The 1980s were one of the least creative decades for cinema, seeing the rise of formulaic blockbusters and a return to studio-driven filmmaking. Nevertheless, it did produce some horror classics, like The Thing, Aliens, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and the Evil Dead films. Alongside the masterpieces, though, were numerous films that missed the mark—whether due to poor writing, laughable special effects, or a complete lack of coherence. These movies, while attempting to deliver thrills and chills, often ended up confusing or disappointing their audiences.
With this in mind, here are the worst horror movies of the 1980s. From killer vehicles to unconvincing monsters, flying piranhas to dollar-store Gremlins, the following films have earned their place on various ‘worst ever’ lists for a reason. While they may still offer a certain charm or cult appeal, their flaws are undeniable. They are works of anti-genius, each notorious for its own unique failings.
10 ‘Terror Night’ (1989)
Directed by Nick Marino and André De Toth
“This was the first time you took part in a Satanic ritual?” Terror Night follows a group of teenagers who break into an old Hollywood mansion, only to be stalked and killed by an actor (John Ireland) from a bygone era. The killer, who dons different costumes from his past film roles, dispatches the teens in increasingly absurd ways. This premise had some zany potential, but the execution is decidedly lackluster.
The plot is disjointed, with little coherence between the kills and the story. There’s also poor pacing, subpar performances (most of the actors were either amateurs or worked in adult film), and a flagrant lack of logic, with characters making laughably bad decisions throughout. Some of the death scenes are fairly creative, and spotting all the references to exploitation films is mildly fun, but, overall, Terror Night is a disaster. It’s not even campy enough to be ironically entertaining.
9 ‘Maximum Overdrive’ (1986)
Directed by Stephen King
“It isn’t the comet. It’s a broom.” Maximum Overdrive was Stephen King‘s first and only directorial effort, and for good reason. This stinker revolves around machines that come to life and begin terrorizing humanity after a comet passes Earth. A group of survivors, trapped in a truck stop, must fight off killer vehicles, including a semi-truck with a sinister Green Goblin face.
The end result is a truly awful mess, boasting over-the-top performances, questionable special effects, dragged-out scenes, and a tone that veers between unintentional comedy and failed horror. King himself has described it as a “moron movie”. Some of the visuals are occasionally cool, but they are way too far and far between. All told, it’s genuinely hard to believe that this disasterpiece was created by the same person who wrote The Shining and The Shawshank Redemption. For a superior King story about evil vehicles, rather check out Christine.
8 ‘Parasite’ (1982)
Directed by Charles Band
“I could’ve gone to the city when my father died, but they’d just put me in one of those work camps.” Parasite (not to be confused with Bong Joon Ho‘s 2019 gem) is set in a dystopian future where scientist Paul Dean (Robert Glaudini) is forced to create a deadly parasite that feeds on human flesh. He infects himself with the organism and flees from the authorities, seeking a way to destroy his world-threatening creation. The trouble is, he’s almost guaranteed to kill himself in the process.
Unfortunately, this story is told in the most boring way possible, with generic writing and actors who don’t seem to want to be there. Not even the 3-D trickery and effects by VFX legend Stan Winston (Aliens, The Thing) can salvage it. The film is also notable for being Demi Moore‘s first major role, though she later called it “the worst movie [she had] ever been in.”
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7 ‘The Hills Have Eyes Part II’ (1984)
Directed by Wes Craven
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“It ain’t natural to be in a place without a disco.” Wes Craven was a talented director with multiple classics to his name, but The Hills Have Eyes Part II is not one of them. Its predecessor was a seminal cult classic, but the follow-up is a misfire. In a parallel to the first, the story follows a group of motocross riders who, while traveling through the desert, are ambushed by the cannibalistic mutants from the original film. However, it never matches the tension of the original.
The 1977 film is sly and imaginative, doing a lot with its limited budget. By contrast, Part II just feels lazy and hastily made; a cash grab of the worst kind. The director’s heart clearly was not in it, especially given that he had proved his talents just a few months earlier with A Nightmare on Elm Street. He thus has the dubious honor of having directed some of the most iconic and the most forgettable horror movies of the 1980s.
6 ‘Piranha II: The Spawning’ (1981)
Directed by James Cameron
“We’re lost. Lost at sea. How romantic.” The original Piranha was a silly if mildly amusing Jaws ripoff. The sequel is another kind of beast entirely, cranking the absurdity up to 11. In this one, a Caribbean resort is attacked by genetically modified piranhas that can fly out of the water to hunt humans. Naturally, these airborne critters are realized through laughably bad special effects.
