28 best 80s movies to watch over and over again
The eighties were such a glorious era for Hollywood, and honestly, they paved the way for the type of films we see on our screens and streaming services now.
I mean, it was the decade that gave us some of the most iconic teen movies of all time, such as The Breakfast Club, which showed us that no matter how different you are, you can always come together and unite. There was also the Matthew Broderick starring comedy classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which we still love to watch over and over again. The period also gave us some toe-tapping, jammin' greats such as Footloose, Flashdance and Dirty Dancing. How iconic!
Comedies and light-hearted teen movies aside, there were some utterly brilliant award-winning dramas such as Morgan Freeman's Driving Miss Daisy, Cher's Moonstruck and the tear-jerker Ordinary People. Plenty of content nowadays has taken inspiration from movies from the eighties, with the Michael Douglas and Glenn Close thriller Fatal Attraction adapted into a new upcoming television series of the same name starring Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan. Meanwhile, the Halloween franchise, which saw most of its movies released in the eighties, also ended in 2022 with Halloween Ends.
The show will return in two parts.
Of course, we will never ever get over the talents of a young Drew Barrymore in the Steven Spielberg classic, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Absolute brilliance!
So, without further ado, if you're hoping for a blast from the past, here are the 28 best eighties-inspired movies that you can watch over and over again, and you won't ever get tired of.
Courtesy Everett CollectionThe Shining, 1980
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall
Plot: Adapted from Stephen King's terrifying novel, The Shining tells the story of Jack Torrance (Nicholson) a struggling writer who relocates his family to the spooky Overlook Hotel when he gets a job as a winter caretaker. Before long, they all start to sense a supernatural presence.
Courtesy Everett CollectionThe Color Purple, 1985
Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover
Plot: Steven Spielberg directs the adaptation of Alice Walker's amazing novel, which follows Celie, an African-American woman who faces abuse and bigotry and finds new empowerment from the glamorous singer Shug Avery.
©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett CollectionDead Poets Society, 1989
Cast: Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles
Plot: John Keating (played by Williams) is a maverick teacher who encourages his young male students – at the boarding school he returns to as a former star student, teach – to embrace poetry as a means of expressing themselves.
© Twentieth Century Fox. All rights Reserved.Working Girl, 1988
Cast: Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Cusack, Alec Baldwin
Plot: New York City receptionist Tess McGill puts forward an excellent business tip to her boss Katharine, who steals her idea without giving her credit. When Katharine ends up in the hospital with an injured leg, Tess exacts the perfect revenge by pretending to be her boss and initiating a major deal with an investment broker. Still, soon Katharine finds out, and she is not happy.
© DisneyHoney, I Shrunk the Kids, 1989
Cast: Rick Moranis, Robert Oliveri, Amy O'Neill
Plot: We have core memories of watching Honey, I Shrunk the Kids as youngsters because it was seriously such a fun film to, quite literally, get lost in! The headline basically gives away the movie's plot, which centres on a scientist who, when trying to get his new shrinking machine to work, accidentally shrinks his children and throws them in the garbage, leaving them to fend for their survival in the garden.
Universal PicturesE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton
Plot: Directed by Steven Spielberg, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial centres on a little alien left behind on Earth and saved by young Elliott and his siblings, who attempt to hide their newfound friend as the task force searches for him.
Warner BrosDriving Miss Daisy, 1989
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd
Plot: A twenty-year bond between an old Southern Jewish lady and her African-American driver is strengthened over twenty years as they learn about grief, racial discrimination and a series of other valuable life lessons.
© 1995 Universal Studios All Rights ReservedThe Breakfast Club, 1985
Cast: Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez
Plot: The ultimate story about coming together despite your differences. The Breakfast Club is a classic movie that centres on five polar opposite high school students who eventually end up becoming close friends after they're forced to spend their Saturday mornings in detention in the school library.
© Paramount PicturesFlashdance, 1983
Cast: Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri, Cynthia Rhodes
Plot: Dance movies never disappoint, and the eighties classic Flashdance is no exception. The film focuses on Alex Owens, a teen juggling two jobs who dreams of becoming a successful ballet dancer. With the help and guidance of her boss and lover, Nick, she pursues her career ambitions with a dazzling outcome.
Arrow FilmsHeathers, 1988
Cast: Christian Slater, Winona Ryder, Kim Walker, Shannen Doherty
Plot: High school Queen bee Veronica, who disapproves of another girl's cruel behaviour, accidentally poisons her along with her boyfriend J.D. They both make it look like it was an apparent suicide. However, to her horror, Veronica soon realises that J.D is intentionally killing students that he doesn't like, prompting her to race against time to stop him, all while clashing with her clique's new leader, Heather Duke.
Moonstruck, 1987
Cast: Cher, Nicholas Cage
Plot: Cher won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of windowed Loretta, who intends to remarry when she meets a friendly and secure man named Johnny. However, trouble arises when she meets his moody and passionate brother Ronny, to who she is very attracted.
Columbia Tri-StarGandhi, 1982
Cast: Ben Kingsley
Plot: The titular Indian lead is the focus of this biographical drama. Kingsley takes on the role of the lawyer who became the leader of the Indian revolts against British rule through his enlightening philosophy of nonviolent protest.
