Top 9 Horror Movies of 1984
Scott Hallam
|
The Terminator – October 26, 1984 1984 was a big year for Linda Hamilton. She had to have been proud of her work in Children of the Corn, but it was her appearance another film on the Top 1984 list that would make her iconic (she also appeared in four episodes of “Hill Street Blues” that year, but that’s kind of an afterthought). Hamilton played Sarah Connor in The Terminator, and nothing was ever the same after that. The Terminator was James Cameron’s first chance to show audiences what he could do, and the writer/director knocked it out of the park! Incidentally, Gale Ann Hurd was the producer who bought Cameron’s script for $1 with the understanding that he would direct the movie. Hurd, who is currently a producer for “The Walking Dead,” also helped pen The Terminator script.
Silent Night, Deadly Night – November 9, 1984 Punish! Three days after Ronald Reagan punished Walter Mondale in what could only be described as an ass-paddling of a win, Silent Night, Deadly Night was released in theaters. And it would soon stand as a testament to the fact that the best way to promote anything is to picket against it. In its opening weekend, Silent Night, Deadly Night actually out-earned another horror movie that opened the same day (we’ll get into that one in a bit). However, the movie was eventually pulled from theaters because of protests. It had already brought in over $2 million though and was considered a success. It would be re-released and spawn four sequels. Folks, let’s be honest… it’s an average movie. If no one ever said a peep about the film being offensive, it would have run in theaters for a few weeks and then disappeared. But thanks to the moral do-gooders protecting us from this movie, it’s still a household name 30 years later. Nice job.
A Nightmare on Elm Street – November 9, 1984 That’s right; Silent Night, Deadly Night actually out-earned A Nightmare on Elm Street when the movies went head-to-head at the box office in late 1984. However, as we all know, Elm Street might have lost that initial battle, but it would indeed win the war. Launching one of the most iconic characters in the history of horror, A Nightmare on Elm Street was perfect. Genuinely frightening and containing a premise that was cripplingly scary: If you go to sleep, a horribly disfigured psychopath will be waiting to kill you. It was brilliant. Of course, Elm Street would do more than just spawn a slew of sequels; Freddy Krueger would transcend the genre and become part of mainstream entertainment. As the sequels rolled on, Krueger morphed into something else, but here, in the original Nightmare, Freddy Krueger was indeed just that.
Class of 1984 Release Info: Drug Dealing. Gang Beatings. Prostitution. They’re all part of a typical day for the students of Lincoln High. Take a trip into this academic abyss with Scream Factory’s release of Class of 1984. Available April 14, 2015, the film makes its Blu-ray debut as part of a Collector’s Edition Combo Pack that comes loaded with bonus features, including new interviews with director Mark Lester, composer Lalo Schifrin, and actors Perry King, Lisa Langlois, and Erin Noble; new career retrospective interview with Perry King; audio commentary with director Mark Lester; the featurette Blood and Blackboards, which includes interviews with director Mark Lester, actors Perry King and Merrie Lynn Ross; and more! Fans who order directly from ShoutFactory.com will have their order shipped two weeks early and, while supplies last, will also receive a limited-edition 18”x 24” poster of the newly commissioned artwork. Directed and co-written by Mark L. Lester (Class of 1999, Commando, Firestarter), Class of 1984, with its vision of a decaying, violence-plagued inner city school, is one of the most provocative cult movies of the early 1980s. With an original story and screenplay co-written by genre veteran Tom Holland (Fright Night, Child’s Play, Psycho II, The Beast Within), the film is also notable for its Alice Cooper theme song “I Am The Future” as well as its memorable cast, which includes Lisa Langlois (Deadly Eyes, The Nest), Roddy McDowall, Stefan Arngrim (Fear No Evil), and Michael J. Fox in an early role. In Class of 1984, Andy Norris (Slaughterhouse Five’s Perry King) is an idealistic and naive music teacher who has moved into the Lincoln High community with his pregnant wife, Diane. Appalled by the crime-infested school, Norris soon crosses sabers with its teenage kingpin, the shrewd and sadistic Peter Stegman (“The White Shadow’s” Timothy Van Patten). With Norris setting his sights on reforming Stegman, the young miscreant declares war on his teacher, and the duo set a fateful showdown into motion on the night of an important school orchestra performance. Special Features:
- New High-Definition Transfer of the Film from the Interpositive
- New Interviews with Director Mark Lester, Composer Lalo Schifrin, and Actors Perry King, Lisa Langlois, and Erin Noble
- New Career Retrospective Interview with Perry King
- Audio Commentary with Director Mark Lester
- Blood and Blackboards – Featuring Interviews with Director Mark Lester and Actors Perry King and Merrie Lynn Ross
- Poster & Stills Gallery
- Original Theatrical Trailer & TV Spots
