The 1980s produced several of the greatest, most important, and most universally beloved cult classic films in the history of the entire cult cinema phenomenon. During this decade, the rise of home video and cable television gave misunderstood films that may have struggled upon first releasing in theaters a second chance at life, allowing a niche yet immensely passionate fanbase to gather around such movies.
The definition of a cult film is a vast and quite ambiguous one, but on the whole, they’re movies that go against the grain and gather a non-mainstream fanbase full of people who breathe, eat, and dream about these films. Indeed, the ’80s produced many cult classics so universally beloved that they have virtually no haters to this day, which has allowed several of them to move from the realm of cult fandom to “mainstream classic” status.
10
‘The Evil Dead’ (1981)
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Image via New Line Cinema</figure>
Sam Raimi was only around 19 years old when he began filming The Evil Dead back in 1979, making this one of the best-ever movies by a director under 25 years of age. Indeed, this essential zombie classic is every bit as wild and transgressive as you’d expect an indie horror film by a first-time 19-year-old filmmaker to be. Made on a shoestring budget, it was immediately controversial upon release.
Positive word-of-mouth and the endorsement of people like Stephen King allowed The Evil Dead to garner a loving cult following.
Despite its ferociously graphic nature leading it as far as encountering censorship and bans in countries like the UK, positive word-of-mouth and the endorsement of people like Stephen King allowed The Evil Dead to garner a loving cult following soon enough. Today, it’s widely regarded as one of the greatest and most important horror movies in the history of independent cinema.
9
‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984)
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Image via Embassy Pictures</figure>
Rob Reiner‘s feature directorial debut, This Is Spinal Tap, didn’t invent the mockumentary genre, though it certainly revolutionized and greatly popularized it. Still generally regarded as one of the best satire movies of the last 75 years, this satirization of ’80s rock bands and rock documentaries was a hit with critics, but only moderately successful at the box office.
When it came to the VHS market, however, This Is Spinal Tap was such a success that it soon became one of the decade’s most beloved cult classics. Today, many cinephiles continue to hail it as one of the funniest Hollywood movies ever made, full of delectable, highly-improvised comedy and satire so accurate that no one would blame you for initially thinking it was about a real band.
8
‘Labyrinth’ (1986)
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Image via Tri-Star Pictures</figure>
Born out of the image of a baby surrounded by goblins and Jim Henson‘s wish to make a more lighthearted movie after the heaviness of The Dark Crystal, Henson’s Labyrinth remains one of the most iconic Hollywood musicals of the 1980s. Starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly at their most magnetic, the film underperformed at the American box office, and was first met with such a mixed response from critics that it affected Henson’s career.
However, with Bowie’s pure magnetism and such an iconic soundtrack, it should come as no surprise that its home video release and arrival on cable channels made Labyrinth a cult classic. It’s one of the best fantasy movies of the 1980s, so charming and full of eye-popping practical effects and puppetry that it has remained one of the decade’s most essential coming-of-age stories.
7
‘The Blues Brothers’ (1980)
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Image via Universal Pictures</figure>
A decent number of feature films have been made based on different sketches from Saturday Night Live, the first one being John Landis‘ The Blues Brothers. What a way to kick things off this was, a film which proves that even movies that were both critically and financially successful upon release can nevertheless become full-on cult classics.
Indeed, The Blues Brothers, one of those musical films that are perfect from start to finish, was such an intentionally anarchic and subversive comedy that it went directly against the Hollywood status quo, making it perfect for a cult reception. With Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi at their best, as well as pure and evident love for soul and R&B music, The Blues Brothers is one of the most quotable and entertaining comedies of its time.
6
‘Das Boot’ (1981)
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Image via Neue Constantin Film</figure>
Based on Lothar-Günther Buchheim‘s semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, the World War II masterpiece Das Boot is one of the greatest films ever made about submarine warfare. It was one of the most expensive movies to produce in the history of German city, but it was all worth it in the end, because it went on to become a financial hit and attain a whopping six Academy Award nominations.
Further proof that even films that were successful in mainstream spaces can be true cult classics, Das Boot—one of the best anti-war movies in film history—popularized the niche submarine thriller subgenre, told a surprisingly human story through the perspective of German soldiers, and further allowed hardcore fans to obsess over every detail with the extended five-hour miniseries version and the three-hour director’s cut.
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‘Brazil’ (1985)
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Image via Universal Pictures</figure>
After Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame became an instant cult wonder with films like Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Time Bandits, he made Brazil, which many would consider his magnum opus. Full of scathing sociopolitical critiques and wildly over-the-top details, it’s one of those great sci-fi movies that are even better the second time you watch them.
Considering how massive of a cult phenomenon it continues to be among fans of satire cinema to this day, it’s surprising to think that the film was unsuccessful in its initial North American release (even though it found success in Europe). Outwardly rebellious and full of genius ideas, delightful visuals, and unforgettably funny moments, it’s precisely the kind of artistic achievement that only someone like Gilliam could possibly achieve.
