Top 10 Scariest Horror Moments From The 1980s

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These horror moments will always be scary. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those moments from 1980s horror flicks that stayed with us FOR-EVER.

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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those moments from 1980s

00:09horror flicks that stayed with us forever.

00:1410.

00:17Cujo Attacks – Cujo

00:27One of the most effective aspects of horror cinema is how it can often take everyday fears,

00:32even those in the back of our collective minds, and bring them to life.

00:36We may not think about confronting an angry, rabid dog 24-7, but 1983's Cujo showcased

00:42just how scary that exact situation could be, under the worst circumstances.

00:52The sequence when Cujo attacks Tad and Donna Trenton, inside of their Ford Pinto, is harrowing

00:57to say the least.

00:58The practical make-up effects on the St. Bernard are tragically gruesome, while the tension

01:03of Donna and Tad's overheated and dehydrated automotive prison is ramped up to an uncomfortable

01:09degree.

01:129.

01:15Cheryl is Possessed – The Evil Dead

01:23It's perhaps easy to forget how Sam Raimi's original 1981 chiller, The Evil Dead, possessed

01:28nearly none of the humour that would go on to define the franchise.

01:32Instead, this is demonic possession horror played completely straight, with all of the

01:37tense trappings that go along with that approach.

01:40The scene when Ash Williams' sister Cheryl is possessed by the deadite curse is made

01:45all the more frightening via the gruesome make-up.

01:51Ellen Sandweiss also fully commits to the performance, attacking the remaining cabin

01:55dwellers until her destruction finally frees her from her curse at the film's climax.

02:048.

02:07No Batteries – Child's Play

02:14The Child's Play franchise is another horror mainstay that's largely been defined by its

02:19black humour.

02:20However, the OG film is actually quite restrained with its possessed doll effects, relying more

02:26upon the question of whether or not young Andy Barclay is imagining Chucky's corporeal

02:30existence.

02:32As a result, when Andy's mother opens up the back of the doll to reveal an absence of batteries,

02:37well, all bets are off.

02:44It's then time for Brad Dourif to do what he does best, spouting off a legion of profanities

02:50as he attempts to kill Andy's mum.

02:53The jump is super effective, the doll effects believable, and Katherine Hicks totally sells

02:58the danger of Charles Lee Ray's new pint-sized body.

03:057.

03:08Jesus Wept – Hellraiser

03:10There's just something about the cinema and writings of Clive Barker that get under our

03:17skin.

03:18Literally, in fact.

03:19At least, when we're discussing 1987's Hellraiser, this adaptation of Barker's novella, The Hellbound

03:26Heart, sees the bloody resurrection of Frank Cotton via his brother's wife, Julia.

03:32Andrew Robinson does double duty, portraying both Larry and Frank, the latter of whom is

03:36wearing his sibling's skin when he is reunited with the Cenobites.

03:46The look on Robinson's face as he realizes his niece Kirstie has trapped him with Pinhead

03:51and crew says it all.

03:53The actor is torn apart by the Cenobites' sadomasochistic power.

04:006.

04:02Clown Trauma – Poltergeist

04:04Every horror fan of a certain age probably remembers where they were when they first

04:09heard those immortal lines from Poltergeist.

04:14They probably also remember how traumatized they were when that creepy clown shows up

04:19too.

04:20The Poltergeist activity is seriously ramping up when this scene occurs, a nighttime attack

04:25that sees a tree crash into the Freeling children's room and Robbie Freeling's toy clown coming

04:30to life.

04:31The look on Robbie's face is one of perplexed fear and confusion as the clown wraps itself

04:37around him.

04:42But this is only the beginning of the torment this family will face at the hands of their

04:47very own Poltergeist.

04:525.

04:56Xenomorph Shooting Gallery – Aliens

05:02The Alien franchise has always done a wonderful, perhaps even definitive job at combining horror

05:07and science fiction.

05:09The first sequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece is more action-based, but also possesses more

05:16than its fair share of fearsome moments.

05:18Case in point, the attack on the survivors of a failed space colony search and rescue

05:23by hordes of Xenomorphs while holding up in the remains of Colony LV-426.

05:33The assault is a barrage of bullets and marauding aliens, while the audience is biting their

05:38nails in anticipation.

05:40Will the humans run out of ammo?

05:42Who will survive?

05:464.

05:49The Transformation – An American Werewolf in London

05:57The werewolf transformation sequence that set the standard for all practical special

06:02effects work in its wake.

06:04Rick Baker's work on this film is simply phenomenal, a startling achievement that still

06:09delivers the goods.

06:10So many years removed from its 1981 debut.

06:13The thing about this scene is how painful the whole transformation looks.

06:22There's really no other way to say it, turning into a werewolf looks like torture.

06:28And David Norton sells the experience like it's going to kill him.

06:33Baker's makeup, combined with the cinematography of Robert Painter, captures every wince-inducing

06:38pull and tear, making us totally fear for the next full moon.

06:473.

06:51Jason Jumps – Friday the 13th

06:58Jump scares, by design, are largely cheap and effective.

07:01They work because they catch us unaware, but are they really all that scary?

07:06Well, this one certainly is, a classic that still catches viewers, even seasoned fans

07:12of Friday the 13th.

07:14It's the mellow and serene music from composer Harry Manfredini that really lulls the audience

07:19into a false sense of security.

07:22The water, that morning sun, we're supposed to think that the terror is over.

07:26That is, until the body of young Jason Voorhees erupts out of Crystal Lake, dragging young

07:33Alice Hardy down into its depths.

07:41The movie frames it as a dream, or a premonition, but the after-effects remain with us, probably

07:47for all time.

07:522.

07:55Blood Test – The Thing

08:04John Carpenter's remake of 1951's The Thing from Another World put to best use the special

08:10effects revolution of the 1980s.

08:12Robin Botten's Creature FX would set yet another bar for the industry, from the ultra-memorable

08:18chest defibrillator scene to the fan-favorite blood test sequence.

08:25The feelings of paranoia and mistrust have already been ramped up to a fever pitch at

08:29this point, forcing McCready into lining up the surviving members of Outpost Number 31

08:35for a blood test.

08:37Fictional characters and audience members alike are sweating and biting their nails,

08:41as each blood sample is tested.

08:47Then in an instant, Palmer's blood reacts against a flamethrower, revealing that the

08:51Outpost member has been infected.

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09:131.

09:14Here's Johnny – The Shining

09:22Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining possesses countless iconic

09:27moments, from the introduction of the Grady twins to this classic line delivery.

09:34Jack Nicholson's slow detachment from reality is already troubling enough, driving a further

09:39wedge between him, his wife Wendy, and their son Danny.

09:42It's when Jack is fully possessed by the Overlook Hotel's evil that he enters full horror legend

09:49as he methodically threatens Wendy's life.

09:56The latter's feeble attempts at self-defense are made all the more ineffectual as Jack's

10:00madness takes full hold, leading to this classic horror movie moment.

10:09Which horror movie moment chilled you to the bone?

10:11Let us know in the comments.

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