80's Horror:The Best Horror From The 1980's
by EvilEntity81 | created - 19 Dec 2011 | updated - 26 Jan 2012 | PublicAll of the Best, and the Worst(so Bad it's Good) Horror Movies from The Glorious 1980's, in no particular Order! My Favorite Decade of Horror movies!!! (Note: there are a few titles here that were released in 1990 but I assume they were filmed in 89',,, so they still count)
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1. Sorority House Massacre (1986)
R | 74 min | Horror
College student Beth and her sorority sisters are stalked by an escaped psychopathic killer who shares a strange telepathic link with her.
Director: Carol Frank | Stars: Angela O'Neill, Wendy Martel, Pamela Ross, Nicole Rio
Votes: 3,918
A very under rated, unappreciated little slasher film. I enjoyed this one a lot. Great story, pretty good acting (I actually cared about the girls), great cinematography, great direction, and all around a great entry into the genre. Great fun for a Friday night! 9 Stars
2. Sorority House Massacre II (1990)
Unrated | 77 min | Comedy, Crime, Horror
Five college women buy the old Hokstedter place for their new sorority house. They decide to stay in it for the night to meet the movers in the morning, but begin to get the creeps when the weird neighbor starts poking around.
Director: Jim Wynorski | Stars: Gail Thackray, Melissa Moore, Stacia Zhivago, Barbii
Votes: 2,380
This is a fun film but should have kept it's alternate title "Nightie Nightmare" It has little to do with the first film and uses flash back footage from another movie(Slumber Party Massacre) which can get confusing for someone who has seen both previous films. But other than that, its a fun little Slasher/Comedy with plenty of T&A and Blood! I liked it. 8 Stars
3. Hard to Die (1990)
NC-17 | 77 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
While doing the inventory for a lingerie outlet in a high rise office building, five attractive women are terrorised by a series of bizarre killings. They suspect that the strange janitor, ... See full summary »
Director: Jim Wynorski | Stars: Gail Thackray, Karen Mayo-Chandler, Deborah Dutch, Melissa Moore
Votes: 1,460
This is the 3rd entry into the "Sorority House Massacre" franchise, but for some reason they went with the alternate title "Hard To Die". This is a direct sequel to Sorority House Massacre 2. This time it shifts even more so in to comedy mode and has some really funny scenes. To fully get the jokes in this one, watch the 2nd movie first. This time the girls get Machine Guns! A lot of fun. 7 Stars
4. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
R | 77 min | Horror
A female high school student's slumber party turns into a bloodbath, as a newly escaped psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill prowls her neighborhood.
Director: Amy Holden Jones | Stars: Michele Michaels, Robin Stille, Michael Villella, Debra De Liso
Votes: 17,882
One of my all time favorite slasher films. Yes it's cheesy, but that's what makes it so great. Bask in that glorious 80's cheese!
5. Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)
R | 77 min | Comedy, Horror, Musical
Courtney Bates, the younger sister of Valerie, and her friends go to a condo for a weekend getaway, but Courtney can't get rid of the haunting feeling that a supernatural rockabilly driller killer is coming to murder them all.
Director: Deborah Brock | Stars: Crystal Bernard, Jennifer Rhodes, Kimberly McArthur, Patrick Lowe
Votes: 7,411
6. Slumber Party Massacre III (1990)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Horror
Jackie Cassidy and her friends are stalked by a serial killer while having a slumber party.
Director: Sally Mattison | Stars: Keely Christian, Brittain Frye, Michael Harris, David Greenlee
Votes: 3,447 | Gross: $1.24M
7. Killer Workout (1987)
R | 85 min | Horror
Two years ago, a young woman named Valerie was burned after entering a tanning salon. Now, her twin sister, Rhonda, runs a local gym where, all of a sudden, people are being murdered.
Director: David A. Prior | Stars: Marcia Karr, David Campbell, Fritz Matthews, Ted Prior
Votes: 2,732
The perfect blend of Big Hair, Bad dance music, Leg Warmers, Leotards, and a Killer who stabs people to Death with a Giant Safety Pin..... Oh yes, this is a must see for any 80's Slasher Fan!
8. Edge of the Axe (1988)
Not Rated | 91 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An axe murderer terrorizes a small Northern California mountain community, while two young computer-obsessed adults attempt to solve the killings.
