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Speak: There was a strange thing
about being a kid in the 80s.
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The adults were always worrying
us what might happen if we
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stayed out too late, talk to
strangers, went somewhere we
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weren't supposed to go, or
generally did any of the things
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we spent most of our childhood
doing. And then we went to the
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movies and watch teenagers make
those exact mistakes. Only
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instead of getting grounded,
they got murdered.
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Welcome to the Gen X Archives
Podcast, the podcast for Gen X
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history news and pop culture.
I'm your host pitfall Gary. Now,
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if you grew up in the 80s,
horror movies were everywhere.
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Slasher, Zombies, vampires with
really great hair, and a whole
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lineup of mask killers, ghosts,
and demons who ended up more
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famous than most of the
Presidents we grew up with.
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Today we're going back to the
horror boom of the 80s, how the
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monsters move from distant
castles into our neighborhoods,
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how the slasher films exploded,
how VHS put it all within our
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reach, and how Michael Jason and
Freddy somehow became pop
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culture celebrities. We'll also
get into the stuff that wasn't
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the Slasher films because the
decade gave us vampires, aliens,
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ghosts, killer dolls, practical
effect nightmares, and some of
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the best horror movies that were
ever made. Now, if you have
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questions or comments or if you
have a topic you're dying to
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hear on the show, send them over
to podcast@genxarcribes.com. Or
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leave a message on the voicemail
line 720-722-1066. I'd love to
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hear your horror movie stories
from this week. What was your
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first horror movie you weren't
supposed to see but saw it
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anyway? Now, the show notes for
this episode are at
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genxarcribes.com/2, the #2. So,
grab a blanket, leave a light on,
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and let's see how a generation
was raised by monsters. Now,
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horror wasn't invented in the
80s, obviously, and it's even
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older than the movies. There are
ghost stories recorded from the
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Middle Ages from Roman times and
even ancient Egypt. Now, movies
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made the stories more accessible.
Instead of telling a ghost story
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around a campfire to a handful
of people, now you could scare
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hundreds of people at once all
across the country. In the
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silent area had Nosferatu from
1922, an unauthorized adaptation
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of Brahms Stoker's Dracula. It
was so close to the original
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content that Stoker's widow sued
and she nearly succeeded in
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getting every copy destroyed.
Thankfully, some copies survived.
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And then in the 30s and 40s,
Universal Studios took over
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Dracula, Frankenstein, the mummy,
the wolf man, and into the 50s
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with the creature from the Black
Lagoon. The Universal Monster
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movies were Gothic, castles, fog,
villagers with torches. The
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monsters were foreign and
ancient. Sometimes they were
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science gone wrong. They were
scary, but they were also far
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away. Transylvanians along drive
from your house. The 50s changed
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horror again. Now, the monsters
came from the Atomic Age.
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Godzilla, giant ants in them.
The pod people in invasion of
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the body snatchers. The fear was
atomic, communist, or that your
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neighbor wasn't who he said he
was. And then the 60s came and
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Alfred Hitchcock made a little
black and white movie called
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Psycho. Now, Psychos were things
changed. Instead of a castle, it
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took place in a motel. And
instead of a supernatural
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monster, it was a shy, awkward
young man who runs the motel and
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loves his mother just a little
bit too much. The knife and
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shower scene are now iconic,
along with the sound. At the
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time, theaters wouldn't even let
people in after the movie
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started. That's how serious they
took the shock value. If you're
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tracing the slasher back to its
roots, Psycho is one of the
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movies to look at. A knife, a
private space, a killer who
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isn't some creature from another
world. He's just the guy running
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the motel. And horror was
getting closer. In the 70s and
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early 80s, the old Universal
Monster movies were now Saturday
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afternoon and late night staples
on television, which is when I
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first saw Creature from the
Black Lagoon. And that movie
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scared the heck out of me when I
was a kid. And a lot of us found
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those old movies through late
night horror shows hosted by
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larger than life characters,
Vampyrus, Sir Graves, Gasley,
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Sven Goole in the 70s, and he's
still around today. Then Elvira
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showed up in 1981. And suddenly,
a lot of teenage boys became
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very interested in old horror
movies. I'm sure it was because
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of the film history she
presented. By the time our
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generation came along, horror
had moved from Gothic Castles
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right into our neighborhood. The
70s set a different mood and the
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horror movies coming out of the
decade felt different. Vietnam,
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00:04:28,446
Watergate, Nixon Resigning, Gas
Lines, and Flation. There's
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plenty going on to make people
wonder whether the people in
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charge actually knew what they
were doing. Filmmakers responded
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to mood as well. The horror
coming out of the period was
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darker, grittier, and it didn't
feel optimistic. Just before the
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70s in 1968, George Romero made
Night at A Living Dead, and
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nobody's really in charge in
that movie. The authorities
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aren't much help. The people
trapped together can't agree on
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anything. And the ending doesn't
care about your feelings or
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giving you a happy ending. In
1973, the exorcist hit theaters.
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It was an event. People fainted.
People stood in lines around the
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block in the cold to see an
r-rated movie. Hoar had left the
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drive-in, and it was going big
time. It's a movie about a
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little girl in a nice house in a
nice neighbourhood. And
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something is wrong. Very wrong.
And nobody can fix it. Not the
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doctors. Not the priest. Not
even her own mother. Now my mom
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collected newspaper articles
about the exorcist. And I was
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strictly forbidden to ever watch
it. But that didn't stop me. And
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man, the exorcist is messed up.
It's one of those movies I can
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appreciate without feeling any
need to watch it annually. In
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1974, we got the Texas Chainsaw
Massacre. Another movie loosely
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inspired by real-life events.
