When it comes right down to it, the horror movie genre might have been around for quite a while, but it got a bit of a boost towards the end of the 20th century. Horror films in the 1970s got a boost with some iconic characters and stories. The 1980s continued that trend by introducing even more characters or keeping some stories that first got their start a decade earlier. That doesn’t mean that everything that came out in the 1980s was absolutely perfect. There were some films that seemed to get some hype they didn’t really deserve.
In fact, there are three categories that most horror films in the 1980s fell into. There were those that were honestly very good. There were those that were really, really bad and those that were not actually bad but did get a bit more love than they really deserved. To some degree or another, these films were still plenty important and worth watching. It just turned out that they weren’t quite as good as they eventually got credit for, because of one factor or another. Adaptations and sequels were among those that were right at the top of the list of overrated films in the 1980s.
Children of the Corn
Children of the Corn is one of those classic horror movies that had a really good story and a very spooky “villain” at the center of it. It turns out that because the story was quite original and something that hadn’t really been seen on the big screen, it got more love than it probably really deserved. In fact, when boiling down the Stephen King adaptation to its essence, it was just full of really bad acting and a story that needed to be filled out a bit better. To this day, it seems as if the flick benefits more from audiences filling in the gaps with their own imagination than it does for what it truly offered.
A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors
It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that the third installment of the A Nightmare on Elm Street wasn’t quite as good as people might have claimed back in the day. There are a couple of reasons why this film got the kind of love it did. One of them is that Freddy Krueger was all the rage during this period of horror films.
There’s also the fact that Dream Warriors set the stage for the kids who were constantly being haunted by Freddy to really and truly fight back. There had been plots to try and thwart the famous movie monster before but this was the first time it appeared they were actually going to beat him. Rooting for the good guys kind of overshadowed that the film wasn’t actually all that good. In fact, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 is definitely overrated, it might even fit into the fully “bad” bucket.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
While it’s true that some movies can get a bad rap because people don’t really understand why they exist, Killer Klowns from Outer Space is not one of those flicks. The movie, is one of those that is supposed to be a kind of parody of horror movies. At least that’s what people who really liked the movie have claimed.
In fact, Killer Klowns is really just a pretty bad version of horror film genres that are supposed to be mashed up. There’s the focus on alien invaders who come to earth to basically kill people. Those aliens take on the look of clowns because, honestly, who doesn’t find them a bit spooky. However, it turns out that the looks of these clowns were more goofy than spooky and if it really was a parody, it didn’t hit all that well. It’s true that horror movie fans should probably check this one out because it was certainly different from what others have seen, but it’s not one of the best of the era by a long shot.
Halloween III: Season Of The Witch
Speaking of continuations of a well-known franchise that fell short of being as good as people have claimed, there’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch. The movie might have the Halloween brand name on it, but it's quite weird when really looking at the franchise because it doesn't have anything to do with the previous two movies. Nor does it have to do with anything that came after it.
Despite the fact that it stood apart from everything else in the series, it wasn't a totally terrible movie. The idea that kids who put on special costumes that eventually turned them into the creatures that they dressed up as was an interesting idea. In fact, it was so interesting that an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer borrowed the idea decades later. Still, while the plot line was interesting enough, it didn't make a particularly good movie. It turns out this is definitely one of those that got a ton of viewers thanks to the name.
Friday the 13th
There are few slasher horror movie franchises that are as beloved as Friday the 13th. So it might be a little weird that the flick that started it all is actually a movie that should be considered overrated. However, the fact of the matter is that the first film is similar to Halloween 3 in that it goes down a very different path from the rest of the series.
The first movie didn't feature Jason Voorhees hacking and slashing his way up from hell and then taking out as many "innocent" teens as he could. The first installment in the series actually saw his mother, Mrs. Voorhees doing the deed. Certainly, that little tidbit made for a nice twist near the end of the film when everyone thought that some hulking killer was on the loose. But it was also quite forgettable. Keep in mind most people these days totally forget that she was the baddie in the first film. That alone can certainly be a vote in the case for one of the most overrated horror films of the 1980s.