Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Poltergeist: The Sequels That Never Came to Be

Given the success of the original Poltergeist, it was inevitable that a string of sequels would follow in its wake. Surprisingly, however, the franchise never made it past its terrible third installment. After the death of young star Heather O’Rourke and the poor box office performance of 1988’s Poltergeist 3, the once profitable series fell completely off the Hollywood radar.
Of course, Poltergeist was given the remake treatment this year, almost three decades after the franchise’s last installment. The modern day revival landed into theaters this past weekend, pulling in nearly $30 million and scaring up mostly negative reviews. It was yet another pointless remake, lazily recreating iconic moments and bringing no new ideas to the table.
Though the box office failure of Poltergeist 3 spelled the end of the original franchise, and directly led to this year’s inevitable remake, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t ever plans for a Poltergeist 4. In fact, according to the information that is publicly available, there were at least three different iterations of Poltergeist 4 in the works at various points in time.
Scary picture in 3, 2, 1…
Reverend Kane
One of the ideas that was tossed around in the early 1990s, not long after the release of Poltergeist 3, was to make a prequel film about creepy villain Reverend Kane, telling the character’s origin story that was only briefly explored in Poltergeist 2. It was to be a psychological thriller with little in the form of special effects, taking the franchise in a new direction.
Allegedly, one of the ideas being tossed around was that the prequel would attempt to tie Kane directly to the Freeling family, explaining why he specifically decided to aggressively target them. According to an industry insider by the name of Macklin Crux, it was eventually going to be revealed that Carol Anne was the great-great granddaughter of the once-respected Reverend Kane.
A prequel centering on Kane is no doubt an interesting proposition, as Kane was without question the best thing about Poltergeist 2. His story of starting a Jonestown-like cult and convincing his followers that the end was near is one that could easily be expanded into a feature, and it’s somewhat of a bummer that it wasn’t – even if such a film would be, at the end of the day, quite unnecessary.
It was many years before another peep was heard about Poltergeist 4, and by the time talks resumed, the project had taken a completely different shape. News of a new sequel hit the net in 2005, when it was revealed that Clint Morris had been hired to write a film titled Poltergeist: Kayeri. It was to be a direct sequel to the second film, mostly disregarding the events of the third.
The plan for Kayeri was for Craig T. Nelson to reprise the role of Steve Freeling, a character so haunted by the past that he ditched his family and became a hermit – living alone in the mountains of California. But the patriarch of the Freeling family of course cannot truly escape his family’s curse, as the persistent spirit of Reverend Kane eventually finds him – engaging him in one final battle.
Poltergeist Kayeri
Steve Freeling was to be aided in the battle by both an Indian friend as well as a young band filming a video in the mountains, the latter characters being written into the script to cater the film to a younger audience. In the end, Steve was going to reunited with both his wife and daughter, and it was at one point rumored that Hilary Duff would play the fully-grown Carol Anne.
One thing Poltergeist 2 touched upon was how traumatized Steve Freeling was after the events of the original film, as he was haunted by the fear that he couldn’t protect his family. He turns to booze and refuses to ever own another television, so becoming a full-on hermit seems like somewhat of a natural progression for the character. Again, would’ve been very interesting to see.
The death of Kayeri, it seems, was the merger between Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sony. The project had apparently been in the works back in 2003, but when Sony bought MGM in 2004, it simply wasn’t a priority for the studio. By the time we learned about the sequel in 2005, it appears as if the film had already been dead in the water for at least a year.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available about the third attempt to resurrect the Poltergeist franchise, which was going to feature the return of Poltergeist and Poltergeist 2 co-writer Michael Grais. The news broke in 2007 that Grais was hired to write Poltergeist: In the Shadows, which was described as a sequel that had no connection whatsoever to Kayeri.
But much like Kayeri, Poltergeist: In the Shadows vanished shortly after it was announced. A remake of the original classic was set in motion the following year, and after a few changes of both writers and directors, production finally began in 2013. The lackluster Poltergeist remake, it seems, has forever vanquished any and all hopes of the Freeling family’s return.
If you could bring only one of these three sequels back to life, which one would it be? And why? Comment below and let us know!
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  • Kayeri seemed the most promising to me. Would've loved to have seen Nelson return to the role one last time.
    A prequel for Kane, tying him to the Feeling family, though it sounds good, is really unnecessary.
    I would also have liked the second or third idea more than the prequel idea especially since the idea that Kane was Carol Anne's great-great-great-great grandfather would be preposterous,unless they were to say that Kane's son or grandson decided to change the family name to Freeling or maybe Wilson, the Diane Freeling character's maiden-name.
      I agree that the idea of connecting Kane to the Freeling family like that is totally silly and dumb, but I do love the idea of a full-on Kane prequel. The backstory they present for him, in Poltergeist 2, could've easily been its own movie.
    See, I want to write a Poltergeist Part 2, the house comes back, not dealing with the Freelings,but dealing with an adult Carol Anne and having to protect her children. I am a horror writer with three books out. I would love to tackle this but I don't want to get into any trouble from the owners of the copyrights, etc etc
    "Kayeri", for sure. "In the Shadows" could've been an alternate title. Sounds like the most sensible progression of the series, as Steven's arc in the second film was one of the best things about it. Considering ALL the remakes of classic 70's and 80's Horror films have basically killed their respective franchise (due to actual poor quality or the disapproval of a strict fan base), "Kayeri" might see some new life, if Nelson's around to partake in it that is. Might want to give it a couple of years though, like the span between "Evil Dead" (2013) & "Ash vs. Evil Dead" (2015).
 