Director: José Ramón Larraz | Stars: Barton Faulks, Christina Marie Lane, Page Mosely, Fred Holliday
Votes: 2,931
9. Fatal Games (1984)
88 min | Horror, Sport
A mad javelin thrower kills teenagers in the school. All promising athletes are executed in the most brutal way. Especially naked girls in dressing-rooms or saunas.
Director: Michael Elliot | Stars: Sally Kirkland, Lynn Banashek, Sean Masterson, Michael O'Leary
Votes: 1,180
10. Final Exam (1981)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
A psycho killer shows up on college campus to slash up pretty co-eds and dumb jocks.
Director: Jimmy Huston | Stars: Cecile Bagdadi, Joel S. Rice, Ralph Brown, DeAnna Robbins
Votes: 4,616
11. Girls Nite Out (1982)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
At a remote Ohio college, a killer dressed in the school's bear mascot suit stalks several young women participating in an all-night scavenger hunt.
Director: Robert Deubel | Stars: Julia Montgomery, James Carroll, Suzanne Barnes, Rutanya Alda
Votes: 1,945
12. Graduation Day (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A masked killer begins murdering students on the school track team after a track runner dies upon completion of a 30 second 200-meter race.
Director: Herb Freed | Stars: Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, E. Danny Murphy, E.J. Peaker
Votes: 4,879 | Gross: $23.89M
13. He Knows You're Alone (1980)
R | 94 min | Horror, Thriller
A young bride-to-be is being stalked upon by a serial killer in Staten Island. She gets help from a former lover, but will they manage to escape?
Director: Armand Mastroianni | Stars: Don Scardino, Caitlin O'Heaney, Elizabeth Kemp, Tom Rolfing
Votes: 4,238
14. Hell Night (1981)
R | 101 min | Horror, Thriller
Four college pledges are forced to spend the night in a deserted old mansion, where they are stalked by the monstrous survivor of a family massacre years earlier.
Director: Tom DeSimone | Stars: Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Peter Barton, Kevin Brophy
Votes: 8,759
15. X-Ray (1981)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
While receiving a routine check-up, a woman finds herself stranded on the hospital's eighth floor, while someone dressed as a doctor is intent on her never leaving, even if it means killing any staff member who comes into contact with her.
Director: Boaz Davidson | Stars: Barbi Benton, Charles Lucia, Jon Van Ness, John Warner Williams
Votes: 3,367
16. Humongous (1982)
R | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Romance
"Humongous" tells the tale of when the monstrous offspring of a violent criminal grow up in seclusion on a remote island. Then year later, a boat-full of teens become shipwrecked on the island, unaware of what is lurking in the woods.
Director: Paul Lynch | Stars: Janet Julian, David Wysocki, John Wildman, Janit Baldwin
Votes: 2,183
17. Intruder (1989)
R | 83 min | Horror, Thriller
The overnight stock crew of a local supermarket find themselves being stalked and slashed by a mysterious maniac.
Director: Scott Spiegel | Stars: Liz Kern, Renée Estevez, Dan Hicks, David Byrnes
Votes: 11,141
18. Just Before Dawn (1981)
R | 90 min | Horror, Thriller
Five young people venture into the backwoods of Oregon to claim a property, and find themselves being stalked by a hulking, machete-wielding psychopath.
Director: Jeff Lieberman | Stars: George Kennedy, Mike Kellin, Chris Lemmon, Gregg Henry
Votes: 7,133
19. Killer Party (1986)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Horror
In order to join a sorority, three friends go to a hazing party in an old house where a sadistic bloodthirsty demonic spirit is lying in wait.
Director: William Fruet | Stars: Martin Hewitt, Ralph Seymour, Elaine Wilkes, Paul Bartel
Votes: 2,647 | Gross: $0.68M
20. Madman (1981)
R | 88 min | Horror, Thriller
A legendary psychopathic murderer stalks a summer camp.
Director: Joe Giannone | Stars: Gaylen Ross, Tony Nunziata, Harriet Bass, Seth Jones
Votes: 6,730
21. Maniac Cop (1988)
R | 85 min | Action, Crime, Horror
A killer dressed in a police uniform begins murdering innocent people on the streets of New York City.
Director: William Lustig | Stars: Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree
Votes: 20,159 | Gross: $0.67M
22. Motel Hell (1980)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
A seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.
