Don’t forget Red Dawn. Go ahead and try, I dare you. It’s a Cold War / Reagan era gem — one of the best one-star films ever made, with a bunch of future stars. A favorite moment is when the young Wolverines are sitting around the fire, listening to Radio Free America during World War III, and one of the girls deadpans, “Things are different now.” You think?
Every suburban or rural Gen X boy secretly hoped to be a hero in Red Dawn's Wolverines or the later movie with a similar vibe but smaller stakes "Toy Solider".
I recently re-watched it (for free on TubiTV). It is rare on the Internet that anyone ever admits making a mistake, and I make them all the time. So, good on you.
If you don’t randomly belt out, “the neverending storyyyyyyyyy” did you even live through the mid eighties?!
THE most scary moment (and the reason driving to the beach in the 80’s on the eastern shore of Maryland was creepy) was in Children of the Corn when they’ve hit the kid with the car and think they’ve killed him, only for him to jump up and run into the cornfield. My friend loved scary movies (me not so much) and we got the on video when we were like 11. When that scene happened we both shrieked and ran down the hallway to her mom.
Begged my grandparents to take me to see Gremlins. We go, and after the microwave scene, that was it. It was way too scary and I wanted to leave. The trailer teased us so bad with Gizmo, dammit! And yes, that librarian ghost scared the shit out of me too, but I got past that one…
Yes, I remember especially enjoying the scenes where they have a blast shopping at the empty mall. I’d fantasize about what I would get for free (a big deal for a tween girl living in the super-materialistic ‘80s who couldn’t afford the designer duds her friends had)
1984 really was great for movies. But wait, Breakin’ and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo came out in the same year? I had no idea there was so much Breakin’ in that short a period of time.
I worked in a single screen theater in 1984. There were no doors between the theater and the concession stand, just a couple of hallway turns to block the light in either direction, but not the sound. One of my strongest memories of that period is the shrieks and screams we would hear at the concession stand from the audience during A Nightmare on Elm Street! I don't think I've heard screaming in a movie theater since then that comes close.
Liz, this post of yours brought me back to some of the most beautiful memories I had growing up. You’re a master at your craft here on Substack and I’m thinkin’ various other things you do.
I was at the end of my freshman year of college in 1984. The man who raised me as a proud and addict/alcoholic father, opened the first video store in 1980. He did his business there- most oftentimes coming to the cash register and taking most of the cash. He replaced the cash with a short written IOU and headed directly to the bar across the parking lot. He always greeted me and his employees and asked, “Do you think you have enough cash left to make change?” I managed that store like the champ that I was. When I left for college, it suffered its demise.
Our first of 2 video stores, Casablanca Video, was opened the year MTV started. I’ll never forget the first day of MTV’s airing. We had top o the line SONY TVs scattered throughout our small store. The best of which was the gigantic first large screen SONY put on the market. Oh my! If a customer came in that day, they would have to get my attention because I was honed in on watching all the TVs set to the MTV channel.
I was extraordinarily grateful to have free access to films of the 80’s and earlier times. I watched my favorites so often that I knew most of the character lines.
I was obsessed with the Brat Pack, especially “Pretty in Pink”because I was Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) and secretly loved characters like Duckie Dale (John Cryer).
I aspired to be a wealthy boy’s girlfriend and dated many boys from appeared “wealthy” and well known families in our city of Boulder Colorado. Those boys were a complete waste of my time 💨 Most every boy I went with was a sad a** and power-mongering idiot that I would seek any kind of love and attention from. I’d repeatedly go back to the worst of them and spent endless hours waiting for them to call me because I was a sucker for the attention and couldn’t be without a boyfriend. That was who I used to be. Oh well , I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
The movies of the 80s are still some of my favorites. Although I wasn’t able to get a hint from most of the story lines, I definitely understand their meanings now.
Awesome recap! I was 10 and my little brother made me watch The Neverending Story like 1,000 times. Each and every time I was completely traumatized when Artax died.
Requests for you: recap the awesome accompanying movie soundtracks from 1984, and round up all the death by quicksand incidents. I clearly recall it in He-Man and the Dukes of Hazard, and we played Pitfall on Atari which was all about avoiding alligators and quicksand. That shit was real.
Great article! There are just too many good movies to list. I was born in 83’ but I had the typical 80’s parents and older siblings so I started watching so many of these way younger than I should have. And regret nothing! :)
Although Artak’s death bothered me more than most horror movies.