Monday, November 9, 2015

16 Spooky Facts About 'Poltergeist'


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A group of ghosts haunt the Freeling family and abduct their youngest daughter, Carol Anne, in the original, Tobe Hooper-directed (maybe) Poltergeist. The movie has scared audiences for over 30 years, and has remained popular to this day thanks to a 2015 reboot and continued discussion over the 1982 movie’s controversial production and alleged curse. Here are some facts about the original, before you get directions to hell.

1. STEPHEN KING WAS INITIALLY ASKED TO WRITE THE SCRIPT.

Steven Spielberg wrote an 11-page treatment in 1980 titled Night Time, and wanted the emerging face of horror to write the script off of his idea. King and Spielberg had a pleasant lunch, but King’s publisher allegedly asked for too much money.

2. THE FREELINGS’ NEIGHBORHOOD WAS BASED ON SPIELBERG’S OWN.

Though the Cuesta Verde community in which the Freelings live is based in Southern California, Spielberg admitted that he “really based the neighborhood on suburban Scottsdale, Arizona, where I grew up. It is the lifestyle of suburban America; two-car garages, tract homes and cul-de-sacs, the U-Totem down the street, and an elementary school within walking distance. The Freeling family in Poltergeist is not atypical of the people I knew and grew up with in Scottsdale.”

3. IT’S SIMILAR TO AN EPISODE OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

Richard Matheson wrote the Twilight Zone episode “Little Girl Lost,” which was about a little girl who goes into another dimension through her bedroom wall. Matheson has said Poltergeist was inspired by the episode, but he never received any credit for it.

4. DREW BARRYMORE AUDITIONED TO PLAY CAROL ANNE.

Spielberg thought she would be better suited for E.T., which happened to come out one week after Poltergeist.

5. THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED MARTY HAD QUIT ACTING TO BECOME A TEACHER.

Martin Casella had quit acting to become a teacher, but auditioned to play the paranormal investigator Marty anyway. Spielberg, who was acquainted with Casella from previous movies, liked to pretend Casella was a valet and would always toss him his car keys whenever he saw him. When Casella won the part in Poltergeist, he was informed by Spielberg—moments after catching his keys.

6. STEVEN SPIELBERG WAS A HANDS-ON PRODUCER. LITERALLY.

In the scene where Marty ripped off his own face, Spielberg ripped off the lifelike bust. Casella insisted that Spielberg do it because they only had the one bust and he was worried he would make a mistake and ruin the shot.

7. THE CHAIR-STACKING SCENE WAS DONE IN ONE TAKE.

When Diane (JoBeth Williams) turned away from the table, crew members quickly replaced the kitchen chairs with an already-assembled cluster of chairs.

