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- Written By: John Kenneth Muir
- Publisher: McFarland & Company
- Pages: 842
- Price: $59.95
HORROR FILMS OF THE 1980’s
By
Tim Janson
November 30, 2007
HORROR FILMS OF THE 1980’s by John Kenneth Muir.
© McFarland & Company
It can be argued that the decade of the 1980’s was the most important ever for horror films. While the films may not have always been good, and many were downright terrible, the advent of home video soon taught filmmakers that they could turn a profit even with direct-to-video releases. “Horror Films of the 1980’s” by John Kenneth Muir, is an exhaustive guide to perhaps the most memorable era of horror films. Over 300 films are covered in detail within this massive, 800 plus page hardcover tome.
Anyone who has ever read one of the fine books from McFarland knows that they don’t do fluff, and this book is no different. This isn’t merely a listing of films and stars like you get in some books. Each film gets at least two pages of coverage that includes full cast and crew credits, rating (one to four stars) running time, detailed plot synopsis, commentary by Muir, as well as selected critic’s comments from the time that the film came out.
The films are listed alphabetically, by decade, beginning with “Alligator” in 1980 and ending with “Stepfather 2” in 1989. Even if you think you know your 80’s horror films well, you’re sure to find some films you probably never heard of such as The Killing Hour, Bloodkill, and New York Ripper.
As I thumbed through the book I felt like I was looking at an old scrapbook or photo album of friends and family members that I had not seen in many years. I have not seen a lot of these films since their original debuts over twenty years ago and I fondly recalled many nights at the drive-in where I saw quite a few of these films. I loved reading about these old friends, Motel Hell, One Dark, Night, Gates of Hell, The Keep, Near Dark, Night of the Demons, and countless others.
Muir, and his small group of reviewers show a depth of knowledge, but more importantly, a true love of this era of horror films, often resulting in ratings that are a bit more generous than I would have given. A lot of films included here are not true horror films. There are sprinklings of sci-fi (Saturn 3, Lifeforce, Moontrap, Terminator), thrillers (Ten to Midnight, Jaws 3D, Blood Simple, Body Double) and comedy horrors (Ghoulies, Critters, Gremlins), but their inclusions are welcome nonetheless.
The book concludes with several interesting appendices that feature the 1980’s Horror Hall of Fame, Recommended Viewing Then & Now, and Memorable Ad Lines. Heres’ something fun…read one of the ad lines and see if your friends can guess the film. This is simply one of the finest horror reference books I’ve ever read. Well worth the $60 price tag!
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