The 1980s produced some of the best movies of all time, and there are many classics from the decade that every moviegoer should see at least once in their lives. Bouncing back after the collapse of the studio system in the 1960s, the ’80s represented a renaissance of sorts for mainstream movies.

Filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg crafted brilliant pieces of entertainment, and theaters were packed with accessible films that could appeal to all audiences. Many of the best movies from the ’80s are still beloved today, and have rightly taken their place among the all-time greats. However, those movies are so well-known that nearly everyone has seen them already.

On the other hand, there are plenty of excellent movies from the ’80s that are still worth watching, especially after seeing all the decade’s most popular fare. From uproarious comedy, to stunning drama, and even some hair-raising chills, the must-see cinema of the ’80s represents the best of what the art of film has to offer.

An American Werewolf In London (1981)

Ever since a werewolf first appeared onscreen in the 1910s, filmmakers have been dreaming up new ways to make lycanthropes scary. John Landis’ horror comedy film An American Werewolf in London was the subgenre’s biggest quantum leap, marrying gruesome scares with a macabre sense of humor. What’s more, Rick Baker’s special effects were nothing short of groundbreaking.

An American Werewolf in London is quintessential ’80s cinema because it represents a playfully dark look at the established horror genre. The тιтular wolf is more vicious and horrid than any earlier cinematic lycanthrope, and it’s juxtaposed with pitch-black humor. Also like a lot of other ’80s classics, spectacle plays a large part in the over-the-top finale.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

There are so many amazing ’80s comedies that it’s sometimes hard to keep track, but few were as subversive and clever as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. While most comedies in the ’80s had an optimistic view that reinforced the zeitgeist of the era, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was hilariously cynical and took quite a few jabs at contemporary culture.

Steve Martin and Michael Caine are one of the most underrated comedy duos in movie history, and director Frank Oz does his best to let his stars flourish by allowing each scene to devolve into farce. Even in an era of sanitized and accessible comedy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was keeping the fires of raunchy comedy burning.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

The Blues Brothers was the first movie to spawn from Saturday Night Live, and in many ways, it is still the best. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi reprise their roles as Elwood and Jake Blues, and their “mission from God” turns into an action-packed comedy romp almost immediately. When the audience isn’t laughing, they’re tapping their toes to memorable music.

Released in the first year of the decade, The Blues Brothers set the tone for 1980s comedy. It features funny cameos, scenes that border on fantasy, and huge action set pieces that stretch jokes to their absurd limits. In short, the movie embraces everything that’s fun about the movies, and it hasn’t faded all these years later.

Blow Out (1981)

The ’80s was a H๏τbed for all genres, but the thriller really began to hit its stride during the decade. Blow Out is Brian De Palma’s remake of the Italian film, Blow Up, but it is more relevant thanks to a few key changes to the plot. It embraces the medium of sound to deliver a one-of-a-kind story of paranoia.

Blow Out was a box office bomb, but it deserves credit as being one of the films that transitioned Hollywood from the ’70s into the ’80s. Government distrust had supposedly been mended after the conclusion of the Watergate scandal, but Blow Out poked holes in that cover story. It’s a brilliant thriller that was poignant then, and remains so today.

Tootsie (1982)

Tootsie isn’t just an uproarious ’80s comedy, it’s also one of the most heartfelt and honest romance films of the decade too. Dustin Hoffman is tasked with playing a man who is playing a woman in a soap opera, but the movie never stoops to make hurtful jokes at the expense of women or the LGBTQ+ community.

The movie has all the humor that ’80s comedies are known for, but Tootsie is also much deeper. It dissects the reaction to the rise of women in the workplace, and brilliantly satirizes romance movie tropes. Jessica Lange’s Julie isn’t some prize to be won, she’s a fleshed-out character, and it’s Hoffman’s Michael who learns tough lessons along the way.

Broadcast News (1987)

The second half of the 1980s was culturally distinct from the first half, and Broadcast News is the perfect representation of the latter years of the decade. The James L. Brooks rom-com is not tied by the stricture of its genre, and actually manages to balance biting criticism about modern journalism with a compelling and personal plot.

Holly Hunter gives one of the defining performances of the era, and she earned an Oscar nomination alongside her co-stars. Broadcast News is undeniably funny, but its true strength is in its heart, and its trio of major character arcs. Few films from the ’80s have so much going on but never feel rushed or overstuffed.

Platoon (1986)

The years had done little to heal the scars of the Vietnam War, and filmmaker Oliver Stone still had a lot to say. Platoon is an unrelenting look at the horrors of war, and wipes away much of the glamorized patriotism that had begun to glorify its memory. Nevertheless, it’s a slick film with plenty of action and Hollywood gloss.

That’s what makes Platoon the perfect 1980s anti-war film; it accomplishes the goals of its political agenda without sacrificing any of the necessary elements of making an engaging movie. The cast is loaded with young stars like Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen, and it began something of an unofficial trilogy of Vietnam War films from Oliver Stone.

Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)

One thing that links ’80s movies is fun, and few films from that period were as fun as Little Shop of Horrors. Based on the off-Broadway musical and the Roger Corman cult film, the Frank Oz-directed movie took the larger-than-life concept to humorous heights. In a down period for musicals, Little Shop of Horrors kept the genre going.

The movie’s music is inspired by doo-wop and early rock, and it has a timeless quality that feels nostalgic without dating itself. The humor is playful and macabre, but it never comes close to pure horror. There are a lot of cult classics from the ’80s, but Little Shop of Horrors has transcended that label.

Raging Bull (1980)

Martin Scorsese entered the 1980s with a bang, and delivered the first of his rise-and-fall character study movies. Adapting the life of boxer Jake LaMotta, the film is an unflinching portrait of a man with none of his character flaws removed. It established a trend that would become the director’s trademark, and further cemented his relationship with Robert De Niro.

Though vibrant colors and larger-than-life visuals were popular in the ’80s, Raging Bull‘s black and white pH๏τography is just as stunning. It puts the characters in clearer focus, and makes it feel like classic films. The ’80s was ostensibly one big throwback to the Golden Age of Hollywood, and Raging Bull continued that trend in its own clever way.

Blue Velvet (1986)

David Lynch had brushes with mainstream success throughout his career as a feature film director, and Blue Velvet was his take on contemporary culture in the ’80s. It’s perhaps Lynch’s most accessible movie that still fulfills his statement as an artist, and mixes surrealism with a compelling thriller plot that anyone can engage with.

Nostalgia for the ’50s was at an all-time high, and Lynch’s film both reinforces and deconstructs the idealized vision of Americana. Its most subversive moments will always keep Blue Velvet from being a beloved classic of the decade, but it’s a movie that perfectly inverts expectations about what a 1980s film should be.