8. THE TREE SCENE WAS SHOT BACKWARDS.

Robbie (Oliver Robins) was actually spit out, not swallowed up, by the tree. Reversing the shot made the final result look much better.

9. THE IDEA FOR THE TREE GRABBING ROBBIE CAME FROM A CHILDHOOD MEMORY.

Michael Grais ended up co-writing the screenplay with Spielberg and Mark Victor. His inspiration for the tree scene came from a memory of being home alone one stormy night, sitting on the stairs on the second floor of his family home. When lightning struck the tree in his yard, a big branch crashed through the window right near him.

10. TANGINA ONLY WORKED FOR SIX DAYS.

Zelda Rubinstein was screen-tested four times before she landed the role of Tangina, the medium. She admitted the role changed her life, even though she was only on set for six days of the 12-week shoot. After filming, Rubinstein didn't hear a word from anyone involved with the movie for a year, leading her to think it might never see the light of day.

11. TOBE HOOPER ATE SPICY FOODS ON SET.

Tobe Hooper, who also directed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, ate jalapeño peppers to help him power through the long shooting days. He also enjoyed Indian curries when he had the time.

12. THE HOLIDAY INN PROMOTED A PRODUCER’S MAGIC ACT.

The Holiday Inn sign welcomed “Dr. Fantasy & Friends.” Producer Frank Marshall’s stage name is Dr. Fantasy. Marshall does a little magic show at the end of every movie’s production.

13. THE IMPLODING HOUSE WAS A SIX-FOOT-WIDE MODEL.

It took four months to create. Thick wires were attached inside of the model and pulled into a funnel, with the model placed over the funnel and the camera shooting downward. If something went awry, the model would have melted or burst into flames.

14. THERE'S STILL CONFUSION OVER WHETHER SPIELBERG ACTUALLY DIRECTED THE MOVIE OR NOT.

Spielberg was not allowed to direct both Poltergeist and E.T., but he was on the Poltergeist set often, leading many to speculate that he was secretly directing the movie himself. “I've been asked that so many times that I feel the record should be straight already,” Hooper told The A.V. Club. “The genesis of it came from an article in the L.A. Times: When we were shooting the practical location on the house, the first two weeks of filming were exterior, so I had second-unit shots that had to be picked up in the front of the house. I was in the back of the house shooting Robbie [actor Oliver Robins] and the tree, looking down at the burial of the little tweety bird, so Steven was picking those shots up for me. The L.A. Times arrived on the set and printed something like, ‘We don't know who's directing the picture.’ The moment they got there, Steven was shooting the shot of the little race cars, and from there the damn thing blossomed on its own and started becoming its own legend. Really, that is my knowledge of it, because I was making the movie and then I started hearing all this stuff after it was finished.” Zelda Rubinstein said Spielberg was the director during her six days.

15. SPIELBERG LOBBIED FOR A PG RATING.

The MPAA initially gave Poltergeist an R rating. Spielberg told the MPAA board that he made PG movies, not R movies, and successfully got it changed. (The PG-13 designation didn’t exist until 1984.)

16. SOME BELIEVE THE MOVIE MIGHT BE CURSED, BECAUSE THE SKELETONS USED WERE ALLEGEDLY REAL.

Heather O’Rourke (Carol Anne) died at the age of 12 of cardiac arrest and septic shock stemming from a misdiagnosed intestinal stenosis before Poltergeist III was released. Dominique Dunne (Dana) was murdered by her ex-boyfriend five months after the film's release. Julian Beck, who played Kane in the sequel, died of cancer while shooting the film (he was aware of his condition when he signed up). Will Sampson, who played Taylor in the sequel, died of kidney failure a year after that film's release. All of these deaths have led to a rumor that the production was haunted, on account of the prop master reportedly using actual skeletons.
November 3, 2015 - 6:00pm

