Only 10 Sci-Fi Movies From the '80s Are Truly Perfect From Start to Finish
Writing from the Chicagoland area in Illinois, Robert is an avid movie watcher and will take just about any excuse to find time to go to his local movie theaters. Robert graduated from Bradley University with degrees in Journalism and Game Design with a minor in Film Studies. Robert tries his best to keep up with all the latest movie releases, from those released in theaters to those released on streaming. While he doesn't always keep up with the latest TV shows, he makes it a goal to watch nearly every major new release possible. He has been honing his craft and following any and all movie news all his life, leading up to now, where he has a vast knowledge of film and film history. He also logs every movie that he watches on his Letterboxd page, and has hosted a weekly online movie night with his closest friends for over 6 years.
While science fiction has long been one of the most celebrated and popular genres of filmmaking, no single era stands out more than the 1980s for what it accomplished for the genre. Each year of the 80s had its own standout sci-fi experiences, ranging from sequels and remakes of beloved films to groundbreaking new films that became franchises of their own. Many of the greatest and most recognizable names in sci-fi either got their start or were at their peak within this legendary decade.
With so many exceptional sci-fi masterpieces to choose from, it becomes difficult to select the absolute best of the best and the cream of the crop when it comes to 80s sci-fi filmmaking. These films continue to stand out not just within the era they were released, but as true icons of sci-fi perfection that have stood the test of time and helped elevate the reputation and stature of 80s sci-fi as a whole. In terms of pure cinematic perfection in the sci-fi genre, these 10 films are the only ones that are absolutely perfect from start to finish.
10 'They Live' (1988)
Director John Carpenter was on an absolute run of masterpiece after masterpiece in the 80s, with so many engaging films across all different genres and styles that made him one of the defining directors of the decade. One such masterpiece that has largely stood the test of time as one of his best films is They Live, a political sci-fi action satire about consumerism, corporate greed, and mass manipulation in the media. With the campy execution of a B-movie and an iconic lead performance by Roddy Piper, the film has grown massively in popularity in the time since its release.
Its central themes manage to be just as relevant as ever in the modern age, in some ways even more prevalent and important as it taps into the difficulties of wider culture and capitalist oversight. Even when it delves into darker concepts, They Live keeps a campy and upbeat tone that makes it an absolute blast to watch. The sheer fun of this sci-fi thriller has played a massive part in its sustained legacy as an icon of Carpenter's filmography.
9 'Aliens' (1986)
Ridley Scott's Alien is still celebrated as one of the all-time greatest sci-fi horror films ever made, so it isn't exactly surprising that a sequel would be made less than a decade after the original film. What does stand out about this sequel, Aliens, is that it takes a completely different tone, being a bombastic blockbuster action thriller helmed by James Cameron, and manages to be held on just as high a pedestal as the original film.
The setup is deceptively simple, as there's no better way to up the ante and stakes of the original film than by simply increasing the number of Xenomorphs that Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) has to face off against. The film does a great job of maintaining the atmosphere and impact of the original's worldbuilding while telling a much more explosive, crowd-pleasing story. More than any other film in the franchise, Aliens is the one that solidified the potential of Alien as a franchise and made Ripley an all-time icon of sci-fi.
At one point holding the record for the highest-grossing movie of all time, Steven Spielberg's iconic 80s blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial quickly became one of the defining icons of 80s pop culture as a whole. The wholesome story of a young boy befriending a lost alien touched the heartstrings of audiences in a way very few family sci-fi movies have ever been able to do. It's a beautifully crafted story whose strengths have only gotten more defined and solidified with age.
Everything that makes Spielberg such an engaging and celebrated directorial voice is on full display in this crowd-pleasing masterpiece. There's a joy and whimsy for the world as a whole ever-present in its filmmaking, further amplified by a generational John Williams score that will forever stay in the hearts of those who grew up with the film. More than any other sci-fi film released in the 80s, E.T. is able to charm and delight no matter the age of its audience.
7 'Videodrome' (1983)
David Cronenberg's distinct flavor of unsettling sci-fi body horror was on full display in the 80s, with countless incredibly influential films from him being released during the decade. Easily his most prolific and highly celebrated original film was Videodrome, a sickening examination of television culture of the era that has become a classic of body horror filmmaking and an undeniable cult classic. It's incredibly abstract in its sci-fi concepts, yet that only serves to make it all the more disturbing and unsettling.
