The 1980s were arguably the most impactful decades for horror. While censorship was still much more strict than it is today, filmmakers in the 80s could show much more on-screen than they could in horror’s last golden age. Because of these more lax rules, imaginations could run wild.
Horror films were finally taken much more seriously, something capitalized on by many great filmmakers from the decade. Some of the most unique and riveting cinematography in the genre actually came from frightening 80s horror movies. Whether chilling POV shots or a look into a dark reality, these movies are still considered inspiring by cinematographers of all genres. Today, we take a look at 80s horror films which had some of the best cinematography of the decade.
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7 The Evil Dead (1981)
New Line Cinema
Sam Raimi excels at enhancing stories through stellar visuals. The director brought his unique style into the world of superheroes with the Tobey Maguire-led Spider-Man films and, most recently, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The director honed his skills in the horror genre (which fans hope he returns to for his next film), and this is most evident in his original masterpiece, The Evil Dead.
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Tim Philo is the cinematographer for this classic, and his visuals mixed with Raimi’s direction helped cement The Evil Dead as a cultural smash hit. The film was low budget, and so had an almost amateur feel. This works in this film’s favor and gives it a chilling, almost found-footage feel. There are plenty of great shots, but the POV shots of the unseen evil flying towards its next target are nothing short of iconic. The cinematography in this film helped define Sam Raimi’s style, and would later be used to bring some of the most beloved comic book movies of all time to life.
6 Aliens (1986)
Brandywine Productions
James Cameron’s 1986 follow-up to Ridley Scott’s terrifying Alien has earned a life of its own. The sci-fi horror movie is known as one of the genre’s best of the 80s, and for good reason. One of the main elements is Aliens’ distinct visual feel. Late cinematographer Adrian Biddle took the world James Cameron envisioned and brought it to life in a way that still holds up today. In addition to Stan Winston’s stellar effects, Biddle’s camera work transports the viewers on a terrifying, yet fantastic journey to another planet.
The movie is tonally different from the first, as it focuses a bit more on action than Alien. This shows in the cinematography, giving it a unique, yet similar feel. The camera moves as if the viewer is along on the mission, which makes things that much more terrifying.
5 The Fly (1986)
20th Century Fox
Shocking new heights were reached for body horror in the 80s. One of the front-runners of this subgenre was David Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly. The movie has a life completely separate from the 1958 original, and this is due in no small part to cinematographer Mark Irwin. Irwin’s camerawork gives the movie an almost polished look for the first part, and an unnatural grimy feel when the transformation begins.
Convincingly filming a disturbing and gradual transformation is no easy task, and yet Irwin does it in spectacular fashion. Every gooey detail is shown in full view, and hardly anything is left to the imagination. The horror in this movie taps into the subconscious fear of insects and aging that plagues many, and the camerawork ensures that Cronenberg takes advantage of that fear.
4 Hellraiser (1987)
Entertainment Films Distributors
Clive Barker’s gory classic Hellraiser has some of the most gruesome moments in all horror. These disturbing scenes were the handy work of cinematographer Robin Vidgeon. The movie’s camerawork uses minimal lighting to bring the classic to life, and this works in more ways than one. The scenes in a heavily shadowed room where a skinless, bloodthirsty person lurks will make anyone feel the primal fear of the dark. While the scenes in the human world are bad enough, when the story shifts to the Cenobites’ home turf, a new layer of fear is added.
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The franchise may have gone off the rails, but the original movie still holds up as one of the scariest stories ever put to film. Barker’s imaginative writing and directing mixed with the camerawork of Vidgeon and the incredible character design and special effects for the 80s are the key pieces that cemented this film into horror history. The shots in Hellraiser still give nightmares to even the most hardened horror hound.
3 The Thing (1982)
Universal Pictures
Dean Cundey is the man behind The Thing’s stellar camerawork. Cundey has worked with the likes of Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis but is no stranger to the horror genre, having been a frequent collaborator of director John Carpenter, and this film may very well be his best work. Like The Fly, The Thing is one of the champions of gross special effects in the body horror genre, with bodies literally morphing and falling apart. The movie takes place in an isolated Antarctic research base, and isolation is the keyword.
The camerawork truly makes the viewer feel like they are trapped while a shape-shifting alien stalks the grounds. There are many elements that make The Thing a horror masterpiece, and the cinematography is one of the most important. Sometimes camerawork isn’t successful because of what it was shown, it is because of what isn’t shown.
2 A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Wes Craven’s legendary classic A Nightmare on Elm Street became so iconic for a number of reasons. As with any great film, the camerawork was one of these reasons. The cinematographer, Jacques Haitkin, had to bring Craven’s vision to life with a limited budget. This was done with a horror film’s best friend, establishing shots. It is one thing to show the nightmare world with some imaginative visuals, it is something else entirely to show the terror of knowing something is lurking. Freddy’s presence is felt even when Robert Englund (recently seen on Stranger Things) isn’t on-screen.
Haitkin managed to make the audience feel as if the Springwood Slasher is in every scene, and then somehow shock them when he actually shows up. While these moments are arguably the most important, the nightmares and death scenes are equally impressive. No one is likely to forget Glen’s blood-soaked death or see Tina being dragged along the ceiling. This movie is fittingly the stuff nightmares are made of, and Jacques Haitkin deserves some of the credit.
1 The Shining (1980)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Comparing Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining to other films when it comes to cinematography almost doesn’t seem fair. John Alcott was the cinematographer on this classic film, and had worked with Kubrick three times previously (winning an Oscar for Barry Lyndon), so he knew how to please the director. While many fans of the book, including Stephen King himself, feel the film is a poor adaptation, there is no denying the impact of the camerawork. Like The Thing, The Shining perfectly encapsulates the feeling of isolation and dread, somehow making expansive environments (a vast hotel, like the vastness of Antarctica) feel claustrophobic.
From the legendary opening shot to the final shot of Jack in the hedge maze, every frame is an individual masterpiece. There is little that can be said about this film that hasn’t been said before (whether in an interview with Alcott for American Cinematographer, or an excellent essay in Senses of Cinema); it is a masterclass in suspense and filmmaking. While Kubrick, Jack Nicholson, and Shelly Duvall all deserve credit for the film’s success, John Alcott should not be overlooked.