4
‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ (1986)
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Image via Paramount Pictures</figure>
John Hughes was the undisputed master of teen comedy movies during his time, and many still remember the ’80s slacker comedy staple Ferris Bueller’s Day Off his very best work. Today praised as one of the most fun comedy movies of all time, the film was also financially and critically successful back in 1986, becoming an immediate cult classic thanks to its fourth-wall-breaking formula, its love letter to Chicago, and its profound subtext.
Indeed, Ferris Bueller‘s cult following has been obsessively rewatching the movie for what now amounts to 40 years, even coming up with theories well beyond anything anyone could have imagined would one day materialize back in 1986. Full of smart humor, endearing characters, and top-tier performances, it’s one of the greatest comedy movies of the ’80s.
3
‘Akira’ (1988)
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Image via Toho</figure>
Based on his own manga, Katsuhiro Otomo‘s Akira was an instant success in Japan, but its global success was a slower-burning cult phenomenon that took several years of home video releases and screenings on the midnight movie circuit. Nonetheless, this is now recognized as one of those masterpieces that helped popularize anime in the Western world throughout the ’90s.
One of the most perfect animated movies of the 1980s, Akira has stood the test of time and remained one of the most universally influential anime films of all time, its effects visible in the works of filmmakers as high-caliber as Taika Waititi and The Wachowskis. Brutally action-packed, deeply atmospheric, and visually exquisite, it’s a must-see for anyone who loves animation—as well as for anyone who thinks that it’s a medium somehow “lesser” than live-action.
- The Wachowskis’ 1999 film won four Academy Awards, including Visual Effects and Film
Editing. - Bullet time was shot with a rig of roughly 120 still cameras firing in sequence around the
actors. - Keanu Reeves trained in martial arts for about four months before a frame was shot,
recovering from neck surgery the whole time. - It opened the same year as Fight Club and eXistenZ, in a run of films about not trusting the
world in front of you.
- Mad Max: Fury Road won six Academy Awards in 2016, more than any other film that year.
- George Miller storyboarded the entire film as roughly 3,500 panels before there was a
script. - The chase was shot almost entirely practical in the Namib Desert, with real vehicles and
real stunt performers. - Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth carried the prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, in 2024.
- Blade Runner 2049 won Roger Deakins his first Oscar for cinematography, on his fourteenth
nomination. - The film also took Best Visual Effects, 35 years after Ridley Scott’s 1982 original.
- Villeneuve shot it on large-format film and kept the fog and rain practical on set wherever
he could. - Three short films by Luke Scott and Shinichiro Watanabe bridge the 30-year gap between the
two movies.
- Denis Villeneuve’s Dune won six Academy Awards in 2022, including Cinematography and
Original Score. - Hans Zimmer turned down Christopher Nolan’s Tenet so he could score Dune instead.
- Dune: Part Two arrived in 2024 and brought in Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Christopher
Walken. - David Lynch’s 1984 version and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s unmade one are both their
own legends by now.
- The 1977 original won six Academy Awards plus a special achievement award for sound effects.
- John Williams’ score was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra and became the
best-selling symphonic film soundtrack ever. - Andor took the galaxy somewhere colder and earned Emmy nominations for drama series in both
seasons. - The saga now runs across eleven feature films and a growing shelf of series on Disney+.
2
‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
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Image via Warner Bros.</figure>
There are some cult classics so exceptional that, even after initially failing, eventually become classics as mainstream as any other. Ridley Scott‘s Blade Runner, based on Philip K. Dick‘s novella Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, is one such cult classic. It’s hard to imagine nowadays, but it was a box office misfire and intensely polarized critics upon release in 1982.
Now, of course, it’s so universally recognized as one of the most amazing sci-fi movies of all time that those not in-the-know would be forgiven for having no idea that it was once a much more niche cult classic. It was massively influential in the cyberpunk cinema space and proved just how philosophically dense sci-fi cinema could be, completely revolutionizing the genre was approached going forward.
1
‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)
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Image via 20th Century Studios</figure>
Yet another Rob Reiner cult classic, as well as yet another example of a cult classic that eventually became a fully mainstream classic, The Princess Bride is one of those fantasy movies that are fun from start to finish. Written by William Goldman and based on his own children’s novel, it’s the sort of swashbuckling adventure movie that has something in it for everyone, from romance to action to an engrossing revenge plot.
Despite the critical acclaim that it received, Princess Bride was only a modest financial success back in 1987, but the explosion of the home video and rental markets transformed it into one of the most essential family film classics that the world had seen since the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Today, it’s still widely recognized as such. Indeed, you’d be incredibly hard-pressed to find anyone who has seen The Princess Bride and dislikes it. Not that anyone would want to be around any such hypothetical hater, anyway.
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