Horror Movies 1980s vs 1990s
Round 1: Villains
Top 10 Horror Movie Villains – Revealed!
You can’t have a good horror movie without a good antagonist. In some cases, the bad guys and girls are so compelling, we kind of hope they get away with it. This is especially true if the people they’re chasing down are particularly insufferable, as is the case with many ‘80s slashers. But the 80s still provided us with some unforgettable villains. For one, it marked the arrival of “A Nightmare on Elm Street”’s Freddy Krueger and the “Friday the 13th” series’ Jason Voorhees, who would face off in the 2000s. While he was introduced in 1978’s “Halloween,” Michael Myers still saw plenty of bloody action in the 80s. And let’s not forget the start of the “Hellraiser” franchise and the introduction of Pinhead, or Jack Nicholson’s unhinged performance in “The Shining.” Slasher doll Chucky was introduced in 1988’s “Child’s Play,” but we consider him more of a 90s symbol. Other great 90s villains include “Scream”’s Ghostface, Candyman, and of course, Hannibal Lecter. Kathy Bates’ frightening work as Annie Wilkes in “Misery” is another great Oscar-winning horror performance from this decade. Although the 90s has plenty of quality evil, we have to give this round to the 80s for how enduring these villains have been and how many films they’ve spawned. Winner: 80s 1/90s 0
Round 2: Heroes
Top 10 Reluctant Heroes In Movies
Never underestimate the importance of a protagonist in a horror movie. Without someone to identify with and root for, a horror movie can be nothing more than an excuse for blood and guts. Two strong examples of horror heroes, or in this case, heroines, are Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis in “Halloween II,” and Nancy Thompson, played by Heather Langenkamp in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Dream Warriors.” On the male side of things, Bruce Campbell’s performance as Ash in the “Evil Dead” films has rightfully made him a horror legend. The strong horror heroine trend continued in the 90s. Jodie Foster won an Oscar for her role as FBI agent Clarice Starling in “The Silence of the Lambs,” and Neve Campbell’s performance as Sidney Prescott helped to ground the “Scream” franchise. We also rooted for Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment in “The Sixth Sense,” as well as the students lost in the woods in “The Blair Witch Project.” This is another close call, but we have to go with the 90s for taking the seeds that the 80s planted and growing them even further. These performances aren’t always the flashiest ones, and that’s what makes them so strong. They give us something to latch onto as we enter these worlds of unknowable and unthinkable horrors. Winner: 80s 1/90 s 1
Round 3: Scare Factor
Being chased by a masked psychopath with a sharp object is certainly scary to imagine or experience. However, it can occasionally get a little tedious if not done right. 80s slashers like “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” weren’t scary because they involved brutal death scenes. They were scary because they understood how to use suspense to build terror within an audience. Unfortunately, there are plenty of forgettable slashers that only cared about gore and not about thrills. The 90s took things in a more psychological direction, but that still provided plenty of frights. “Seven” told the story of an unrelenting maniac from the perspective of two detectives trying to track him down. “The Blair Witch Project” focused on our fear of the unseen to terrifying effect. And while Hannibal Lecter might be best known for eating people, he is a former psychiatrist, and part of his scare factor comes from how well he can manipulate people, even when they think they’re safe from him. We always appreciate horror that makes us think more than they make us wince. The 90s wins this round for giving us multiple examples of great horror movies that skimp on the blood and deliver on the brains. Winner: 80s 1/90s 2
Round 4: Originality
A new take on horror is all-too-rare, with too many studios just trying to cash in on whatever’s hot. The best horror films of the 80s were ones that brought us new takes on the genre and kicked off some very enduring franchises. Can you imagine horror today without the influence of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th,” and “The Evil Dead,” as well as their associated characters? But we also appreciate how the 90s took horror in a new direction. One of the best examples of the old influencing the new is in the “Scream” series. Here, “Elm Street” director Wes Craven deconstructed some of the tropes he helped to popularize. “The Blair Witch Project” showed us just how scary found footage horror could be, and “The Sixth Sense” delivered a meditation on grief and letting go, disguised as a ghost story. The 80s wins this round, because of how many amazing series started this decade. There have been reboots of so many 80s franchises because studios recognize how valuable these properties are, and how enduring the characters are. This decade truly feels like a game-changing one when it comes to ingenuity in horror movies. Winner: 80s 2/90s 2
Round 5: Overall Quality
Top 10 Horror Movies: 1990s
This is probably the hardest round of them all. Both the 80s and the 90s have contributed some of the finest horror films of all time. For the 80s, we have outstanding chillers like "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "The Thing," "The Shining, '' and "The Evil Dead." If you don't like any of these movies, you simply don't like horror. If you’ve seen those and are looking for some more great 80s horror, we recommend “Poltergeist,” “The Fly,” and “Re-Animator.” But horror in the 90s was anything but a step down. “The Silence of the Lambs'" Best Picture win showed that horror deserved to be treated just as seriously as any other genre. Meanwhile, "Scream" was a sharp satire that still worked as a traditional slasher, and "The Blair Witch Project" showed how much tension could be created with a camcorder. Other 90s horror films we love include "Cronos," "Braindead," and "Candyman." You can’t go wrong with either decade, but when it comes to overall movie quality, we have to give it the 90s. In addition to the ones we’ve already mentioned, we still get shivers watching J-horror classics like “Ringu”, Oscar winners like “Misery” and even remakes that arguably live up to the original, like “Night of the Living Dead” - and we’re sure they’ll hold up for decades to come! Winner: 80s 3/90s 2 It was a close race, but the 90s ekes out a victory for horror movie supremacy.
