The ‘80s may be most known as a time of big hair and big shoulders, but it was also a time for big scares for kids. If you grew up in the ‘80s, you no doubt watched a movie or two as a child that freaked you out so bad you’re still scarred from it, or you loved so much it started an enduring passion for the macabre. Either way, ‘80s “family-friendly” scary movies were way darker than the ones from the ‘90s, which will soon get their own list.
Let’s get to it — the top 13 ‘80s spooky movies that definitely made an impact on you as a kid!
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Everybody’s favorite alien from the ‘80s was certainly cute and fun himself, but there was more going on in ET than just hiding in closets and dressing up in wigs. If you’re wondering where your fear of the government may stem from, look no further than ET, which featured the bureaucratic big wigs as the ultimate scary monsters trying to take away your favorite alien best friend. ET is definitely not the darkest movie on this list in terms of scariness, so if you’re looking for a gateway to the spooky for your own kids, this would be a good place to start.
Poltergeist (1982)
You may be saying to yourself, Poltergeist was rated PG?! Indeed. Featuring some of the most iconic shots in ‘80s movie history, Poltergeist is about a family who moves into a new house built on an old cemetery, whose “residents” aren’t so happy about this new development on top of their final resting places. While at first the strange happenings around the house seem benign, things take a turn for the sinister rather quickly. If this movie was made today, it would definitely be rated PG-13, and indeed, the 2015 (far inferior) remake of the same name was rated PG-13.
The Dark Crystal (1982)
Puppet creatures are inherently creepy sometimes, but when they’re made to be kinda freaky too? Double yikes. The Dark Crystal is a movie entirely acted through puppets created by The Jim Henson Company, which was a rarity as most movies featuring puppets also have some human characters as well. This dark fantasy is all about a Gelfling embarking on a quest to find a missing shard from a magical crystal in order to fulfill a prophecy and save the world.
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Based on the 1962 Ray Bradbury novel of the same name, Something Wicked This Way Comes is probably one of those movies that haunted your dreams (or should we say, nightmares?). One of those rare dark Disney movies produced in the ‘80s, this movie features a creepy carnival that comes to town, led by the ominous and appropriately named, Mr. Dark. You probably got thoroughly freaked out if you saw this as a young child in the ‘80s, and we wouldn’t blame you.
Gremlins (1984)
Never feed it after midnight — that’s just one of three very important rules when dealing with a Mogwai, a cute, furry little creature. So why is the movie called Gremlins, then? Well, when you ignore that very important rule of not feeding them after midnight, they turn into, you guessed it, mischievous reptilian monsters aka gremlins. As was often common during the ‘80s, a lot of horror was mixed with comedy, and Gremlins was no exception, often playing up the comedic side of all the horrific drama.
Ghostbusters (1984) & Ghostbusters II (1989)
Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters! While there are certainly some creepy moments in the Ghostbusters movies, these are definitely meant to be comedies first. The first film is an ‘80s classic, and while some movies you grew up with don’t quite stand up to the test of time when rewatching them as adults, Ghostbusters definitely does. Though the first movie is definitely a lot better than the second one, Ghostbusters II has its merits, and in many ways is scarier than the first, if that’s what you’re into.
The Goonies (1985)
At first we didn’t consider The Goonies for this list, but when you stop and think about it, it had some pretty creepy moments for young children. The villains were pretty scary, there were skeletons galore, and all kinds of perilous moments for our favorite goonies. It’s definitely a movie you can feel pretty comfortable with showing younger kids than some others on this list, despite some of the raunchy comments thrown in there by a young Corey Feldman.
The Peanut Butter Solution (1985)
Now, some of you may be saying to yourselves, what the heck is The Peanut Butter Solution? But for those of you who have seen this Canadian television movie from the ‘80s, you will no doubt have a very clear memory of this story of a special peanut butter hair growth concoction. That’s right, this movie is all about a hair growth serum made with peanut butter that makes the user’s hair grow like crazy and have other special properties. But you know someone is going to want to try to take advantage of all that super special hair. Sound crazy? Yep.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
It’s not every day you have a musical combined with a somewhat horrific story and a whole lot of comedy, but Little Shop of Horrors does just that. Rick Moranis stars as Seymour, a florist who discovers his venus fly trap has an appetite for human blood. The movie is based on an off-Broadway musical of the same name, and actually had a much bleaker original ending. But, when test audiences didn’t like it, the filmmakers came up with the current, happier ending.
Labyrinth (1986)
Any older sibling has always had a moment where they wish their younger sibling would just go away. But in Labyrinth, teenager Sarah gets her wish, and must make her way through a magical labyrinth to rescue her baby brother before he is turned into a goblin forever. A classic in puppetry and featuring an epic performance by David Bowie, Labyrinth is an ‘80s classic.
The Monster Squad (1987)
If you were a tween in the ‘80s and into monsters, then you probably went straight to the theater to see The Monster Squad. In this movie, a group of young monster fanatics must work together to save their hometown from an onslaught of famous monsters led by, who else, Count Dracula. Though it was a financial failure at the time, the movie has since garnered cult status among ‘80s aficionados, and there was even talk at one point to remake it. Those talks have since stalled, but everything old is new again, so who knows, it may come around once more.
Beetlejuice (1988)
What do you do when you’re a recently deceased ghost who doesn’t want a new family living in your house? Call up that devious ghostest with the mostest, Beetlejuice (or Betelgeuse), to help scare them away. Like many of the movies on this list, Beetlejuice is just as much a comedy as it is a horror movie. And, even though Beetlejuice himself is technically the villain of the movie, Michael Keaton does such a great job that you don’t hate him. If you love wackier stuff, then Beetlejuice was right up your alley, and probably will be for the kids of today as well.
Little Monsters (1989)
Now, while Little Monsters isn’t necessarily a great movie, it definitely creeped out some kids when it came out in the late ‘80s. Every kid is worried about monsters under the bed, and this movie brought that fear to life. Though at first the monster world that Fred Savage’s character visits seems like all fun and games, he soon realizes that if he stays there too long, he becomes a monster too, and that all monsters are former children. Yikes. Even though it’s probably not scary as an adult, this was one movie that personally freaked me out as a kid and I have subsequently never watched it since!
What spooky movie(s) from the ‘80s did you love as a kid? Let us know in the comments!
- Though The Dark Crystal wasn’t a huge commercial hit at the time, it slowly gained a cult following, which eventually led to a prequel television series over 35 years later – The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
- The “Poltergeist Curse” is an urban legend based around the fact that there have been several unfortunate deaths of actors who appeared in the franchise, as well as other strange events. It is believed by some to have been caused by the use of real skeletons on-set.
- Steven Spielberg was involved in a number of the movies on this list, including The Goonies, ET, Poltergeist, and Gremlins.
- Ray Bradbury wrote a screenplay for Something Wicked This Way Comes in 1958, intended as a directorial vehicle for Gene Kelly. Financing for the project never came, and Bradbury converted the screenplay into the novel, which was published in 1962.
- Many other young ‘80s starlets were offered the role of Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice before Winona Ryder signed on, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane, Justine Bateman, Molly Ringwald and Jennifer Connelly.
- Though The Dark Crystal wasn’t a huge commercial hit at the time, it slowly gained a cult following, which eventually led to a prequel television series over 35 years later – The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
- The “Poltergeist Curse” is an urban legend based around the fact that there have been several unfortunate deaths of actors who appeared in the franchise, as well as other strange events. It is believed by some to have been caused by the use of real skeletons on-set.
- Steven Spielberg was involved in a number of the movies on this list, including The Goonies, ET, Poltergeist, and Gremlins.
- Ray Bradbury wrote a screenplay for Something Wicked This Way Comes in 1958, intended as a directorial vehicle for Gene Kelly. Financing for the project never came, and Bradbury converted the screenplay into the novel, which was published in 1962.
- Many other young ‘80s starlets were offered the role of Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice before Winona Ryder signed on, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane, Justine Bateman, Molly Ringwald and Jennifer Connelly.