Friday, October 30, 2015

13 Films Credited to the Wrong Director

Most genre film enthusiasts can recite the directors of their favorite films from memory. But on occasion, the identity of a film’s actual director is confused with another for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, a producer will be mistaken for being at the helm or in other instances, the visual aesthetic of a visionary director may be emulated in such a way that said director ends up being credited for the finished product in the public consciousness. Regardless of what leads to the confusion, the following represent 13 movies that are frequently credited to the wrong director. Read on as we set the record straight.
1. Tim Burton - The Nightmare Before Christmas
This one comes as a shock to almost everyone the first time they hear it: Tim Burton did not direct The Nightmare Before Christmas. He was heavily involved with the project and he did write and produce. It’s even billed as Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas but in spite of all that, the famed director was not at the helm. Henry Selick actually directed the project. The picture reportedly went into production at the same time as Batman Returns and Burton was unable to do double duty. Henry Selick is also responsible for James and the Giant Peach and Coraline, two other films with Burton is frequently credited for helming.
2. Wes Craven - Wishmaster
Wes Craven has admitted that he had very limited involvement with Wishmaster. But with his named over the title, a lot of fans, understandably, mistakenly believed that the legendary director had directed the film. In fact, he was actually just an executive producer and effects master Robert Kurtzman directed the film.
3. Steven Spielberg - Poltergeist
Who exactly directed Poltergeist has long been the subject of heated debate. Tobe Hooper is officially credited as directing the picture but Spielberg is reported to have been very involved behind the scenes. Perhaps due to that confusion or maybe that fact that Spielberg is a more recognizable name than Tobe Hooper, people still mistakenly hold the assertion that Spielberg helmed the picture.
4. Tim Burton - The Addams Family
A feature film adaptation of The Addams Family seems to be a project that was tailor made for Tim Burton. In spite of that, he was not at the helm of the project. In reality, Barry Sonnenfeld directed the film. But to this day, people still swear that Burton directed the big screen adaptation that tells the story of the spooky television family.
5. M. Night Shyamalan - Devil
Once upon a time, M. Night Shyamalan’s involvement with a project meant a sure box office draw. In the hopes of delivering big results for the film’s opening, the decision to attach his moniker to Devil was made. That led to audience confusion and the widespread belief that Shyamalan had, in fact, directed the project. While Shyamalan did produce and co-pen the screenplay, the picture was actually helmed by John Erick Dowdle (The Poughkeepsie Tapes).
6. Quentin Tarantino - Hostel
Die-hard (or even casual) horror fans typically realize that Hostel was merely presented by Quentin Tarantino but there is still a misconception amongst some mainstream moviegoers that Tarantino was at the helm of the project. His name was used heavily in the film’s marketing campaign and with it appearing above the title, people jumped to the conclusion that the Pulp Fiction director was responsible for Eli Roth’s 2005 torture porn opus.
7. Wes Craven - They
Even though They had Robert Harmon (The Hitcher 1986) at the helm, the studio wanted to appeal to fans of Wes Craven’s slasher revival, Scream. The cover art says Wes Craven in big white letters over the title and then in smaller, faint lettering, says the word ‘presents’. Naturally, people that were not paying close attention were led to believe that Craven was responsible for directing the film.
8. V for Vendetta - The Wachowskis
The Wachowski siblings were a hot commodity in the ‘90s and the ‘00s. They were responsible for The Matrix, one of the top grossing action films of all time. Thus, it makes sense that the producers of V for Vendetta wanted to market the siblings’ involvement with the film. As per usual, that translated to confusion regarding who was actually at the helm. While the Wachowski siblings did co-write the script, it was actually their frequent collaborator James McTeigue (Ninja Assassin) who directed.
9. Charade - Alfred Hitchcock
This film has come to be known as, “The Best Hitchcock film Hitchcock did not make.” But somewhere along the line, the public has mistakenly come to the conclusion that Hitchcock did direct this 1963 picture. The film has plenty of Hitchcockian elements, including mistaken identity and murder. Also, it stars frequent Hitchcock collaborator Cary Grant. In actuality, Stanley Donen directs Charade.
10. Gremlins - Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg was a hot commodity in the 1980s (and still is). His name was attached to a large number of projects in a variety of capacities. His name was a more recognizable one than Joe Dante in 1984 when Gremlins came out and some people simply assumed that Spielberg had directed the picture when they saw his name prominently featured on the poster art. While most horror fans are well aware that Joe Dante was at the helm of the family friendly horror film Gremlins, a lot of mainstream moviegoers are still convinced that Spielberg directed Gremlins.
11. From Dusk Till Dawn - Quentin Tarantino
What misled some fans is that the artwork says “From Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino”. Misleading advertising aside, the macabre director did not helm From Dusk Till Dawn. His longtime collaborator and friend Robert Rodriguez did. Tarantino did, however, costar, co-write, and executive produce, the project.
12. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark - Guillermo del Toro
Not only is Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark presented by Guillermo del Toro, it has a strong helping of the director’s signature, gothic aesthetic. However, it was not actually del Toro who sat in the director’s chair during the film’s production. Troy Nixey helmed the feature in his first feature film directorial effort.
13. The Last Exorcism - Eli Roth
Daniel Stamm was at the helm of the 2010 horror feature The Last Exorcism. But that didn’t stop the studio from choosing to market Eli Roth’s involvement more so than Stamm’s. The picture was positioned as, “Eli Roth Presents The Last Exorcism” and audiences got confused and thought that Roth had directed the picture.
Tyler Doupe is a film critic and journalist. He is the managing editor at Wicked Horror and an occasional contributor to Fangoria and Rue Morgue.