It's shot in the Texas heat for
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almost nothing by a crew that
reportedly barely survived
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making it. It's criming, it's
sweaty, it's disturbing, it's a
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look into a life you wish you
never saw. 1974 also gave us a
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Canadian film called "Black
Christmas," a sorority house, a
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killer in the attic, creepy
phone calls, and one of those
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ideas that became part of Hoar
forever. The calls are coming
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from inside the house. Here's a
fun fact. Bob Clark, who
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directed "Black Christmas" well
nine years after that movie, he
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directed another Christmas movie,
an actual Christmas movie called
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a Christmas story. Also the guy
who gave us the killer in the
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attic also gave us the kid with
his tongue stuck on a flagpole.
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Psycho helped lay the groundwork,
and Black Christmas moved us
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even closer to what we'd
recognize as the modern slasher
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film. But there was a movie
coming out that would put the
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whole thing together. In 1975,
we got jaws, not a slasher, but
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became the first modern
blockbuster and proved a scary
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movie could become a cultural
event. An entire generation came
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out of that movie with a slight
fear of swimming. Then we got
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"Cari," the "Omen," the hills
have eyes, and the theater was
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packed with all kinds of horror
movies. But most of us were too
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young to go see them. We were
still watching Sesame Street and
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00:07:02,476
Saturday morning cartoons, but
Hort didn't only come to the
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00:07:05,796
movie screen, it came through
the television as well. And for
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00:07:09,556
a lot of us, that's where the
first scare came from. There was
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00:07:12,296
trilogy of tear with the little
zoony doll running around with a
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00:07:16,116
knife, and I watched reruns of
dark shadows in a cold, dark
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00:07:18,916
basement with my sisters, and
Barnaby's colon scared me to
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death. My sister used to take
advantage of that, making
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Barnaby seem even more
frightening once the television
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was off, and all the dark
corners of the basement started
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closing in. Then in 1979, came
the miniseries "Salem's Lot,"
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and if you saw a little kid
floating outside the window
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scratching at the glass, you
know what I'm talking about. I
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don't need to describe it. And
if you didn't see it, well,
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congratulations on having a
healthy, trauma-free childhood.
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Those weren't rated R. They were
on the same TV and the same
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living room that we watched The
Brady Blunch, which is how a lot
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of us learned the scariest place
to be was our own house. And
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then came the movie that proved
our neighborhood wasn't safe,
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either. It's 1978, and a young
director named John Carpenter
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00:08:03,768
makes a small movie about a kid
who kills his sister on
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Halloween night in 1963. The kid
gets locked up, then escapes 15
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years later and goes back home.
It's got a simple title,
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Halloween. They shot it in
California in the spring, and
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pretended it was October and
Illinois. If you look closely,
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you can see fake leaves
everywhere. They spread them
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around by hand. Carpenter even
wrote the score himself on a
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synthesizer. It only took him a
few days, and that's all they
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could do because they couldn't
afford anything else. And the
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killer's mask? It's a Captain
Kirk mask, William Shatter's
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face, spray-painted white with
the eye holes cut out a little
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wider, and that's it. The
scariest face in American movies
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for a generation was Captain
Kirk. But it worked. It was made
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for a few hundred thousand
dollars, and it brought in
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roughly seventy million dollars
worldwide. It also starred Jamie
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Lee Curtis in her first movie,
and in Bit of Trivia, her mother
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was Janet Lee, who was the star
in Psycho. Halloween gave the
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genre a formula. A masked killer,
a quiet suburban street.
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Teenagers and babysitters, one
surviving to the end. A girl
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00:09:12,347
who's smarter than everyone
around her. Long, slow shots
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from the killer's point of view.
And ending it says, "He's not
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00:09:20,610
dead. He's just waiting." Now
every producer in Hollywood
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looked at that budget and the
box office and came to the same
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thought, "I want one of those."
And boy did we get a lot of them.
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00:09:32,410
So we hit 1980 and the horror
boom is about to go nuclear.
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Sean Cunningham, who had made a
few low-budget movies, he
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watched Halloween make a fortune,
and figured there was room for
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another one. He was so confident
in his title, Friday the 13th,
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00:09:45,600
that he took out an ad in
variety before the movie was
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even put together. He had no
cast, the screenplay was still
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being developed, but he had an
idea and he had a title. The
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first Friday the 13th cost
around half a million dollars to
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00:10:00,736
make, it made over $60 million.
And the first fright of the 13th
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00:10:00,736 -->
00:10:04,216
didn't even feature Jason as the
killer. Spoiler, it was the
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00:10:04,216 -->
00:10:07,496
grief-stricken mother, Pamela
Voorhees. Betsy Palmer, who
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00:10:10,656
played Pamela, said she took the
job because her car had broken
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00:10:13,496
down and she needed money for a
new one, which might be the most
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00:10:17,109
practical reason anyone has ever
become a horror icon. Now, Jason
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00:10:20,829
only appears at the end and
still is a kid, but the movie
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00:10:25,005
still manages to get one last
shot in before the credits. Now,
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00:10:27,885
after the success of Halloween
and Friday the 13th, the
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00:10:33,130
floodgates opened. Or maybe the
gates of hell. Between 1980 and
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about 83/84, if there was a
holiday or school event,
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00:10:40,630
somebody was going to get
murdered. Prom night, tear train,
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my bloody Valentine. Happy
birthday to me, graduation day,
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00:10:48,810
sleepaway camp. Prom Valentine's
Day, your birthday, nothing was
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00:10:51,630
off limits. You couldn't throw a
party in the early 80s without a
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00:10:54,960
killer crashing it. The reason
they made so many was simple.
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They were money makers. These
movies were cheap to make. They
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00:11:02,810
had limited locations, mostly
unknown or young up-and-coming
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00:11:02,810 -->
00:11:06,430
actors. A title you could sell
with a poster, and lots of
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00:11:09,390
practical effects made from
latex, rubber, and gallons of
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00:11:13,370
fake blood. And if the killer
survived, you had a sequel. And
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00:11:17,170
that's how the killer became the
brand. Michael wasn't just the
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00:11:17,170 -->
00:11:20,440
villain in one movie, he was the
shape, and he was coming back.
