Continuing our countdown of the highest rated SciFi and Fantasy movies of the 1980s
Here is number 64 to 32…
64 – From Beyond (1986)
HORROR | SCIENCE FICTION
Directed by: Stuart Gordon
Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ted Sorel, Ken Foree
6.94/10
Obsessive scientist Dr. Pretorius (Ted Sorel) successfully discovers a way to access a parallel universe of pleasure by tapping into the brain’s pineal gland. When he is seemingly killed by forces from this other dimension, his assistant, Dr. Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs), is accused of the murder. After psychiatrist Katherine McMichaels (Barbara Crampton) and detective Bubba Brownlee (Ken Foree) take the case, the trio risks a return to the other world in order to solve the mystery.
63 – Scrooged (1988)
FANTASY | COMEDY | DRAMA
Directed by: Richard Donner
Stars: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, John Glover
6.95/10
In this modern take on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). But after firing a staff member, Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.
62 – Flight of the Navigator (1986)
FAMILY | SCIENCE FICTION | ADVENTURE
Directed by: Randal Kleiser
6.97/10
12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but they’re just as perplexed as he is that he hasn’t aged. When a NASA scientist discovers a UFO nearby, David gets the chance to unravel the mystery and recover the life he lost.
61 – Starman (1984)
ROMANCE | SCIENCE FICTION
Directed by: John Carpenter
6.97/10
Some 15 years after an alien (Jeff Bridges) was stranded briefly on Earth, he returns to rejoin the son he left behind and to search for the woman he fell in love with. He assumes the identity and likeness of photojournalist Paul Forrester, whose dead body lies undiscovered in a remote area due to a helicopter crash. He is pursued by George Fox, the US government agent who has been obsessed with capturing him since his first visit to Earth.
60 – Ladyhawke (1985)
ADVENTURE | COMEDY | DRAMA | FANTASY
Directed by: Richard Donner
6.97/10
Upon breaking out of a dungeon, youthful thief Phillipe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) befriends Capt. Navarre (Rutger Hauer), a man with a strange secret. Navarre and his lover Lady Isabeau d’Anjou (Michelle Pfeiffer) were cursed by the wicked Bishop of Aquila (John Wood), who desires Lady Isabeau for himself. His dark magic prevents the pair from ever being in each other’s presence except at twilight, so they enlist Gaston in a dangerous plot to overthrow the Bishop and break his evil enchantment.
59 – Night of the Creeps (1986)
HORROR | COMEDY | SCIENCE FICTION
Directed by: Fred Dekker
Stars: Jason Lively, Tom Atkins, Steve Marshall, Jill Whitlow
6.99/10
In 1959, an alien experiment crashes to earth and infects a fraternity member. They freeze the body, but in the modern day, two geeks pledging a fraternity accidentally thaw the corpse, which proceeds to infect the campus with parasites that transform their hosts into killer zombies.
58 – Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
DRAMA | SCIENCE FICTION | THRILLER
Directed by: Michael Radford
Stars: John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton, Cyril Cusack
7.01/10
A man loses his identity while living under a repressive regime. In a story based on George Orwell’s classic novel, Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country’s leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship — and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.
57 – Conan the Barbarian (1982)
ADVENTURE | FANTASY | ACTION
Directed by: John Milius
7.01/10
Orphaned boy Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is enslaved after his village is destroyed by the forces of vicious necromancer Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), and is compelled to push “The Wheel of Pain” for many years. Once he reaches adulthood, Conan sets off across the prehistoric landscape of the Hyborian Age in search of the man who killed his family and stole his father’s sword. With beautiful warrior Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) and archer Subotai (Gerry Lopez), he faces a supernatural evil.
56 – Superman II (1980)
SCIENCE FICTION | ACTION | ADVENTURE
Directed by: Richard Lester
7.03/10
Three escaped criminals from the planet Krypton test the Man of Steel’s mettle. Led by General Zod, the Kryptonians take control of the White House and partner with Lex Luthor to destroy Superman and rule the world. But Superman, who attempts to make himself human in order to get closer to Lois, realizes he has a responsibility to save the planet.
55 – Altered States (1980)
HORROR | SCIENCE FICTION | THRILLER
Directed by: Ken Russell
Stars: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid
7.04/10
Respected scientist and psychology professor Edward Jessup (William Hurt) decides to combine his experiments in sensory deprivation tanks with powerful hallucinogenic drugs, convinced that it may help him unlock different states of consciousness. The experiments are a success at first, but as Jessup continues his work, he begins to experience altered mental and also physical states. As he spends more time in sensory deprivation, his grip on reality begins to slip away.
54 – The Hidden (1987)
HORROR | SCIENCE FICTION | THRILLER
Directed by: Jack Sholder
7.13/10
When average, law-abiding citizens suddenly turn to a life of hedonistic behavior and violent crime, Detective Tom Beck (Michael Nouri) is tasked with helping young FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher (Kyle MacLachlan) determine the cause in this tense, sci-fi thriller.
