The 1980s were positively packed with remarkable movies, many of which have since become cemented as key parts of our collective pop culture consciousness. The evolution of modern cinema reached its peak in the 1980s, with many genres and subgenres completely redefined during the ten-year span. Many of the best movies of the 1980s keep getting better with age, and fans look back fondly on them as a result. The majority of the decade’s most influential films have therefore become immortalized in the memories of fans everywhere, but there are always a few that seem to slip through the cracks.
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The following underrated ’80s movies all managed to have a heavy impact on their respective genres, but somehow aren’t remembered widely enough. Some have amassed limited cult followings, but others have been almost entirely forgotten. Though they may not be too broadly remembered, these movies all helped to shape their respective genres, meaning that their legacy lives on in many of the movies being released today.
3) The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
It might not be considered an essential 1980s sci-fi movie, but the cinematic legacy of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension subtly lives on in some of the biggest movies of the modern era. It stars Peter Weller as the eponymous polymath and true renaissance man, and while it’s predominantly a sci-fi story, it features elements of comedy, action, adventure, and even romance. Despite a stellar supporting cast and a truly unique premise, Buckaroo Banzai has been widely forgotten outside of its cult following.
The movie’s deft blend of many genres and comedic tone, even as it explores the complexities of its sci-fi premise, paved the way for movies like those of the MCU. The sheer scope of its worldbuilding and clever use of different genre tropes is now standard practice for many major blockbusters. While Buckaroo Banzai itself has been relatively forgotten in the years since its release, its influence on modern movies seems to be incredibly far-reaching.
2) Manhunter (1986)
1986’s Manhunter is a movie that many have heard of, but nowhere near as many have actually watched. Based on Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon, the movie starred William Petersen as FBI profiler Will Graham and, among others, Brian Cox as the serial killer “Hannibal Lecktor”. Despite being the first film to feature the horror movie icon later made famous by Anthony Hopkins, Manhunter has become relatively overlooked in the decades since it landed on the big screen.
Poor initial critical reception and box office performance tainted Manhunter‘s reputation, but it has since been more favorably reappraised. What’s more, its influence on the crime thriller subgenre, particularly those with horror undertones, cannot be overstated. It laid down a clear template that later movies followed to much greater success, and, in comparison to many of the movies that followed its example, it’s now far more fondly remembered than it once was.
1) Near Dark (1987)
The 1980s saw the release of many movies that established popular subgenres, but few are as criminally underrated as Near Dark. The solo directorial debut of Kathryn Bigelow, Near Dark follows a young man in a small Oklahoma town who finds himself in the clutches of a family of nomadic vampires. Despite being one of the best vampire movies of the 1980s, Near Dark has received nowhere near the level of recognition afforded to that of titles such as The Lost Boys or Fright Night.
It’s clear that Near Dark helped to shape the vampire subgenre, but it also influenced modern movies in a whole different way. Its neo-Western ideas and visuals helped to set Near Dark apart, and its subtle influence can be glimpsed in more recent movies spanning several other subgenres. It stripped away much of the Gothic imagery associated with vampires, and instead painted them as bloodthirsty nomadic outlaws. Near Dark put a bold spin on the vampire genre that few movies have dared to replicate since, but for some reason, it simply doesn’t get the wider recognition it thoroughly deserves.
