B-Movies aren’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea - but in that rare spark of an instance,
when they hit that fever pitch and manage to perfectly balance the ridiculous elements
of both comedy and horror - in that moment, more often than not - a cult classic is born.
The 80s were perhaps the perfect time for these horror elements to combine, as the B-Movie
style of the 70s quickly managed to gain some form of creative traction - where both gore,
profanity, violence and good-old-fashioned fun bubbled up in the chaotic soup of bizarre
horror - to produce some of the weirdest and most entertaining instances of horror cinema.
So, let’s take a look, shall we?
Hello horror fans, what’s going on - and once again welcome back to the scariest channel
on YouTube - Top 5 Scary Videos. As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as
today, we curiously take a look at the Top 5 Weirdest Horror Movies From The 80s.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you, that clip was from David Cronenberg’s 1981 sci-fi horror
extravaganza, Scanners - because come on, everyone loves some exploding heads - and
it’s a straight up awesome film in it’s own right - but luckily for us, it’s not
quite weird enough for this list. But hopefully - it’ll set the tone. I mean, it’s an
exploding head - so, I hope it sets the tone, at least.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Street Trash, 1987
And talking about setting the tone - hopefully this one definitely will, because 1987’s
Street Trash is just about as batshit crazy as it gets. And it’s also possibly one of
the most outrageous horror comedy films ever made - of a horror sub-genre that I’m not
even entirely sure exists in this current plane of existence - melt movies. Still though,
that odd blend of ridiculousness makes it one of the weirdest and most entertaining
B-Movie’s of the decade. Street Trash, written by Roy Frumkes and directed by J. Michael
Muro, tells the tale of a liquor store owner in Brooklyn - who finds an abandoned case
of ancient wine in his cellar - and of course - decides to sell it to the local waifs and
strays in the neighbourhood as a cheap, get rich quick kind of scheme.
Little does he know, that it’s actually Tenafly Viper - a lethal concoction of booze
that causes anyone to drink it to melt away in a hideous purple fashion - as illustrated
in our aforementioned ten-second clip. And that’s not even the weirdest part of the
movie - because then things just get turned up to eleven on the bizarre-o-meter, and Street
Trash descends into an obscure pseudo-creature feature - with deadly cosmic grape juice as
the main villain in question. There are so many subplots in this movie that it’s hard
to keep track of what the hell is going on. Mobsters, crooked cops, deranged Vietnam war
veterans - and a tale of brotherly love on the mean streets of Brooklyn. But - just don’t
worry about that - because that’s the least of your worries. Street Trash shows some of
the most outrageous and insane scenes of physical gore of the decade - and I mean it when I
say this, there’s never been another movie quite like Street Trash.
Coming in at Number 4 - The Toxic Avenger, 1984
Alright. Where do we even begin? What do you get if you take a self-styled 98-pound weakling,
that works as a janitor at a muscle-bound gym, gets viciously harrassed and bullied
by the resident fitness addict - to the point that he’s chased out of a second story window
wearing a pink tutu - where he falls, and lands in a drum of toxic waste - that then
sets on fire? Toxie, The Toxic Avenger - of course - because that’s exactly what you
get. Because then our boy Melvin, the mutant superhero that wields a mop and has a habit
of ripping off limbs - journey’s through one of the strangest plots in B-Movie Horror
- and if you know anything about these Cult Classics - that’s really, really saying
something.
Essentially, this film is like Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver - just without Robert De Niro
- and without any kind of regard for anything or anyone. But despite all of that - strangely
enough, The Toxic Avenger manages to land its punches, more often than it misses - and
most importantly, it’s one hell of an entertaining thrill ride. Obviously, you just have to kind
of dust off the edges a little bit. Written and directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael
Herz, The Toxic Avenger follows Toxie through the crime-ridden underbelly of New Jersey,
as he comes to terms with his new found mutant powers - whilst trying to heal the familial
wounds of the loved ones he left behind. And whilst that may sound like I’m being sarcastic
- despite all of the odds, this film actually has quite a bit of charm, in the same ways
that EC Comics captured back in the day. Also - this film is very much of it’s time, and
unless you’re in the mood for some mindless gore and violence - it’s probably best to
miss it.
Next up at Number 3 - Maximum Overdrive, 1986
And the beginning of the end for every horror director that ever tried to adapt the works
of the legendary Stephen King - and in this case - it was Stephen King himself who was
sat in the damn directors chair! Now, it’s mainly because on paper, some of King’s
more out-there horror concepts work much, much better when the human mind is left to
imagine the implications of the terror that they induce. On screen though, more often
than not - it’s a completely different story, as is the case with 1986’s Maximum Overdrive
- a film that at the time was torn to shreds by the box office and critics alike for its
weirdness and it’s lack of anything - but now, a film that we can look back, scratch
our heads at - and think, how did this film ever get made? But - that’s the reason why
it is so damn brilliant.
