The 1980s was the definitive decade for horror cinema. I can’t be talked out of that. Yet the ’70s still had the two movies I consider to be the most frightening of all time: The Exorcist and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. But what about the films from the following decade that hold about the same power as that tale of a mother’s struggle and the debut of cinema’s most iconic family of cannibals? Many would point to The Shining, but even when I saw it for the first time on a Florida hotel room television at the age of nine, I didn’t find Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece particularly frightening.
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That said, movies that did scare me as a kiddo (looking at you, Gremlins) but don’t now didn’t qualify. Though, in all honesty, Phoebe Cates’ depressing story about why she hates Christmas in Gremlins sends shivers up my spine every time. But we’re looking at films that, as a whole, possess the same power now that they did (or would have had I seen them at a young age) back then.
Maniac (& Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer)
Like the original Friday the 13th, Maniac pulls you into the movie. You feel like you’re actually there with the counselors as they open up Camp Crystal Lake. But there’s also a certain studio motion picture vibe even in Friday the 13th, at least when compared to Maniac. So, really, the better comparison would be Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
In Friday the 13th, you’re watching a group of teens with good hearts try futilely to survive a bloody, horrible night. In Maniac and Henry, you’re watching the perpetrator of that bloody, horrible night. It’s unsettling to be put in their shoes for 85 or so minutes. Perhaps that’s why, when given the choice of which to revisit, I’ll pick up Friday the 13th every time.
Stream Maniac on Tubi and Pluto TV, and stream Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer on Tubi and Prime Video.
The Evil Dead
I love a horror film with an isolated locale and a small number of characters. You feel as trapped as they do. Perhaps the greatest example of this is The Evil Dead, the ultimate cabin in the woods movie.
Admittedly, I’ve seen The Evil Dead and its immediate sequel too many times for them to hold the same power they did the first time I watched them on my school laptop, which doubled as my portable DVD player. But, the memory of that first viewing of, in particular, the first time, sticks with me to a degree every time I pop it in. And, as for the scene where Cheryl guesses every card even though her back is turned…that’s still pretty bone-chilling stuff.
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My Bloody Valentine (& Silent Night, Deadly Night)
I put My Bloody Valentine and Silent Night, Deadly Night in the same category. They’re both holiday slashers and they’re both about one notch lower on the fame scale than A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween.
So why do they get under my skin when those aforementioned three classics do not? In the case of My Bloody Valentine, it’s some of the gory imagery in the uncut version (especially one scene involving a chin and an eye). In the case of Silent Night, Deadly Night, there’s undoubtedly some of that type of practical effects gore, but it’s more a case of the tone. It’s also another case of us following the antagonist more than the protagonist, and that tends to stick with me.
Stream My Bloody Valentine on Kanopy.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
The first time I watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 I had no idea what to expect. I had heard rumblings it was more of a comedy but wasn’t sure how that could be pulled off.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was practically designed to be a cult film. It has one of the most bizarre tones of a mainstream film to date, and while it certainly does have some grim humor it functions just as well as a horror film. There are two scenes in particular that get me every time (and, oddly enough, I’ve seen this entry more times than the original film). For one, there’s the highway scene towards the beginning, which is perfectly drawn-out and ends with a head halfway chopped in half. Then there’s what I consider to be the second-best jump scare of cinematic history after The Exorcist III, specifically the first time we see Leatherface in protagonist Stretch’s radio station.
Stream The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 on Tubi and Pluto TV.
The Serpent and the Rainbow
A horror movie where the protagonist never feels safe is always the type that’s going to stick with me, and that’s exactly the case with Wes Craven’s The Serpent and the Rainbow. Bill Pullman’s Dr. Dennis Alan is up against forces neither he nor the audience fully understands, and that ambiguous antagonism works well here.
Speaking of antagonism, Zakes Mokae made for a terrifically creepy (and blatantly joyous in his evil) villain. But, most of all, my ultimate nightmare is being buried alive, and that’s a major part of The Serpent and the Rainbow.
Stream The Serpent and the Rainbow on Prime Video.
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The main cast of The Wandering Earth (2019)