ABC Family airing the 1982 original and the 1986 sequel tonight in honor of Halloween tomorrow, part of their 13 nights of Halloween

For those looking to watch the trilogy this weekend,you don't need to fire up your DVD or BluRay player or DVR. You can watch both the 1982 original and the 1986 sequel on ABC Family (check your cable provider for the channel in your area),tonight.In fact,the 1982 original is on now through 11PM and "The Other Side"; the direct 1986 sequel which is the first appearance of Rev. Kane, will be on at 12AM on ABC Family as well.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Wicked Scary: 8 Movies with Ghosts That Totally Ruled the ’80s

80s_movies_700x384The ’80s were a strange time—coupled with the nascent popularity of horror, horror comedy and special effects, ghost stories not only became stranger, but very popular. And, now, iconic even. Here is a list of eight of the most memorable movie ghosts from the ’80s, starting with the one ranks highest in our reoccurring nightmares…
1. Freddy Kreuger (Robert Englund), A Nightmare on Elm Street
Freddy Kreuger (Robert Englund) whiles his nights away murdering teenagers in their dreams. In his lifetime, Freddy was the ultimate stuff of nightmares as a child serial killer. After he was acquitted on a technicality, he was murdered by the parents of his town, only to return in the dreams of the town teenagers. The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise gave the horror genre some of its most iconic imagery, from Freddy’s clawed hand coming up from inside your own bathtub, to a bed that consumes its victims and then spurts out blood like a geyser.
2. Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice was a landmark in many regards; not only did it cement the aesthetic that would define Tim Burton’s career, but it also gave us one of the most iconic film characters of the 1980s with Michael Keaton’s eponymous Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice, despite being quite powerful, can only enter the land of the living if someone says his name three times. This comes to a head when he nearly forces Lydia (Winona Ryder), to marry him.
3. The Beast, Poltergeist
The Freeling family have something of a ghost infestation. Not just one ghost, but several, and they tend to break glasses and possess children. It is revealed by some “parapsychiatrists” that there is a big bad ghosts called “the Beast” who is not only controlling the other spirits in the house, but possesses the Freelings’ youngest daughter, Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke). As it happens, the little girl’s closet is the gateway to the other dimension where the ghosts should be heading. Truly, the stuff of children’s nightmares.
4. The Ghosts of the Overlook Hotel, The Shining
In Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining it’s clear that something is up with that hotel, but we never really learn what—other than the fact that people who spend the winter alone up there tend to go crazy and murder everyone in sight. We learn from the hotel chef that the hotel has a “shine,” meaning some supernatural presence. Jack Torrance’s (Jack Nicholson) son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), can sense it. The most memorable ghostly image is that of the two twin girls, daughters of the last winter custodian of the hotel who were killed by their father.
5. Stay Puft, Ghostbusters
Stay Puft is not a spirit, but a mascot for a product that becomes something of an avatar for the god, Gozer (Slavitza Jovan). Knowing Gozer will take the form of something, Stanz (Dan Aykroyd) tries to imagine something “harmless,” and it backfires in the form of a hundred-foot mascot for a marshmallow company. He is only in the movie briefly, but the image of Stay Puft has become synonymous with the fond memories many have of Ghostbusters.
6. Slimer (Ivan Reitman), Ghostbusters
Slimer doesn’t have much in the way of supernatural abilities aside from, well, sliming, and being oddly hungry for an ethereal being. In the first movie, he’s the resident ghost in part of a hotel, more of a food-eating nuisance than a menace, when he first gets captured by the Ghostbusters. By the time of Ghostbusters II, Slimer appears to be something of a pet to the Ghostbusters, and is portrayed as more sympathetic.
7. Shigero, Otami and Masanori (Tsuiyuki Sasaki, Mako Hattori and Toshiya Maruyama), The House Where Evil Dwells
When a samurai in the in the 1840s is finds his wife in bed with another man, he kills them and then himself. One hundred and forty years later, an American family (played by Edward Albert and Susan George) moves into the house to eventually discover that the murder-suicide tragedy still haunts the house. The ghosts intend to reenact this gruesome murder-suicide once more, and go to some truly odd lengths to obtain this objective (at one form even taking the form of giant spider crabs). In the end, these ghosts actually achieve their objective, freeing themselves and trapping the new spirits in the house.
8. Big Ben (Richard Moll), House
House clearly takes some inspiration from The Shining—it’s about troubled writer Cobb (William Katt ), who’s having difficulty with his writing and goes to a new dwelling which appears to be haunted. Cobb is particularly troubled by his experience in Vietnam, particularly his friend Big Ben (Richard Moll) who he had failed to mercy kill in the field. Big Ben has held a grudge ever since and is haunting him. This is a film about, literally, escaping the ghosts of one’s past.

