The festive period is known for many things, from the traditional Christmas activities to the overload of sporting action, as fans ponder questions such as “Is cash out worth it?”. And of course, the holiday season is also the perfect opportunity to kick back and catch up with the latest movies.
For the horror inclined the ever-expanding array of streaming services provides a never-ending selection of terrifying new titles. However, now and again, there is something to be said for looking a little further back in cinema history to discover/relive creepy classics from the past.
With that in mind, we have turned our minds back to the hotbed of horror that was the 1980s and picked out five of our favourites to keep you up at night during the festive period.
5. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
A romantic excursion to a cabin in the woods. What could possibly go wrong? A whole lot so it happens. Having shocked audiences with the original Evil Dead in 1981, Sam Raimi returned to the scene of the crime six years later.
The essential plot is much the same as the first film, centring around the discovery of a tape reciting ancient and – as it turns out – very evil texts. However, thanks to a significantly increased budget, Raimi is able to realise his dream more fully and duly turns the gore and gruesome effects all the way up to eleven. Bruce Campbell reprises his role as Ash from the original, as he battles “deadites”, severed heads, murderous right hands, demonic trees and more.
4. Poltergeist (1982)
“They’re Here”. Indeed they are, in this 1982 flick co-written by Steven Spielberg and directed by the man behind the camera for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper. Foregoing the brutality of his breakout hit, Hooper takes a subtler approach here in a masterclass of escalating tension and effective jump scares.
The plot centres around the Freeling family and their unfortunate decision to buy a new house built on the site of a former cemetery. If that doesn’t sound like a very good idea, that’s because it isn’t. Alarm bells begin to ring when the couple’s five-year-old daughter begins to have conversations with the TV set, and from there the downward spiral begins. Highlights of the unfolding terror include a possessed tree straight out of the Evil Dead, and of course, the clown doll….don’t take your eyes off that clown. A true classic, there is a reason this spooky delight remains popular 40 years after release.
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Already a master of the genre following the releases of The Last House on the Left (1972), and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Wes Craven achieved the biggest hit of his career in 1984 when introducing the world to Freddy Krueger.
The true stuff of nightmares, child murderer Freddy was burned alive for his crimes by the understandably vengeful parents. That wasn’t enough to stop Freddy however, he’s back, and this time he’s going to get you in your dreams….
The Red and Black sweater and the bladed gloves, both engrained in horror folklore and by now staples of the Halloween season, and this slasher is where it all began. Aside from the terror, this movie goes down in the history books as marking the big-screen debut of a certain Johnny Depp.
2. Aliens (1986)
James Cameron faced quite the task in attempting to match Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic “Alien”, but many genre fans believe that, if anything, this sequel is an improvement on the original – high praise indeed.
Set 57 years after the first film, Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver in her most iconic role, is awakened from stasis to discover that the Weyland-Yutani Corporation has opted to terraform an alien egg-laden exomoon. Bad idea. Very bad idea….
Featuring not just one Alien, but a whole army of them – including a first appearance by the Alien Queen – Aliens is as revered as much for its high-octane action as the fearsome horror element, and is widely accepted as one of the very best genre movies of the ’80s.
1. The Shining (1980)
The 1980s opened with a bang for horror aficionados, with this classic adaptation of the Stephen King novel. In the expert hands of Stanley Kubrick (Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket), hopes were high that this would be one King adaptation which truly delivered on the source material, and The Shining didn’t disappoint.
Whilst light on gore in comparison to other entries on this list, what The Shining does hair-raisingly well is create a slowly ratcheting sense of tension, ultimately reaching a fever pitch as writer Jack Torrance’s sanity slowly, and completely, unravels….” Here’s Johnny!!!”.