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00:11:21,190 -->
00:11:24,570
Jason went from a twist ending
of one movie to the name on a
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00:11:24,570 -->
00:11:28,510
marquee. The monster was the
franchise. But these movies
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00:11:30,870
didn't become popular through
the theaters only. They had a
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00:11:35,492
big advantage in the 80s. The
rise of the videotape. Now the
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00:11:35,492 -->
00:11:38,722
VCR showed up and changed
everything. Video stores popped
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00:11:41,812
up all over. The mom and pop
shops and strip malls next to
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00:11:44,912
the pizza parlor and the dry
cleaner. Then blackbuster
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00:11:47,632
arrived in the middle of the
decade and made a chain across
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00:11:51,472
America video rental stores. And
in every one of these stores,
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00:11:51,472 -->
00:11:55,032
there was a horror section. And
then we had the boxes, those
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00:11:55,032 -->
00:11:58,612
glorious boxes. Here's what I
remember about those boxes and
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00:12:03,392
wandering the horror aisle. They
were art, skulls, masks, blood
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00:12:06,992
red lettering, a hand coming out
of the dirt, tag lines that red
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00:12:10,492
like a dare. And the box was
scarier than the movie half the
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00:12:13,532
time. You'd stand in the aisle,
staring at a picture of a guy
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00:12:13,532 -->
00:12:16,412
with knives for fingers trying
to work up the nerve to turn it
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00:12:16,412 -->
00:12:19,252
over and read the back. And you
couldn't rent it. Of course, it
210
00:12:19,252 -->
00:12:23,172
was read it are. But you could
kind of rent it. The guy behind
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00:12:23,172 -->
00:12:25,912
the counter didn't care. And it
was probably on your parents
212
00:12:25,912 -->
00:12:29,192
account anyway. Or you just went
to your friends house to watch
213
00:12:29,192 -->
00:12:32,092
the movie. And that's how a lot
of us saw these movies. There
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00:12:32,092 -->
00:12:36,012
wasn't some grand act of
rebellion. Somebody had a tape.
215
00:12:36,012 -->
00:12:38,272
Somebody's parents were at home
and they said, Hey, you guys
216
00:12:38,272 -->
00:12:41,412
want to watch this? Heck yeah,
we do. And that's the greatest
217
00:12:41,412 -->
00:12:43,872
thing about video, it turned
horror into something you could
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00:12:43,872 -->
00:12:46,492
own. You could pause it. You
could rewind it. You could watch
219
00:12:46,492 -->
00:12:49,972
the scary part four times in a
row until it wasn't scary
220
00:12:49,972 -->
00:12:53,592
anymore. Then you'd realize you
knew every line. It wasn't a
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00:12:53,592 -->
00:12:57,452
night out at the theater. It was
a sleep-over staple. A ritual,
222
00:12:57,452 -->
00:13:00,972
something you did with your
friends. Horror became social.
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00:13:00,972 -->
00:13:04,112
Somebody had the tape, the
lights went out. Everybody
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00:13:04,112 -->
00:13:06,092
pretended they weren't scared.
And if one of your friends
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00:13:06,092 -->
00:13:09,892
screamed first, that was held
over their head for years.
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00:13:09,892 -->
00:13:12,092
Looking back at the horror moves
of the 80s, you can see a little
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00:13:12,092 -->
00:13:14,892
bit of our childhood in them.
The parents were gone. They were
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00:13:14,892 -->
00:13:18,572
out of town or at a party. Maybe
they were dead, but they're
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00:13:18,572 -->
00:13:21,732
definitely clueless. The cops
would show up late if they ever
230
00:13:21,732 -->
00:13:24,252
showed up at all. And the
teenagers were left to figure it
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00:13:24,252 -->
00:13:27,672
out for themselves. Sounds
pretty familiar. We were at the
232
00:13:27,672 -->
00:13:30,902
latch key generation. A lot of
kids came home to empty houses,
233
00:13:31,272 -->
00:13:33,612
let themselves in and figured
out what to do in the afternoon
234
00:13:33,612 -->
00:13:36,593
until their parents showed back
up. It's interesting how the
235
00:13:36,593 -->
00:13:40,313
horror movies of our generation
put teenagers in exactly that
236
00:13:40,313 -->
00:13:43,933
position. The adults aren't here.
You're on your own. What are you
237
00:13:43,933 -->
00:13:47,033
going to do? That's part of the
reason these movies connected as
238
00:13:47,033 -->
00:13:50,143
strongly as they did. If you
were a kid in the 70s early 80s,
239
00:13:50,183 -->
00:13:53,253
think about your Halloween night.
My parents never came with us.
240
00:13:53,253 -->
00:13:56,753
Just us kids. Out after dark,
going door to door, nobody
241
00:13:56,753 -->
00:13:59,833
thought twice about it. It was
normal. And then along came a
242
00:13:59,833 -->
00:14:02,693
movie about a killer on
Halloween night walking the same
243
00:14:02,693 -->
00:14:06,033
streets we were walking. By the
middle of the decade, three guys
244
00:14:06,033 -->
00:14:09,323
had pretty much taken over the
horror aisle. Michael Myers,
245
00:14:09,323 -->
00:14:13,033
Jason Voorhees, and Freddy
Krueger. You put those three
246
00:14:13,033 -->
00:14:16,233
masks on the table, and half the
kids grew up in the 80s could
247
00:14:16,233 -->
00:14:19,193
identify them from across the
room. But those three weren't
248
00:14:19,193 -->
00:14:22,909
scary in the same way. Michael
Myers was a monster in the
249
00:14:22,909 -->
00:14:26,289
neighborhood. For me, what makes
him work is how literally does.
