Malevolent Dark is taking charge and compiling the definitive Top 10 Horror Movies of 1982. Overall, 1982 didn’t blow us away across the board, but a couple of widely held classics entered the horror lexicon in that year. In addition, a few obscure low-budget flicks popped on the scene. The Italian horror machine made a contributions to the big list as well as a few long-awaited franchise sequels.
We will also unveil one of its 1982’s favorite turds! Maybe, along the way there might be some honorable mentions. Let’s get started!
10. Friday the 13th Part 3
Coming off the heels of two really good opening salvos in the Friday the 13th Franchise, the third installment debuted to very high expectations. Franchise character Jason Voorhees dons his signature hockey mask for the very first time. Unfortunately, director Steve Miner and producer Frank Mancuso struggle to recreate the magic of the progenitors.
This film suffers from several things. For starters, the film tried to capitalize on the popular 3D craze that was popping off that year. This approach requires in your face shots that sacrifice realism and style for a momentary sight gag. Years later when the producers released the film on VHS, the lack 3D gimmick leaves only the corny cinematography.
Regardless of its weaknesses, the film still features Jason Voorhees. It is iconic for its role in developing sporting goods into murder gear. Friday the 13th Part 3 just barely sneaks onto the Top 10 Horror Movies of 1982.
9. Alone in the Dark
Alone in the Dark is a lesser known film from 1982 but it is much too good not to get a mention. Alone in the Dark marks the first entry into the New Line Cinema horror Catalog. The decision to place this film on the list rests solely on the director Jack Sholder’s casting decisions.
Starring Jack Palance, Martin Landau and Donald Pleasence, Alone in the Dark unleashes a supernova of talent into a single densely packed film. The film concerns an escaped band of lunatics on a revenge mission against their doctor. Not generally aligned to the horror genre, Landau proves incredibly creepy as an escaped lunatic. He is joined by Jack Palance and two others as they converge on the families home during a power outage. Alone in the Dark manages to sneak a little double-dealing twist in the end.
Skipped over by many, Alone in the Dark incorporated a great cast and some wacky violence to earn its place on this list.
8. Basket Case
Directed by Frank Henenlotter, Basket Case could easily be mistaken for low-budget fiasco. The plot couldn’t be more ridiculous. A man named Duane walks the streets of New York with a large basket under arm. Duane makes a cheap city hotel his home. Unbeknownst to the landlord, he took on two tenants that day; the wicker basket holds his deformed surgically extricated brother, Belial. Belial wants revenge on the doctors that separated them.
Hennenlotter manages to take his films ridiculous premise just seriously enough to maintain the horror motif. This self-awareness helps his keep this thing on the rails. Packaged in this low-budget monster movie are some fantastic practical effects as well as some laughable but lovable stop-motion scenes. Surprisingly Basket Case even pulls on the heart strings a bit by casting Belial and his love for his bifurcated brother in a sympathetic light.
Basket Case performs well above its expectations and is essential viewing for horror historians.
7. Q: The Winged Serpent
More than once I have referenced my local horror show growing up: Saturday Night Shockers. As a kid in the 70’s and 80’s the ability to see the goings on in the horror world were limited. Largely, I depended on that show to bring me the blood. Q: The Winged Serpent was one of those deliciously bloody movies cast in warm glow of a cathode ray tube on a Saturday Night.
Directed by Larry Cohen, Q: The Winged Serpent stars Cohen staple Michael Moriarty as tough-luck small time crook Jimmy Quinn. Malevolent Dark favorite David Carradine stars as Detective Shephard. An ancient Aztec god in the form of a winged monster named Quetzalcoatl terrorizes New York as it broods its flock. In parallel, strange Aztec rituals and occult murders confound the police.
By today’s CGI standards, Q looks campy and dated, but at the time this films actually did really solid job using practical effects to create a Godzilla like threat to New York. Additionally, the film exhibits some pretty gnarly murder scenes including a man relieved of all his skin. Q: The Winged Serpent retains a bit of that hokey late night cable mystique, but at the same time delivers a really fun little horror film.
6. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
I know some of my people are going to hear my words and shout, “Preach Brother”. Halloween III: Season of the Witch not only isn’t a bad movie, but it’s a pretty damn good movie. It always has been. Haters Back Off. But seriously, I couldn’t be more happy that modern audiences are dusting this film off and re-evaluating it outside the shadow of Michael Myers. People don’t like change, and the obviously the film-going audience of 1982 was ill prepared to let go their beloved Mikey.
Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and produced by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween III completely ditched the slasher idea in favor of Celtic conspiracy to unleash ancient magical armeggedon. The film involves a company named Silver Shamrock that produces Halloween masks. The masks respond to signals sent over the air-waves and a microchip triggers a creepy crawly attack on anyone wearing the mask; turning their corpses into deadly bug factories.
The ever-awesome Tom Atkins plays the lead, working with Stacey Nelkin work to uncover the evil plan. What could be more horrific than a sinister plot to murder all of our children on Halloween night? Survey says… not much! Sure the movie meanders a bit. Some of the special effects border on lame. Regardless, Malevolent Dark proudly includes Halloween III: Season of the Witch on this list.
5. Tenebrae
Tenebrae may be the most accomplished film on the list when judged purely on artistic merit. Directed by the great Italian director Dario Argento, Tenbrae delivers a standard Italian giallo film while also making a profound statement concerning the duality of society.
Tenebrae, packed with fantastic cinematography, is replete with deep contrast and visually stunning period correct sets. Tenebrae comes complete with a Sprockets style European synthesizer soundtrack courtesy of Claudio Simonetti. Adding generous splashes of deep crimson, Argento creates kills that are as beautiful as they are brutal. In true giallo form, he does it while also juggling a complicated murder mystery that doesn’t reveal itself until the final frames.
Argento’s Tenebrae is a classic example of highly stylized Italian horror and a fantastic movie. True splatter cinephiles may place this higher on their personal lists.
4. Creepshow
Written by Stephen King and directed by George Romero, Creepshow takes the childhood excitement of horror comics and transposes it to the screen. The film compiles 5 individual stories, loosely anchored to a loose narrative that involves a boy, his magazine and disapproving parents. Tom Atkins makes his second appearance on this list.
Romero employs several tactics that would be recreated in later comic book films like Dick Tracey and 500. First, he employs lots of background colors to emulate comic book frames. Second, he transitions seamlessly from animated sequences to reality, further pushing the comic book metaphor. To punctuate the demise of a character, Romero uses a wide frame portrait shots that again mimic a comic book frame. These techniques are used individually and together to create an immersive comic look and feel.
Tom Savini performed the practical effects for this film. Most of the effects are fantastic, but the stand-out creation is a monster named Fluffy in the short-story “The Crate”. Lest we forget, Adrienne Barbeau stars in “The Crate”. Do I need to say more?
For those that grew up in the era of the news-stand horror comics, Creepshow really brings experience to the screen. Romero’s execution is highly stylized in a way that caters to pulp fans while still catering to the weekend movie.
Creepshow sits a bit high on the Top 10 Horror Movies of 1982, but in this film really nails what it means to be a horror fan.
3. Amityville II: The Possession
If this were a list of scariest films of 1982, Amityville II: The Possession might have topped it. Whether the horror of a man murdering his whole family while they sleep, or the incestuous undertones of a brother and sister or demons slowly shambling towards a broken clergy man, this film has plenty to offer horror fans.
Quite frankly this film tops the original in terms of pure horror value. Shockingly, the world doesn’t always agree as evidenced by its low scores on Rotten Tomatoes. I can only lead people to the cold black waters of the fountain of horror knowledge. I can’t make them drink.
In truth, there are some problems in this one as well. About two-thirds of the way through the film, the film makes a hard left-hand turn from a supernatural murder story to a Blatty-like exorcism plot. Both pieces are independently effective, but possibly it is too much for one film. The transition is clumsy, and quite frankly the film would have been better had it just ended after the first two acts.
This film ranks high on the Top 10 Horror Movies of 1982 simply because it scared the hell out of me and never left my mind in the several decades since I watched it.
2. Poltergeist
Written by Stephen Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper, Poltergeist has everything from Hollywood glitz, astounding special effects, supernatural horror and even a smattering gore. The producers wrap all of this in a warm blanket with Heather O’Rourke, JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson.
In addition to being an exquisite horror film, Poltergeist carries a heavy emotional element. One can’t help but to love the innocence of Carol Anne Freeling, played by Heather O’Rourke. When abducted by malevolent spirits living in the Freeling’s home, the families reaction is appropriately anguished, and Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams sell every bit of that emotional peril. It all enforces the steadfast belief that some of the best horror movies are just regular movies cut with an especially deep slice of darkness. It is horrifying, yet beautiful.