The film follows the rising success of the television show Videodrome, which is dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, yet has become a massive hit with the viewers of a trashy TV channel. However, the channel's president (James Woods) soon uncovers the nefarious truth of the show when he begins investigating it following the disappearance of his girlfriend. Its themes of media manipulation and the desensitization of violence are as prevalent as ever, with Videodrome largely setting the tone and standard for Cronenberg's entire career.
6 'The Fly' (1986)
Yet another sci-fi body horror masterpiece from Cronenberg, The Fly sees him remaking one of the most classic sci-fi films of the 50s in his own image, ramping up not only the practical gore, but also the human anxieties and depth of its story and characters. Cronenberg's signature style of body horror also fits perfectly with the core premise of The Fly, amplifying the terror and disgusting nature of this shocking transformation from human to fly.
The practical effects are so masterfully crafted, and the central thematics are so engaging that The Fly is often considered one of the greatest body horror movies ever made, standing at the pinnacle of what the subgenre of horror is capable of. Jeff Goldblum provides a career-defining performance in the film as he devolves and loses every bit of his humanity as he slowly succumbs to his passion for science. The film continues to be one of the very first films that comes to mind when considering Cronenberg and body horror as a whole.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes What Is Your Biggest Horror Nightmare? Elm Street · Chucky · Scream · The Conjuring
Four horror franchises. Four completely different ways of scaring you. One waits until you fall asleep. One makes sure nobody believes you. One is already in your group of friends. And one is in the house with your family. Answer eight quick questions about how you actually watch horror, and find out which nightmare was built for you.
😴Elm Street(Freddy Krueger)
🧸Chucky(Child's Play)
📞Scream(Ghostface)
🕯️The Conjuring(The Warren Files)
01
Which horror scene makes you cover your eyes? Four classic images. One of them is worse than the others for you.
02
You are home alone and you hear a noise. First thought? Everybody has one. It arrives before you have decided anything.
03
Which horror movie rule would you break first? Everybody thinks they would survive. Almost nobody actually does.
04
Something genuinely frightening happens. What do you do? Not in a film. In your actual living room, tonight.
05
How do you actually watch a horror film? Be honest about this one. Nobody is checking.
06
Somebody offers you serious money. Which do you still refuse? The amount does not matter. There is one on this list you are not doing.
07
Which feeling stays with you a week after the film? Good horror does not stop when the credits do.
08
Something wakes you at 3am. What is the worst possibility? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your nightmare.
The Lights Just Went Out Your Nightmare Is…
Four franchises, four completely different ways of getting underneath your skin. This is the one built out of your particular fear, why it works so well on you, and what it would leave behind.
Elm Street
Your nightmare does not wait outside the door. It waits for you to close your eyes, which you are going to have to do eventually, because nobody has ever won that particular argument.
- Freddy is horror's cruellest idea: a threat that lives in the one place you cannot guard, cannot lock, and cannot avoid forever.
- You are the one who is fine during the film and wide awake at two in the morning. Your own head is where this does its damage.
- These films understood exhaustion as a horror engine. The kids on Elm Street do not lose because they are weak. They lose because they are tired.
- You can lock every door in the house. You still have to sleep.
Chucky
Your nightmare is not really the doll. It is the face of the person you tell, and the way they decide, very kindly, that you have imagined all of it.
- Chucky works precisely because he is absurd. That is the trap: the more accurately you describe him, the less anybody is going to believe you.
- You are the one shouting at the screen because the characters are not listening. You know that feeling from real life too.
- The franchise is at its best when the adults in the room are the real obstacle, and you have met those adults.
- By the time somebody finally believes you, you will have handled most of it on your own.
Scream
Your nightmare has your number, knows your name, and has almost certainly been inside your house before. The worst part is that you already know them.
- Scream is the only one of these where the killer takes the mask off and turns out to be somebody who was at the party.
- You are the person who calls the twist out loud before it lands. You watch people the same way you watch films.
- The franchise made the rules of horror part of the plot, which means the survivors are the ones paying attention. You would be paying attention.
- Everybody is a suspect, including the person who just offered to walk you home.
The Conjuring
Your nightmare is not really about you. It is about the people asleep down the hall, and the feeling that whatever is here is not interested in leaving.
