And, the song will genuinely stay with viewers for the rest of their days.
Released in 1985, the movie revolves around a mysterious, addictive dessert that becomes a nationwide craze.
The film explores themes of consumerism and corporate control, presenting a darkly humorous critique of the food industry.
The masses continue to consume this irresistible foodstuff despite all the harm it causes.
This sort of self-awareness is unexpected in what could just be seen as a simple monster movie.
8Maniac Cop (1988)
Maniac Cop is a 1988 action-horror film directed by William Lustig.
The line, “The juice is the best thing in the world, Brian.
And youll do anything to get it” sums up the underlying sentiment perfectly.
Human nature, and the darkness that lives inside each person, can be summoned if the circumstances align.
The film follows the Putterman family who inadvertently tune their satellite into a signal from a distant planet.
This transmission brings a monstrous alien into their home, resulting in chaotic and darkly humorous events.
While the monster is quite grotesque and produced in true ’80s style.
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon
Horror seemed to be the perfect conduit for hidden meaning, andTerrorVisionfocuses on the reliance on television and consumerism.
While the effects can only be described as “gooey”, the message has more substance to it.
4Re-Animator (1985)
Written By H.P.
Halloween 3: Season of the Witch is a sci-fi horror film that acts as the third film in the original Halloween films that started in the 1970s. The first and only Halloween film not to feature Michael Myers as the villain, Halloween 3 instead focuses on witchcraft. When a man escapes with a strange jack-o-lantern mask while on the run from mysterious men in suits, the truth is that these masks kill children when they put them on. Protagonists Daniel and Ellie decide to discover the truth behind the manufacturer, the Silver Shamrock company, but what awaits them is a confrontation out of this world.
Lovecraft, Dennis Paoli, & William Norris
1985’s Re-Animator is a feature-length film based on H.P.
Lovecraft’s short story, Herbert WestReanimator.
The main character has quite a lot of layers to him and is very well-written.
He fights his own arrogance as he falls deeper down the rabbit hole.
The story follows a group of college students who must fend off a horde of alien-infected zombies.
The film blends elements of horror and comedy, creating a cult classic within the genre.
There is also an alien aspect that then leads to a focus on zombies.
All these genres are mixed in a witty way, making it feel organic and considered.
The writing also manages to encapsulate the reliance on sarcasm that was so prevalent in the 1980s.
The Stuff is a satirical horror film directed by Larry Cohen. Released in 1985, the movie revolves around a mysterious, addictive dessert that becomes a nationwide craze. As corporate greed drives its promotion, an industrial spy, played by Michael Moriarty, discovers the deadly consequences of its consumption. The film explores themes of consumerism and corporate control, presenting a darkly humorous critique of the food industry.
The film stars Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith.
It challenged the gender norms of the time in a smart and unexpected way.
That being said, there is a philosophical undercurrent that runs throughout.
Maniac Cop is a 1988 action-horror film directed by William Lustig. It follows a series of brutal murders in New York City, sparking fear as the assailant is rumored to be a uniformed police officer. Against this backdrop, a detective and a wrongfully accused cop team up to uncover the truth behind the killings, leading them into a web of corruption and vengeance within the police force.
The line between pleasure and pain is blurred, and the very nature of humanity gets questioned many times.
Brain Damage is a cult horror film directed by Frank Henenlotter, centering on Brian, a young man who becomes parasitically bonded to a symbiotic creature named Aylmer. The film’s narrative explores addiction and dependence as Aylmer provides Brian with euphoric experiences in exchange for committing gruesome acts. Released in 1988, Brain Damage is noted for its unique blend of horror and dark comedy, reflecting Henenlotter’s distinctive style.
Directed by Stan Winston, Pumpkinhead is a supernatural horror film that was released in 1988 and marked the beginning of a franchise of films. After Ed Harley’s son is killed in a reckless hit-and-run accident by a group of teenagers, he seeks the help of a local witch to exact vengeance against them. With the witches' help, Ed summons a demon known as Pumpkinhead to do the deed - but he soon realizes the dire consequences of his actions as the mischievous demon begins a killing spree.
TerrorVision is a 1986 science fiction horror-comedy directed by Ted Nicolaou. The film follows the Putterman family who inadvertently tune their satellite into a signal from a distant planet. This transmission brings a monstrous alien into their home, resulting in chaotic and darkly humorous events. The movie stars Diane Franklin, Gerrit Graham, and Mary Woronov, blending campy visual effects with a satire of consumerism and suburban life.
1985’s Re-Animator is a feature-length film based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story, Herbert West–Reanimator. The Horror and Comedy release follows a man that spends time attempting to create a reagent that will reanimate the dead.
Night of the Creeps is a 1986 science fiction horror film directed by Fred Dekker. The story follows a group of college students who must fend off a horde of alien-infected zombies. Tom Atkins stars as a hard-boiled detective drawn into the chaos when experiments from decades past resurface, unleashing terror on a small town. The film blends elements of horror and comedy, creating a cult classic within the genre.
The Blob is a 1988 science fiction horror film directed by Chuck Russell. The plot revolves around a malevolent, gelatinous entity that emerges from a meteorite and begins consuming everything in its path in a small American town. As the creature grows larger with each victim, a group of citizens races against time to find a way to stop the unstoppable menace. The film stars Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith.
Based on the novellaThe Hellbound Heart,Hellraiser is a 1987 supernatural horror film written and directed by the novella’s original author, Clive Barker. After an unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover, demonic entities known as cenobites pursue him after he escapes their sadomasochistic underworld.