250
00:14:26,349 -->
00:14:31,309
He doesn't talk. He doesn't joke.
He has no catchphrase. He has a
251
00:14:31,309 -->
00:14:35,789
blank, white mask, a kitchen
knife, and all the time in the
252
00:14:35,789 -->
00:14:39,780
world. And the credits, they
just call him the shape. And
253
00:14:39,780 -->
00:14:43,240
that's perfect because he barely
counts as a person. He's a
254
00:14:43,240 -->
00:14:46,660
presence. He's in the hedge.
He's at the edge of the yard.
255
00:14:46,660 -->
00:14:49,480
He's standing behind the sheets
on the clothesline. And when you
256
00:14:49,480 -->
00:14:53,580
look again, he's gone. And the
whole thing is set on a street
257
00:14:53,580 -->
00:14:56,740
that looks like your street.
Sidewalks, porches,
258
00:14:56,740 -->
00:15:00,220
jack-a-lanterns, a baby sitting
job on a quiet night. If you
259
00:15:00,220 -->
00:15:02,960
grew up in the suburbs, Michael
didn't scare you in the theater.
260
00:15:02,960 -->
00:15:06,190
He scared you on the walk home.
He turned the sound of crunchy
261
00:15:06,190 -->
00:15:10,477
leaves into a threat. He made
you double-checked locks. And in
262
00:15:10,477 -->
00:15:13,757
the first movie, there's no
useful reason for him. There's
263
00:15:13,757 -->
00:15:16,707
no revenge pot that says, "Oh, I
get it. I see why he's there."
264
00:15:17,407 -->
00:15:19,957
That's what makes him work.
There's nothing to reason with
265
00:15:19,957 -->
00:15:25,075
or understand. He's just there.
Michael followed you home. But
266
00:15:25,075 -->
00:15:27,655
Jason was waiting when you
finally got away from home. At
267
00:15:28,005 -->
00:15:31,255
summer camp. Now, for a lot of
us, summer camp was the first
268
00:15:31,255 -->
00:15:34,335
time away from our parents. It
bunkbeds, a lake, campfire
269
00:15:34,335 -->
00:15:36,735
stores at night where someone
always told a ghost story to
270
00:15:36,735 -->
00:15:39,165
scare the kids. It was supposed
to be the best week of the year.
271
00:15:40,355 -->
00:15:44,095
Friday the 13th takes all of
that and turns into a trap. The
272
00:15:44,095 -->
00:15:46,415
counselors aren't paying
attention. And the whole reason
273
00:15:46,415 -->
00:15:49,215
the killer exists is that a kid
drowned while the counselors
274
00:15:49,215 -->
00:15:52,615
weren't watching. So underneath
all the ridiculous ways people
275
00:15:52,615 -->
00:15:55,655
get killed in these movies,
everything starts with one fact.
276
00:15:55,655 -->
00:15:58,445
A kid drowned because the people
who were supposed to be watching
277
00:15:58,445 -->
00:16:02,175
him weren't watching. Now, the
Jason we all picture. The big
278
00:16:02,175 -->
00:16:06,075
guy in a hockey mask with his
machete isn't in the first movie.
279
00:16:06,075 -->
00:16:09,915
And in part two, he's a guy with
a sack over his head. He finally
280
00:16:09,915 -->
00:16:13,875
gets the iconic hockey mask in
part three in 1982. And from
281
00:16:13,875 -->
00:16:17,995
there, the franchise takes off.
We get the final chapter, which
282
00:16:17,995 -->
00:16:20,935
was not the final chapter. But
it's probably the best movie in
283
00:16:20,935 -->
00:16:24,575
the franchise. And then we get a
new beginning, Jason Lives.
284
00:16:24,575 -->
00:16:27,515
There was a new Friday the 13th
movie almost every year in the
285
00:16:27,515 -->
00:16:31,955
80s. The Friday the 13th movies
became an annual event. And then
286
00:16:31,955 -->
00:16:36,795
we get a guy who haunts our
nightmares in 1984, a director
287
00:16:36,795 -->
00:16:39,455
named Wes Craven, who had
already made horror favorites.
288
00:16:39,455 -->
00:16:42,535
The last house on the left and
the hills have eyes made a new
289
00:16:42,535 -->
00:16:46,395
movie called a nightmare on Elm
Street. A new company called new
290
00:16:46,395 -->
00:16:50,335
line cinema released the movie.
The movie became their first
291
00:16:50,335 -->
00:16:53,875
major hit. And the franchise did
so well that new line was later
292
00:16:53,875 -->
00:16:58,191
called the house that Freddy
built. Craven got the idea for a
293
00:16:58,191 -->
00:17:00,511
nightmare on Elm Street from
real news stories about people
294
00:17:00,511 -->
00:17:03,871
who were afraid to fall asleep.
Some of them actually died in
295
00:17:03,871 -->
00:17:07,531
their sleep. And he thought,
what if the thing that kills you
296
00:17:07,531 -->
00:17:11,591
is in your dreams? That's a
great idea. I mean you can run
297
00:17:11,591 -->
00:17:15,251
from Michael, you can avoid
summer camp, but you can't skip
298
00:17:15,251 -->
00:17:19,471
sleep. Everyone has to go to bed.
And now bedtime is the deadly
299
00:17:19,471 -->
00:17:23,591
part. And Freddy scared us
differently. Michael and Jason
300
00:17:23,591 -->
00:17:26,051
could get you if you went
somewhere you shouldn't. Freddy
301
00:17:26,051 -->
00:17:29,751
could get you after your parents
took you safely into bed. He was
302
00:17:29,751 -->
00:17:33,331
different from Michael and
Jason's in one big way. He talks.
