I decided to do a deep dive into each year of the 1980's beginning, logically enough, with 1980! This post is dedicated to the year 1982 and the horror movies I've seen thus far (note I'm basing the release date on what Letterboxd tells me).
So far I've seen 37 horror movies from 1982!
Here is Letterboxd list of horror movies from 1982... Link.
*note I have filters applied already because I'm lazy.
*Citation! All information came from Letterboxd. The reviews are my own.
*Will be updates as I watch more!
Shout out to a horror adjacent film Class of 1984.
The highest rated horror movie (on Letterboxd) from 1982 is: The Thing!
Directed by John Carpenter
Written by Bill Lancaster
Make up by Rob Bottin
Music by Ennio Morricone
Staring: Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Jed the dog.
Subgenre: Cold War mistrust by way of aliens
“Man is the warmest place to hide."
My review: it’s considered on of the best remakes for a reason. It’s shot and acted perfectly. My only note is there is a lot of doggy death.
The lowest rated horror movie (on Letterboxd) from 1982 is Oasis of the Zombies!
Directed by Jesus Franco
Subgenre: ... Spanish Zombies…
“There’s no rest for the wicked in the desert of the living dead”
My review: Whoa is this terrible. Not the worst. But it’s bad! Given what I watched was a terrible quality so I don’t want to judge the film-grain level, audio quality, ect. BUT! Woof. This plot was terrible.
To go with the lowest rated, what I think is the worst movie of 1982: Don’t Look in the Attic
Directed and Written by Carlo Austino
Subgenre: …if Hereditary was a terrible 80s Italian movie.
“Dust to Dust, Ashes to ashes, But not for long!”
My review: oh no. This is one of the worst movies I’ve seen. I’ll be honest I had for fast forward. A lot of the ADR (it’s an Italian horror film) is recorded line by line and played over one another… also it’s beyond nonsensical.
SEQUELS! It’s the 80’s there are a lot of them.
Friday the 13th part 3
Directed by Steve Miner
Music by Harry Manfredini
Subgenre: Jason Voorhees… in 3D.
“A new dimension in terror…”
My review: I don’t know, I like Chris Higgins.
Amityville II: The Possession
Directed by Damian Damiani
Written by Tommy Lee Wallace
Staring Pauli himself, Burt Young
Subgenre: incest in 112 Ocean Ave
“If these wall could talk… they would shriek!”
My review: it’s supposed to be a fictional interpretation of the original DeFeo murders, but with demons, Pauli as an abusive father, and sibling incest… so it’s exploitative as hell.
I get this movie constantly confused with Legion: The Exorcist III. I don’t know why.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Directed and Written by Tommy Lee Wallace
Cinematography by Dean Cundy
Music by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth
Staring Tom Atkins
Subgenre: Beware of masks
“The night no one came home.”
My review: if that Goosebumps episode with Carly Beth was about the adults.
Some major horror directors put in some installments for their filmography in ’82.
Poltergeist - My favorite movie of this year
Directed by Tobe Hooper
Written by Stephen Spielberg
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith [Gremlins, The Mummy, Alien, The Omen, Legend, The Burbs, Total Recall, ect…]
Staring Heather O’Rourke, Dominique Dunne, Zelda Rubinstein, James Karen, Craig T Nelson and JoBeth Williams
Subgenre: ghosts in the TV? fighting colonialism? Sure.
“They’re here”
Swamp Thing
Directed and written by Wes Craven
Composed by Harry Manfredini
Based on the DC Comic
Staring: Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise (Twin Peaks)
Subgenre: man v science! but in the 80s’.
“Science transformed him into a monster. Love changed him even more!”
Creepshow
Directed by George Romero
Written by Stephen King
Makeup by Tom Savini
Subgenre: anthology
“The most fun you’ll ever have… being scared!”
My review: visually inspired by EC comics and boy does it go all the way with it. This anthology film is great.
Basket Case
Directed and written by Frank Henenlotter [Frankenhooker and Brain Damage]
Subgenre: gross NYC exploitation-monster movies
“The tenant in room 7 is very small, very twisted and very mad.”
My review: Belial stop motion assaulted a woman so that Malignant could run backwards.
Q, The Winged Serpent
Directed and written by Larry Cohen [It’s Alive, The Stuff, Return to Salem’s Lot, Special Effects, Fun Moon High]
Staring: Michael Moriarty, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree [George of the Jungle], Candy Clark
Subgenre: Dragons in NYC…
“It’s name is Quetzalcoatl. Just call it Q. That’s all you’ll have time to say before it tears you apart!”
My review: is it slow? Yes! Is it entertaining…. Yes!