- The Conjuring films are domestic horror. The house, the family, the perfectly ordinary room that quietly stops feeling ordinary.
- Your instinct is to get everybody into one room. Your fear is protective rather than personal, which is rarer than it sounds.
- This is the one franchise where belief is the weapon. The people who come through it are the ones who are not alone and refuse to be.
- Whatever is here did not come for you. It came for the household, and you are the one standing in the hallway.
5 'Akira' (1988)
An icon of anime filmmaking that has been massively influential not just in the realm of animation, but even in many live-action sci-fi films, Akira has attained a massive legacy as one of the greatest anime movies of all time. It features a stylish cyberpunk aesthetic that has helped massively popularize and influence the very concepts of cyberpunk storytelling, with awe-inspiring visuals that hold up tremendously in the modern day.
While the sci-fi elements are initially more reserved, they grow to be more expansive and explosive as the film goes on, leading up to a legendary third act that leaves the audience speechless in its execution. It's a fundamental icon of sci-fi anime storytelling that has persisted as one of the most important and influential anime films ever created, as well as being the clear choice for the greatest animated movie of the 80s.
4 'Back to the Future' (1985)
Few 80s sci-fi films come close to being as reflective and synonymous with the decade as Back to the Future is. Robert Zemeckis' widely beloved coming-of-age film perfectly utilizes the potential of time travel to tell a classic high school story, reflecting upon societal changes in the past 30 years while also being a love letter to the 50s as a whole. It's an absolutely legendary sci-fi comedy whose qualities and strengths have made it one of the most iconic sci-fi movies of all time.
From the absolutely iconic performances by Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd to a great implementation of time travel for comedic potential, Back to the Future has become the face of time travel stories to many people worldwide. It also distinctly taps into the fun and inherent charms of 80s comedy and culture better than any other sci-fi movie out there. When the very concept of 80s sci-fi films comes to mind, Back to the Future is many people's first film that they think of.
3 'Blade Runner' (1982)
While the film originally had a mixed reception when it first released, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner has been overwhelmingly reexamined in the decades since its release not just as an icon of 80s science fiction, but one of the most layered and brilliant sci-fi films ever made. This cyberpunk classic is largely defined by its messaging on what it truly means to be human and have free will as it relates to a species of android replicants looking to live their own lives in the dystopia of 2019 Los Angeles.
Scott's inherent strength for sci-fi filmmaking and set pieces massively elevates the weight of Blade Runner's story and the depth of its iconic characters. While many people are quick to praise the Director's Cut as the definitive must-watch version of the film, audiences can't go wrong with any version of the film, as it's an absolute masterpiece that elevates sci-fi filmmaking with the brilliance of its execution.
2 'The Thing' (1982)
Often considered to be the magnum opus of director John Carpenter as well as one of the greatest movie remakes of all time, The Thing is a powerful story of isolation and the fragility of human trust that massively improves upon the original 50s horror film. There's something inherently terrifying about a killer alien threat that takes the form of those it kills, as it becomes impossible to trust even the closest of allies out of fear of them being the alien in disguise.
The Thing capitalizes on the tension and dread of this terrifying monster with masterful execution, most prominently with its legendary body horror practical effects and pitch-perfect pacing in editing and sequence of events. The film was originally seen as a disappointment compared to the original film, yet time has been overwhelmingly kind to this cult classic, with it now eclipsing the classic status of the film it was remaking and is one of the greatest sci-fi horror films ever made.
1 'The Empire Strikes Back' (1980)
For many audiences, Star Wars isn't just the defining sci-fi film franchise, but is an inescapable juggernaut that is synonymous with the genre in itself in all forms of media, not just filmmaking. However, this overwhelming legacy and stature that Star Wars has attained would never have been achieved without the impact of the original trilogy, especially the best film in the original trilogy: The Empire Strikes Back. This legendary sequel is Star Wars at the height of its abilities as a sci-fi franchise and a genuine contender for one of the greatest sequels of all time.
While the original Star Wars was this cheery, feel-good adventure story, The Empire Strikes Back raises the stakes and tension while providing additional layers and depth to the overall world. It features some of the most iconic moments in sci-fi filmmaking history, with its great strengths laying the groundwork not just for subsequent Star Wars films, but sci-fi filmmaking as a whole. While the film was ironically released in the first 6 months of the decade, it's easily the greatest sci-fi film that the 80s have to offer.
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