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| Horror Films of the 1980s | 
| Author: John Kenneth Muir
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $59.95
Buy New: $47.96
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 103626
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 843
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.6
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 7.2 x 1.9
ISBN: 078642821X
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.436164097309048
EAN: 9780786428212
ASIN: 078642821X
Publication Date: March 27, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
John Kenneth Muir is back! His Horror Films of the 1970s was named an Outstanding Reference Book by the American Library Association, and likewise a Booklist Editors' Choice. This time, Muir surveys 300 films from the 1980s. From backwards psychos (Just Before Dawn) and yuppie-baiting giant rats (Of Unknown Origin), to horror franchises like Friday the 13th and Hellraiser, as well as nearly forgotten obscurities such as The Children and The Boogens, Muir is our informative guide through 10 macabre years of silver screen terrors.
Muir introduces the scope of the decade's horrors, and offers a history drawing parallels between current events and the nightmares unfolding on cinema screens. Each of the 300 films is discussed with detailed credits, a brief synopsis, a critical commentary, and where applicable, notes on the film's legacy beyond the 80s. Also included is the author's ranking of the 15 best horror films of the 80s.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
Muir does it again August 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
John Kenneth Muir's second entry into the horror genre hits the mark again. "Horror Films of the 1980s" provides a fantastic reference guide for the horror films made in the decade of excess.
At over 800 pages long, the book provides an introduction to the films of the decade and how social and political events influenced them. (Muir is obviously no fan of Reagan and on one page he has a photo of the former president along side a photo of Freddy Krueger making a not so subtle comparison of the two). The next chapter is "The History of the Dead Teenager Decade." in which he explains common devices and elements which make up the bulk of films of the era. Muir then goes into the films themselves......breaking them down by year. He provides critical reviews, cast and crew lists, a brief synopsis of the plot and then a personal commentary of his own views of each film. Some films also have a "close-up" section where additional information about cast/crew/film is given. From here, Muir gives a chapter on "The Conclusion to Horror Films of the 80s." Also provided are several appendixes including information such as memorable ad lines, Hall of fame, a list of actors appearing in these films and recommended viewing.
Overall, a great book. Muir even improves on his "Horror Films of the 1970s" (which I also have) by providing in-depth commentary and info on ALL of the films listed. The 1970s tomb has some films only briefly mentioned with no commentary at all by the author. And thanks to Netflix, I can check out most of the films from both decades for myself. Muir also mentions in his book that he's working on a third edition....Horror Films of the 1990s. I'll be first in line to buy it!
Horror film book winner December 8, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A fine companion piece to HORROR FILMS OF THE 1970s, this is another tremendously entertaining overview of an entire decade of fear flicks. This was so much fun revisiting these films that I grew up with. The author is interesting and informative throughout. Highly recommended!
A resurgence of love for 80's horror November 26, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I saw this book and was amazed that someone had written descriptions and reviews of most of the horror movies made in the 80's. I was even more impressed after I started reading it. Just like what other reviewers have said, John Muir has a love for horror films and it shows in how he comments and categorizes them. His reviews of these movies make you feel like he's your best friend sitting beside you watching these films and either hating or loving them with you. There were many movies he commented on that I would never have watched because either they were in an overdone series (Friday the 13th Part 3) or because they look completely hokey (Re-Animator). But because of his reviews, I did and am glad for it.
Something other reviewers didn't mention but I love, is how he comments on the directors themselves and mentions how their individual style comes through all of their movies (or are edited out by their producers creating a bad movie). I learned about such great directors as Cronenberg, Tobe Hooper and Thom Eberhardt who I knew only a little about before. I recommend this book to anyone who even had a passing interests in horror movies and wants to relive some of the great ones (and horrible ones) from the 80's.
THE INDISPENSIBLE BIBLE OF 1980'S HORROR! November 9, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It can be argued that the decade of the 1980's was the most important ever for horror films. While the films may not have always been good, and many were downright terrible, the advent of home video soon taught filmmakers that they could turn a profit even with direct-to-video releases. "Horror Films of the 1980's" by John Kenneth Muir, is an exhaustive guide to perhaps the most memorable era of horror films. Over 300 films are covered in detail within this massive, 800 plus page hardcover tome.
Anyone who has ever read one of the fine books from McFarland knows that they don't do fluff, and this book is no different. This isn't merely a listing of films and stars like you get in some books. Each film gets at least two pages of coverage that includes full cast and crew credits, rating (one to four stars) running time, detailed plot synopsis, commentary by Muir, as well as selected critic's comments from the time that the film came out.
The films are listed alphabetically, by decade, beginning with "Alligator" in 1980 and ending with "Stepfather 2" in 1989. Even if you think you know your 80's horror films well, you're sure to find some films you probably never heard of such as The Killing Hour, Bloodkill, and New York Ripper.
As I thumbed through the book I felt like I was looking at an old scrapbook or photo album of friends and family members that I had not seen in many years. I have not seen a lot of these films since their original debuts over twenty years ago and I fondly recalled many nights at the drive-in where I saw quite a few of these films. I loved reading about these old friends, Motel Hell, One Dark, Night, Gates of Hell, The Keep, Near Dark, Night of the Demons, and countless others.
Muir, and his small group of reviewers show a depth of knowledge, but more importantly, a true love of this era of horror films, often resulting in ratings that are a bit more generous than I would have given. A lot of films included here are not true horror films. There are sprinklings of sci-fi (Saturn 3, Lifeforce, Moontrap, Terminator), thrillers (Ten to Midnight, Jaws 3D, Blood Simple, Body Double) and comedy horrors (Ghoulies, Critters, Gremlins), but their inclusions are welcome nonetheless.
The book concludes with several interesting appendices that feature the 1980's Horror Hall of Fame, Recommended Viewing Then & Now, and Memorable Ad Lines. Heres' something fun...read one of the ad lines and see if your friends can guess the film. This is simply one of the finest horror reference books I've ever read. Well worth the $60 price tag!
REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON
Brilliant insight into a much-maligned genre! August 27, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I am a huge horror film fan, and try to read every book I can on the subject. As such, I was thrilled when I received this huge release for my birthday last month. However, I honestly had no idea that it would be as entertaining and insightful as it is. I have now read up through 1988, and must say that I've never in my life read such astute critique of genre films -- generally reviewers either stick to the plot basics or try to impose some sort of critical theory on it ("the male gaze" and all that). Muir on the other hand manages to recognize and explain sub-texts that I never, EVER would have noticed by myself -- then when I think back to the films he's describing, I realize, "My God! He's RIGHT!" Plus his book has encouraged me to buy a whole bunch of horror films I'd never have considered seeing (ex. I'm no vampire film fan so I wouldn't have bothered with "Near Dark" had he not put it on his "Top 15 of the '80s" list. But wow! What a fantastic movie!)
My only problem now is that I'm dying to read his '70s book and it's not being re-released for another month!
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