Oddly sexual movies that came out in 1982, but not how you think…
(The) Incubus
Directed by John Hough [Legend of Hell House, Twins of Evil, American Gothic, Howling IV]
Based on a novel by Ray Russell
Staring John Cassavetes
Subgenre: sex demon and telepathy
“He is the destroyer.”
My review: This movie is totally insane and I love it. Link.
The Beast Within
Directed by Philippe Mora [Howling II and III]
Written by Tom Holland [Child’s Play, Fright Night, ect]
Subgenre: Were-cicada
“He was on the verge of becoming a man… eater!”
My review: WTF a woman is assaulted, becomes pregnant, has the baby. Seventeen years later the child is deathly ill and she and her husband need to find his real father to understand his symptoms. But they uncover more as their son starts to turn into a r*pist himself… and also a Were-cicada!
Deadly Games
Directed and Written by Scott Mansfield
Subgenre… Two men invite a woman into their relationship, oh and there are some murders.
Staring: Sam Groom, Steve Railsback, Dick Butkus… ect
“Only he will hear your scream!”
My review: this movie is utterly baffling. Like there is a building romance between these three people complete with a dating montage with a sultry love ballad, then it hard cuts to the last kill and the motive reveals and ends on a freeze frame with the the final girl about to be killed… so what happened? I’m actually asking, I don’t know.
ALIENS!
Xtro
Directed by Harry Bromley Davenport
Subgenre: backwards aliens!
“Some extra-terrestrials aren’t friendly”
My review: If I had a nickel for every time I've seen a grown man's head being violently birthed from a woman... I'd have two nickels which isn't a lot and I'd be happy to return them because EW!
Also very British… (by that I mean boring).
Nightbeast
Directed and written by Don Dohler
Subgenre: alien with a gun
“If you have the guts… it wants them!”
My review: aliens… I don’t know it was a boring mid-west movie and part of my soul left my body. ..WTF is the alien wearing!?!
Forbidden World
Directed by Allan Holzman
Written by Jim Wynorski and others
Staring: well Michael Bowen from Night of the Comet is in this
Subgenre: someone saw alien!
“Part alien… part human… all nightmare.”
The Mad-Slasher Craze is escalating!
Alone in the Dark
Directed by Jack Holder
Makeup by Tom Savini and others
Staring: Donald Pleasance, Dwight Schultz (A-Team), Jack Palance and Martin Landau (who were in Without Warning together)
Subgenre: mental illness makes for great horror am I right!
“When the lights go out, the terror begins.”
My review: I know realistically this is not a prequel to Halloween but hear me out… it totally freaking is! And it absolutely explains how Michael learned to drive and why Loomis is so damn chaotic.
Slumber Party Massacre
Directed by Amy Holden Jones - a rare slasher directed by a woman
Written by Rita Mae Brown originally but redone by Amy Holden Jones
Exec Producer was Roger Corman…
Makeup by Mark Shostrom
Subgenre: phallic symbols and half-dressed sleep overs
“Close you eyes for a second… and sleep forever.”
My review: I LOVE THIS MOVIE! - I have done a review here.
Trick or Treats
Directed and written by Gary Graver… he also did the cinematography
Staring: David Carradine and others
Subgenre: it’s dangerous to babysit in the 80s
“Halloween’s over. Now it’s the kids’ turn to get even!”
My review: kind of slow, if I was this kid’s dad… I’d have lost it too. I don’t especially enjoy the wife having her husband institutionalized… it’s a gender reversal of a very real, very harmful trend.
Silent Rage
Directed by Michael Miller
Staring: Chuck Norris, Stephen Furst (Animal House), Ron Silver (The Entity), Brian Libby (Shawshank Redemption, ect)
Subgenre: Mental Illness versus Chuck Norris’ fist! Fight!
“Science created him. Now Chuck Norris must destroy him.”
My review: it’s a Chuck Norris ‘horror’ movie… need I say more? If so, ok weird, but ok. I really liked this movie. It’s a weird action, horror, Frankenstein-esque movie. I did feel bad for the killer. He tried to get help for his illness and his doctor(s) not only did not help him but harmed him… it’s giving straight Herbert West (of Re-Animator fame).
Oh and Chuck Norris’ partner Charlie was a damn riot!
Mazes and Monsters
Directed by Steven Hilliard Stern
Staring: Tom Hanks
Subgenre: D&D satanic panic nonsense
“Danger lurks between fantasy and reality”
My review: it’s an early Tom Hanks ‘horror’ movie. There aren’t many of these so check them out if you can. This one really is heavy into Satanic Panic of the era and misguided ideas about mental illness.
Other Horror movies that I can't fit into a category...
Pieces
Directed by Juan Piquer Simon
Staring: Christopher George, Lynda Day George, appearance by Bruce Le (not to be confused with Bruce Lee), Paul L Smith (Bluto from Popeye).