53 – WarGames (1983)
THRILLER | DRAMA | ADVENTURE | SCIENCE FICTION
Directed by: John Badham
Stars: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood, Dabney Coleman
7.19/10
High school student David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) unwittingly hacks into a military supercomputer while searching for new video games. After starting a game of Global Thermonuclear War, Lightman leads the supercomputer to activate the nation’s nuclear arsenal in response to his simulated threat as the Soviet Union. Once the clueless hacker comes to his senses, Lightman, with help from his girlfriend (Ally Sheedy), must find a way to alert the authorities to stop the onset of World War III.
52 – Highlander (1986)
ADVENTURE | ACTION | FANTASY
Directed by: Russell Mulcahy
7.19/10
Born in the Highlands of Scotland in 1518, Connor MacLeod is immortal. When he is wounded in battle but does not die, MacLeod is banished from his village. He meets another like himself, Ramirez, who teaches him swordsmanship, the ways of the immortals and the only way to kill another immortal… to cut off their head.
51 – Time Bandits (1981)
FAMILY | FANTASY | SCIENCE FICTION | ADVENTURE | COMEDY
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Stars: Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, John Cleese, Katherine Helmond,
7.24/10
Young history buff Kevin (Craig Warnock) can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson), they’ve purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery) before the Supreme Being catches up with them.
50 – Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
ADVENTURE | COMEDY | SCIENCE FICTION
Directed by: Stephen Herek
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin,
7.25/10
Bill and Ted are high school buddies starting a band. They are also about to fail their history class—which means Ted would be sent to military school—but receive help from Rufus, a traveller from a future where their band is the foundation for a perfect society. With the use of Rufus’ time machine, Bill and Ted travel to various points in history, returning with important figures to help them complete their final history presentation.
49 – The Dead Zone (1983)
THRILLER | HORROR | SCIENCE FICTION
Directed by: David Cronenberg
7.26/10
When Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) awakens from a coma caused by a car accident, he finds that years have passed, and he now has psychic abilities. Heartbroken that his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) has moved on with her life, Johnny also must contend with his unsettling powers, which allow him to see a person’s future with a mere touch. After shaking the hand of aspiring politician Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), Johnny sees the danger presented by the candidate’s rise and resolves to kill him.
48 – Miracle Mile (1988)
ROMANCE | SCIENCE FICTION | THRILLER | DRAMA
Directed by: Steve De Jarnatt
Stars: Anthony Edwards, Mare Winningham, John Agar, Lou Hancock
7.27/10
Musician Harry Washello (Anthony Edwards) sits down at a Los Angeles diner, where he instantly takes an interest in waitress Julie Peters (Mare Winningham). The feeling is mutual, too, so the pair arranges a date for later that day. But things go awry when Harry picks up a random pay phone call from a frantic soldier who warns of a nuclear attack that will hit L.A. within the hour. Scrambling, Harry finds Julie and the two do everything they can to escape to safety.
47 – The Monster Squad (1987)
COMEDY | ACTION | FANTASY
Directed by: Fred Dekker
Stars: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr
7.27/10
Count Dracula adjourns to Earth, accompanied by Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and the Gillman. The uglies are in search of a powerful amulet that will grant them power to rule the world. Our heroes – the Monster Squad are the only ones daring to stand in their way.
46 – Willow (1988)
ACTION | ADVENTURE | FANTASY
Directed by: Ron Howard
Stars: Val Kilmer, Warwick Davis, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh
7.29/10
Fearful of a prophecy stating that a girl child will be born to bring about her downfall, the evil Queen Bavmorda imprisons all pregnant women within the formidable stronghold of Nockmaar. A child, Elora Danan, is born in the Nockmaar dungeons and identified as the prophesied child by a birthmark on her arm. However, before the black sorceress arrives to claim the child, Elora’s mother convinces her reluctant midwife to escape with the baby. Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, is entrusted with delivering the royal infant from evil.
45 – Escape from New York (1981)
SCIENCE FICTION | ACTION
Directed by: John Carpenter
7.39/10
Set in the future 1997, the island of Manhattan has been walled off and turned into a giant maximum security prison within which the country’s worst criminals are left to form their own anarchic society. However, when the President of the United States crash lands on the island, the authorities turn to a former soldier and current convict to rescue him.
44 – Repo Man (1984)
COMEDY | SCIENCE FICTION
Directed by: Alex Cox
7.40/10
After being fired from his job, Los Angeles slacker and punk rocker Otto (Emilio Estevez) lands a gig working for an eccentric repossession agent named Bud (Harry Dean Stanton). At first, Otto is reluctant to work as a repo man, but he grows to love the fast-paced job. After learning of a Chevy Malibu that has been given a $20,000 price tag, Otto embarks on a quest to find the car with the beautiful Leila (Olivia Barash), who claims the trunk’s contents are otherworldly.
