10 Forgotten 80s Horror Movies You MUST Watch
There's an amazing world of 80s horror beyond the likes of Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger

The 80s was a landmark decade for the horror genre, with franchises such as Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Poltergeist series all making their spine-chilling bows in cinemas worldwide. Additionally, the slasher sub-genre was at its peak following its mainstream emergence in the 70s, and the blend of horror with other genres such as science fiction led to greats such as The Thing and The Fly.
Furthermore, advances in filmmaking technology, specifically gore-oriented practical effects and make-up/prosthetics finally got to a point where these ghoulish characters and events could be convincingly portrayed given the limitations of the era.
While the aforementioned franchises and features rightfully receive praise and constantly feature in horror movie discourse, there are underrated gems in the genre that match them in entertainment value, production quality, and most importantly, inducing fear.
The reasons why these films did not take off vary from a mediocre critical reception to poor box office numbers to being overshadowed by more high-profile productions in the zeitgeist, but this does not take away from their ability to instil terror, shock and disgust in even the most seasoned horror movie fan.
Hopefully, this list will shine a much-deserved spotlight on these pictures and earn them new audiences who are seeking for something new from a decade long past.
10. The Burning

In the wake of the overwhelming success of the Friday the 13th franchise, many slashers emerged with the intent of capitalising on the bloody exploits of Jason Voorhees and co. Among them is 1981's The Burning, a relatively small feature that while bearing a notable similarity to its source of inspiration, still featured enough to stand out and gain a cult following over the years.
Inspired by the urban legend of the Cropsey maniac, the slasher follows camp caretaker Cropsy after he recovers from a prank played on him by a bunch of campers gone horribly wrong. Terribly disfigured (both physically and mentally), the caretaker turns into a serial killer thirsty for revenge against nearby campers.
Upon its release, critics were not impressed by its similarities to the 1980 horror classic and denounced its gore (this was part of a wider crackdown on 'video nasties' during the decade). However, its reception has warmed significantly in recent years, with modern critics and audiences praising its setpieces and special effects work from Tom Savini.
It is not a genre classic or game-changer, but it works as an appropriately spine-chilling camp site horror flick.