Pacific Title and Art StudioDirty Dancing, 1987
Cast: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey
Plot: Dirty Dancing is another must-watch classic centred on teenager Frances, who holidays with her parents at New York's Catskill Mountains resort, where she becomes smitten with their rebellious dance instructor, who teaches her the art of "dirty dancing".
TM, ® & © 2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.Ordinary People, 1980
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth McGovern, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch
Plot: Alienated teenager Conrad Jarrett attempts suicide after being tormented by guilt following the death of his older brother Buck in a sailing accident. After returning from a psychiatric hospital, Conrad tries to mend his relationship with his suddenly cold and distant mother and his emotionally wounded father. An incredibly moving drama.
Big, 1988
Cast: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins
Plot: A 13-year-old discovers his wish has been fulfilled as she wakes up the day after informing a fortune-telling machine that he desires to be bigger in size.
TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy Stock PhotoHalloween 2, 1981
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis
Plot: After the horror movie Halloween became a bonafide hit in 1978, the excitement for the second instalment was fever-pitch. The following franchise instalment sees a traumatised Laurie Strode rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital as the terrifying Mike Myers attempts to hunt her down again. The eighties were massive for the movie franchise as Halloween III: Season of the Witch was released in 1982, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers in 1988 and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers in 1989.
© 2017 NBCUniversal All Rights ReservedOut of Africa, 1985
Cast: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Iman
Plot: In 20th-century colonial Kenya, Danish baroness Karen von Blixen falls in love with free-spirited Denys Hatton, a local big-game hunter, as she establishes a coffee plantation. The movie won big with seven awards at the Oscars, including Best Picture.
© Warner BrothersBeetlejuice, 1988
Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Catherine O'Hara
Plot: When a deceased couple, Adam and Barbara, are unsuccessful in attempting to scare away a family that has moved onto their old home, they see the help of an obnoxious and devious "bio-exorcist" Beetlejuice to scare away the house's new inhabitants.
©Paramount Intl PicturesComing to America, 1988
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley
Plot: African Prince Akeem has to marry a woman he has never seen on his 21st birthday. However, he does not want that for himself, and determined to break family and cultural tradition, he heads to America to look for the true love of his life.
COPYRIGHT © 2017 BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.Fatal Attraction, 1987
Cast: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer
Plot: In this thriller, married lawyer Dan Gallagher indulges in an extra-marital affair with his colleague Alex. However, when he tries to end things with her, she gets obsessed with him and sabotages his life, family and relationship with his wife.
Album / Alamy Stock PhotoThe NeverEnding Story, 1984
Cast: Noah Hathaway, Tami Stronach, Barret Oliver
Plot: This is a fun one to watch if you have kids or younger family members. The NeverEnding Story sees Bastain take refuge in an old bookstore to escape his dull life and school bullies. However, things suddenly liven up for him as he reads an ancient storybook and delves into the mythical world of Fantasia.
TM & Copyright © (1984) by Paramount Pictures Corporation. All rights reserved.Footloose, 1994
Cast: Kevin Bacon, John Lithgow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lori Singer
Plot: When a big-city teenager moves to a small town, he discovers that rock music and dancing have been banned. He doesn't take that lightly and attempts to shake things up with his rebellious spirit.
© 1985 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.The Goonies, 1985
Cast: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman
Plot: A group of adventurous children take on a property developing company which plans to destroy their home to build a country club. When the children discover an old pirate map in the attic, they follow it into an underground cavern in search of lost treasure but come up against plenty of dangerous obstacles.
RAIN MAN © 1988 METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC.. All Rights ReservedRain Man, 1988
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise
Plot: Car dealer Charlie Babbitt returns home to Cincinnati following the passing of his estranged father. It is there he learns that he has an autistic older brother named Raymond and that his father has left his $2 million fortune to the mental institution where Raymond lives. Motivated by greed and money, Charlie immediately checks Raymond out of the institution, and the pair embark on a cross-country road trip to Los Angeles.
TM,® &Copyright ©2003 By Paramount Pictures All Rights ReservedTop Gun, 1986
Cast: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis
Plot: If you haven't watched or even heard about Top Gun, you must have been hiding under a rock because Tom Cruise is magnificent as top pilot Maverick, who, after losing his friend, is given a second chance to redeem himself at the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School. However, his cocky attitude does not go down too well with the other pilots, and as well as making rivals, he's also fighting for the attention of his stunning flight instructor, Charlotte Blackwood.
TM & Copyright © 2015 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All rights reservedThe Accused, 1988
Cast: Jodie Foster, Kelly McGillis
Plot: Jodie Foster won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a young waitress named Sarah Tobias in The Accused, who sets out to prosecute her rapists and the men who encouraged them with her district attorney Katheryn. This movie, based on a true story, is haunting and tragic while also highlighting the strength of women.
© Photoshot Inc.Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Grey, Alan Ruck
Plot: High school student Ferris Bueller, a high school student, is a pro at faking an illness and calling in sick. When he makes one last sick day before graduation, he "borrows" a Ferrari and embarks on a one-day journey through the streets of Chicago. However, he is closely trailed by his suspicious high school principal Rooney who is determined to catch him in the act.
Warner BrothersA Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984
Cast: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund
Plot: A terrified young girl falls prey to a disfigured midnight mangler named Freddy Krueger, who haunts her dreams and can, in turn, kill her in her sleep. She attempts to stay awake, hoping to avoid the killer who wants her dead.