43 – Spaceballs (1987)
COMEDY | SCIENCE FICTION
Directed by: Mel Brooks
Stars: Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman
7.41/10
When the nefarious Dark Helmet hatches a plan to snatch Princess Vespa and steal her planet’s air, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr and his clueless sidekick fly to the rescue. Along the way, they meet Yogurt, who puts Lone Starr wise to the power of “The Schwartz.” Can he master it in time to save the day?
42 – The Dark Crystal (1982)
FANTASY | ADVENTURE | FAMILY | ANIMATION
Directed by: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
Stars: Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz
7.45/10
Jen (Stephen Garlick), raised by the noble race called the Mystics, has been told that he is the last survivor of his own race, the Gelflings. He sets out to try to find a shard of the dark crystal, a powerful gem that once provided balance to the universe. After the crystal was broken, the evil Skeksis used sinister means to gain control. Jen believes that he can repair the dark crystal and bring peace back to the world, if he can only find the remaining shard.
41 – Gremlins (1984)
FANTASY | HORROR | COMEDY
Directed by: Joe Dante
Stars: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, John Louie
7.47/10
A gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for his son and finds one at a store in Chinatown. The shopkeeper is reluctant to sell him the `mogwai’ but sells it to him with the warning to never expose him to bright light, water, or to feed him after midnight. All of this happens and the result is a gang of gremlins that decide to tear up the town on Christmas Eve.
40 – Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
HORROR | COMEDY
Directed by: Frank Oz
7.47/10
A gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for his son and finds one at a store in Chinatown. The shopkeeper is reluctant to sell him the `mogwai’ but sells it to him with the warning to never expose him to bright light, water, or to feed him after midnight. All of this happens and the result is a gang of gremlins that decide to tear up the town on Christmas Eve.
39 – The NeverEnding Story (1984)
DRAMA | FAMILY | FANTASY | ADVENTURE
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
7.48/10
While hiding from bullies in his school’s attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.
38 – Excalibur (1981)
ADVENTURE | FANTASY
Directed by: John Boorman
Stars: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi
7.49/10
A surreal adaptation of Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur”, chronicling Arthur Pendragon’s conception, his rise to the throne, the search by his Knights of the Round Table for the Holy Grail, and ultimately his death.
37 – The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
ACTION | ADVENTURE | COMEDY | FANTASY | FAMILY
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Stars: John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Charles McKeown
7.51/10
During the “Age of Reason” of the late 18th century, the Turkish army lays siege to a European city where a theater production about the extraordinary heroics of famed German aristocrat Baron Münchhausen is underway. A man steps forward to object that the performance is full of inaccuracies, claiming that he is the real Baron Münchhausen (John Neville). When the Turkish army approaches with gunfire, the baron undertakes his latest adventure with his promise to defend the city.
36 – Big (1988)
FANTASY | DRAMA | COMEDY | ROMANCE | FAMILY
Directed by: Penny Marshall
Stars: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard
7.55/10
After a wish turns 12-year-old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) into a 30-year-old man (Tom Hanks), he heads to New York City and gets a low-level job at MacMillen Toy Company. A chance encounter with the owner (Robert Loggia) of the company leads to a promotion testing new toys. Soon a fellow employee, Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins), takes a romantic interest in Josh. However, the pressure of living as an adult begins to overwhelm him, and he longs to return to his simple, former life as a boy.
35 – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
SCIENCE FICTION | ADVENTURE
Directed by: Leonard Nimoy
7.56/10
Living in exile on the planet Vulcan, the ragtag former crew of the USS Enterprise steal a starship after receiving a planetary distress call from Earth: a space probe has entered into orbit around Earth, disabled global power on the planet and evaporated the oceans. Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the rest of the officers travel back in time to retrieve now-extinct humpback whales, which Spock has deduced will communicate with the probe and send it away from Earth.
34 – They Live (1988)
SCIENCE FICTION | ADVENTURE
Directed by: John Carpenter
Stars: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster, George ‘Buck’ Flower
7.57/10
Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. As he walks the streets of Los Angeles, Nada notices that both the media and the government are comprised of subliminal messages meant to keep the population subdued, and that most of the social elite are skull-faced aliens bent on world domination. With this shocking discovery, Nada fights to free humanity from the mind-controlling aliens.
33 – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
SCIENCE FICTION | ADVENTURE | FAMILY | FANTASY
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace,
7.58/10
After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.
32 – The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
COMEDY | HORROR
Directed by: Dan O’Bannon
Stars: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews
7.61/10
When foreman Frank shows new employee Freddy a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky, the two klutzes accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout the town, and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss and a mysterious mortician.