303
00:17:33,331 -->
00:17:37,291
He has a personality. He jokes
around. He has a striped sweater,
304
00:17:37,291 -->
00:17:40,561
a fedora, and a glove. By the
time we get to dream warriors,
305
00:17:40,561 -->
00:17:43,771
he's delivering one-liners in
the audience's cheering. He's
306
00:17:43,771 -->
00:17:48,218
like a stand-up comic who kills
people. He got his own TV series,
307
00:17:48,218 -->
00:17:51,898
Freddy's Nightmares, DJ Jazzy
Jeff and the fresh Prince
308
00:17:51,898 -->
00:17:54,438
recorded a nightmare on my
street, which actually got them
309
00:17:54,438 -->
00:17:59,138
sued by New Line Cinema. Freddy
got masks, costumes, posters,
310
00:17:59,138 -->
00:18:02,658
t-shirts. He was everywhere. And
here's the weird part for me
311
00:18:02,658 -->
00:18:06,758
about Freddy's popularity. He's
a child, murderer, and worse.
312
00:18:06,758 -->
00:18:10,318
Yet somehow he became a pop
culture mascot. Adults couldn't
313
00:18:10,318 -->
00:18:12,778
wrap their head around it, but
kids thought he was pretty funny
314
00:18:12,778 -->
00:18:16,998
and cool. There's a smarter idea
under Alan'sTread that glossed
315
00:18:16,998 -->
00:18:20,498
over. The reason Freddy exists
is that the parents did
316
00:18:20,498 -->
00:18:23,478
something terrible. They took
the law into their own hands,
317
00:18:23,478 -->
00:18:27,058
killed him, and never talked
about it again. Now the kids are
318
00:18:27,058 -->
00:18:29,998
paying for it in their sleep.
And every time Nancy tries to
319
00:18:29,998 -->
00:18:33,498
tell the adults what's going on,
they wave her off. She's on her
320
00:18:33,498 -->
00:18:36,778
own. She researches it, she sets
the traps, and she figures it
321
00:18:36,778 -->
00:18:40,018
out. That's what I find
interesting about all three. As
322
00:18:40,018 -->
00:18:42,778
a kid, you see Michael in the
white mask, Jason with his
323
00:18:42,778 -->
00:18:46,078
hockey mask and machete and
Freddy with his burned face and
324
00:18:46,078 -->
00:18:49,058
razor glove. But there's still
that underlying theme running
325
00:18:49,058 -->
00:18:52,218
through all three. Michael comes
into the neighborhood and the
326
00:18:52,218 -->
00:18:56,200
adults can't stop him. Jason
exists because adults failed a
327
00:18:56,200 -->
00:18:59,520
kid years earlier. Freddy
exists because parents took
328
00:18:59,520 -->
00:19:03,137
matters into their own hands and
buried the truth. And who ends
329
00:19:03,137 -->
00:19:06,787
up dealing with all of it? The
kids. Maybe that's one reason
330
00:19:06,947 -->
00:19:09,557
these movies connected so
naturally to a generation that
331
00:19:09,557 -->
00:19:13,177
was used to figuring things out
for itself. Now, if we only talk
332
00:19:13,177 -->
00:19:15,717
about the slasher's, you don't
get the full picture of horror
333
00:19:15,717 -->
00:19:19,437
in the '80s. For every guy with
a mask in a blade, there was
334
00:19:19,437 -->
00:19:23,442
something else going on. In 1982,
Steven Spielberg produced
335
00:19:23,442 -->
00:19:28,742
"Poltergeist," a horror movie
rated PG. Yeah, PG. It had a
336
00:19:28,742 -->
00:19:33,802
clown, a killer tree, skeletons
in the swimming pool, a
337
00:19:33,802 -->
00:19:38,842
television that starts talking
to the little girl. They're here.
338
00:19:38,842 -->
00:19:42,882
All in a nice house and a nice
neighborhood with a nice family.
339
00:19:42,882 -->
00:19:47,862
The PG trend kept going. In 1984,
we got Gremlins and Indiana
340
00:19:47,862 -->
00:19:50,402
Jones in the Temple of Doom,
which wasn't a horror movie, but
341
00:19:50,402 -->
00:19:54,132
it still rated PG. And those
movies had parents in an uproar.
342
00:19:54,742 -->
00:19:58,452
Gremlins in a microwave, a guy
getting his heart ripped out,
343
00:19:58,452 -->
00:20:01,392
enough people complaining that
Spielberg himself suggested a
344
00:20:01,392 -->
00:20:06,032
new rating system, something
between PG&R. In the summer of
345
00:20:06,032 -->
00:20:10,172
1984, they rolled out the PG-13
rating. If you've ever wondered
346
00:20:10,172 -->
00:20:13,632
why PG-13 exists, part of the
answers that we were getting
347
00:20:13,632 -->
00:20:16,732
traumatized by fuzzy little
creatures with sharp teeth. Now
348
00:20:16,732 -->
00:20:20,192
stepping back a few years, John
Carpenter returned in 1982 with
349
00:20:20,192 -->
00:20:23,872
"The Thing," men trapped in an
Antarctic research station with
350
00:20:23,872 -->
00:20:28,072
an alien that can imitate anyone.
Special effects by Rob Botten
351
00:20:28,072 -->
00:20:31,232
that still make people's stomach
turn. And if you've seen the
352
00:20:31,232 -->
00:20:34,552
blood test scene, you know what
I'm talking about. Paranoia in
353
00:20:34,552 -->
00:20:38,412
the snow? Nobody can trust
anybody. When the thing came out,
354
00:20:38,412 -->
00:20:41,592
critics hated it. It flopped at
the box office. It opened within
355
00:20:41,592 -->
00:20:45,392
a week of ET, and people that
summer wanted a friendly alien,
356
00:20:45,392 -->
00:20:49,112
not one that turns a dog inside
out. The thing didn't find its
357
00:20:49,112 -->
00:20:52,472
audience in theaters. So we had
to find it later on Cable and on
358
00:20:52,472 -->
00:20:55,602
VHS. And that's one of the
things that home video changed.