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Which '80s ghost has the best legacy?







Tuesday, October 20, 2015

The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s

poltergeist The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
The 1980s saw a rise in a peculiar kind of cobbled together aesthetics. The neon slickness of commercials and music videos, the safety pinned postmodernism of punk, and the crispy production design that Hollywood adopted thanks to technically auspicious directors like Ridley Scott, Adrian Lyne and James Cameron.
Horror grabbed on hard to these trends, swimming like champions in grungy decadence or deliberately bucking the system in favor of clean, old fashioned grammar. Movies like White of the Eye, Pumpkinhead, Razorback, Re-Animator, Humanoids from the Deep, Night of the Comet, The Entity, Motel Hell, The Changeling and The Hunger sit on either side of the divide, going for style or scares, atmosphere or assault, punk or classic rock.
There had never been anything like the hyperactive merging of influences and, thanks to the invention of VHS, these films influenced a generation in a more personal way than was ever before possible. For the first time, kids could take the horror home and watch over and over again.
Last week, we took a look at the 11 Best Horror Movies of the 1970s. Before that, we took a look at the 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1960s.
Here is Screen Rant’s list of the 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s.

The Shining (1980)

Best Unscripted Movie Scenes Shining Heres Johnny The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s

Stanley Kubrick’s reputation as one of the smartest and most exacting directors in the history of cinema was assured by the time he made The Shining in 1980. Many wondered why the director of Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon was even bothering with the populist thrills of a Stephen King novel, and the elicited a sense of disappointment when it was released.
In the decades since, however, various books and films have tried to uncover the hidden truths of this singularly bizarre adaptation. The simple version: this is one of the master’s best and most haunting films. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson, on the verge of losing his ability to play subtle) and his wife (Robert Altman’s muse Shelley Duvall) agree to take care of the mammoth Overlook Hotel deep in the mountains, conveniently miles away from civilization. Insanity creeps in like a mist through the long, impossible corridors of the overlook. Kubrick searches through the Overlook for the essential patterns of human emotion and locates a troubling disturbance in the heart of every artist. A change of scenery may mean the difference between life and death.

