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Horror Movies of the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, and 20s
50
items Most of the movies I list will be from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but trust me: they will all be unique and high quality!
Sections
5
Horror Movies, 1970-1979
Horror Movies, 1980-1989
Horror Movies, 1990-1999
Horror Movies, 2000-2009
Horror Movies, 2010-2029
Horror Movies, 1970-1979
My favorite horror movies from the decade of disco
One of Dario Argento's masterpieces
Suspiria - Wikipedia
Giallo excees at its finest
Deep Red - Wikipedia
Some say this is a proto-slasher movie. It is odd in that there isn't one killer from start to finish. The plot has something to do with ownership of some super-valuable real estate, or some such nonsense. A lot of people like to point out how FRIDAY...
A Bay of Blood (1971)
The first in a quadrology of movies from Amando de Ossorio. His zombies were one members of the Knights Templar, and they are blinded because their eyes were pecked out by birds when their bodies were hanging on the gallows. They find their victims v...
Tombs of the Blind Dead
Wes Craven and Sean Cunningham teamed up for this, the movie that had the infamous ad: “Just keep telling yourself, ‘It’s only a movie, it's only a movie, it's only a movie…”
The Last House on the Left (1972)
AKA The Forgotten. This quirky little gem is what indie filmmaking is all about. There is a house way out in the countryside that has been turned into a mental health institute by one Doctor Stephens. When he gets killed by a patient, Doctor Geraldin...
Don't Look in the Basement (1973)
Based very loosely on the exploits of Ed Gein, who also inspired PSYCHO and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. By the way, the actor who plays the main character is the same one who played old man Marley in HOME ALONE.
Deranged (1974)
This movie was conceived and made while director David Cronenberg was going through a painful divorce with his wife, which included court proceedings regarding custody of their daughter, and man…it shows. The plot concerns a man whose mentally ill wi...
The Brood (1979)
Usually, Larry Cohen made goofy horror movies full of black humor, but this one is…heavy. It's about several people in New York City who go on killing sprees. When asked why they did it, all they say is, “God told me to.”
God Told Me To (1976)
Several people get stranded on what they think is a deserted island, but it turns out it is inhabited by one crazy human (Peter Cushing) and several…inhuman creatures. This one is bloodless, but it is eerie as hell. Plus, the part near the beginning ...
Shock Waves (1977)
Horror Movies, 1980-1989
Lucio Fulci has never been known as a coherent filmmaker, but so what? This one concerns a woman who inherits a hotel that is built over a gate to Hell.
The Beyond (1981)
George C. Scott stars as an esteemed New York City composer who relocates to a Seattle mansion after his wife and daughter are tragically killed in a car accident. Unfortunately, bad luck seems to follow him, as he comes to believe is haunted.
The Changeling (1980)
My second favorite John Carpenter movie, second only to HALLOWEEN. This one concerns a small town named Antonio Bay that is celebrating its 100th anniversary. However, the founders did some heinous things to establish their little town…
The Fog (1980)
At this point, do I really need to say anything about this movie that you don't already know?
Friday the 13th (1980)
Back when horror movies could really push the boundaries because people didn't get all “offended” by everything. Horny fish men who are bipedal come up on land to mate with female humans, whether the females want to or not. The “stinger” at the end i...
Humanoids from the Deep (1980)
The third in my top three favorite slasher movies of all time. (The other two are HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH.)
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Tied with HALLOWEEN as my favorite John Carpenter movie.
The Thing (1982)
A bizarre, surreal movie that shows Cronenberg really was the right guy to try adapting NAKED LUNCH into a movie. James Woods plays Max Renn, owner of a small UHF station in Canada. An employee named Harlan shows Max a program called Videodrome, a pl...
Videodrome (1983)
Released in July 1980, this is the second slasher to feature Jamie Lee Curtis as the final girl. She was a BUSY girl that year because her third turn as the survivor of a madman came out only three months later.
Prom Night (1980)
I hinted at this in the PROM NIGHT listing: this is Jamie Lee Curtis's third round as a final girl.
Terror Train (1980)
Horror Movies, 1990-1999
When all is said and done, this is a SERIAL KILLER MOVIE. Don't let anyone convince you this is a “psychological drama,” or anything lame like that. BS!!! This is a HORROR MOVIE, folks! Be loud and proud!
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The screenwriter for GHOST had a much darker view of the afterlife in this movie. No wonder it wasn't as big of a success!
