Late 1980s/Early 1990s
 

There's something about this era that always fascinates me in many regards, including it's horror films.

It just seems like there was something in the air.

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I don't think there is anything really special about that era of horror, not that those movies are bad, on the contrary they are terrific films. I think it is simply the movies that affected you the most because they came out at a time in your life when you were most impressionable to that sort of stuff. I'm guessing you were 13, 14, 15 around that time? I think the same is true for many if not all of us. If something grabs you in those formative years, it does not let go easily.

It was definitely a great era for horror. I love how a lot of the films were pure escapism and didn't take themselves to seriously. There were also some pretty dark flicks too that were more serious in tone. The era had more originality and innovation compared to today... the studios were a lot more adventurous with the stuff they green lit.

Very true...came of age in the 70's, but have a special fondness for 80's horror, especially in the first half. Maybe because I turned 18 right at the end of 1979 and could pretty much see whatever film I wanted. Had a job and wheels, so could take friends/brother/dates with little problem.
Saw a LOT of the offerings, usually at midnight shows.
Boy, I feel old::sad::::sad::...

Couldn't agree more. I loved the era.

The 80's and early 90's are definitely my favourite era for films. I much prefer the effects from back then rather than the cgi nowadays. Cgis good for some things but for good old gore and splatter i prefer the old way of doing it!!

Yes, the studios were definitely more adventurous then than they are today. I hope we see a new birth of outrageous, insane Horror films SOON.

I get what you are saying but I always felt that the 70s/80s were the "birth" of horror films (I was born in 1970). Yes, that is just a matter of opinion. I think it's awesome that I had the opportunity to scare myself for the first time by watching The Exorcist late at night, all by myself, in the dark....it scared the crap out of me!! I think that some of the best horror movies ever came from the 70s/80s!! You're right, it was a very impressionable time in my life and I loved it!!

Late 80's
 

I agree and yet somewhat disagree. You're completely correct about the formative years--there are some terrible movies from those years that I love--then I see them fifteen years later and realize what dogshit they are(even if they still give you a warm fuzzy feeling)

But if you take a good look(and I wouldn't call it late 80's/early 90's so much as late 70's, 80's) it's pretty clear there were some true masters of horror working at the time, and they had some incredible up and coming FX artists working with them.

Who do you have now that compares to Carpenter, Cronenberg, Dante, Landis, Raimi, Romero, and many of the other later 70's/80's masters? I don't think most of the guys working today are going to be looked at as legends in 20 years...(and sure, there might be one or two but not many compared to back then)

Of course, I am biased. :)

That's probably why I like movies like Insidious and The Conjuring more than something like Hellraiser or Carrie.

A little let down
 

Hi,
I watched Halloween ll the other evening, I had not seen it for many years, I remember seeing it when it originally was released, at the time I thought it was good, but the other night I felt a little let down, Michael Myers did not seem as threatening or as frightening as I first thought, way back in 1982, prior to that I watched "Visiting Hours" a 1980 movie featuring Michael Ironside as a Psychopathic murderer, the premise of the film was very similar to Halloween ll, both predominantly set in a hospital, where patients and staff were at the mercy of each of the crazed killers, the plot lines were very flimsy, and I wondered how did they achieve critical acclaim, as films go, they were not well made, as horror stories, they held up in the sense they maintained the legend of the slasher movie.

being born in 1977 i was just getting into horror during the late 80`s and early 90`s and a lot of movies i loved back then really dont stand up to the test of time, poor effects, poor scripts and acting, poor sets, just plain lame....but i still love them.

I think the thing I miss most from that era was the experimentation.

Yes, there were bad scripts and bad effects in many of the low budget films, but they were so unique. You had so many films with outrageous plots or absolutely no plot at all. Films that Lucio Fulci called "absolute" where you basically just took an idea like "There's a house, some people and some zombies" and that was the film. It played out like a Nightmare. Random things happen in our dreams and things don't always make sense. The same type of thing was applied to so many films from that time period because a lot of guys took ideas from their own dreams and nightmares and cast them onto film.

There was so much outlandish fantasy out there. There were always people pushing boundaries with fantastic tales, but when the Horror boom of the 80's really took off they just all tried to be more outlandish and more over the top than the last film that came out. Most of it was done out of pure fun and not meant to be taken seriously and that's what made it fun for me as a viewer. I love serious films, but I also love the zaniness from something made for no other reason to be completely outlandish.

I miss those times and those films. My other favorite time period for horror movies was from the 1920-40's. There was so much experimentation going on with film. German expressionism and monsters and all sorts of crazy ideas as science was making new leaps and bounds. I get the same feeling from that period of the late 70's-early 90's. Again science and technology making new leaps and bounds. Computers and video games and graphics and using that new technology in films. Nobody knew how far you could go with it so people just imagined all sorts of things.

It was such a fun time.

Can anyone help ive had something bugging me for years i watched a horror film when i was very young where there was a possessed girl all i remember was that she was wearing yellow top and red trousers and ended up in a dark street/alleyway where she jumped down a manhole her family chased after her a tried to talk her out of going, i feel like im going nuts but everytime i watch a horror it does my head in not knowing what its called i was born in 88 so its going to be around that time if anyone could shed a light that would be great id love actuallg watch it again

I love the nostalgia in watching 80's horror. Even though I was born in 87 I used to stay up late at my dads in the mid 90s and watch all the 80s horror films that were thrown on at midnight as a channel filler.

I wouldn't say they are as scary/jumpy as films from the last 15 years but certainly have more gore and have a general "horror" feel.

For example last night I decided to watch maximum overdrive which lets be honest is generically a terrible film but the feel of the 80s horror behind it brings out that excitement and makes me go back to the time when I was barley a teenager.