Some others that may have not had time to mention..
Silent Night Deadly Night, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Firestarter, Starman, Repo Man, and Indian Jones (Temple of Doom).
And lastly..just finally caught up to 1984’s Streets of Fire last year for the first time. Any Streets of Fire fans here?? It was awesome.
I didn't mention Temple of Doom because I already wrote about it at length (in the post I linked in the paragraph above about trauma-dumping) but yeah, those are some great honorable mentions!
Ah, I missed that. TOD has understandably taken its fair share punches over the years but it’s still the one I watched the most growing up. Look forward to reading your take on it as it was traumatizing lol.
Now you just gotta cover Large Marge from Big Adventure, The Garbage Pail Kids, and the troll from Ernest Scared Stupid for the kids movie trauma awards.
Brilliant, I'll be saving this email for the deadly film list with an ideal mix of classics i need to rewatch, and plenty I've been told i must watch over the years ha
I rewatched Gremlins back in 2018 for the first time in forever and realized that, more than anything else, it is truly the story of an underappreciated dog's worst week. (Of course, the pure unadulterated holiday depression of Phoebe Cates' character is incredibly dark and entirely unremarked-upon throughout the film.)
I didn't realize that all those films were released in the same year. We used to have such good movies to choose from. Nowadays, finding a good film is something of a rarity.
Don’t forget Red Dawn. Go ahead and try, I dare you. It’s a Cold War / Reagan era gem — one of the best one-star films ever made, with a bunch of future stars. A favorite moment is when the young Wolverines are sitting around the fire, listening to Radio Free America during World War III, and one of the girls deadpans, “Things are different now.” You think?
That’s one I’ve never seen but now I’ll finally get around to watching it, my husband says he loved it
Oh man, if you ever need brownie points say you want to watch it with him. It’d be like him saying he wanted to watch the Notebook with you.
Omg funny, because I did! He was like “Hell yeah I’ll watch it again!”
Every suburban or rural Gen X boy secretly hoped to be a hero in Red Dawn's Wolverines or the later movie with a similar vibe but smaller stakes "Toy Solider".
Well, Red Dawn came out in 1986, but I agree it was a good movie.
Sorry, but 1984 it was.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0087985/
Well dang! I stand corrected, good sir!
I recently re-watched it (for free on TubiTV). It is rare on the Internet that anyone ever admits making a mistake, and I make them all the time. So, good on you.
Wasn’t it also the very first PG-13 movie?
Ooh, good question! And yes, according to Wikipedia. Apparently, concerns about Gremlins helped bring about the new rating category.
I also thought it came out later 😆
If you don’t randomly belt out, “the neverending storyyyyyyyyy” did you even live through the mid eighties?!
THE most scary moment (and the reason driving to the beach in the 80’s on the eastern shore of Maryland was creepy) was in Children of the Corn when they’ve hit the kid with the car and think they’ve killed him, only for him to jump up and run into the cornfield. My friend loved scary movies (me not so much) and we got the on video when we were like 11. When that scene happened we both shrieked and ran down the hallway to her mom.
A major year for entertainment, but every year from like 80-86 was huge.
Begged my grandparents to take me to see Gremlins. We go, and after the microwave scene, that was it. It was way too scary and I wanted to leave. The trailer teased us so bad with Gizmo, dammit! And yes, that librarian ghost scared the shit out of me too, but I got past that one…
Right? 😆 It would be like the previews for The Exorcist including a cute little ghost and then you’re in the theater watching her with the crucifix 🫣
Night of the comet was crazy good at that time, my wife and I watched it a few months ago. It still holds up imo.
Yes, I remember especially enjoying the scenes where they have a blast shopping at the empty mall. I’d fantasize about what I would get for free (a big deal for a tween girl living in the super-materialistic ‘80s who couldn’t afford the designer duds her friends had)
Paris, Texas
Birdy
Both 1984 films, beneath the glow of the blockbusters, quiet disturbances that made for incredible stories and great films.
Birdy is so under appreciated!
I’ve never seen it, babe, should we watch it together soon?
I’d love to see it again!
1984 really was great for movies. But wait, Breakin’ and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo came out in the same year? I had no idea there was so much Breakin’ in that short a period of time.
