06)
Poltergeist (1982)
When I first saw this movie I was about three years old. It scared the hell out of me. The little girl was just that creepy kind of performance people just wish for when making a scary movie. She was a cute and young little girl but still could make you shiver and wince at the same time while looking at the T.V. screen through the cracks of my fingers.
With other performances such as the old lady played amazingly by Zelda Rubinstein, I still shudder when I hear those words, "They're here!"
07)
The Thing (1982)
Undoubtedly one of the best horror films of all time, The Thing uses the concept and idea of fear itself as a powerful tool, and in a far more direct way than most horror films. It plays mainly off of three fears: the fear of the body (in a very Cronenberg way), the fear of effing horrifying aliens, and most importantly, the fear of isolation.
Almost immediately, we are plunged into Antarctica with the rest of the United States National Science Institute Station 4. All is well until the camp is infiltrated by one of the most terrifying creatures of all time, and Carpenter does such a wonderful job of creating a tangible, suffocating atmosphere that the viewer feels as if he/she is really there, wondering what to do next to avoid being infected, and who to trust (as the group hysteria within the camp is almost more dangerous than the thing itself). The intensity is only heightened with gut-wrenching special effects, an eerie electronic score, and awesome performances (among other things).
I know it's hard to call a movie "perfect," but this is as close as it gets.
08)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
I guess I was about 12 or 13 when I first set down and watched Freddy on the small screen with my ma and da (both were avid and dedicated Horror fans of the 80s and the VHS revolution). Now you would think that at that age and being in the presence of your family you would be able to stand the frights and chills but there was something so damn scary about a being that not only looked like pure evil but could get to you in your most private situations - your dreams!
Every night for about 6 months Freddy Krueger invaded my wishes, daydreams, hell even my wet dreams and had me standing (at almost 6 foot at the time) at the end of my parent's bed in the middle of the night shouting "Ma, Da wake up, I can't sleep. I can't get to sleep!" Of course this scared them half to death to glance up from their slumber and see an almost grown man standing in front of their bed...boy did I get yelled at!
Robert Englund once told me he treated Freddy as the quintessential boogeyman in every child's story, the big bad wolf, the monster under the bed. Well he sure as hell pulled it off for this monster fan!
09)
Aliens (1986)
This is it. The perfect combination of Sci Fi, Horror, and Action.
Difficult to pull off, but James Cameron really outdid himself with this one.
Aliens is the striking sequel to the 1979 classic, and takes the concept to a totally different level. We go from one Alien... to hundreds. Terrifying and gruesome, it grabs hold of you with it's toothy, lethal tongue and doesn't let go for the entire time, all 2 and a half hours of it.
It was released in 1986 and hasn't aged a day, and is found on many, many shelves.
Aliens is constantly compared to
Alien and is commonly thought to be on par, if not the better of the two, and, any way you look at it,
Aliens is difficult not to love, and should be owned by everyone.
10)
Evil Dead II (1987)
I first saw this back in the late 80s, and it is one of the few films that I never get bored of. In my opinion this is the best horror comedies of all time. Gore, violence, slapstick comedy, amazing effects, tons of blood, laughing furniture, straight forward story line great acting and of course Bruce Campbell! What the hell else could you ask for? The original Evil Dead was good but this has to be my favourite.
It has a very simple plot, so no thinking is required but it is not your usual cheap crappy horror film. The camera work is fantastic especially for it's time and the budget of the film, but the main thing that makes this a great film has to be Mr Campbell. His hammy acting is out of this world, who else can pull off beating yourself up with so much style? He just fits the film perfectly, be it talking to himself, laughing with the rest of the house or cutting off his hand with a chainsaw.
If you haven't seen this film you'd better have a bloody good excuse!!
Honorable Mentions :-
Re-Animator (1985)
The Fly (1986)
Hellraiser (1987)
Until the next time...another week, another decade. Till then, happy memories and viewing. Ciao!