Your Favourite Horror Film from 1980

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

1980 was a year for some brilliant horror films, but which one is your favourite? What makes it special to you? When did you first see it? Would you recommend it to the uninitiated?

Sometimes it's a hard decision to just pick one film (even when you're limiting it to a single year!), - impossible in this case! but my favourite film(s) of 1980 is(are!)...

The Shining - Stanley Kubrick

One of Kubrick's best works, and a decent adaptation of the highly acclaimed Stephen King novel, The Shining is a superb portrayal of one man's breakdown into madness and eventually the psychotic. Terrific performances from all involved (particularly Nicholson) coupled with some fantastic cinematography makes this essential viewing.

Trailer:

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Tied with:

City of the Living Dead - Lucio Fulci

Not my favourite Fulci Zombie film, but City just oozes atmosphere and intensity. I love the mist shrouded cemetery, the gore, the chilling atmosphere, the cinematography, and the twinge of desperation that fills every scene.

Trailer:

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I honestly can't decide between them, as they are completely different horror films, and I love them for completely differing reasons.

Maybe some people will think me mad, but I absolutely love City of the Living Dead, hence it being up there with the highly acclaimed Shining.

Runners Up:
Altered States
Antropophagus
Cannibal Holocaust
The Changeling
The Fog
Friday the 13th
The House on the Edge of the Park
Inferno
Maniac
Zombie Holocaust

Plus so many more that almost made the Runners Up list (in fact, I could of done with a Runners Up Runners Up list...).

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

So many to choose from, but I'd say my favourite of 1980 is The Fog. Definately up there as one of Carpenters creepiest films.


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[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Brilliant mate-You're the NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL FILMS of Cult Labs!

1980-What a year!

THE SHINING-Best King adaptation ever?
As Empire once put it....

'Late at night,after a few drinks,THE SHINING is simply terrifying.Every time.'

THE FOG-Carpenter's second best film.Dean Cundey's cinematography for this was ASTOUNDING.
Has Hal Holbrook,Janet Leigh,Jamie Lee,Tom Atkins,Adrienne Barbeau-what more could you ask for?

THE CHANGELING-IMO the best ghost film ever made.George C Scott turning in a powerhouse performance as always!

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST-Shocking.Nuff said.
I don't think anything else will ever come close.

CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD-Still my favourite Fulci zombie movie and has one of the best poster designs EVER!

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

I still get shivers thinking about The Changeling, and I've not even seen it in 25 years!


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[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Stephen you need to remedy that immediately!
The Optimum transfer is superb!

Others worthy of mention include;

Alligator with Robert Forster and Frankie Five Angels from The Godfather Part II.

Ken Russell's demented(Aren't they all?) sci-fi/horror hybrid ALTERED STATES with William Hurt and some pretty stunning images.

Ulli Lommel's best film by far,THE BOGEY MAN which rips off a few films,but is still daftly enjoyable.

Cannibal Apocalypse directed by Antonio Margheriti with genre faves John Saxon and Giovani Lombardo Radice who develops a taste for flesh after captivity in Vietnam!

Alvin Rakoff's DEATH SHIP.Starry cast come to inventive ends on a Nazi ghost ship.The love boat this ain't!
Excellent disc from Marc Morris's Nucleus label.

Arthur Jeffrey's DEMENTED-The title says it all in this one,a rape flick which needs a dvd release!
It was,by the way,written by Alex Rebar-director of the '77 classic THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN.

DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE!-Directed by Robert Hammer,this really needs to be seen uncut to appreciate how sleazy it is!

HE KNOW'S YOU'RE ALONE with a fleeting debut by a very young Tom Hanks,another one which 'acknowledges' HALLOWEEN.

One of my all time favourites-HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP released here on video as MONSTER.
This one has it ALL!
Boobs,bums violence monsters,Doug McClure,Vic Morrow-what more could you ask for?!
And all directed by a female,Barbara Peeters,although the rumour goes that old man Corman had some input.....
Now released uncut-EVERY fan of horror needs to get this!

INFERNO-Argento's 2nd in the 'Madre' trilogy.Nuff said.

MACABRE-Bava Jnr's best film IMO.Cool,cool,cool.

Legendary Brit horror director Roy Ward Baker gave us the cracking anthology THE MONSTER CLUB with an all star cast.There's a nice disc out,but this could be doing with the SE treatment.

Now,if you want a comic variation on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,then MOTEL HELL is worth seeking out!
Rory Calhoun stars as farmer Vincent-fine purveyour of smoked meat fritters....the end duel in this one is worth the price alone.
Directed by Kevin Connor,who also directed that other '80's favourite THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS with the delectable Ms Susan George.

MOTHER'S DAY gave us anther rape 'n' revenge flick which upped the sales of DRANO as a self defence weapon.....

Now here's one of those films which should be spoken in the same journals of Bergman,Passollini and their ilk.
I am of course referring to James C Wasson's NIGHT OF THE DEMON-The best bigfoot film ever made bar none,and DESPERATELY needing a UK release......listening anyone?

PROM NIGHT Gave us Jamie Lee again and Leslie Nielson disco dancing.....

David Paulsen's SCHIZOID gave us psychotherapy with not much of a surprise ending-another though that needs dredging up on dvd.

WATCHER IN THE WOODS starred the legendary Bette Davis,was directed by John Hough and produced by Walt Disney.
I'm not a fan of this one,but I thought I'd mention it.
Brian Clemens who also wrote CAPTAIN KRONOS VAMPIRE HUNTER and DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE,along with The Professionals and The Avengers,has a writing credit.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

This was one of the greatest years for horror films ever. There are numerous exceptional films, most of which have been listed above by bizarre_eye and Reaper. However, I'd have to go with the OP and have The Shining as my favourite from this year. It has a career-defining performance by Jack Nicholson, quite brilliant and groundbreaking Steadicam work by John Abbott and a script, by Kubrick and Diane Johnson, that's probably better than that in Stephen King's original novel.

[Vampix]

City of the Living Dead for me.Along with the previous year's Zombie Flesh Eaters, it's Fulci's best horror film imo.

[Jani]

One of my favourite years in horror for sure,so hard to choose...There's Cannibal Holocaust and City of the Living Dead,Maniac and The Shining,and let's not forget Porno Holocaust (just kidding).I'd say this one goes to Lustig and Spinelli for giving us Maniac,a movie so unrelentingly brutal you have to take a cold shower to get it off your head.Jay Chattaway's score is beautifully haunting.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

As per my original post, there were so many I could have listed in respect to 1980.

Reaps has done a nice breakdown of some of the other great ones, but I'd also like to add:

Contamination
Don't Go in the House
Eaten Alive!
Mother's Day
Nightmare City
Patrick Still Lives
The Silent Scream
Zombie Creeping Flesh

1980 was certainly a great year for horror!

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Jani

One of my favourite years in horror for sure,so hard to choose...There's Cannibal Holocaust and City of the Living Dead,Maniac and The Shining,and let's not forget Porno Holocaust (just kidding).I'd say this one goes to Lustig and Spinelli for giving us Maniac,a movie so unrelentingly brutal you have to take a cold shower to get it off your head.Jay Chattaway's score is beautifully haunting.

Maniac is a favourite of mine too. Fantastically deranged, Spinell plays the psycho role to a t. I agree on the score too, it fits the gritty mood of the film perfectly.