Heather O'Rourke as Carol Anne, staring at the TV, in a famous scene from the 1980s horror movie 'Poltergeist.'
Movies

Best '80s horror movies

Written by:
November 4, 2022
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Best '80s horror movies

Stacker compiled a list of the best '80s horror movies of all time based on our own Stacker score, a weighted index split evenly between IMDb user rating and Metascore. To qualify, the film had to have horror as one of its genres on IMDb, have a Metascore, and have at least 5,000 IMDb user votes. Ties were broken by votes.

 

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#50. The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

- Director: George Miller
- Stacker score: 79.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 67
- Runtime: 118 minutes

#49. The Howling (1981)

- Director: Joe Dante
- Stacker score: 79.2
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 91 minutes

#48. Child's Play (1988)

- Director: Tom Holland
- Stacker score: 79.2
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 58
- Runtime: 87 minutes

#47. Inferno (1980)

- Director: Dario Argento
- Stacker score: 79.4
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 69
- Runtime: 106 minutes

#46. Lady in White (1988)

- Director: Frank LaLoggia
- Stacker score: 79.5
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 113 minutes

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#45. From Beyond (1986)

- Director: Stuart Gordon
- Stacker score: 79.5
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 60
- Runtime: 85 minutes

#44. Prince of Darkness (1987)

- Director: John Carpenter
- Stacker score: 79.5
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 50
- Runtime: 102 minutes

#43. Dead & Buried (1981)

- Director: Gary Sherman
- Stacker score: 79.6
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 94 minutes

#42. The Ninth Configuration (1980)

- Director: William Peter Blatty
- Stacker score: 80.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 46
- Runtime: 118 minutes

#41. Phenomena (1985)

- Director: Dario Argento
- Stacker score: 80.2
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 57
- Runtime: 116 minutes

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#40. Christine (1983)

- Director: John Carpenter
- Stacker score: 80.2
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 57
- Runtime: 110 minutes

#39. The Company of Wolves (1984)

- Director: Neil Jordan
- Stacker score: 80.5
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 69
- Runtime: 95 minutes

#38. Scanners (1981)

- Director: David Cronenberg
- Stacker score: 80.6
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 60
- Runtime: 103 minutes

#37. Road Games (1981)

- Director: Richard Franklin
- Stacker score: 80.7
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 101 minutes

#36. Night of the Creeps (1986)

- Director: Fred Dekker
- Stacker score: 80.8
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 62
- Runtime: 88 minutes

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#35. The Fog (1980)

- Director: John Carpenter
- Stacker score: 81.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 89 minutes

#34. Creepshow (1982)

- Director: George A. Romero
- Stacker score: 81.6
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 59
- Runtime: 120 minutes

#33. The Stepfather (1987)

- Director: Joseph Ruben
- Stacker score: 81.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 72
- Runtime: 89 minutes

#32. Hellraiser (1987)

- Director: Clive Barker
- Stacker score: 82.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 56
- Runtime: 94 minutes

#31. Altered States (1980)

- Director: Ken Russell
- Stacker score: 82.6
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 58
- Runtime: 102 minutes

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#30. Dead Calm (1989)

- Director: Phillip Noyce
- Stacker score: 82.8
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 96 minutes

#29. The Monster Squad (1987)

- Director: Fred Dekker
- Stacker score: 82.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 61
- Runtime: 79 minutes

#28. Opera (1987)

- Director: Dario Argento
- Stacker score: 83.7
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 107 minutes

#27. Fright Night (1985)

- Director: Tom Holland
- Stacker score: 84.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Metascore: 62
- Runtime: 106 minutes

#26. Near Dark (1987)

- Director: Kathryn Bigelow
- Stacker score: 84.5
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 94 minutes

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#25. The Hidden (1987)

- Director: Jack Sholder
- Stacker score: 84.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Metascore: 69
- Runtime: 97 minutes

#24. Day of the Dead (1985)

- Director: George A. Romero
- Stacker score: 85.0
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 60
- Runtime: 101 minutes

#23. They Live (1988)

- Director: John Carpenter
- Stacker score: 85.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 94 minutes

#22. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

- Director: John McNaughton
- Stacker score: 86.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 83 minutes

#21. Videodrome (1983)

- Director: David Cronenberg
- Stacker score: 86.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 60
- Runtime: 87 minutes

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#20. Angel Heart (1987)

- Director: Alan Parker
- Stacker score: 86.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 61
- Runtime: 113 minutes

#19. Tenebrae (1982)

- Director: Dario Argento
- Stacker score: 86.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 101 minutes

#18. The Lost Boys (1987)

- Director: Joel Schumacher
- Stacker score: 86.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 63
- Runtime: 97 minutes

#17. The Dead Zone (1983)

- Director: David Cronenberg
- Stacker score: 87.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 69
- Runtime: 103 minutes

#16. The Changeling (1980)

- Director: Peter Medak
- Stacker score: 87.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 107 minutes

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#15. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

- Director: Frank Oz
- Stacker score: 87.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 94 minutes

#14. Re-Animator (1985)

- Director: Stuart Gordon
- Stacker score: 87.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 84 minutes

#13. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

- Director: Dan O'Bannon
- Stacker score: 87.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 66
- Runtime: 91 minutes

#12. Gremlins (1984)

- Director: Joe Dante
- Stacker score: 88.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 106 minutes

#11. Possession (1981)

- Director: Andrzej Zulawski
- Stacker score: 88.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 124 minutes

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#10. An American Werewolf in London (1981)

- Director: John Landis
- Stacker score: 88.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 97 minutes

#9. Dead Ringers (1988)

- Director: David Cronenberg
- Stacker score: 89.0
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 86
- Runtime: 116 minutes

#8. Poltergeist (1982)

- Director: Tobe Hooper
- Stacker score: 89.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 114 minutes

#7. The Evil Dead (1981)

- Director: Sam Raimi
- Stacker score: 89.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 85 minutes

#6. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

- Director: Wes Craven
- Stacker score: 90.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 91 minutes

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#5. Predator (1987)

- Director: John McTiernan
- Stacker score: 91.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 47
- Runtime: 107 minutes

#4. The Fly (1986)

- Director: David Cronenberg
- Stacker score: 92.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 96 minutes

#3. Evil Dead II (1987)

- Director: Sam Raimi
- Stacker score: 92.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 72
- Runtime: 84 minutes

#2. The Thing (1982)

- Director: John Carpenter
- Stacker score: 96.8
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 57
- Runtime: 109 minutes

#1. The Shining (1980)

- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Stacker score: 100.0
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 66
- Runtime: 146 minutes

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