If you ever wondered when the exact moment that you realized that clowns are scary, there a child that wasn’t permanently damaged by Poltergeist? Not Likely.
1. The Thing
Here we are, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, number 1 on the Top 10 Horror Movies of 1982. That movie is none other than John Carpenter’s The Thing. The Thing may very well find itself on the list of Top 10 Horror Movies of all time. John Carpenter’s The Thing is arguably the best sci-fi horror film ever made. Alien(1979) enters the chat.
What about The Thing horrifies us so? It starts with claustrophobia. A team of men are hopelessly lost and without assistance on their Antarctic research station. There is nowhere to run and they need each other to survive. They must live on-top of each other, yet the monster hides among them. They can trust no one. The cast on this icy rock is outstanding. Kurt Russel plays R.J, MacReady, the prototypical anti-hero. Keith David plays Childs, a strongman foil to Russel. Wilford Brimly, Charles Hallahan and others round out the fantastic supporting cast.
The Thing has a bit of sci-fi, a bit of monster movie and a bit of psychological horror all wrapped in to one package. This burning ember of horror goodness gets a heaping helping of outstanding practical effects by Ron Bottin. John Carpenter wraps it with an ambiguous ending that never let’s the viewer know for sure that it’s over.
The Thing gets in your face, and stays in your face for the duration of the film. It is a triumph in horror cinema and wholly deserves to be at the pinnacle of the Top 10 Horror Movies of 1982.
The Films that Missed the Cut
There are only so many spots on the Top 10 Horror Movies of 1982, so somebody has to lose. Still, there are a few other decent horror movies that didn’t make the list that are still worth watching.
Pieces
Pieces is a little story about a boy with a bad relationship with his mother. After dismembering her, it turns to a life-long obsession with piecing together human remains in a life sized jigsaw puzzle. As far as low-budget horror movies go, its pretty decent. It struggles under the weight of poor dialog and poor production, but it is still a decent pull for horror fans, just not fit for the Top 10.
Slumber Party Massacre
The release of Slumber Party Massacre made a definitive statement to the horror movie industry: We aren’t trying to tell a story anymore. Slumber Party Massacre simply rounded up a group of young co-eds and slaughtered them with an industrial size power drill. Regardless, anyone that saw this film at 2:00AM on Cinemax remembers it. The drill is iconic and the film brings a sense of nostalgia. Don’t get me wrong, its an enjoyable watch, but simply doesn’t deserve to share any list with The Thing.
Madman
This film tells the story of Madman Marz. Marz went crazy one day and murdered his family with an axe. After escaping the clutches of law enforcement and disappeared into the woods surrounding around a local campground. Unlike Slumber Party Massacre, the producers opted to wrap this generic slasher with a bit of mythology. It works, but overall the film is rather plain. Madman is notable for starring Gaylen Ross of Dawn of the Dead fame. I hear all the time that Madman is criminally underrated, but honestly it’s only essential for deep fans.
The 1982 Golden Turd Award goes to…. Parasite!
I resent this movie. I resent it for looking so badass when I was young and being so lame when I finally got around to watching it 30 years later. I wrote in a previous blog, “If you like Parasite, you like shamelessly bad movies“. The story is bad, the acting is worse. The special effects are embarrassing.
Parasite tells the tale of a scientist commissioned to create a deadly parasite. The parasite looks like a fishing lure configured to mimic a foot-long turd. The parasite burrows into humans to gestate before erupting violently from the chest. The scientist accidentally infects himself, and must escape to find a cure. Amazingly enough, this film features the debut of Demi Moore. Even Demi is unable to save this inferno of a dumpster fire.
Don’t Take My Word for It
While doing research for this article, I ran across “My Top 10 Horror Films of 1982” written by a fellow blogger and Internet friend Alex Vorkov. Alex also writes horror and science fiction novels. Be sure to check out his work. You can find him @AlexVorkov on Twitter. It was interesting to see where he and I overlap and where we disagree.
Notably, Alex mentions one of two Lucio Fulci films to be released in 1982, The New York Ripper. While not a favorite of mine, don’t sleep on it if you are on a Fulci binge and need another fix. Fulci also released Manhattan Baby the same year. Neither of these met my bar for inclusion, but would certainly would have landed on a list of Italian / European horror films.