The 80s featured many films with outlandish character deaths that wouldn't fit in any other era.
Horror fans everywhere know that the 80s was prime time for the genre. It was a moment for horror that essentially introduced the slasher subgenre. 80s flicks are considered classic since so many horror films have come out since the pivotal decade, but they're not necessarily the most inventive or creative films.
RELATED: 10 Best Horror Films of the '80s, Ranked Several iconic franchises released their first movies in the 80s, and, aside from the killer, the kills are what stands out about them. A horror film from the 80s isn't complete without some teenagers getting killed, and they're made even better when it's not just a gunshot or a throat slit. Nevertheless, it was a stellar time for horror movie fans that spawned some of the most creative kills in cinema history.
The following article contains numerous graphic descriptions of iconic death scenes in 80s films. Please proceed with caution.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is the fifth installment in the series, and it has one of the highest kill counts. Although this movie is regarded as the worst in the franchise, the 22 kills make it worth the watch. But, of course, the greatest of them all has to be Eddie Kelso, who, along with his girlfriend Tina, is the classic sex-crazed slasher victim.
A New Beginning takes place at a halfway house where Tommy Jarvis is being transferred. As a child, Jarvis murdered Jason, and he hasn't been the same since. There are other teenagers there, too, including Eddie and Tina. Eddie's death delivers in the creativity department. He is swiftly pulled against a tree by his own belt. Jason twists it making it tighter and tighter around Eddie's eyes until his head is sufficiently crushed. This isn't the first time Jason has squeezed a head, and it won't be his last, but it is the most unique.
Silent Night Deadly Night 2 follows Ricky, the original killer's younger brother. Watching his older brother be shot down in front of him caused Ricky to go on his own murder spree later in life. Ricky is now in a psychiatric hospital and recounts the murders he committed before being placed in their care.
RELATED: The Most Disturbing Horror Films of the '80s, Ranked
He kills quite a few people when the girl he loves rejects him. He meets Jennifer, and they, unfortunately, run into Chip, Jennifer's cocky ex-boyfriend. He shoves Chip into the open hood of a car and attaches jumper cables to the engine and Chip's teeth, electrocuting him. Whether this kill would work in reality is up for debate, but he certainly gets points for using his surroundings for murder in a pinch. An honorable mention goes out to the man Ricky killed by stabbing him with an umbrella and then opening the umbrella.
Hamilton High, 1957: Mary Lou Maloney is burned alive at prom. Thirty years later, Vicki needs a prom dress, so she raids the school's costume department. She finds the Prom Queen crown in an old chest, and when she takes it, Mary Lou's spirit activates, and the ghost enacts her revenge.
Vicki's friends start dying, and then Vicki herself gets possessed. Mary Lou then goes on to murder more of Vicki's friends, including Monica Waters, in the locker room. Hiding in a locker is a classic horror trope because it adds suspense and limits visibility. What makes Monica's locker adventure so creative is that she actually dies in the locker. The killer doesn't open the door and stab her; the supernatural Mary Lou crushes the entire locker with Monica inside.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space features bloodthirsty clowns who have the means to kidnap and kill the people of earth in wacky ways. The aliens aim to cocoon the humans in cotton candy and drink their blood.
RELATED: Halloween: The 10 Greatest Horror Movie Villains Of The 80s, Ranked
The klowns split up with whimsical weapons, and it's wickedly creative and fun to watch. Shadows are used as tools in horror films all the time, but not like this. One of the klowns puts on a little show for a group of people. He then makes a frightening dinosaur shadow that swallows the crowd whole. It doesn't make any logical sense, and shouldn't work, but it does, and it's one of the cleverest kills in any movie.
New Blood is the seventh film in the Friday the 13th franchise, and it's the first starring Kane Hodder as Jason. Hodder is the most well-known Jason, and cites this kill as his favorite. It's simple, but for a slasher, it's always a positive when a kill isn't just someone getting slashed. As one of the first kills of the movie, poor Judy Williams kicks it off with a bash. Jason finds Judy in her sleeping bag, drags her over to a tree, and slams the bag into the tree over and over. It gets creativity points for not using a weapon.
At this point in the timeline, Jason is at the bottom of Crystal Lake when he is accidentally resurrected by a teenager with telekinetic powers. Because she has Carrie-esque powers, and the film relies on that aspect, having such a practical kill makes it that much more impactful.
The Dream Child is the fifth movie in the Nightmare franchise, and it follows the final girl from the previous film, Alice, as she graduates from high school. She has dealt with Freddy before, but when she finds out she's pregnant, a whole new can of worms is opened.
RELATED: The 10 Scariest Movies On Netflix, According To Reddit Thankfully her friend Mark believes her and helps her to defeat Freddy. His main character trait is that he's nerdy and likes comic books. He eventually falls asleep and is sucked into a comic book. In a black and white story, he meets Freddy as a technicolor paper person Freddy slices through Mark like a thin sheet of paper, and the color drains out of him as his pieces gently float to the ground. It's not a gory kill, but there hasn't been anything like it, even 30+ years later.
Pamela Springsteen stars as Angela Baker in the second Sleepaway Camp movie. She is now a counselor at camp Rolling Hills, where she kills the campers off one by one if she disagrees with something they say or do. Ally has the most memorable death, and the most vile. She dies via toilet, which isn't a very common way to go.
Ally has sex at camp, and that's not going to fly with Angela around. Angela stabs Ally, then drags her injured body to an outhouse, where she drowns Ally by dunking her head first into the toilet. The sound effects are disgusting and truly believable. Since it's a camp, the bathroom is really just a hole in the ground, meaning it goes very deep and is filled with leeches as well as human waste.
Society is a horror comedy flick that literalizes the phrase "the rich feed off the poor" at an event they call The Shunting. The verb 'shunt' means to forcefully shove, usually in a bizarre fashion. The wealthy members of society in Beverly Hills are an entirely different species than those who are poor. The elites find those who don't belong and suck the life out of them in a ritualistic orgy.
Makeup and FX artist Screaming Mad George and director Brian Yuzna are known for their successfully squirm-inducing body horror. David Blanchard is the unfortunate character who suffers through The Shunting. The cult leader shoves his hand through one end of the body until it comes out of the other side (the mouth). It kills the poor kid, and the rich attach their mouths to his body and suck until there's nothing left.
NEXT: 13 Good Thrillers On Netflix That You've Never Heard Of
Grace is a young writer who loves movies, especially the horror genre. She writes fun lists about fun things like Disney and horror. Grace watches a lot of movies, so her knowledge is credible.
Subscribe to the CBR newsletter for exclusive comics, TV & movie news, reviews, interviews & much more!