FLC 1: What Makes 80s Horror Iconic?
by David Belmonte
edited by Joshua Chan
Let’s face it—how often do you get to sit in a class after hours to listen to an hour-and-a-half lecture about the 80s? The Loyola Film Circle launched its first Film Literacy Class of 2018 on the 16th of March, hosted by none other than Mr. Andrew Ty of the Communications Department. While the talk itself was titled “What Makes 80s Horror Iconic”, those familiar with the eccentric communications professor would know that there was a lot more to discuss than the subject matter alone.
In fact, the first half of the class almost served as a love letter dedicated to his life growing up in the 80s. He recalled how getting in touch with the media opened him up to the countless worlds that existed beyond the silver screen— be they be worlds with masked murderers, scantily-clad vampires, or shape—shifting aliens. According to Ty, the 80s itself as a whole has become iconic to our generation.
With the sudden reappearance of music and fashion from the days of neon, skateboards and leg warmers, one could argue that the 80s have become a trend; an aesthetic. Pop culture and media from a long-gone era have become recognizable to us despite having not lived through it.
Ty believes that the past has become commodified through media’s depiction —painted in gold to hide its blemishes. In relation to horror films, such commodification creates a “recognizable look and style.” In order to understand what makes 80s horror so iconic, we must first try to peg what this recognizable look and style is.
One thing that separates 80s horror from its more modern counterparts is the visuals - the flair. There’s nothing more attractive than a tinge of tasteful slaughter. “A lot of 80s horror is not very good, but they have a sense of style.” He brought up the renowned 1984 slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street to prove his point, stating that the film had a lot more style than substance. In his words, it was “ridiculous” but of course, that’s part of the reason why the movie became so iconic in the first place – over-the-top blood and gore partnered with cutting-edge special effects that formed visually appealing scenes. It was fresh, it was original, it was “absolutely strange” and “absolutely powerful.” There was nothing quite like it. Its “ridiculousness” is the reason why A Nightmare on Elm Street is the definitive slasher movie.
However, style alone isn’t enough to define 80s horror. Some arguably bad horror movies such as the 1980 film Friday the 13th is mainly considered iconic due to the sheer presence of its villain, the captivating, lumbering, and nearly unstoppable Jason Voorhees. While Ty argues that the Friday the 13th series is pretty much a bad series, the presence of Jason Voorhees was so iconic that even people who didn’t like the films were drawn to it.
Additionally, there’s more to 80s horror than just style and villains. One must remember that 80s horror wasn’t built by special effects and camerawork alone, for a big chunk of 80s horror comes from literature. No, not the novelization of Top Gun, but rather, the works of Stephen King, which were rich in not just the supernatural, but also adult themes. King’s importance is highlighted by the fact that a large number of his novels have been adapted into films or television series; many of which have been well regarded by fans and critics alike.
Ty then claimed that King’s book covers played a large role in his success. This was because more often than not, King’s name would appear at the top of the book in larger text than the actual title. It’s an easily recognizable design, and that’s exactly what makes it so iconic. Ty says: “Make a book look like a Stephen King book and it’s guaranteed to sell”. While the film industry was a giant part of 80s horror, literature was also a big contributor to it.
Ty then ended the class with a quick Q&A where he ended up talking about some of his favorite Filipino horror flicks such as the Shake, Rattle & Roll series, or the 1988 horror-thriller Tiyanak. He even mentioned that when he first saw the teasers for the latter, he thought to himself “Number one, that looks horrible. Number two, that looks horrifying. Number three, I kind of want to watch it.” This sums up 80s horror in a nutshell – despite its potential cheesiness, it is something that draws with its aesthetics. Deep down inside, these frights are everything one could ask for.