The Thing (1982)

the thing 1982 horror movies nightmares The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
Speaking of Rob Bottin, The Thing boasts not just his best effects work in a mightily impressive career, but also a little assist work from Stan Winston, the latex guru behind The Terminator and later Jurassic Park, among others. The best of the best. Which is a great way to describe The Thing. Though you wouldn’t guess it from the reviews of the period, the legendary John Carpenter had one of the best decades of any American director in the 80s. The Fog, Prince of Darkness, Star Man, They Live… One of those would be enough to guarantee you a spot in cult heaven. Add The Thing to that resume and it’s a mystery why we haven’t put him on the 20 dollar bill.
12 researchers and technicians are settling into a long, isolated winter at an outpost in the Antarctic when a dog shows up chased by a crazed gunman in a helicopter. After they clean up the mess, they try to investigate what drove the man so insane that he’d shoot a dog. Naturally, they aren’t thrilled by what they find, or by what finds them. A study in economic storytelling, grim production design and lived-in performances, The Thing isn’t just one of the great horror films. It’s one of the great American movies, period.


Poltergeist (1982)

poltergeist The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
When the demented Tobe Hooper, mastermind behind The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, met Steven “aw shucks” Spielberg, coming off the success of E.T., the result was this awe-inspiring and awe-centric ghost story.
When the Freeling family moves into their new house, they don’t know what horrors await them. One night, their youngest daughter (Heather O’Rourke) communes with something called a poltergeist and it brings with it a whole host of telekinetic happenings and bad psychic vibes. The family is under constant assault by manifestations of their worst fears.
Spielberg’s family-friendly mode keeps Hooper’s grizzly invention from going too far into bleak territory, and Hooper makes sure that the film presents real stakes, a real sense of danger and intimacy. Sure, it remains terrifying all these years later, but it’s also, weirdly, the perfect family film. It makes you appreciate what it means to be in a crisis together.



A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

freddy kruger nightmare on elm street 5 best wes craven horror movies The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
Wes Craven didn’t become the master of horror we know today until he tapped into our unconscious minds and turned our dreams into madness. A film that posits that hard-lined capital punishment-crazed societies (Reagan’s America chief among them) would doom their children to answer for their crimes, A Nightmare On Elm Street went after the safety of where we go to escape from the world.
When we can’t even sleep without being attacked by the sins of the father, where is there left on earth to hide? This was Craven’s bread and butter, and he spent a career going to every far corner of the earth undermining the supposed safety of every kind of refuge. We can say we aren’t to blame, but that will just make it harder to reckon with the ghosts when they come looking for payback. Nightmare is full of unforgettable imagery and a tour-de-force performance by boogieman extraordinaire Robert Englund as the inescapable Freddie Kreuger.


Return of the Living Dead (1985)

return of the living dead The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
A zombie movie with the sneering aggression and breakneck pace of a hardcore punk concert, Return of the Living Dead takes the metaphorical social critiques of early zombie movies and turns them into an all out war on youth culture.
When a couple of workers accidentally unleash a chemical weapon near a cemetery, it raises the dead and they’re none too pleased to be up and about. If you’ve ever heard anyone yell “brains” while pretending to be a zombie, then someone they know has seen Return of the Living Dead. It doesn’t have the respectability of Night of the Living Dead, but it’s infected the spring from which horror and post-modernism drink. Dan O’Bannon’s rampaging monster romp is a beer bottle smashed to shards and thrown at the classics.



Near Dark (1987)

near dark The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
Visual artist Kathryn Bigelow, better known now for prestigious Oscar fare The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, took the film world by storm with her lithe, rockabilly fresco The Loveless, but she cemented her reputation with 1987’s Near Dark, a neon “open” sign that invites viewers to a violent, Freudian buffet.
No sooner has Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) met Mae (Jenny Wright), the girl of his dreams, than her family abducts and indoctrinates him into their lifestyle. They’re vampires, and if Caleb wants to survive as one he has to learn how to kill and feed on the innocent. Bigelow’s country-fried tale of bloodlust and lawless romance shows off her acuity behind the camera. She directs love scenes to tug at the darkest part of the heart and violence to shake you to your foundations.
This is the pulp masterpiece that all new vampire films have to answer to.



