Fright Night (1985)

Fright Night (1985)

[9] As the horror genre shifted full-bore into gore and kill counts in the '80s, Tom Holland (Child's Play) wrote and directed this Valentine to a simpler, more classic way of spooky storytelling. Fright Night is about a high school boy (William…
Day of the Dead (1985)

Day of the Dead (1985)

[5] George Romero concludes his famous 'Dead' trilogy with 1985's relatively underwhelming Day of the Dead. The film centers around a group of scientists and military personnel who take shelter in a sprawling underground bunker in Florida while the dead walk the…
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

[7] The villainous boogeyman Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) comes back for his first sequel, but this time he's not trying kill kids in their dreams -- he wants to kill them in the real world. And in order to do so, he…
Explorers (1985)

Explorers (1985)

[6] Three junior-high students interpret cryptic messages from outer space to build a ship and make first contact with extra-terrestrials in Explorers. Director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) launched the notable careers of young co-stars Ethan Hawke (Training Day) and River Phoenix…
Weird Science (1985)

Weird Science (1985)

[8] Immediately following The Breakfast Club, writer/director John Hughes pulls a 180 with Weird Science, a cartoonish teenage fantasy about two nerdy high-schoolers named Gary and Wyatt (Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith) who use a computer to manifest the woman of…
A View to a Kill (1985)

A View to a Kill (1985)

[8] A psychotic businessman (Christopher Walken) plans to plunge Silicon Valley into the ocean to create a worldwide microchip monopoly for himself in Roger Moore's final outing as James Bond. A View to Kill is more aggressively paced than other Bond films, and…
Silverado (1985)

Silverado (1985)

[7] Writer/director Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill, Grand Canyon) takes a stab at the American western with Silverado. His ensemble cast includes Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, and Kevin Costner as misfit cowboys who end up riding together against a gang…
Witness (1985)

Witness (1985)

[8] Harrison Ford must hide among the Amish after he discovers corruption within his police department. Witness was an opportunity for Ford to show his acting chops, and it remains one of his best performances. This was the first American film made…
Real Genius (1985)

Real Genius (1985)

[7] Gabe Jarret stars as a 15-year-old science prodigy who is accepted into a tech college where he's immediately placed on a cutting-edge laser project with other college-aged brainiacs. Val Kilmer plays his roommate, a goofy prankster whose irreverent attitude belies his…
Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985)

Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985)

[6] A paleontologist (Sean Young) and her husband (William Katt) discover a family of three brontosauruses living in the rain forests of the African Ivory Coast. At first they are thrilled to report their find, but when rival scientists kill the father…