The 10 Best Horror Movies of 1984

1984 is a year that doesn't have as many quality movies as the years before it, but it still has much to talk about. For one thing it has some legitimate great movies, including at least three or two classics of the genre. One of them, being Wes Craven's finest film, one that changed and influenced the genre in the years to come. It also marks an interesting batch of movies that mix the horror genre with others (you'll find a couple here!), or other genres taking in bits of horror (namely The Terminator and Ghostbusters, both great movies, but neither actual horror films, hence their omission from this list).

Honorable Mentions:
Terror in the Aisles
Firestarter 

10. Death Warmed Up- This New Zealand splatter movie is under seen and underrated but is a rollicking good time. Fast paced and violent, this one is definitely one that gorehounds will totally dig. It hadn't been available since the glory days of VHS (which is where I originally saw it), but thank the gore gods Severin put out a superlative Blu-ray of it.

9. The Company of Wolves- This British flick is a Gothic, horror take on Little Red Riding Hood with werewolves. Coming from Neil (Interview with the Vampire) Jordan this is a beautiful and stylish film with Sarah  Patterson as a teenage Riding Hood.

8. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter- The best of the first half of the Paramount Friday sequels, this one has Jason come off specially menacing. It's got a great climax, a dancing Crispin Glover to Lion (also known for doing the theme song to The Transformers: The Movie), hot girls, the introduction of Tommy Jarvis (here played by a young Coery Haim), and some great FX by Tom Savini. It is the goriest of the Paramount films (at least in the only available versions), with the best and bloodiest "death" of Jason.

7. Savage Streets- This violent and exciting rape revenge flick throws in some great action on top of the exploitation quota. It also has two scream queens in it, as Linda Blair takes revenge on the scum who rape her deaf-mute sister Heather played by Linnea Quigley. A cult classic that ranks among the best of Blair's work.

6. C.H.U.D.- This minor classic is a very cool and entertaining monster movie. The acting is solid and helps to elevate the movie's quality, as do the C.H.U.Ds themselves. Over the years, this flick has gained an even wider cult status, even being mentioned on several mainstream TV shows.

5. Silent Night, Deadly Night- This well acted, and at times dark, slasher film is better than a lot of its kind. The controversy that it caused only adds to the fun of it. On top of being a great holiday flick, it also gave us a topless Linnea Quigley getting impaled on antlers, an iconic kill in its own right.

4. Ninja III: The Domination- This genre bender is like an 80's greatest hits package in a movie. You get: ninjas, demonic possession, aerobics, and big hair! I actually like this one more as time as passes by, but how can one not love a movie where an evil, dead ninja possesses a hot chick (Lucinda Dickey)? In all this is truly awesome cheese from Cannon Films.

3. The Toxic Avenger- Troma's most iconic film is truly one of their best. Hilarious and ultra-violent, it's a blast to watch. Politically incorrect jokes, splatter galore, hot babes, and nudity abound, setting the precedent for most of the Troma movies to come. Toxie is such a beloved figure and superhero, that despite this movie being an R/ unrated flick, it managed to inspire a fucking kids cartoon, The Toxic Crusaders! That dear friends is 80's as it gets!

2. Gremlins- This amazing horror/ comedy is endearing, scary, cute, violent, imaginative, funny, gory, and heartwarming. How many fucking movies can be described by all those words? Not many, I dare say. The cast does a wonderful job, and Chris Walas, FX are absolutely amazing. Enough, so that every viewing, I have had with this film (since childhood, might I add) has made me wish Gizmo was real. Director Joe Dante fills the flick with enough in-jokes and wonderment to film a whole bunch of movies. To put it more bluntly, this classic is my favorite of all Christmas horror movies, and one of the greatest horror comedies ever made.

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street- Wes Craven's masterpiece, is without a shadow of a doubt, in my mind, the greatest slasher movie ever made. Creepy, scary, gory, and highly original, it is superior to not just its own sequels, but any movie of the same ilk. The acting is extremely strong and Craven's directing is at its most excellent level. It, of course, gave birth to one of the most iconic villains in the genre, Freddy Krueger. This appearance might be his scariest. It also gave us one of the greatest final girls ever in Nancy Thompson bought to life by the beautiful Heather Langenkamp. This is without question, not just the best horror flick of 1984, but one of the greatest horror movies ever made.


What are your guys favorite horror films from 1984? Let me know in the comments section below. And, be sure to check out the preceding year rankings by clicking on the links below.

The 10 Best Horror Movies of 1980
The 10 Best Horror Movies of 1981
The 10 Best Horror Movies of 1982
The 10 Best Horror Movies of 1983

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3 Quickie Horror Reviews for 8/10/15

It's been a year since I did one of these multi and mini horror review posts. With me having watched a couple of genre films for the first time, this felt like the right time to do so.

ALL REVIEWS OUT OF 4 STARS

Don't Look Now- This wonderfully acted, expertly directed horror flick from director Nicolas Roeg tells the tale of a couple grieving over the accidental death of their daughter. The wife (the lovely Julie Christie) talks with two sisters, one them blind and psychic who says the daughter talks to her. The hubby (Donald Sutherland) does not believe in such things. But, he is haunted by visions of a girl in a red raincoat hood similar to the one their daughter died. All in the meantime, in Venice, Italy (where the couple now resides) someone is murdering women.
The acting is amazing and Roeg spins a compelling story with some of the finest editing in any film. The ending is one of the finest in the history of horror. Quite horror at it's very best and most stylish.

Though, I heard about this classic movie before, I had never seen it until I blind bought the excellent Criterion blu-ray. This gets my highest possible recommendation and is rightfully recognized as one of the best British horror movies ever made. 
****

C.H.U.D.- Flesh-eating mutants who come out of manholes and live in the NYC sewers and kill people. A cop (Christopher Curry) and a dude (Daniel Stern of Home Alone fame) who runs a soup-kitchen team up to discover what the fuck is going on and ultimately stop the monsters.
A state coverup of toxic waste and radiation adds a nice layer socio-commentary to a fun monster movie that doesn't take itself to seriously. It's got a great cast (including a cameo by John Goodman!). Stern is particularly good delivering the best lines.
This cult favorite moves at a good pace and the FX while not the greatest are still cool and fun a sort B-movie of way. In fact it feels like a 50s B-movie meets an 80s gore flick by way of old-school NYC. 

Note, the DVD version is supposedly the real and preferred cut of the film, but I saw the R-rated theatrical cut on El Rey. Either way if you like I have made the mistake of never seeing the movie that has become a cult favorite and even mentioned on The Simpsons and The Flash, as it's acronym meaning- Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellars, you need to change that and see it now!
***1/2

The Gift- Blumhouse moves away from their usual teen horror ghost flicks, for this mature thriller about a couple (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) who run into an old high school acquaintance (Joel Edgerton who also directed it) of the hubby. He begins to give them gifts and visit them, but hubby is creeped out by him. Meanwhile, we learn that something happened between the two guys in high school. And, now it's coming back to haunt hubby.
A slow buildup of tension is expertly handled by Edgerton who really comes up with some nailbiting moments. Not a horror movie, but more intense than most released this year, The Gift is the finest thriller of the year. The acting is excellent here, with very complex characters. The gorgeous Hall provides us with the moral center and heart of the movie. And, then there is that ending!
You need to see this one before anyone ruins it for you!
***1/2

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