Evil Dead 2 (1987)

evil dead bruce campbell horror movies nightmares The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
There is a sense in which a lot of ’80s slasher films and cabin-in-the-woods movies are a collection of home movies, documenting the fashion, slang, and dreams of kids who wanted nothing more than to break into motion pictures at a young age. The Evil Dead may well have joined the ranks of The Dorm That Dripped Blood and Don’t Go Into The Woods as just one week among young film buffs turned into a silly little movie, except that director Sam Raimi wasn’t fooling around.
After the nerve-munching first film, Raimi returned to the well with a bigger budget and an even more warped sense of humor. Evil Dead 2 is the most macabre Saturday morning cartoon you’ll ever see. Bruce Campbell takes his fiancĂ© to a secluded cabin in the woods and once more awakens a gaggle of soul-hungry demons. Raimi’s camera is the Bugs Bunny to Campbell’s Daffy Duck, putting him through every hilarious (if, of course, also completely disturbing and scary) trial it can dream up. Campbell fights possessed animal heads, a headless ballerina, a witch in the cellar and his own hand, and he never once eases up on himself. He and Raimi exert more energy than a classroom full of children out to recess. Evil Dead 2 has too many ideas, and for once that isn’t a problem.


Inferno (1980)

inferno The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
After dipping his toes in the waters of the supernatural in Suspiria, Dario Argento dove in head first with Inferno, his masterpiece. An homage to the legendary horror director Mario Bava (who directed such deliciously subversive films as The Whip and the Body), Inferno is a shocking, expressionistic piece of devilry about a house in New York that consumes the spirits of those who enter.
Inferno derives great power from allowing impossible, uncanny events to transpire for just a little longer than they should. The stare of a mysterious stranger from across a classroom, the refusal of a man at a cauldron to turn around, a swim through a pastel-coloured, submerged room searching for clues, each haunting sequence works a short film on the experience of knowing that something wrong is about to happen and you can’t stop it. Argento’s images were never cleaner nor more startling.
 
 
 

The Howling (1981)

the howling The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
An American Werewolf In London may be the better-remembered of the ’80s werewolf movies, and while it doesn’t want for personality (the hero’s dream of machine gun-wielding monsters is one of the great sequences of the decade), it’s The Howling that secretly steals the show (poor Wolfen is a distant third). Joe Dante and John Sayles, two of the greatest cinephile wise-asses who ever lived, craft a film that’s part pop-culture sick love-letter, part extremely troubling serial killer PTSD study.
Dee Wallace plays a journalist haunted by memories of the killer who became obsessed with her before the police gunned him down. She and her husband (Christopher Stone) take a little time off to head to a coastal retreat run by a self-help guru (the late Patrick Macnee) whose methods are a little peculiar, to say the least. The Howling was the first film to play upon our collective understanding of an idea from the movies and TV (such as our collective knowledge of the tropes of a werewolf movie), and use it to wring dramatic irony out of a scary story (Scream is one of this film’s most notable disciples).
But none of that would matter much if the film weren’t scary. The film’s werewolves are truly unnerving, a beautiful display of practical effect wizardry by the dearly missed Rob Bottin, who retired when CGI overtook practical effects.
 

Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (1988)

hellraiser 2 The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser was an excellent horror show; it gathers much of its charm through it feeling home made, as if the horror scribe did it in secret to show the world he was the only man up to the task of adapting his work.
Hellraiser 2 takes the strands left dangling at the end of the first film and knits a Boschian tapestry, a whole universe of erotic pain and jaw-dropping creatures. This sequel, directed by Tony Randel, one-ups Barker’s imagination with pristine execution. It’s a textural delight, all damp stone, squirming critters, leaky pipes and the promise of something worse right around the corner. As artistically edifying as the original was excitingly rough, Hellbound delivered on the promise of a cinematic universe in the shape of Clive Barker.
 
 

Conclusion

jason voorhees The 10 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s
The 80s also gave rise to the slasher movie, as near-classics like The Burning, My Bloody Valentine, Humongous and Just Before Dawn, which set the stylistic/technical bar higher even than accepted classics like Friday the 13th and Prom Night.
It was also the age of the horror franchise, as the HalloweenNightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th extended their universes far past their original ideas and deep into our cultural consciousness.
What are your favorites? What horror films did you watch at sleepovers and halloween parties? Did you own any of these on VHS? Tell us about your ’80s horror experience in the comments!
Check out some more Screen Rant lists on the best horror movies to grace the big screen: