Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Halloween Festival of Lists: October 26: TWENTY-SIX 80's Films That Jump-Started My Love Of Horror

 I grew up in the 80s.  Which is not to say I was born in the 80's.  I was a teenager and went to high school in the 80's.  So that is when I truly hit my stride as far as horror.  While 1979's When A Stranger Calls scared me to death by the time it hit Showtime in the early eighties, I watched things like Evil Dead, Pumpkinhead, and Halloween II, III and IV at their first run.  Yes, I was a lucky dog.

I fondly recall going to see Psycho II at the drive in...it was the second feature playing that night after Vamp.  I remember being terrified at my babysitting job not by watching House of the Devil....but by watching When a Stranger Calls - which I still think is one of the scariest opening twenty minutes in film.  And I remember the first time I saw Children of the Corn.  I was pleasantly appalled at the blatant disregard for religion. And my first Fulci film? I have no words. 

It's exceedingly difficult to pick out a group of films from the 80's that defined my formidable teenage years, and I'm sure I left out a lot of crazy-good movies....but here goes nothing.  I've discussed or reviewed several of them at one point or another, and the ones I haven't, I'll leave for another day. 

Onward:


A Nightmare on Elm Street

April Fool's Day

Cat People

Children of the Corn

Friday the 13th

The Lost Boys

The Fly

Cujo

The Serpent & The Rainbow
My Bloody Valentine

Creepshow

The New York Ripper

Christine

Xtro

The Howling

Silver Bullet

Mausoleum
Hell Night

The Funhouse

The Thing

The Hitcher

The Stepfather

The Fog

Night of the Comet

Pet Sematary

Psycho II

4 comments:

Budd said...

see, you are a little older than me. I got shafted with late 80's early 90's horror. Not that there were not some good ones in there, but there were far less. Candyman comes to mind as one.

James Gracey said...

Really Chris? You like Psycho II?? I had no idea! ;)

I entered into my love affair with horror films via slasher movies. I was a late-comer mind, it was Scream that did it for me. Then after that, Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street...

On a separate note, I don't know how you feel about blog awards and stuff, but, well, I gave you one... http://watchinghorrorfilmsfrombehindthecouch.blogspot.com/2011/10/pass-this-award-onto-five-other-people.html

Franco Macabro said...

I've always wanted to see Mausoleum, but it's not available anywhere, at least the last time I checked.

A lot of this movies got me started in horror films as well, Serpent and the Rainbow being one of them, also A Nightmare on Elm Street, but for me it was the third one, Dream Warriors.

Christine Hadden said...

Budd: Candyman is certainly awesome, I would also add The Silence of the Lambs, Pet Sematary, and The Woman in Black to the short list of films from that "era".

James: But of course I like awards!
I will respond properly at the weekend when I have time to breathe! I'll also get back to YOU then as well :)

TFC: I don't even think I have Mausoleum on VHS anymore...It's been so long but it's burned on my brain, haha!