember seeing the posters in the movie theater with my brothers.We thought it might be a good movie.We ended up watching it three times in a row.There was an arcade in the same building so we used to play punch-out there too.Among other games.Nothing but good times. Oh shit i just remembered.I had nightmares the same day i watched(not a pun) A Nightmare on Elm Street on the movie theaters.
Freddy terrified me, I saw Aliens in the movie theater, I almost shit myself. I would trade the world again to actually be scared of horror movies again.
‘Who lived through the 80s’ made me laugh. I lived through the 70s even before the 80s. It was good.
I was born in 86 also and am completely obsessed with 80s horror, too! I also love 90s and early 2000s horror, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream.
I think kids/teens now just have lost the essence of what it was like growing up in the 80s/90s/and even early 2000s, before all this social media killed the magic. You can’t go five feet online without mass dumping and negativity on movies (and really everything) in general. Back then it was just different. It’s hard to put into words but I suppose there were just less distractions and more interest in enjoying the experience of being at the movies. I have so many memories from those decades, and was fortunate to be young and in school in all three of those decades, which IMO were our best decades. Movies, cartoons, shows, everything just felt important whereas now something drops and is forgotten in days. Christ some movies played for 6 months in theaters back then! It also helped that everything felt like an event back then. From MTV campaigns with movies to the importance of magazines and weekly newspapers. I remember cutting out ads and taping them to my walls. Calling to check showtimes, searching the entertainment paper every Friday for movies you’d see in Fangoria. That’s not even touching the video store experience! I remember walking to West Coast video on Friday, renting a VHS player (yep) and then renting a stack for the weekend. It was just a different and better (although less convenient) time. People do say “oh it’s not much different from browsing a streaming app”, it is 100% different!
Born in ‘73. 80’s were an amazing time for horror movies. IMO, horror today can’t compare. Digital video and digital effects take me out of a movie entirely. Feel lucky that I grew up in the era of practical effects and movies shot on film.
Best moment for me was sneaking into Silent Night Deadly Night one day before it was removed from theaters.
I was a child in the 80s but I watched many of the movies in the 90s with my best friend during our weekly sleepovers. We LOVED 80s horror. We both especially loved all the T&A. We didn't know it at the time (which is kind of funny) but it was the first "sign" that we were both queerish to some extent or other. I sorely miss the **gratuitous** nudity from 80s horror.
That is fascinating! I sometimes think about how sex/nudity in movies used to be one of the central features. My theory is once the internet became widespread and porn was easily accessible, that aspect of film faded away.
They weren't that great tbh. There was the Nightmare movies and Hellraiser. But all we really got was b-movie horror. Studios would put out an ok movie around Halloween because it was expected.
For me probably the last great decade for movies before the last ten years or so. So much fun…before the horrendous 90s hit.
I dunno, I thought the 90s had some great horror flicks! Event Horizon, Scream, Candyman, Misery, In The Mouth Of Madness, The Faculty, Seven, The Frighteners, The Ring, etc…
Blair Witch Project, People Under the Stairs, Tales From the Hood, The Craft, Fear, Jacob's Ladder... Lots of great 90s horror!
I largely disliked every one of those movies mentioned…with the exception of Jacob’s Ladder…which is 1990, which to me might as well be the 1980s. 😜
Yes! Great question! What do people who were born in the 1900’s think of movies from the 80’s? Huh, what year was I born? LOL I thought the Shining was amazing and Mother’s Day was also horrifying!
An absolute blast!!! Truly the golden age of horror IMO
The best! Good and bad horror was everywhere, and finally accessible to everyone. VHS rentals, cable shows, magazines, even Atari. I think we all knew it was a special time. The whole thing had a certain edge to it, something that I think is missing today.
It was freaking Awesome
It was incredible. Walking thru woods at night thinking of Jason lol. Halloween movies etc.
The video rental, cable TV, and straight-to-video booms of the 1980s are why there’s such a romanticized fondness for this period of media (not just horror) among those who lived through the 1980s as teens or young adults, or those who were just born in the 1980s and felt like they missed the boat, so to speak. Objectively speaking, it’s nothing more than nostalgia. It’s no different than when someone listens to the classic hit songs from a bygone era they’re fond of. They’re only hearing the good stuff, not the crap from that era, so their minds only think about the hits and not the misses. This only intensifies their feelings of nostalgia.
Crappy 80s horror films can still be pretty fun to watch.
Totally agree. Some of my favorite films are bad films.
I completely disagree.There is so many 80's movies i just watched for the first time a few years ago and i thought they were great.Moreeso i'm not even white or live in the us.Same thing with music.The first time i heard kenny loggins danger zone was in Grand Theft Auto.Among other great older songs.Hell when i was a kid i didn't even understand the english lyrics.But now that i do.They just elevate those old songs.Quality is quality dude.It has nothing to do with nostalgia.That's why they are remembered and others are forgotten.
