1980s Best Movies

When you think of the 1980s, a few images come to mind: shoulder pads, big hair, and all-cheesy-everything. However, the decade had more to contribute to pop culture than being known as the New Jersey of the 20th century. The 1980s were also an era for incredible classic movies, ones that shifted the film industry as we know it. From John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club to Steven Spielberg’s E.T., the best movies of the 1980s not only shaped its generation but inspired subsequent generations in every way imaginable.

Used Cars (1980)

Shat the Movies ask, what are the best 80s & 90s movies? Do you find yourself asking if the movies we loved while growing up were really that good? Have you caught yourself thinking, “why don’t they make movies like they use to?” Can you still remember spending your Friday...

Hoosiers (1986)

This week, Shat The Movies heads to small-town Indiana, where basketball is life, second chances are rare, and Dennis Hopper is cold, coach—real cold. Commissioned by fantasy football champion Stephen J., 1986’s Hoosiers is one of the most celebrated underdog stories in sports cinema, often hailed as the “best basketball...

Excalibur (1981)

For our Ninth Anniversary Episode, the Shat Crew draws the sword from the stone and rides into John Boorman’s epic Excalibur (1981). Commissioned by Chris, Mike, and Ollie to celebrate their father Robert’s 60th birthday, this Arthurian fever dream delivers knights, magic, and more shiny armor than a Manowar album cover....

High Spirits (1988)

Check into Castle Plunkett for a supernatural comedy that mashes together horny ghosts, Irish folklore, and peak ’80s weirdness: High Spirits! Commissioned by Sydney in Texas—lover of Beetlejuice, Elvira, and men of questionable taste—this forgotten flick from 1988 boasts an absurdly stacked cast: Steve Guttenberg, Daryl Hannah, Beverly D’Angelo, Peter...

Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

This week on Shat the Movies, we’re beaming up Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)! Geena Davis stars alongside a furry, neon-colored trio of aliens played by Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans in this outrageously ’80s sci-fi musical comedy. It’s got big hair, wild dance numbers, and plenty of...

Superman II (1980)

This week, Shat the Movies finally kneels before Zod—and listener Chris Lloyd—by reviewing Superman II (1980), the sequel that gave us Terrence Stamp’s immortal sneer, Margot Kidder’s bathrobe thirst, and Christopher Reeve’s blue-eyed beefcake perfection. This episode dives headfirst into the Donner vs. Lester debate, asks how much ejaculate the...

Haunted Honeymoon (1986)

Radio personalities Larry Abbot (Gene Wilder) and Vickie Pearle (Gilda Radner) are stars of a mystery show. Since they announced their engagement, Larry has been plagued by speech problems and, seeking out an unconventional cure, he returns to his boyhood home, a mansion in the countryside, bringing Vickie along. Larry reunites with numerous family members, including the flamboyant Aunt Kate (Dom DeLuise), but discovers that there are sinister things afoot within the walls of the creepy estate.

Gallipoli (1981)

Archy (Mark Lee) and Frank (Mel Gibson) are two young Australian sprinters who want to join the army to fulfill their sense of duty. Turned down because they are too young, the pair hop a freight train to Perth, where they are allowed to join up. They board a troop ship headed to Cairo and, after training in the shadows of the Great Pyramids, the boys are finally sent to the front line, where their speed makes them candidates for messengers in one of the war’s bloodiest battles.