20 Facts About Horror Classics From the ’80s

Gang, we love horror. Have we told you we love horror? Because we do. It’s spooky. Among horror fans, however, the decade of the ’80s holds a very special place. Not only because it was the period during which Reagan unleashed the unholy terrors still turning the world into a living hell, but also because the genre itself saw kind of a rebirth. A bloody, gory rebirth with awesome practical effects, that is. The ’80s were a sort of cosmic nexus for creativity within the genre, thanks to technological advances, Cold War themes, the lessons learned from ’60s auteur cinema and ’70s grindhouse ugliness, and new economic possibilities. We’d say this was a good aspect of neoliberalism, but, well, the absolute classic that is They Live already refuted this.

Still, the ’80s saw the release of a bunch of classics of the genre we now pay homage to. In this Pictofact, we examine 20 fascinating facts about horror classics from the ’80s. Will we discuss A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Shining? Well, of course, we said classics. Some of the following movies, however, will be kinda forgotten classics, so whatever urge for ’80s horror you might have, we will scratch it. And it’ll be gross and awesome, like Jeff Goldblum pulling out his nails. Does this mean we will discuss The Fly? Again, of course we will, pay attention. And now that we have your attention we can get to the real point: to remind you that The Fly 2 was kinda awesome. It wasn’t Cronenberg-awesome, of course — but really, when was the last time you saw the face-melting scene? Oh, you don’t remember the face-melting scene? Don’t say we don’t pamper you.