MMM: Horror Nostalgia 1980s

In the 80s, there were only a few more shows on TV than in the 70s, but there was a huge upsurge in Horror movie-making.  Sequels and movie franchises took off, and there was plenty to choose from!

I promised you big '80s hair -- so here's the Queen of Horror and Big Hair: 

 Elvira’s Movie Macabre (1981-1986 and 2010-2011)

"Hello, darling. It`s little ol` me, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Your hostess with the mostess."

Host:  Elvira (Cassandra Peterson)

She joked about the B-horror movies she introduced, lampooning horror and developing a huge cult following.

Tales From the Darkside (1983-1988)

"Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality.  But... there is, unseen by most, an underworld, a place that is just as real, but not as brightly lit... a darkside."

Created by:  George A. Romero
Stories by illustrious authors like:  Frederik Pohl,  Harlan Ellison,  Clive Barker,  Michael Bishop,  Robert Bloch,  John Cheever,  Michael McDowell and Fredric Brown.
 

Friday the 13th: The Series (1987-1990)
Starred:  John D. LeMay, who also starred in “Jason Goes to Hell.”  
Interesting Note:  The series had nothing to do with Jason.  It was about an old antique dealer who made a pact with the Devil to sell cursed antiques.  When he dies, his store is inherited by his niece Micki and her cousin Ryan.  They fight to retrieve the antiques from the people who bought them to stop them from causing harm.

Freddy’s Nightmares (1988-1990)
Created by:  Wes Craven
Host:  Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)
The sinister killer of the "Nightmare On Elm Street" movies, Freddy Krueger, hosts this show and introduces tales of evil and death plaguing the people who live in Springwood.
 

Tales From the Crypt (1989-1996)
Narrator: The wisecracking Crypt Keeper, who was voiced by John Kassir and performed by puppeteer Van Snowden.
Interesting Note:  The stories were from EC comic “Tales From the Crypt” along with four other EC comics: “Haunt of Fear,” “Vault of Horror,” “Crime SuspenStories,” and “Shock SuspenStories.”


Horror Films of the 1980s:
(I’m not listing sequels, only originals. No reason to list every single Halloween or Friday the 13th installment. That could go on forever!)

Dressed to Kill (1980)
The Fog (1980)
Friday the 13th (1980)
Prom Night (1980)
The Shining (1980)*
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The Evil Dead (1981)
Ghost Story (1981)
The Howling (1981)
Scanners (1981)
Wolfen (1981)
Basket Case (1982)
Creepshow (1982)*
Poltergeist (1982)
Sweeney Todd (1982)
The Thing (1982) (This one’s my 3rd favorite movie of all time!)
Christine (1983)*
Cujo (1983)*
The Dead Zone (1983)*
Children of the Corn (1984)*
Firestarter (1984)*
Gremlins (1984)
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Day of the Dead (1985)
Fright Night (1985)
Lifeforce (1985)
Re-Animator (1985)
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Silver Bullet (1985)*
Aliens (1986) (And here’s my 2nd fav movie of all time!)
Critters (1986)
Maximum Overdrive (1986)*
Stand By Me (1986)*
The Fly (1986)
The Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Dead of Winter (1987)
Hellraiser (1987)
The Lost Boys (1987)
The Running Man (1987)*
Predator (1987)
The Stepfather (1987)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
Child’s Play (1988)
Dead Calm (1988)
Pet Sematary (1988)*

 
How many Stephen King movies can you count in there?
(I guessed 7, but it's 12!  I've put asterisks after them, so you can check yourself.)

Join me tomorrow for the fabulous 90s, the hey-day of Horror!

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