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Classic 80s Movies I'm Working Through With My Kids Right Now
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items My kids thought anything before 2010 was ancient history. I got tired of them rewatching the same three Marvel movies, so I started a weekly classic movie night. Six months in, they quote Ferris Bueller at breakfast and argue about which Ghostbuster ...
Sections
5
The 80s Movies That Hooked My Kids Immediately
Action and Sci-Fi Films That Kept Them Glued
Comedy and Coming-of-Age Picks They Quoted for Weeks
Movie Night Snacks and Gear That Made It a Ritual
Room Setup That Made Our Living Room Feel Like a Theater
The 80s Movies That Hooked My Kids Immediately
I started with the ones I thought would grab them fastest. My 11-year-old literally stood up and clapped during the last scene of The Breakfast Club. We've rewatched Back to the Future three times already.
Start here. My son was skeptical for about four minutes, then he didn't blink for two hours. Now he wants a DeLorean for his 16th birthday.
Back to the Future Trilogy: 40th Anniversary Edition
Toss this on for any kid who loves treasure hunts and adventure. My daughter watched it twice in one weekend and started mapping our neighborhood for ‘hidden caves.’
The Goonies Action & Adventure Movie - Blu-ray Edition
Grab this before Halloween rolls around. My kids were genuinely scared for about ten minutes, then spent the rest of the night pretending to bust ghosts in the hallway.
Ghostbusters 2 Blu-ray Digital Copy, PG
Keep tissues nearby. My 9-year-old cried, my 12-year-old pretended he didn't cry, and I definitely cried. Works for any kid old enough to sit through a full movie.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 40th Anniv. 4K Blu-ray Digital Copy
Perfect for the kid who already has a mischievous streak. My son now says ‘life moves pretty fast’ every single morning and honestly I'm not even mad.
Customer reviews for Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Blu-ray)
Use this as your gateway if your kids claim they hate old movies. Thirty minutes in, nobody was complaining. Now ‘as you wish’ is how we say goodnight.
The Princess Bride: 25th Anniversary (Blu-ray New Box Art)
Action and Sci-Fi Films That Kept Them Glued
Once they trusted me that old movies could be cool, I brought out the bigger stuff. My kids lost their minds over Aliens and now think practical effects look better than CGI.
Snag this set instead of buying them separately. We watched Raiders first and my daughter said it was better than any adventure movie she'd seen. She's not wrong.
Indiana Jones: 4-Movie Collection (4K Ultra HD + Digital)
Get this for any kid in martial arts or who just needs a good underdog story. My son started doing crane kicks in the living room for a solid week afterward.
The Karate Kid Part II (Blu-ray)
Wait until your kids are old enough for PG-13 scares. My 12-year-old was gripping the couch cushion the entire third act and immediately asked to watch it again.
Aliens (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Blu-ray + Digital Code)
Save this one for the older kids, it's rated R for a reason. My teenager thought it would be cheesy and then got completely sucked into the story.
ROBOCOP (1987) - Blu-ray
Pair this with a Friday night and some pizza. My husband and I watched this a hundred times growing up, and seeing our teenager react to the jungle scenes was priceless.
Customer reviews for Predator (Blu-ray + DVD)
Try this even if your kids aren't Trek fans. Mine weren't, but the villain hooked them fast. Now they want to watch the whole original series.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Blu-ray)
Comedy and Coming-of-Age Picks They Quoted for Weeks
These are the ones that turned movie night into an inside-joke factory. I can't get through a family dinner without someone quoting Spaceballs now, and honestly that's a parenting win.
Bring this out after they've seen Star Wars. The jokes land ten times harder that way. My kids were on the floor laughing at the Schwartz scene.
Customer reviews for Spaceballs (Blu-ray)
Keep this one for your tweens and up. My daughter got quiet during the confession scene and then wanted to talk about it for an hour. That conversation was worth everything.
The Breakfast Club - Criterion Collection [BLU-RAY]
Grab it for any kid navigating the awkwardness of middle school. My daughter felt personally seen and keeps saying ‘same’ at every scene.
Sixteen Candles (Blu-ray), Arrow Video, Comedy
Use this as a bridge if your kids like Tim Burton's newer stuff. They'll see where it all started. My son now refuses to say his name three times, just in case.
Beetlejuice (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) [UHD]
Save this for a night when everyone needs a laugh. My kids had never seen John Candy before and now they want to watch everything he's ever done.
Planes Trains & Automobiles [Blu-ray]
Try it on any kid who's in a rush to grow up. The piano scene at FAO Schwarz had my whole family on their feet in the living room.
Big [Blu-ray], Comedy Video , Family,
Movie Night Snacks and Gear That Made It a Ritual
We tried just watching on the couch with whatever chips were open. It felt flat. Once I set up actual movie night stuff, my kids started asking ‘what are we watching this Friday?’ every single week.
Ditch the microwave bags. This thing makes movie-theater-level popcorn and my kids fight over who gets to pour the kernels in. Pays for itself in about three movie nights.
Customer reviews for West Bend Stir Crazy 6 Qt. Popcorn
Get this if you want the full retro setup. It looks ridiculous in our kitchen and my kids absolutely love it. Guests always comment on it too.
Nostalgia 2.5 oz. Popcorn and Concession Cart
Keep a stash of these for backup nights when nobody wants to clean the popcorn machine. They taste surprisingly close to the real thing for the price.
Great Value Microwave Popcorn Extra Butter Flavored 2.55
Toss a bag of these into a bowl and suddenly it feels like a real theater. My kids peel them apart strand by strand, which keeps their hands busy during slow scenes.
Twizzlers, Pull 'N' Peel Cherry Flavored Chewy Candy, 14 oz
Pair these with popcorn, sweet and salty together. My daughter dumps them directly into her popcorn bucket and honestly after trying it I get why.
M&M's Peanut Butter Chocolate Candy, Family Size
Snag a box of these for authenticity. Nobody in my family had tried Dots before and now they're weirdly obsessed. They stick to your teeth in the best way.
DOTS Theater Box Original 6 Oz. Pack of 12 - Candy
Room Setup That Made Our Living Room Feel Like a Theater
Watching on a laptop with the lights on killed the vibe completely. A few small upgrades turned our living room into something my kids actually get excited about on Friday nights.
Switch from your TV to this and watch your kids' faces light up. The picture fills our whole wall and suddenly every movie feels like an event. Worth it for under a hundred bucks.
VANKYO Leisure 3 1080P Supported Mini Projector
Pair this with a projector if you don't have a big blank wall. Took me fifteen minutes to mount and the picture quality jump was noticeable right away.
SPECSTAR, 100 Inch Manual Pull Down Projector Screen
Stick these behind your screen for backlight. My kids picked red for horror nights and blue for sci-fi. It sounds silly but the ambiance genuinely changes the experience.
Govee 16.4ft RGBIC LED Strip Light
Keep one of these on the couch for whoever claims it first. My daughter wraps up in it every Friday and has fallen asleep during exactly zero movies, which tells you it's cozy but not too cozy.
Ynm Weighted Blanket
Grab this for overflow seating when friends sleep over for movie marathons. Deflates and stores in a closet. We've used it probably twenty times already.
Intex Inflatable Pull-Out Sofa, Portable Couch Air Bed
Use a couple of these on the floor instead of overhead lights during the movie. Soft glow, no glare on the screen, and my kids think it makes the room look like a real cinema lounge.
PackLite Max 2-in-1 Power Lantern