359
00:20:55,642 -->
00:20:58,272
A movie didn't have to live or
die based on what happened
360
00:20:58,272 -->
00:21:01,452
during its first few weekends in
the theater. We could discover
361
00:21:01,452 -->
00:21:05,212
it months or years later. The
thing is one of the best
362
00:21:05,212 -->
00:21:08,092
examples. While we're on the
effects, you should know the
363
00:21:08,092 -->
00:21:11,492
people behind them. The 80s were
a golden age of practical
364
00:21:11,492 -->
00:21:14,532
effects. Where a guy in a garage
could spend weeks building a
365
00:21:14,532 -->
00:21:18,032
rubber head that exploded on cue.
There was even a magazine,
366
00:21:18,032 -->
00:21:21,792
Fangoria, that started in 1979.
And it made stars out of the
367
00:21:21,792 -->
00:21:26,523
makeup artists. Tom Savini, Rick
Baker, Rob Botten. Kids rented
368
00:21:26,523 -->
00:21:29,003
in the drug stores and brought
it home. And a lot of these kids
369
00:21:29,003 -->
00:21:32,543
grew up to work and film makeup
and design. That's the legacy of
370
00:21:32,543 -->
00:21:35,563
80s horror that people don't
talk about enough. Then there
371
00:21:35,563 -->
00:21:38,943
was the indie stuff. In 1981, a
bunch of 20-somethings in
372
00:21:38,943 -->
00:21:42,683
Michigan led by Sam Raimi and
starring a guy named Bruce
373
00:21:42,683 -->
00:21:46,763
Campbell made the evil dead.
Five friends, a secluded cabin,
374
00:21:46,763 -->
00:21:50,012
and a book they should never
have opened. It was gross. It
375
00:21:50,012 -->
00:21:53,252
was full of camera tricks nobody
had seen before. Stephen King
376
00:21:53,252 -->
00:21:56,592
loved it. And it was a perfect
video store discovery. A movie
377
00:21:56,592 -->
00:21:59,272
you found on the shelf or heard
about from a friend. And you
378
00:21:59,272 -->
00:22:02,112
just had to see it. Horror
comedy was a big part of the
379
00:22:02,112 -->
00:22:05,682
decade, too. An American
werewolf in London, reanimator,
380
00:22:05,722 -->
00:22:08,872
the return of the living dead
with its punk and its cry for
381
00:22:08,872 -->
00:22:13,132
brains. Brain. Even Ghostbusters
and Soenright is a horror movie
382
00:22:13,132 -->
00:22:16,692
with lots of comedy. In late
1983, we got the thriller music
383
00:22:16,692 -->
00:22:20,592
video by Michael Jackson, a
14-minute music video, directed
384
00:22:20,592 -->
00:22:22,872
by the same guy who made
American werewolf in London.
385
00:22:23,642 -->
00:22:26,812
Zombies dancing information. I'm
not saying this is straight-hors.
386
00:22:27,082 -->
00:22:30,052
Certainly MTV horror, but every
kid in America was doing the
387
00:22:30,052 -->
00:22:35,352
claw hands. The fly in 1986,
with Jeff Goldbloom slowly
388
00:22:35,352 -->
00:22:38,492
turning into something horrible,
it's gross, but there's
389
00:22:38,492 -->
00:22:41,952
something else going on too. His
body is changing, and he can't
390
00:22:41,952 -->
00:22:44,492
stop it. Which is a pretty good
horror premise when you're
391
00:22:44,492 -->
00:22:47,372
trying to sell it to teenagers.
For anyone going through puberty,
392
00:22:47,372 -->
00:22:50,272
it's relatable. Maybe I'm
digging a little too deep. But
393
00:22:50,272 -->
00:22:52,572
look at Goldbloom halfway
through the movie. And tell me
394
00:22:52,572 -->
00:22:55,221
eighth grade didn't feel a
little bit like that. And then
395
00:22:55,221 -->
00:22:57,691
there were movies that spoke
straight to our soul.
396
00:22:57,951 -->
00:23:02,681
Frightnight in 1985. I love this
movie. I watch it every year.
397
00:23:03,171 -->
00:23:07,201
Teenager Charlie Brewster, sure,
his next-door neighbor is a
398
00:23:07,201 -->
00:23:10,701
vampire. Nobody believes him,
not his mom, not the police, not
399
00:23:10,701 -->
00:23:14,261
his girlfriend. The only person
who'll even help him is Peter
400
00:23:14,261 -->
00:23:18,481
Vincent, an aging horror host on
late-night TV. And yes, his name
401
00:23:18,481 -->
00:23:22,201
is a mashup of The Great Peter
Cushing and Vincent Price. The
402
00:23:22,201 -->
00:23:25,321
great thing about Frightnight is
Charlie's horror obsession turns
403
00:23:25,321 -->
00:23:29,101
out to be useful. The stuff
adults roll their eyes at will
404
00:23:29,101 -->
00:23:34,842
actually save his life. And in
1987, we got the Lost Boys, with
405
00:23:34,842 -->
00:23:39,462
the tagline Sleep All Day party
all night. That's pure gen X
406
00:23:39,462 -->
00:23:43,402
attitude. This is a movie where
the monsters were cool. Leather
407
00:23:43,402 -->
00:23:46,882
jackets, motorcycles, big hair,
a boardwalk, a shirtless
408
00:23:46,882 -->
00:23:50,182
saxophone player on the beach.
The vampires didn't lurk in
409
00:23:50,182 -->
00:23:53,102
castles. They were the older
kids you wanted to hang out with
410
00:23:53,102 -->
00:23:56,042
and knew you shouldn't. That's
what horror was doing in the
411
00:23:56,042 -->
00:23:59,842
late '80s. It stopped being just
the thing that scared you. It
412
00:23:59,842 -->
00:24:03,892
became the thing that styled you.
