The Mike's Top 10 Horror Films of the 1980s!

I know, I know. I just did a list. And I have another list planned for the near future. BUT, fellow horror blog Zombies DON'T Run is currently asking readers to name their Top 10 Horror films of the 1980s, and I couldn't NOT participate. In the interest of fairness to my readers, I'll give you the ballot I turned in....now.

(Don't worry, I'm gonna keep this waaaay shorter than that last list.)
10. The Blob - If you know The Mike, you know how The Mike feels about blobs. (He's for them.) and I couldn't enter a vote that didn't include the excellent remake put together by Frank Darabont and Chuck Russell. Almost went with another personal pick, like Clownhouse or Happy Birthday to Me or April Fool's Day, but blobness wins the day.

9. Re-Animator - Originality counts here, as I gave this one a vote over more standard picks like Poltergeist and The Lost Boys. I also strongly considered Hellraiser, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Near Dark.

8. Creepshow - I've always loved the anthology horror subgenre, and the combination of George Romero, Stephen King and an all-star cast makes this a must for my '80s list.

7. Dead & Buried - Maybe I'm overrating this based on Dan O'Bannon's recent passing (*tear*), but this has quickly become a favorite of mine over the last two years. So it's in.

6. An American Werewolf in London - John Landis' werewolf comedy/tribute is one of the most rewatchable flicks of the decade. So it's a must, and now I wish I'd listed it higher. Sadly, The Howling just missed the cut.

5. The Monster Squad - This is another personal pick, but I love my classic monsters and my '80s flicks and this one puts them together too perfectly for me to not list it in the Top 5.

4. The Shining - Another no-brainer for me. One of my go-to films for instant creepy factor.

3. The Thing - Like I'm NOT gonna have a John Carpenter flick up here. I almost listed Christine as well, and Prince of Darkness is a personal favorite that was probably #11.

2. The Evil Dead - To me it's the most iconic '80s horror film, but it missed out slightly on the #1 spot. I left Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn off the list, mostly because I wanted to vary my picks a bit.

1. Fright Night - Fright Night is probably one of the 10 movies I've seen more than any other, and it never gets old. Roddy McDowell's Peter Vincent is possibly my favorite horror character, too. Thus, it was an easy choice to get my vote as the #1 horror flick of the 1980s.

I, unthinking, left Gremlins off the list, and it's one of my favorite flicks of all genres. However, I don't feel bad considering it's known more for its comedic and family elements than the underlying horror story.

So that's how I voted, at least today, when it came to the topic of Top 10 Horror Films of the 1980s (plus a dozen or so title drops of other movies I love). Feel free to head to Zombies DON'T Run and enter your own top 10. And - as always - you can enter your comments below. Happy viewings!