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Horror films subsist and die on their scares . The writing style is also fickle , with high and low full point that leave a lot of movies out in the coldness . The genre is on the up tendency lately with lots ofgreat film likeItdoing very well at the box business office . Many of the genre staples that lover think of as classics actually did n’t do that well at all financially , and it ’s only with fourth dimension they ’ve amount to prominence .
Some of the best horror movies of the 1980s were flops , judging simply from their loge office performance anyway . Still , the X loom large for repulsion fans , which is one reason so many modern film and television seriesare set in the period . All product budget and box seat office tallies below are taken fromBox Office Mojo .
Scanners
Scannersfound a 2d life in the 21st hundred thanks to a viral gif . The now - iconic head explosion gif — which has fitly been used a lot in 2020 — is the slaughterous resolution of the film ’s patch about telepathic and telekinetic individuals . The film gross a paltry $ 14,225,876 in its original box authority tally , which even by the standards of 1981 was n’t that great . This David Cronenberg moving picture nonetheless became a fad classic and did urge on a series of less - successful sequels .
Day Of The Dead
Day of the Deadis a 1985 sequel to one of the good zombi movies of all clock time , 1968’sNight of the Living Dead . Though like a flock of sequel , they might have been proficient off leaving well enough alone . Geroge R. Romero wrote and directed this film , which takes place largely inside a shopping mall . The movie only grossed $ 5.8 million domestically in its initial boxwood authority run , though it fared much easily internationally , and later via VHS and DVD sales .
Night Of The Comet
dark of the Cometis one of manyhorror films of the ' eighty that intersect with sci - fiand comedy . The film stars two sisters who are among the few survivors after the Earth passes through the tooshie of a comet . Relative to its budget , the film did pretty well . It was produced for only $ 700,000 and made a niggling over $ 14 million at the box power . Still , it did n’t make anywhere near the splash it could have but has since become a religious cult favorite thanks to DVD and cyclosis .
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer
Henry : Portrait Of A Serial Killeris one of the most disturbing films of the ' 80s . Based on a real - life serial killer , this other virtuoso turn for Michael Rooker struggled to find statistical distribution . Ultimately , it was rated X upon its release in 1985 , a kiss of death for any movie at the box office .
The film toll $ 110,000 to get and gross only $609,939 at the box authority . Later editions on VHS and DVD recut the moving picture and gave it a second life history .
Re-Animator
Re - Animatoris a bona fide cultus classic , though its success at the boxful office did n’t muse its eventual status . The movie cost $ 900,000 to make and only made $ 2,023,414 at the box office . The pic , which range high among the sound adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft ’s work , went on to incur an consultation on cable , VHS , and DVD . A large part of that surely has to do with Jeffery Combs , whose performance bring the flick a unique and kooky appealingness .
Near Dark
Near Darkis nerveless for lots of reason , not least of which is that the moviereunites a number of mold members fromAliens . The 1987 film incorporate component of Westerns and horror , as it be a young gentleman who encounters vampires in the Midwest . The Kathryn Bigelow - directed feature cost $ 5 million to bring forth , but only made $ 3.4 million at the box position . A definite washout in any era , it nevertheless went on to become something of a favorite on home media .
The Monster Squad
The Monster Squadis an unusual horror - funniness hybrid from 1987 . The canonic estimate is interesting — the Universal Monsters , led by Count Dracula , seek to take over the world and a radical of teen tries to stop them . Audiences did n’t gravitate towards the movie though , at least not ab initio . The motion-picture show be $ 12 million to make but only made $ 3.8 million at the box government agency . The film has since become a dear furor classic , with a fandom that digs into all itsbehind the fit details .
They Live
John Carpenter islegendary in the repugnance genreand for good reason , but his motion-picture show have n’t always execute well at the box office . However , their low budget help mitigate their want of massive mainstream success , which was the case withThey subsist .
The moving-picture show be $ 3 million to make and gross $ 13 million at the box bureau . Expectations were much high-pitched , particularly give Carpenter ’s track platter . It however became a craze classic and became very meme - able in the age of the internet .
Halloween III: Season Of The Witch
TheHalloweenfranchise has had scads of movies and lots of different takes over the years . One of the most unusual wasHalloween III : Season of the Witch . This film had no joining at all to the Michael Myers mythos and sought to jump - start a young series of anthology picture show that would have feature a new story with each film found around the nighttime of Halloween . Audiences did n’t go for it . This underrated movieis notwithstanding the least successful at the box part , gross only $ 14 million and leading to the franchise read a recollective prisonbreak .
The Thing
The Thingis generally consider one of the upright horror movies of the 1980s , but few people saw it when it earlier debuted in theaters . The 1982 movie grossed a fiddling over $ 19 million at the box office , a bit better than others on this list , but that was off of a $ 15 million budget — those fauna force did n’t do cheap . The moving picture was considered a bankruptcy at the beginning but found a 2nd life on cable and VHS . It remain popular to this day and animate a well - received 2002 horror video game as well as a moving-picture show remake in 2011 .
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