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Another HORROR MOVIE that they tried to call something else. RIP Rob Reiner.
Misery (1990)
A real gem of an odd movie, and look for a young, then-unknown Viggo Mortensen!
The Reflecting Skin (1990)
I never was much of an anthology fan, although for this one I make an exception.
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
An underrated Craven classic, IMHO.
The People Under the Stairs (1991)
This one was not as big as it could have been because they made it seem like another HALLOWEEN knockoff. (Plus, since though the resolution is NOT supernatural, there is one scene that is completely out of place and represents a huge flaw in the narr...
Popcorn (1991)
A little-known adaption of HP Lovecraft's “The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward,” with an amazing turn from Chris Sarandon in the title role.
The Resurrected (1991)
This is a super bizarre movie with a lot of gore and bit of magical realism thrown in to boot. A woman is driven to commit murders and consume blood by an ancient parasite that has invaded her womb. Yeah…they must have better drugs in France!
Baby Blood (1990)
I don't know how in the hell Peter Jackson went from this whacko bit of mayhem to making mainstream movies like THE LORD OF THE RINGS, but God bless him for being able to pull it off!
Dead Alive (1992)
Horror Movies, 2000-2009
The movie that made me a Christian Bale fan.
American Psycho (2000)
Mistaken as a BLAIR WITCH clone, this movie is anything but.
Session 9 (2001)
Not really a zombie movie in that these villains don't eat human flesh; they just kill everything in their path.
28 Days Later (2002)
It is pretty badass that a genre that is known for having weak female characters produced this one that has almost nothing BUT female characters.
The Descent (2005)
People joke how this was the fourth movie in Romero's “trilogy,” but that is only because, at the time, no one had any way of knowing he PLANNED on making two more to round that trilogy out.
Land of the Dead (2005)
I have always been a John Cusack fan, so I was thrilled when I learned this movie was basically a one-man show for him.
1408
There haven't been a lot of good Clive Barker adaptations. This strays from the source material, but only because it NEEDED to fill out a feature-length running time. Still, it doesn't veer too far off the path Barker set in the original story.
The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
I HATE this series, but I needed to give credit: the first one was pretty clever.
Saw (2004)
Normally I don't like my horror films to be joke-y, but I make exceptions every now and then. (In fact, this list features TWO of them.)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Know how in SHAUN OF THE DEAD I said I hate joke-y horror movies, but this list features two exceptions to that rule? Well, here is the second one.
Zombieland (2009)
Horror Movies, 2010-2029
Honestly, I am not as familiar with horror movies from the 2010s or 2020s, so I combined the titles I DO know into this one list.
Ah, yes…another exception to my joke-y rule, but this one was clever, like when one guy is getting chased by bees while he holds a chainsaw, and the city folk think he is coming to carve them up. A wonderful send-up of the genre.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
I love movies that subvert expectations, and I don't recall any home invasion movies where one of the characters was already a badass. (Dustin Hoffman BECAME a badass in STRAW DOGS, but that is not the same thing.) Plus, Barbara Crampton is in it, an...
You're Next (2011)
I can't remember if I found out about this one from watching THE KILL COUNT on YouTube, or if I watched the KC episode because I had already seen this. Either way, a classic example of how minimal cast members and sets can still sustain interest, if ...
Hush (2016)
I did not like his comedy, but Jordan Peel gave us one hell of a horror flick here.
Get Out (2017)
I am still on the fence as to whether or not I like them updating the flashbacks to the 80s and the adults scene to the 2010s, but regardless, it is still great with one of the most amazing villainous turns in all of horror movie history.
It (2017)
If you remove the element of Laurie Strode being Michael's sister, I am not sure why he would bother hunting her down. Maybe because she is “the one that got away?” Whatever the case, David Gordon Green, Danny McBridge, and Jeff Fradley set themselve...
Halloween (2018)
When I heard this movie took place all via a video chat, I thought, “Oh good grief, let the gimmicks begin!” However, this one has a solid story and acting, so I didn't mind the gimmick.
Unfriended
One hell of a super bizarre whacko turn from Nicholas Cage. I mean, this is out there even by HIS standards.
Longlegs (2024)
When I saw the fake trailer for this in GRINDHOUSE, I thought, “I don't really like Eli Roth's movies, but I hope he makes that into a feature-length film.” Shockingly, he did not disappoint!
Thanksgiving (2023)
Like GET OUT, this one blends social commentary and horror without beating us over the head with it.
Candyman (2021)