🤣 I know, right? They must’ve fast-tracked that sequel because the first one did surprisingly well
I worked in a single screen theater in 1984. There were no doors between the theater and the concession stand, just a couple of hallway turns to block the light in either direction, but not the sound. One of my strongest memories of that period is the shrieks and screams we would hear at the concession stand from the audience during A Nightmare on Elm Street! I don't think I've heard screaming in a movie theater since then that comes close.
Liz, this post of yours brought me back to some of the most beautiful memories I had growing up. You’re a master at your craft here on Substack and I’m thinkin’ various other things you do.
I was at the end of my freshman year of college in 1984. The man who raised me as a proud and addict/alcoholic father, opened the first video store in 1980. He did his business there- most oftentimes coming to the cash register and taking most of the cash. He replaced the cash with a short written IOU and headed directly to the bar across the parking lot. He always greeted me and his employees and asked, “Do you think you have enough cash left to make change?” I managed that store like the champ that I was. When I left for college, it suffered its demise.
Our first of 2 video stores, Casablanca Video, was opened the year MTV started. I’ll never forget the first day of MTV’s airing. We had top o the line SONY TVs scattered throughout our small store. The best of which was the gigantic first large screen SONY put on the market. Oh my! If a customer came in that day, they would have to get my attention because I was honed in on watching all the TVs set to the MTV channel.
I was extraordinarily grateful to have free access to films of the 80’s and earlier times. I watched my favorites so often that I knew most of the character lines.
I was obsessed with the Brat Pack, especially “Pretty in Pink”because I was Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) and secretly loved characters like Duckie Dale (John Cryer).
I aspired to be a wealthy boy’s girlfriend and dated many boys from appeared “wealthy” and well known families in our city of Boulder Colorado. Those boys were a complete waste of my time 💨 Most every boy I went with was a sad a** and power-mongering idiot that I would seek any kind of love and attention from. I’d repeatedly go back to the worst of them and spent endless hours waiting for them to call me because I was a sucker for the attention and couldn’t be without a boyfriend. That was who I used to be. Oh well , I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
The movies of the 80s are still some of my favorites. Although I wasn’t able to get a hint from most of the story lines, I definitely understand their meanings now.
It’s never too late to learn 🤓
Thank you! ❤️
I watched my fave movies of that era repeatedly too, I still quote them all the time 😆
Awesome recap! I was 10 and my little brother made me watch The Neverending Story like 1,000 times. Each and every time I was completely traumatized when Artax died.
Requests for you: recap the awesome accompanying movie soundtracks from 1984, and round up all the death by quicksand incidents. I clearly recall it in He-Man and the Dukes of Hazard, and we played Pitfall on Atari which was all about avoiding alligators and quicksand. That shit was real.
Thank you!
Those are excellent suggestions, they’ll be fun to write about 😄
Great article! There are just too many good movies to list. I was born in 83’ but I had the typical 80’s parents and older siblings so I started watching so many of these way younger than I should have. And regret nothing! :)
Although Artak’s death bothered me more than most horror movies.
Some others that may have not had time to mention..
Silent Night Deadly Night, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Firestarter, Starman, Repo Man, and Indian Jones (Temple of Doom).
And lastly..just finally caught up to 1984’s Streets of Fire last year for the first time. Any Streets of Fire fans here?? It was awesome.
I didn't mention Temple of Doom because I already wrote about it at length (in the post I linked in the paragraph above about trauma-dumping) but yeah, those are some great honorable mentions!
Ah, I missed that. TOD has understandably taken its fair share punches over the years but it’s still the one I watched the most growing up. Look forward to reading your take on it as it was traumatizing lol.
Now you just gotta cover Large Marge from Big Adventure, The Garbage Pail Kids, and the troll from Ernest Scared Stupid for the kids movie trauma awards.
I'm not normally nostalgic for my youth because reasons , HOWEVER:
Amadeus, The Bounty, A Passage to India, and you know, 1984. 😏
Brilliant, I'll be saving this email for the deadly film list with an ideal mix of classics i need to rewatch, and plenty I've been told i must watch over the years ha
A few of the movies begat Saturday morning cartoons and cartoon movies like Ghostbusters and Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.
I rewatched Gremlins back in 2018 for the first time in forever and realized that, more than anything else, it is truly the story of an underappreciated dog's worst week. (Of course, the pure unadulterated holiday depression of Phoebe Cates' character is incredibly dark and entirely unremarked-upon throughout the film.)
Great article!
I didn't realize that all those films were released in the same year. We used to have such good movies to choose from. Nowadays, finding a good film is something of a rarity.