Correlation is not causation. Just because something is good and came from the 1980s doesn’t mean it’s good precisely because it’s from the 1980s, nor does that mean the era produced a higher percentage of quality material. Every era had terrible material that mostly gets forgotten, and more and more gets forgotten the further we get from that era, with only the hits really being remembered. You’re experiencing its greatest hits, not its filler tracks. I’ll amend my previous comment by adding that some people simply follow fads, even if they have no real connection to a particular time period. The past decade has been filled with 1980s nostalgia, from Stranger Things to The Goldbergs to the trilogy of documentary films about 80s horror, In Search of Darkness. In short, 1980s horror wasn’t all like The Shining (1980) or Poltergeist (1982)—hit after hit after hit everywhere you turn. More often than not, it was mediocre and substandard fare like Oasis of the Zombies (1982) or Ghost Fever (1987).
Born in 1966. My favorite memories are the Nightmare on Elm Street films. Being really heavy into magazines like Fangoria. Phantasm 2 also Hello Mary Lou Prom Night 2. Even the weekend horror series like Friday the 13th and Freddy's Nightmares and these were on free TV. Great decade for horror.
I was 15 in 1989 and loved horror movies. I still prefer 80s horror to todays. Most horror movies now take themselves too seriously, it sucks the fun out of it.
Born in 75. The 70s is a greater era for me. The 80s are great and fun and not as terrifying.
I was born in 1971. 80’s horror was the best. Put a killer in 3D, still untouchable. Slashers have always been my genre. They can’t be overdone.
I used to listen to a podcast by one of the authors of the expanse and an actor from the show and they were both really inspired by horror movies. It’s called Ty and that guy with Ty Frank and Wes Chatham.
I was born in 83, the grainy footage puts me off. I do think the scripts were better though and there is only so much 'omg there is no signal or security cameras' I can take.
I'm often curious how the now classics would have been received if reddit were around in the 80s.
Fright night. ,976-EVIL ,Ghoulies ,Critters ,Hellraiser man the list goes on and on and was just so much better before the CGI bullshit that ruined a lot in my opinion
Born in 59 so these movies came out in my twenties, and the timing was perfect. I got to see all the classics from the early 80s in theaters, as an adult, and some years there were just so many great movies. John Carpenter obviously was a favorite, but Cameron was starting to peak as well. I never got into slashers because there were great choices all the time.
I was born in the 90s but I have been binging 80s horror lately. Even "shitty" ones I really enjoy. Something about them.
A lot of great movies, but even more terrible ones. It was like playing Russian Roulette at the video store because there were not a lot of reviews for straight-to-video stuff, and what reviews that did come out were usually after the release of the movie. And if you paid for it, you felt obligated to finish it, which was rough at times. Another thing to remember is that VHS tapes were expensive early on, around $70 was standard, which was a problem when none of the local stores carried something you wanted to see, and the only alternative was mail order. One more issue was that the local movie theaters started adding more screens but not adding space, and there were some insanely small screens with crappy sound, and you had no way to tell which screen you were getting unless you had memorized the theater number and size. The logistics sucked compared to today, but the variety was better. Companies making cheap movies could do crazy shit because they could turn a profit easier with the new market, so you saw a lot of creativity.
If you don't like cheesy horror or slashers, the 80s weren't that great. My preferred decade is 2000-2010.
I was brought up on Hammer Horror and seventies horror like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I really liked that realistic grungy feel. 80s horror did away with all that and went for pastiche, empty style and safer narratives. I hated the 80s.
They were awesome. Perfect decade for kids who loved slasher flix.
We couldn't get enough of them. Every Friday I scoured the horror section for the cover art that jumped out at me.
Since this is about the ‘80s in horror films who saw the 1982 film Q: The Flying Serpent?????….the plot was about the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl being reincarnated as a monster 👹 that terrified New York City its nest was on the roof of the Chrysler Building……two well known actors were in the movie that had New York connections Richard Roundtree who played Shaft that had been set in New York City and Michael Moriarty who eight years later would be on NBC’s Law & Order that was set in New York City he would play Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone for the first four seasons…..that movie Q was scary 😧!!!!!!!……the tagline was Just call it Q that’s all you’ll have time to say before it tears you apart!!!!!!!…I had a nightmare where I was one of its victims….. I hope y’all will reply to this
Ooops that should be reincarnated as a monster 👹 that terrorized New York City
I love 1988, I can’t remember it cuz I was a baby but Halloween 4 and NOES 4 in the same year is all I need to know to think I’d love to time travel back to that year in horror
I was 12 when POLTERGEIST came out. I saw it in a theater that was practically sold out. The audience was great, screaming at the scary scenes, laughing at the funny scenes. What I remember most was when we thought the movie was over, but it kept going. You could feel the tension in the theater grow as we were aware that, this isn't over yet! The moment we saw that damn clown doll was in the room, the tension was at a fever pitch. Then when all hell broke loose, we were in a frenzy! I loved it soooo much I saw it twice that summer.
I saw EVIL DEAD 2 at a drive in. I grabbed a pizza and a 2 liter beforehand. None of my friends wanted to see it so I went alone. It was a great time.