Here are the top 5 horror films of the '80s to watch this Halloween.
The Shining (1980)
Plot:
Jack Torrance becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy, and his son, Danny, who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.
Ratings:
8.4/10 IMDb
85% Rotten Tomatoes
3/5 Common Sense Media
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Plot:
In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger, a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams -- which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends' parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen solve the puzzle before it's too late?
Ratings:
7.5/10 IMDb
94% Rotten Tomatoes
76% Metacritic
Aliens (1986)
Plot:
After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find only one survivor, a nine year old girl named Newt. But even these battle-hardened marines with all the latest weaponry are no match for the hundreds of aliens that have invaded the colony.
Ratings:
8.4/10 IMDb
99% Rotten Tomatoes
84% Metacritic
The Fly (1986)
Plot:
When scientist Seth Brundle completes his teleportation device, he decides to test its abilities on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a housefly slips in during the process, leading to a merger of man and insect. Initially, Brundle appears to have undergone a successful teleportation, but the fly's cells begin to take over his body. As he becomes increasingly fly-like, Brundle's girlfriend is horrified as the person she once loved deteriorates into a monster.
Ratings:
7.5/10 IMDb
92% Rotten Tomatoes
79% Metacritic
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Plot:
The second of three films in the Evil Dead series is part horror, part comedy, with Ash Williams once again battling horrifying demons at a secluded cabin in the woods. After discovering an audiotape left by a college professor that contains voices reading from the Book of the Dead, Ash's girlfriend Linda becomes possessed by evil spirits that are awakened by the voices on the tape. Ash soon discovers there is no escaping the woods.
Ratings:
7.8/10 IMDb
98% Rotten Tomatoes
69% Metacritic