100 Best Horror Movies of the 1980s: A List of the Must See Horror Movies of the 80s Part 1 (100-81)

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It's the moment that you've all been waiting for. This website exists because of 80s horror cinema. The decade produced more of my favorite films than any other, many of which happen to be horror movies. Perhaps it's a nostalgic bias, but I've always found there to be something extremely special about 80s horror. The otherworldly imagery and the ethereal atmosphere were like nothing I'd ever seen before. Developmentally, it sparked my interest in the obscure and served as a gateway to other esoteric cinematic realms.  It remains a important part of my life and, because of this, I'd like to celebrate by sharing what I deem to  be the 100 best horror movies of the 1980s.

Note: lists are subjective and are not meant to be an objective assessment of the quality or value of any particular movie.  This list is undeniably personal and it reflects my own thematic preferences. I consider "best" to be some kind of combination of technical achievement, enjoyment of viewing and a variety of other factors. It's also contextual: ask me a month from now and I might provide you with a very different looking list. Additionally, it was difficult for me to leave some movies off the list which I actually adore (Aliens, Predator) but which I intuitively don't think constitute horror enough to be featured on a list such as this one. Understand all of this before replying or commenting with an outraged "how could you leave X off of the list!?" or "I can't believe you ranked X higher than Y!!!"

Top 200:

1 (200-181) - 2 (180-161) - 3 (160-141) - 4 (140-121) - 5 (120-101)

Top 100:

1 (100-81) - 2 (80-61) - 3 (60-41) - 4 (40-21) - 5 (20-1)

100. Rawhead Rex (1986)

99. Motel Hell (1980)

98. Dead Heat (1988)

97. Pet Sematary (1989)

96. Night of the Demons (1988)

95. New York Ripper (1982)

94. Nekromantik (1987)

93. Opera (1987)

92. City of the Living Dead (1980)

91. Phantasm II (1988)

90. The Hunger (1983)

89. Halloween 2 (1981)

88. Phenomena (1985)

87. Razorback (1984)

86. Christine (1983)

85. Inferno (1980)

84. Maniac Cop (1988)

83. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

82. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
(1988)

81. Alligator (1980)

Top 200:

1 (200-181) - 2 (180-161) - 3 (160-141) - 4 (140-121) - 5 (120-101)

Top 100:

1 (100-81) - 2 (80-61) - 3 (60-41) - 4 (40-21) - 5 (20-1)