It was the music and the clothes.
413
00:24:04,152 -->
00:24:07,322
And Lost Boys gave us the frog
brothers, two teenagers who
414
00:24:07,322 -->
00:24:10,522
worked at a comic book store and
hunt vampires. They're basically
415
00:24:10,522 -->
00:24:13,422
kids who read too many horror
comics and turn it into survival
416
00:24:13,422 -->
00:24:16,762
training. The monster squad took
that idea even further. A bunch
417
00:24:16,762 -->
00:24:19,982
of kids obsessed with old
monster movies discover that
418
00:24:19,982 -->
00:24:24,147
knowing the rules might actually
save the world. And as the
419
00:24:24,147 -->
00:24:28,787
decade was winding down, Childs
Play gave us chucky in 1988. It
420
00:24:28,787 -->
00:24:31,307
showed right up when every kid
in America wanted a doll that
421
00:24:31,307 -->
00:24:35,787
looked like a real boy. My buddy,
the whole talking doll craze and
422
00:24:35,787 -->
00:24:39,527
somebody said, "What if the doll
was a possessed murderer?" So
423
00:24:39,527 -->
00:24:42,067
when someone tells you the '80s
were all slasher's, you can tell
424
00:24:42,067 -->
00:24:44,867
them they're maybe half right.
It was more than that that it
425
00:24:44,867 -->
00:24:49,547
was vampires, aliens, ghosts in
the TV and rubber monsters and
426
00:24:49,547 -->
00:24:53,366
gallons of fake blood. While
kids were embracing hor movies
427
00:24:53,366 -->
00:24:56,846
and Freddy Krueger was becoming
a celebrity, parents started
428
00:24:56,846 -->
00:25:00,246
noticing and they started
worrying. In the '80s, parents
429
00:25:00,246 -->
00:25:02,926
worried a lot about stuff that
kids were into, heavy metal,
430
00:25:02,926 -->
00:25:06,426
dungeons and dragons, video
games, horror movies, and
431
00:25:06,426 -->
00:25:10,206
critics were harsh. Cisco and
Ebert devoted a whole show going
432
00:25:10,206 -->
00:25:15,346
after the slasher genre, parent
groups protested. In 1984,
433
00:25:15,346 -->
00:25:18,226
Silent Night, Deadly Night, a
movie about a killer dressed as
434
00:25:18,226 -->
00:25:22,466
Santa Claus drew actual protests
outside theaters, and the movie
435
00:25:22,466 -->
00:25:25,206
disappeared from theaters
quickly. Nothing gets parents
436
00:25:25,206 -->
00:25:27,426
organized quite like someone
coming after Santa Claus, I
437
00:25:27,426 -->
00:25:30,566
guess. In Britain, they went
even further. The government
438
00:25:30,566 -->
00:25:33,706
went after what they called
"video nasties," tapes that had
439
00:25:33,706 -->
00:25:36,786
slipped into stores without an
official rating. It led to new
440
00:25:36,786 -->
00:25:39,946
laws about video rentals and
also made those tapes cooler.
441
00:25:39,946 -->
00:25:42,526
Nothing makes a movie or
anything more appealing than
442
00:25:42,526 -->
00:25:46,146
someone calling it dangerous. To
be fair, some of this stuff did
443
00:25:46,146 -->
00:25:49,056
scare the hell out of us. Kids
can absolutely have nightmares
444
00:25:49,056 -->
00:25:52,296
after suing something they're
not ready for. Images stick,
445
00:25:52,296 -->
00:25:55,706
fear stick, a nine-year-old and
a 19-year-old aren't watching
446
00:25:55,706 -->
00:25:59,875
the exorcist and processing it
the same way. What doesn't track
447
00:25:59,875 -->
00:26:02,995
is the old panic that watching
Jason or Freddy Krueger somehow
448
00:26:02,995 -->
00:26:06,315
turns kids into violent people.
That's a much bigger claim, and
449
00:26:06,315 -->
00:26:09,235
there's no evidence to support
it. So the answer isn't black
450
00:26:09,235 -->
00:26:12,035
and white. Horror wasn't
harmless for every kid, and it
451
00:26:12,035 -->
00:26:15,215
wasn't corrupt in an entire
generation. It affected us
452
00:26:15,215 -->
00:26:18,811
differently. And a lot of us got
something good out of it. We got
453
00:26:18,811 -->
00:26:21,471
practice at being afraid in a
safe place, and coming out the
454
00:26:21,471 -->
00:26:24,591
other side. We connected with
our friends. We got a whole
455
00:26:24,591 -->
00:26:27,251
subculture of people who could
talk about a "gore" effect the
456
00:26:27,251 -->
00:26:30,751
way that some people talk about
baseball. Some of us ended up in
457
00:26:30,751 -->
00:26:34,351
film where effects are in
writing. Fear, it turns out, is
458
00:26:34,351 -->
00:26:37,664
a pretty decent teacher. Now,
there's one more thing about
459
00:26:37,664 -->
00:26:40,624
these movies, and that's the
girl at the end. Film scholar
460
00:26:41,014 -->
00:26:44,464
Carol Clover gave us the term
"final girl" for the young woman
461
00:26:44,464 -->
00:26:48,444
who survives. Laurie and
Halloween, Nancy and Elm Street,
462
00:26:48,444 -->
00:26:51,064
and the final girl is the one
who notices things. She's the
463
00:26:51,064 -->
00:26:53,884
one who doesn't go along with
the party. She's the one who,
464
00:26:53,884 -->
00:26:58,004
when adults, fail, picks up a
weapon and finishes it herself.