Director: Kevin Connor | Stars: Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons, Nina Axelrod
Votes: 13,605 | Gross: $6.34M
23. New Year's Evil (1980)
R | 85 min | Horror, Thriller
During a New Year's Eve celebration, a Los Angeles disc jockey receives a phone call saying that when New Year's strikes in each time zone, someone will be murdered - and she will be the last one.
Director: Emmett Alston | Stars: Roz Kelly, Kip Niven, Chris Wallace, Grant Cramer
Votes: 3,838
24. Nightmare (1981)
R | 97 min | Horror
A mental patient embarks on a murder spree upon escaping from an institution.
Director: Romano Scavolini | Stars: Baird Stafford, Sharon Smith, C.J. Cooke, Mik Cribben
Votes: 4,430
25. Nightmare Sisters (1988)
Unrated | 83 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Three geeky college girls who can't get a date, organize a seance and become sex starved vamps.
Director: David DeCoteau | Stars: Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer, Timothy Kauffman
Votes: 1,868
26. Night School (1981)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Who's been decapitating the innocent girls at a local night school? The police are baffled.
Director: Ken Hughes | Stars: Leonard Mann, Rachel Ward, Drew Snyder, Joseph R. Sicari
Votes: 3,248 | Gross: $1.17M
27. One Dark Night (1982)
PG | 89 min | Horror
As part of an initiation into a club called the Sisters, a young girl must spend the night in a mausoleum.
Directors: Tom McLoughlin, Michael Schroeder | Stars: Meg Tilly, Melissa Newman, Robin Evans, Leslie Speights
Votes: 3,748
28. Pieces (1982)
Not Rated | 85 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The co-eds of a Boston college campus are targeted by a mysterious killer who is creating a human jigsaw puzzle from their body parts.
Director: Juan Piquer Simón | Stars: Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Frank Braña, Edmund Purdom
Votes: 12,808 | Gross: $2.03M
29. Pledge Night (1988)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Horror
A college fraternity in the middle of hazing their new pledges during "hell week" incur the wrath of a long deceased pledge who died during a hazing gone wrong 20 years ago.
Director: Paul Ziller | Stars: Todd Eastland, Dennis Sullivan, Craig Derrick, David Neal Evans
Votes: 1,231
30. Don't Go in the House (1979)
R | 82 min | Horror
A disturbed young man who was burned as a child by his sadistic mother stalks women with a flamethrower.
Director: Joseph Ellison | Stars: Dan Grimaldi, Charles Bonet, Bill Ricci, Robert Carnegie
Votes: 5,235
31. Rawhead Rex (1986)
R | 89 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
An ancient creature called Rawhead is awakened from its slumber near an Irish village and goes on a rampage killing anyone in sight.
Director: George Pavlou | Stars: David Dukes, Kelly Piper, Hugh O'Conor, Cora Venus Lunny
Votes: 6,614
32. Return to Horror High (1987)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Horror
In the early 1980s, a series of gruesome murders occurred at Crippen High School. A few years later, a film crew uses the now-abandoned Crippen High as the set for a film. But an uninvited guest makes an appearance on the set.
Director: Bill Froehlich | Stars: Lori Lethin, Brendan Hughes, Alex Rocco, Scott Jacoby
Votes: 3,809 | Gross: $1.19M
33. Neon Maniacs (1986)
R | 91 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A group of teenagers in San Francisco discover a nest of homicidal monsters living in a tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, but when they try to tell authorities, no one believes them.
Director: Joseph Mangine | Stars: Clyde Hayes, Leilani Sarelle, Donna Locke, Victor Brandt
Votes: 3,009
34. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
R | 79 min | Horror, Thriller
Little Billy witnesses his parents getting killed by Santa after being warned by his senile grandpa that Santa punishes those who are naughty. Now Billy is 18 and out of the orphanage, and he has just become Santa himself.
Director: Charles E. Sellier Jr. | Stars: Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Robert Brian Wilson
Votes: 18,801 | Gross: $2.49M
35. Slaughter High (1986)
R | 90 min | Horror, Thriller
Eight people are invited to their alma mater for their 10-year reunion, where a fellow former student, disfigured from a prank gone wrong, is out to seek revenge.
Directors: George Dugdale, Mark Ezra, Peter Mackenzie Litten | Stars: Caroline Munro, Simon Scuddamore, Carmine Iannaccone, Donna Yeager
Votes: 7,003
36. Evil Laugh (1986)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Horror
A group of Med students fix up an old house over a weekend. Where a mass murder occurred 10 years earlier. Mayhem ensues.
