Whether you believe life imitates art or art imitates life, horror movies from the 1980s seemed to be created to help us navigate the times. Sitting in a dark theater or living room, popcorn in hand, viewers could replace the images from the nightly news with gory, but welcomed images of situations that weren’t grounded in that time’s unfortunate reality. Here are three ways horror movies made living through the 80s easier:
Taking Back Control
Fear ran rampant during this decade. Reagan’s presidency was polarizing. The US was in the worst depression since the Great Depression. AIDS. The Iran-Iraq War. John Lennon’s murder. The Space Shuttle Challenger accident. These and other events paralyzed people, but the movies gave us back control. It was therapeutic to yell at the camp counselors to stop splitting up, as Jason slashed his way through the first Friday the 13th. Couch directing gave back that sense of control.
Providing a Necessary Distraction
These movies took viewers away from real-life terrors and let the chills come from our entertainment instead. And while there were still plenty of traditional boogey-men type horrors, the 80s produced a variety of villains: dolls (Child’s Play), dogs (Cujo) cars (Christine) and even television shows (Videodrome). They let our imaginations run in new directions, and while still incredibly scary, injected some much-needed humor into the horror.
Unraveling Evil
Horror movies let us tune in and wrap our head around the psychology of good versus evil. During the 1980s, Hollywood gave us plenty of opportunity. The Shining, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Aliens, Poltergeist and The Fly remain streaming favorites today. We watch the characters being chased (no cell phone to call for help) with a sense of nostalgia, and if we get scared, the pause button is just a reach away. But back then, thinking about why Jack Torrance went mad was much more enjoyable than what the next day’s headlines may be.
