15 Lesser-Known 80s Horror Films That Will Chill You to the Bone

The 80s were a golden era for horror movies, but beyond the famous slashers and monsters that everyone talks about, there's a bunch of creepy, less-known films just waiting to give you the chills; these are the movies that didn't get the biggest posters or the most attention back in the day, but they're loaded with eerie stories, unexpected scares, and that classic 80s vibe that makes horror so much fun.

1. The Changeling (1980)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%

After the tragic death of his wife and daughter, composer John Russell moves into a historic, seemingly serene mansion, only to discover its dark past through chilling supernatural occurrences, leading him to uncover a decades-old murder mystery tied to a powerful family's secrets.

2. Dead & Buried (1981)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%

In the small coastal town of Potters Bluff, visitors mysteriously disappear or are brutally murdered, as Sheriff Dan Gillis uncovers a horrifying secret: the dead, reanimated by the town mortician, return to life, participating in the killings.

3. The Beyond (1981)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%

A woman inherits a dilapidated hotel in Louisiana, only to find it is one of the seven gateways to hell; as she attempts repairs, strange workers die horrifically, unleashing undead forces, and she must battle to close the portal before it's too late.

4. Possession (1981)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%

In Cold War Berlin, a man discovers his wife's affair, spiraling into a nightmare of jealousy and obsession; his investigation reveals her lover is not of this world, leading to a shocking revelation of her connection to a tentacled creature and a cult.

5. The Entity (1982)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 62%

Single mother Carla Moran is assaulted and tormented by an invisible force, which she initially fears is the result of trauma, but as the attacks intensify, paranormal researchers investigate, uncovering a malevolent spirit with a personal vendetta.

6. Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%

When ancient Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl, a giant flying serpent, takes roost atop the Chrysler Building, causing random deaths, small-time crook Jimmy Quinn discovers the creature, leading police and an obsessed detective on a manhunt against the monster.

7. Basket Case (1982)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 77%

Duane Bradley arrives in New York with a large basket containing his deformed conjoined twin brother Belial; separated against their will, they seek revenge on the doctors responsible, leading to a bloody rampage through the city's underbelly.

8. The Stuff (1985)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%

A delicious, addictive substance found oozing from the earth becomes America's latest dessert craze, but its consumers start behaving oddly, leading a small group of people to uncover it's alive, consuming those who eat it from the inside.

9. Demons (1985)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%

Patrons trapped in a Berlin cinema turn into bloodthirsty demons after a woman tries on a cursed mask shown in a film, leading to a nightmarish battle for survival as the infection spreads, turning the movie theater into a gore-filled battleground.

10. The Gate (1987)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 45%

After a suburban backyard excavation unwittingly opens a portal to hell, a group of kids must face a horde of small demons and stop the apocalypse, using their wits and heavy metal music to close the gateway before a giant demon emerges.

11. Anguish (1987)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

In this meta-horror film, a crazed ophthalmologist's mother hypnotizes him into extracting victims' eyes, paralleled by a movie theater audience watching the story unfold, leading to a blurred line between the film and real-life violence.

12. Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 56%

In a post-apocalyptic world, Sam Hell, one of the few fertile men left, is captured by a female group and sent on a mission to rescue and impregnate women held captive by humanoid frogs, battling mutants and personal demons along the way.

13. Intruder (1989)

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 52%

Employees of a small supermarket are stalked and murdered by a mysterious killer after closing hours; amidst the gore, they must uncover the killer's identity, leading to a shocking revelation tied to one of their own.

14. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%

A bizarre, frenetic tale of a businessman who, after hitting a metal fetishist with his car, finds his body grotesquely transforming into metal, leading to a surreal, destructive clash between flesh and steel, challenging his sanity and reality.

15. Society (1989)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%

High school student Bill Whitney feels out of place among his wealthy family and high society friends; his investigation into their odd behavior reveals a shocking, grotesque secret of body manipulation and an otherworldly class society feeding on the lower classes.