Director: Dominick Brascia | Stars: Ashlyn Gere, Steven Baio, Tony Griffin, Jody Gibson
Votes: 1,260
37. Sleepaway Camp (1983)
R | 84 min | Horror
Bunks and showers are a mad stabber's beat at a summer camp strictly for teens.
Director: Robert Hiltzik | Stars: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Karen Fields, Christopher Collet
Votes: 38,018 | Gross: $11.00M
38. Cheerleader Camp (1988)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
A group of cheerleaders become the targets of an unknown killer at a remote summer camp.
Director: John Quinn | Stars: Betsy Russell, Leif Garrett, Lucinda Dickey, Lorie Griffin
Votes: 3,957
39. The New York Ripper (1982)
Not Rated | 85 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A burned-out New York police detective teams up with a college psychoanalyst to track down a vicious serial killer randomly stalking and killing various young women around the city.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Jack Hedley, Almanta Suska, Howard Ross, Andrea Occhipinti
Votes: 12,479
40. Curtains (1983)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Six young actresses auditioning for a movie role at a remote mansion are targeted by a mysterious masked murderer.
Director: Richard Ciupka | Stars: John Vernon, Samantha Eggar, Linda Thorson, Anne Ditchburn
Votes: 5,725
41. Doom Asylum (1987)
R | 77 min | Comedy, Horror
A horribly disfigured lawyer, wrongfully pronounced dead after a terrible car accident, is taken to an asylum for dissection, only to come back alive, kill everyone, and make the asylum his killing grounds.
Director: Richard Friedman | Stars: Patty Mullen, Ruth Collins, Kristin Davis, William Hay
Votes: 2,264
42. To All a Goodnight (1980)
R | 87 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A group of teenagers at a party find themselves being stalked by a maniacal killer in a Santa Claus costume.
Director: David Hess | Stars: Jennifer Runyon, Forrest Swonsen, Linda Gentile, William Lauer
Votes: 2,353
43. Trick or Treat (1986)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Horror, Music
A bullied teenage boy is devastated after the death of his heavy metal idol, Sammi Curr. But as Halloween night approaches, he discovers that he may be the only one who can stop Sammi from making a Satanic comeback from beyond the grave.
Director: Charles Martin Smith | Stars: Marc Price, Tony Fields, Lisa Orgolini, Doug Savant
Votes: 7,865 | Gross: $6.80M
44. The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Four college students are stalked by an unknown assailant while staying on campus over the Christmas holidays to help clear out a dormitory which is to be demolished.
Directors: Stephen Carpenter, Jeffrey Obrow | Stars: Laurie Lapinski, Stephen Sachs, David Snow, Pamela Holland
Votes: 2,463
45. Unhinged (1982)
Unrated | 79 min | Horror
Three young women who crash their car during a rainstorm are taken in by a bizarre family at their large, rural estate.
Director: Don Gronquist | Stars: Laurel Munson, Janet Penner, Sara Ansley, Virginia Settle
Votes: 1,974
46. Terrorgram (1990)
R | 88 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
"Terrorgram" was an anthology of three horror stories linked by a sinister delivery boy. The stories are "Heroine Overdose", "Pandora" and "Veteran's Day".
Director: Stephen M. Kienzle | Stars: James Earl Jones, Steven Field, J.T. Wallace, Jerry Anderson
Votes: 175
47. The House on Sorority Row (1982)
R | 91 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation.
Director: Mark Rosman | Stars: Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Janis Ward, Robin Meloy
Votes: 9,964 | Gross: $1.29M
48. The Initiation (1984)
R | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An amnesiac sorority member who has been plagued by a recurring nightmare is stalked alongside other coeds by a killer in a deserted department store where they are completing a hazing ritual.
Directors: Larry Stewart, Peter Crane | Stars: Vera Miles, Clu Gulager, Daphne Zuniga, James Read
Votes: 4,478
49. The Church (1989)
R | 102 min | Horror
An old Gothic cathedral built over a mass grave develops strange powers that trap a number of people inside with ghosts from a 12th Century massacre seeking to resurrect an ancient demon from the bowels of the Earth.
Director: Michele Soavi | Stars: Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., Barbara Cupisti
Votes: 8,875
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