465
00:26:58,004 -->
00:27:00,504
Critics have a point, too. A lot
of these movies treat young
466
00:27:00,504 -->
00:27:03,504
women as targets, and if you
have sex, you die, rule became a
467
00:27:03,504 -->
00:27:06,804
cliche. But if you look closer,
it's more mixed. Plenty of
468
00:27:06,804 -->
00:27:10,384
victims die no matter what they
do. And the final girl is smart,
469
00:27:10,384 -->
00:27:13,241
tough, and steady. More
importantly, the movie
470
00:27:13,241 -->
00:27:15,721
eventually asks us to identify
with her. We're not just
471
00:27:15,721 -->
00:27:18,201
watching her get chased. We're
hoping she figures out how to
472
00:27:18,201 -->
00:27:22,229
beat this guy. So we're slasher
as punishing teenagers. Or were
473
00:27:22,229 -->
00:27:25,309
they showing teenagers left to
survive in a world of grown-ups,
474
00:27:25,309 -->
00:27:28,399
having made safe? The eighties
turn the modern horror villain
475
00:27:28,359 -->
00:27:32,309
into a franchise. Every time you
see a mass villain in a sequel
476
00:27:32,309 -->
00:27:34,849
of reboot, or one of those
legacy follow-ups where the
477
00:27:34,849 -->
00:27:37,989
original heroine comes back 30
years later. You're watching a
478
00:27:37,989 -->
00:27:41,569
model that the eighties helped
perfect. It helped build a much
479
00:27:41,569 -->
00:27:44,989
bigger fan culture. The
magazines, the tape trading, the
480
00:27:44,989 -->
00:27:47,379
conventions, the collectors.
What had once been a niche
481
00:27:47,789 -->
00:27:50,829
fandom became more visible.
Practical effects turn into an
482
00:27:50,829 -->
00:27:54,349
art form. The movie's critics
hated are now taught in film
483
00:27:54,349 -->
00:27:59,041
classes. And it shaped what came
next. In the 90s, Wes Crave and
484
00:27:59,041 -->
00:28:02,701
came back with Scream. A movie
where the kids know the rules
485
00:28:02,701 -->
00:28:05,601
because they grew up watching
the same movies we did. The
486
00:28:05,601 -->
00:28:08,261
audience had become genre
literate. And later you get
487
00:28:08,511 -->
00:28:11,441
things like "Stranger Things",
which seems like someone dumped
488
00:28:11,441 -->
00:28:15,381
the entire 1980s video store
into a blender that kids who
489
00:28:15,381 -->
00:28:18,101
grew up in the 80s horror movies
became the people making the
490
00:28:18,101 -->
00:28:22,289
next generation of them. So what
did horror do to us? Probably
491
00:28:22,289 -->
00:28:25,149
not what our parents were afraid
it would do. We didn't turn into
492
00:28:25,149 -->
00:28:28,449
Michael Myers because someone
let us rent Halloween. We didn't
493
00:28:28,449 -->
00:28:31,669
summon anything because we watch
a witch board. Although I'm sure
494
00:28:31,669 -->
00:28:35,449
someone's youth pastor has a
different opinion. Mostly we got
495
00:28:35,449 -->
00:28:38,589
scared, sometimes really scared,
and then we rewind the tape and
496
00:28:38,589 -->
00:28:41,539
watched it again. We learned
which friend would scream first.
497
00:28:41,949 -->
00:28:44,389
We learned that you never
investigate the noise in the
498
00:28:44,389 -->
00:28:47,409
basement. We learned that summer
camps, babysitting jobs,
499
00:28:47,409 -->
00:28:50,549
suburban neighborhoods, and
dreams were all extremely
500
00:28:50,549 -->
00:28:54,229
dangerous places. Yet somehow
along the way, those monsters
501
00:28:54,229 -->
00:28:58,969
became part of the culture we
shared. Michael, Jason, Freddy,
502
00:28:58,969 -->
00:29:02,729
we didn't even need last names.
We knew who they were. They were
503
00:29:02,729 -->
00:29:06,449
on posters, video boxes,
magazine covers, Halloween masks,
504
00:29:06,449 -->
00:29:08,729
and in Monday morning
conversations about whatever
505
00:29:08,729 -->
00:29:11,509
someone's older brother rented
over the weekend. They scared
506
00:29:11,509 -->
00:29:15,270
the hell out of us and we kept
coming back. Maybe we weren't
507
00:29:15,270 -->
00:29:18,250
actually raised by monsters, but
they were certainly hanging
508
00:29:18,250 -->
00:29:22,741
around while we grew up. And I'm
pretty glad they were. That will
509
00:29:22,741 -->
00:29:25,921
wrap up our trip down the horror
movies that help raise
510
00:29:25,921 -->
00:29:28,421
generation X. Now I want to hear
yours. What was the movie that
511
00:29:28,421 -->
00:29:31,141
got you? What was the one you
saw way too young? The one
512
00:29:31,141 -->
00:29:34,441
someone brought to a sleepover
or that video box, are you
513
00:29:34,441 -->
00:29:37,261
couldn't stop staring at even
though it scared you. Send it
514
00:29:37,261 -->
00:29:39,881
over to
podcast@genexarchives.com or
515
00:29:39,881 -->
00:29:46,954
leave a some message on the
voicemail line 720-722-1066. You
516
00:29:46,954 -->
00:29:49,434
can find a full list of the
movies and sources for this
517
00:29:49,434 -->
00:29:53,454
episode in the show notes at
GenXarchives.com/2. If you're
518
00:29:53,454 -->
00:29:56,514
enjoying the podcast, share it
with somebody else. Send it to
519
00:29:56,514 -->
00:29:58,954
another GenX or who spent way
too much time wandering around
520
00:29:58,954 -->
00:30:02,133
the horror section in the video
store. Thanks again for
521
00:30:02,133 -->
00:30:04,243
listening to the GenX Archive
podcast where we're preserving
522
00:30:05,043 -->
00:30:09,453
analog memories in a digital
world. Now go turn on a light or
523
00:30:09,453 -->
00:30:09,733
go.