The movie tries to hook the viewer with pulpy thrills, but it somehow winds up being incredibly tedious. Pointless subplots waste the viewer’s time and over-the-top gore kills any tension there might have been. Adding to the weirdness is the fact that Piranha II was the directorial debut of James Cameron, though the extent of his creative control is disputed and he later disowned the project. In light of Cameron’s later success, fans revised Piranha II, and it has become something of a cult film and so-bad-it’s-good viewing experience. Or, at least, almost good.
5 ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare’ (1987)
Directed by John Fasano
“It is almost no fun to kill one so stupid as to not know who it is that slays him!” Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare follows a heavy metal band that retreats to a farmhouse to record their new album, only to be haunted by demonic forces. The lead singer, played by Jon Mikl Thor, is revealed to have a secret past involving a battle with the forces of evil. What follows is a tepid horror melding Satanic pacts, cheesy tunes, and camp galore.
The ridiculous dialogue means it’s impossible to take seriously, but this occasionally makes the film unintentionally funny, which is something. There are an unnecessary number of awkward love scenes (recalling The Room) and gratuitous closeups of the protagonist’s admittedly impressive pecs. The monsters are blatantly made of foam, and the ending defies all logic. That said, some viewers are sure to get a kick out of the ultra-earnest heavy metal soundtrack, most of them co-produced by Thor himself.
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4 ‘Howling II: … Your Sister Is a Werewolf’ (1985)
Directed by Philippe Mora
“She held forth a golden chalice full of the filthiness of fornications.” Howling II: … Your Sister Is a Werewolf is the nonsensical sequel to the 1981 werewolf classic The Howling. It centers on Ben (Reb Brown), whose sister was killed in the first film, as he teams up with a werewolf hunter (Christopher Lee) to stop a werewolf queen from taking over the world. Their search takes them across the United States and Europe, where they encounter all kinds of generic and two-dimensional threats.
It’s genuinely bewildering that Lee was roped into this calamity. He’s solid in the part, drawing on his expensive experience in the genre, but the script gives him little to work with, dealing in clichés and cartoonish characters. The special effects are also cheap, which is a pity given how impressive and creepy the werewolf transformations were in the first film. As a result, the movie feels like a slog even though it’s just 87 minutes long, adding nothing of interest to the werewolf subgenre.
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3 ‘Jaws: The Revenge’ (1987)
Directed by Joseph Sargent
“I always listen to my feelings.” Jaws: The Revenge is the fourth and final installment in the franchise, and it’s widely considered one of the worst sequels of all time. The story follows Ellen Brody (Lorraine Gary), who becomes convinced that a great white shark is targeting her family for revenge after her son is killed. It’s like Moby-Dick in reverse, if Moby-Dick was also terrible.
Fundamentally, this is a slasher movie disguised as Jaws film, but it’s utterly without brains or humor. Nothing makes sense, whether it’s the family continuing to live near the ocean even as they believe a shark is after them, Michael Caine‘s shirt being dry immediately after he gets out of the water, or the fact that the shark can plot and roar like a lion. Plus, some of the visual effects are jarringly awful, like the death scene where the shark is blatantly seen to be a model. Legendarily, phenomenally bad.
2 ‘Zombie Nightmare’ (1987)
Directed by Jack Bravman
“What are you looking at? Eat your ice cream!” The main character in this one is Tony Washington (Jon Mikl Thor), a teenager who is killed by a gang and resurrected by a voodoo priestess to exact revenge. The zombified Tony’s vigilantism draws the attention of crooked cop Tom Churchman (Adam West), leading to an inevitable showdown.
The idea of making the zombie the protagonist is an interesting one, but the film is brought down by awkward acting, a weak script, and terrible special effects. The revenge elements are particularly derivative, ripping off better movies. Plus, there’s just so much ineptitude and unintentional silliness here, like a character throwing cold spaghetti in rage or the zombie wearing short sweatpants. Unfortunately, Zombie Nightmare isn’t weird enough to become an interesting curio, remaining thoroughly unexciting. It was reviewed on the show Mystery Science Theater 3000, and the cast members hated it without exception, which says a lot.
1 ‘Hobgoblins’ (1988)
Directed by Rick Sloane
“Paint my muscle car PRUNE color, please!” Another egregious cash grab featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Hobgoblins is a pale imitation of Gremlins, which had been a huge hit a few years earlier. The plot focuses on a group of small, mischievous aliens that escape from a movie studio vault and wreak havoc. Naturally, group of teenagers who must stop the creatures before they cause more chaos. But with its paper-thin plot and shoddy special effects, the film feels more like a parody than a legitimate horror movie.
The hobgoblins themselves are poorly designed puppets that fail to instill any fear, and the story recycles ideas from countless creature features, adding nothing of its own. For these reasons, Hobgoblins has earned a reputation as one of the worst movies of all time. But whereas other phenomenally awful films can be entertaining in their badness, Hobgoblins is essentially just a waste of time. It represents the absolute nadir of ’80s horror. May we never see its like again.
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