What's the obsession with the 80s? is the question on most people's lips as TV shows like Stranger Things dominate Netflix, and movies like IT rake in hundreds of millions at the box office. It really is the never-ending decade, and for good reason, might we add. The 80s gave us many good things: music, fashion, and movies to name a few. And of the latter, the horror movies of that time particularly stand out.
Movies like The Evil Dead, Poltergeist, and A Nightmare on Elm Street continue to be remade and talked about today simply because they're awesome. But in addition to that, they have truly awesome posters, too; posters that any horror fan would recognize, and some would have hung in their bedroom. Here we look at those posters, and others of their kind, for fun-filled, retrotastic viewing.
The Evil Dead (1981)
The Evil Dead is a cult-classic horror movie with a classic poster to match. Directed by Sam Raimi, it stars Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly as five friends who travel to a remote cabin in the woods where they find The Book of the Dead. Messing around with the ancient artifact, they unwittingly unleash a demonic entity and spend the rest of their trip fighting for survival.
The Evil Dead is a video nasty: one of 72 horror movies criticised for their violent content, and the US poster for The Evil Dead does a good job of preparing viewers for just how nasty it is. In it, a woman cries for help as a zombified hand shoots up from the earth and throttles her. And if that wasn't gripping enough (excuse the pun), the poster even includes an endorsement from the king of horror, Stephen King.
Poltergeist (1982)
Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist is a horror movie with a real-life horror story of its own. Pictured in the poster is Heather O'Rourke, one of the victims of the alleged Poltergeist curse who plays Carol Anne Freeling in the movie. Carol Anne is the youngest Freeling, targeted by the ghosts which haunt her family's new dream home. Conversing with the spirits through the TV, Carol Anne eventually goes missing, and a frantic search ensues.
Nothing says eerie quite like the Poltergeist movie poster. Its chilling composition, paired with the ominous, immortal words, "They're here," is enough to scare the crap out of viewers before they've even seen the movie. And for added measure, the poster also employs not one but two classic horror tropes: evil children and haunted technology.
The Mutilator (1984)
Buddy Cooper's The Mutilator is as violent and cheesy as its poster suggests. Originally titled Fall Break, it follows a group of college students who travel to a beachfront property for a fun-filled vacation and are hunted down by a murderous madman. But this madman isn't any old lunatic; he's student Ed's (Matt Mitler) father (Jack Chatham), avenging the death of his late wife.
The Mutilator might've been a bit of a flop, but its poster is undeniably a work of art. It's super retro, super 80s, and laughably corny. Whoever coined the tagline, "By sword, By Pick, By axe, Bye bye" is a comedy genius, and this wit is missing in the new Mutilator poster. That's right, almost 40 years later, the slasher is getting a sequel. Buddy Cooper returns to direct Mutilator 2, which finished filming this year.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Wes Craven's cult classic A Nightmare on Elm Street has an iconic 80s poster that many horror fans will recognize. In it, final girl Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) clutches her bedsheet as Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) flashes his bladed glove at her. A Nightmare on Elm Street is the inaugural movie in the Elm Street franchise and introduces Krueger as the disfigured killer who preys on a group of Midwestern teens in their sleep.
Artist Matthew Joseph Peak was fresh out of art school when he was approached to design the original A Nightmare on Elm Street poster. It was hand-painted, and Peak told Bloody Disgusting he had no direction from anyone. He had an idea, rolled with it, and they liked it so much that they asked him to create the posters for the next four sequels. All of these posters would be integral to the franchise's success.
Fright Night (1985)
Fright Night is an awesome movie with an awesome poster. Directed by Tom Holland, it follows a teenager named Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) who is convinced his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire. Of course, nobody believes him, and with his life and relationship on the line, Charley enlists ex-TV vampire hunter Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) to help solve his unique crisis.
The Fright Night poster is fun and spooky, featuring the Dandrige residence front and center. A man stands at the window, silently watching, whilst a ghoulish cloud looms overhead. Fangs protrude from the title, adding to the frightening atmosphere, and Charley Brewster is nowhere to be seen — probably making a garlic necklace as we speak.
Phenomena (1985)
Dario Argento movies have cool posters, clearly. His 1977 hit Suspiria had a cool poster, and so does his 1985 release Phenomena, which was a departure from the former, more artful movie, but a success nonetheless. Phenomena stars Jennifer Connelly as an American girl at a Swiss boarding school who discovers an ability to speak to insects. She then uses this ability to solve a string of murders.
There are several eye-catching posters for Phenomena, but the one above might be the best. It's gorgeous and epic, with just enough details to intrigue viewers without giving away any spoilers. Plus, its futuristic artwork resembles other 80s releases like E.T. and Back to the Future, which are both iconic movies in their own right.
April Fool's Day (1986)
April Fool's Day is a polarising slasher, but nobody can deny its poster is brilliant. Directed by Fred Walton, it has a lot in common with the more recent Bodies Bodies Bodies: a wealthy student, Muffy St. John (Deborah Foreman), invites her group of friends to her remote mansion for a weekend of partying and practical jokes to celebrate their final year of school; soon enough, however, lies are unveiled, and a brutal killer threatens the fun.
The poster for April Fool's Day shows Muffy toasting her friends whilst holding a knife behind her back (pretty on the nose for a movie about backstabbing). The tagline is equally punny, reading, "Guess who's going to be the life of the party," and underneath the title, "A cut above the rest." But the best bit about the artwork is how sinister it is: how little the guests know and how much more we want to know.