The Ten Most Memorable 80s Horror Movie Posters

The volume of horror movies exploded in the ’80s, buoyed by the beginning of the VHS era. Hundreds of horror movies were released during the decade. Some of the genre’s most famous slasher villains, including Jason from Friday the 13th and Freddy from Nightmare On Elm Street were introduced. Here is a look at the top ten most memorable ’80s horror movie posters.

Not surprisingly, many of the films featured below are sequels. The ’80s began the modern trend of cranking out long series of follow-ups to popular horror movies. Horror franchises became consistent cash cows for studios.

In the decades since, the popularity of ’80s horror movies has continued to grow. The mystique of this era in horror fandom has influenced many modern filmmakers who have attempted to emulate the look and atmosphere of ’80s movies.

The Top ten 80s horror movie posters

10. Happy Birthday to Me (1981)

Happy Birthday to Me was part of the golden age of slasher movies in the early ’80s. It starred Melissa Sue Anderson, the former “Little House on the Prairie” actress, as a young woman who may or may not be killing her classmates. As you can see from the poster, one unfortunate victim gets killed with a shish kebab.

The movie doesn’t really live up to the poster’s hyperbolic claim of “six of the most bizarre murders you will ever see.” However, it does have one of the strangest and most improbable conclusions of any slasher movie.

9. Maniac (1980)

Maniac stars the late Joe Spinell, who played a loan shark in the first two Rocky movies and a mafia hitman in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. It’s one of the most hardcore horror movies of the ’80s and the grisly poster fits it perfectly.

Spinell plays a prostitute-hating serial killer living in sleazy New York City circa 1980. The film’s most infamous scene involves a victim getting obliterated by a sawed-off shotgun. This movie should only be watched if you’re in the mood to see something extremely sick and disturbing.

8. Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers (1988)

How did this girl manage to steal Jason’s hockey mask, Freddy’s glove, and Leatherface’s chainsaw? What an enterprising camper! Sadly, this pretty lady is nowhere to be found in the movie. In fact, this is the first of several posters in this article that feature people who aren’t in the films. Was it cheaper for these movies to hire stand-in models instead of paying the actors to appear in the posters? Probably.

This goofy sequel to the controversial “Sleepaway Camp” features the return of Angela Baker, who is supposedly cured of her murderous ways after a stint in a mental institution. Of course, it turns out that Angela still has a penchant for punishing naughty campers. This movie is utterly brainless but entertaining.

7. The Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)

This poster is as ’80s as it gets. A trio of slumber partygoers are menaced by a maniac with a guitar drill while surrounded by darkness and mist. As with Sleepaway Camp 2, the girls aren’t the actresses in the film. However, the killer on the poster is in the movie.

Slumber Party Massacre II is one of the weirdest horror movies of the ’80s or any era. It’s a cocaine fever dream of exploding zits, hand burgers (don’t ask), and killers who perform impromptu rock and roll songs while they’re drilling people with their guitars. Like many late ’80s horror movies, it is heavily influenced by the surreal imagery of the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise. Freddy Krueger’s popularity was peaking at the time.

6. The Evil Dead (1981)

The Evil Dead kick-started a franchise that continues to this day. It features Ash (Bruce Campbell), a wisecracking anti-hero who battles demons called deadites. Ash and his college friends are staying in an isolated cabin in the woods.

The deadites are accidentally summoned when the students find a mysterious book and an audio recording of a man reading spells. The demons have the ability to possess any living thing – even trees.

The poster is creepy and mysterious. It gives little indication of what the movie is about, but accurately emulates the film’s sinister tone. Along with wild gore, The Evil Dead is also known for its dark humor. The comical aspect was increased in the sequels.

5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

The first two Nightmare On Elm Street movies were successes at the box office, but it wasn’t until this third installment that Freddy Krueger became a household name. The “Nightmare” films had consistently excellent posters in the ’80s and this one is the best.

In Nightmare 3, Freddy attacks the last remaining Elm Street children. The teens have been remanded to a mental institution because nobody believes their stories about Krueger. The teens band together to become “dream warriors” and defeat their nemesis.

As with Sleepaway Camp and Slumber Party Massacre the people in the poster aren’t members of the movie’s cast. The final girl of Nightmare 3 was played by Patricia Arquette. That definitely isn’t her in the nightgown. There’s also a guy hoisting a spiked ball. Neither he nor his weapon appear in the film.

I previously surmised that studios preferred to hire stand-ins for the posters rather than pay the actors to appear in them. Another possibility is that this poster was created as concept art, before the movie started production or hired a cast.

4. The Mutilator (1984)

80s horror movies slasher — Ocean King Releasing

In The Mutilator a group of college students decide to spend fall break at a beachside condo owned by the main character’s father. Soon, a maniac begins killing the college coeds one by one.

This gory generic slasher didn’t exactly light the world on fire when it was released, but the poster is certainly memorable. The tagline “By sword, by pick, by axe, bye bye.” is more clever than anything in the movie.

3. Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Return of the Living Dead is a spinoff of George Romero’s Living Dead zombie movie franchise. Return puts its own spin on the formula by featuring intelligent talking zombies. The ghouls are also pickier about what they eat. They prefer brains over human flesh. The social commentary in Romero’s films is nowhere to be found here, but Return of the Living Dead is lots of fun.

As the poster mentions, Return features a soundtrack filled with ’80s punk rock music. The skeletal punk zombies and the gravestone emblazoned with the movie’s title are nice touches.

2. Halloween II (1981)

Halloween II picks up immediately after the first movie ended. Michael Myers continues to rampage through Haddonfield on Halloween night. Donald Pleasance and Jamie Lee Curtis reprise their roles from the original film.

This is one of the most iconic horror movie posters of the ’80s. The glowing jack-o-lantern/skull combo is even better than the imagery from the original Halloween poster. It’s hard to imagine a better poster to represent Halloween – not just the movie franchise, but the holiday itself.

1. Friday the 13th – The Final Chapter (1984)

There’s no way we could finish this list without including at least one of the Friday the 13th movies. Part 4 (both the movie and the poster) is the best. Although its title is a lie (there have been eight further installments since this “final chapter”), this movie stands above the other Friday films.

After reviving at a morgue, Jason Voorhees heads back into the woods for another rampage. This time he encounters Tommy Jarvis, a kid who will become one of his greatest enemies.

Jason’s iconic hockey mask is lying in a pool of blood, representing his brutal (albeit temporary) demise. The attention to detail is impressive. Jason’s hockey mask has a gash in it near the top. This is because it was damaged by an axe in Friday the 13th Part 3.