Subgenre: It’s a Frankenstein slasher on a college campus
“It’s exactly what you think it is!”
My review: oddly sexual in the most unsex way. BASTARDS!
The Slayer
Directed by J. S. Cardone (also wrote part of the script)
Hey the cinematography was a woman, Karen Grossman.
Subgenre: group goes to an isolated island to deal with someone’s trauma, what could go wrong?
“She searched through the dark corridors of the unknown only to find… The Slayer”
My review: awesome premise... but this fell flat for me. For the amount of time it takes, it didn't earn it with good atmosphere building, so it just quite boring in it's meandering. And in the end... it was all just a dream...
Satan’s Mistress
Directed by James Polakof (wrote some of the script)
Staring Lana Wood and John Carradine
Subgenre: ghost sex!
“Her wildest dreams are about to come true”
My review: …no thank you…
Next of Kin
Directed by Tony Williams (wrote some of the script)
Subgenre: old people are scary
“There is something evil in this house.”
My review: Australian film about a young woman inheriting a retirement home… I was really bored in this one. It’s probably good, it just did not hold my attention.
Unhinged
Directed by Don Gronquist (wrote some of the script)
Subgenre: transphobia
“The nightmare begins when you wake up!”
I've seen a lot of surprise! the female killer was assigned male at birth but was abused by their 'overbearing mother' so they went unhinged and started killing people… however this is the first one I've seen that actually let the character speak for themselves about how they felt...
Dogs of Hell
Directed by Worth Keeter
Subgenre: dog murders
“They were perfectly trained for one task… manslaughter!”
My review: 0/10 for doggie murder and perpetuating negative stereotypes about Rottweilers. Boo!
Time Walker
Directed by Tom Kennedy
Staring: James Karen
Subgenre: Mummy movie! Except it’s an alien?
“For eons they traveled the galaxies. For centuries one was trapped in a pharaoh’s tomb. Now he is free!”
Pandemonium
Directed by Alfred Sole
Cast: Carol Kane, Judge Reinhold, (Phil Haryman), Marc McClure (Dave McFly in Back to the Future),
Subgenre: Parody fun!
“Finally, a movie that is totally taste-free.”
My review: This movie is a riot. I totally recommend it. I found myself laughing out loud at a couple of the jokes. I liked it a bit more than Student Bodies for comparison.
One Dark Night
Directed by Tom McLoughlin (Friday the 13th Jason Lives, Sometimes They Come Back)
Cast: Meg Tilly, EG Daily, Adam West!,
Subgenre: prank in a mausoleum gone wrong… go figure.
“A night to remember - until the day you die!”
I... don't understand Meg Tilly's character. She's basically Sandy from Grease if Danny has broken up with Betty right before those, oh, Summer Nights. Really though, she wants to join this group of popular girls but she's literally dating the leader's ex-boyfriend. GIRL! That is not how you make friends! That's how you make enemies. This is proto-Mean Girls. Oh and there is this subplot about a old Russian Psychic raising people from the grave and his telepathic daughter, blah blah blah.
The Last Horror Film
Directed by David Winters
Cast: Caroline Muro, Joe Spinell, est
Subgenre: exploitation!
“She’s dying to be in his film…”
Honeymoon Horror
Directed by Harry Preston (one of the writers)
Subgenre: Logic? Editing? We don’t know them.
“’Til Death Do Us Part.”
My review: this movie really tried to be a movie I think… It’s definitely a low budget ‘local' movie. It just kind of opens and has scenes that generally are kind of coherent but as the movie goes on become increasingly less so, as if the film-makers lost reels or didn’t splice things together in a way that makes any linear sense. Every seen with the cop is… well it makes Barney Fif look like Einstein. And then the movie ends.
Foreign Horror:
Human Lanterns
Directed by Sun Chung
Shaw Brothers - Hong Kong film
Subgenre: lets kill women to make art, also martial arts!
My review: This movie is stunning, I love the setting, style, and visceral feeling that comes from the effective look and feel of the film.
Tenebre
Directed and written by Dario Argento
Staring: John Saxon
“…terror beyond belief”
Manhattan Baby
Directed by Lucio Fulci
Subgenre: stop f*cking around in Egypt! #colonialism
“It’s looking at you… From Hell!”
My Review: OH FUCK Bob from House by the Cemetery is back, this time he’s going by Tommy and he’s just as insufferable! The only saving grace is the great music.
The New York Ripper
Directed by Lucio Fulci
Subgenre: annoying slasher… extra exploitative
“Slashing up women was his pleasure”
My review: oh he's not going to do the duck voice the entire time is he...? yup, yeah, he is… Additionally, all these men are the worst. Why couldn't any of them die... -.-
Le Gault can be found below...
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