Based on King’s short story, Trucks - Maximum Overdrive was his first - and final attempt
at being both screenwriter and director on a movie. Yes, it was that bad that Stephen
King never tried directing a film again. It tells the tale of a late 80s America, where
Earth has just passed through a comet - and suddenly, previous inanimate machines spring
to life and turn homicidal. And that’s pretty much the whole plot, really - but the wild
ride doesn’t exactly need a plot to pin it all together, because Maximum Overdrive
is essentially 90 minutes of people being hunted down and murdered by vending machines,
steam rollers - electric carving knives - hairdryers and lawnmowers. Oh, and also - it stars the
legendary Emilio Estevez as the saves the day ex-con. Who knew? Listen, no one will
watch this film for it’s plot - but you’ll definitely watch it to see Stephen King himself
get called an asshole by an ATM.
Swinging in at Number 2 - Society, 1989
Alright guys - the 80s were a weird time, and despite only just sneaking into the decade,
1989’s Society is perhaps one of the weirdest. And if it doesn’t quite take the top spot
- it definitely takes the prize for having one of the most revolting and grotesque final
acts in 1980s horror - that culminates in a human head being pulled through somewhere
it shouldn’t be - if you know, you know. Oh, and also - The Shunting. Which is … well,
I’ll let you find out for yourself. And what better director to deliver all of that,
than the legendary Brian Yuzna, the man responsible for some of the finest Lovecraftian depictions
in horror, with 1985’s Re-Animator and 1986’s From Beyond.
Society tells the tale of a kid called Bill - a popular high school teenager who seems
to have it all, cheerleader girlfriend and brand new jeep included. His family are incredibly
wealthy and live in a huge mansion in Beverly Hills - but there’s just something not quite
right about them, or any of their friends either - and Bill doesn’t trust them in
the slightest. Well, of course - that’s because they’re in fact not his family at
all - but members of a strange, alternate alien species that seeks to homogenize human
flesh into one, writhing entity in a bizarre, grotesque, ritualistic orgy. Yeah. When it
comes to weird, they don’t really get any weirder than Society - but in it’s own uniquely
brilliant way, this film is incredibly entertaining - just please, definitely don’t watch it
whilst you’re eating. Like I said, the 80s were a strange - strange time - and Society
is perhaps one of the strangest horror movies of the decade.
And finally, coming in at our Number 1 spot - Killer Klowns From Outer Space, 1988
And the title says it all really, doesn’t it? But truthfully - I wanted the last few
entries on this list to be genuinely decent 80s horror - an encapsulation of the time
when horror filmmakers just kind of didn’t really give a damn about whether narrative
concepts of horror devices made any sense - they just made them, and crammed them full
with enough blood, guts, gore and weirdness to keep us all entertained. Killer Klowns
From Outer Space is a ridiculous notion - nevermind a ridiculously weird movie - but, of course
- that is exactly the point. You can’t go into this film expecting a beginning, middle
and end - some resolute conclusion that will leave you feeling satisfied and your horror
needs fulfilled. That’s not what this film is about. This film is about a bunch of alien
killer klowns - spelt with a k, of course - that have crash landed on Earth - and go
on a murdering spree across a sleepy suburban town by using every circus trick in the book.
And if that’s not enough 80s weirdness to sell it to you - then the lead character is
a guy named Mike Tobacco. So yeah - there you go. Written and directed by the Chiodo
Brothers - Killer Klowns From Outer Space is the living definition of a cult classic.
It’s weird, it’s campy - its goofy - yet it was made with enough self awareness that
we’re all in on the joke. That’s the thing about horror cinema - sometimes you just want
to watch straight up ridiculous horror goodness. Sometimes we *want* to see an alien Klown
make a shadow puppet on a brick wall, then use it capture the souls of a bus-stop full
of unassuming passers by - before feeding them to the human-eating sentient popcorn
creatures that it keeps hidden in it’s handbag. Yeah. Killer Klowns From Outer Space everyone.
The 80’s were a weird time - but they were most importantly, an entertaining time - full
of horror fun and wonder. This film is all of those things combined - and most importantly,
it’s weird in all the right ways.
Well - there we have it horror fans, our list for the Top 5 Weirdest Horror Movies From
The 80s! What do you guys think? Do you have any more to add? Then please, let us know
your thoughts - as well as any interesting insights - down in the comment section below.
Before we depart from today’s video though - let’s first take a quick look at some
of your more creative comments from over the past few days.
Iver Klausen says --
You just love saying spelunking dont you.
-- Damn straight I love saying spelunking, Iver! Spelunking is a fantastic word. Spelunking.
Although, I think my favourite word may be - Grim. I think. It changes a lot. Words are
great. What’s your favourite word? Let me know.
Rafiel Rosario says --
Boring list!
-- Well, Rafiel Rosario - I wish that I could say that you’ve got a boring name - but
you don’t, because Rafiel Rosario is a pretty damn good name - so I guess we’ll just have
to consider this a stalemate.
Well, on that note horror fans - that’s all we’ve got time for in todays video - cheers
for sticking around all the way until the end. If you were a fan of this video - make
sure to be a dear, and hit that thumbs up button - as well as that subscribe bell, and
we’ll be seeing you in the next one. As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack
Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5 Scary Videos - and until next time, you take it
easy.