The 80s produced some of the most brilliant and terrifying horrors of all time: who could forget critically acclaimed masterpieces like The Shining or The Thing? It was, however, also responsible for some of the most offbeat horror films ever made.

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In a time when it seemed nothing was off-limits and everyone was obsessed with cannibalism, 80s horror movies, (particularly B-movies), absolutely went for the jugular. They crammed in every kind of sadistic death, touched on every phobia, and terrorized small kids who secretly watched these movies without parental supervision. Though they are beyond creepy, totally bizarre, and are borderline in bad taste, for the most part, they are very entertaining.

'Slugs: The Movie' (1988)

Slugs The Film

Garden variety slugs become mutants after being exposed to toxic waste and wreak havoc on a small town in Slugs: The Movie. When the vicious, slimy critters can not be contained, it is up to Health Inspector, Mike Brady (Michael Garfield) to stop them.

The film, which is based on the novel, Slugs by Shaun Hutson, is as bonkers as you would imagine a film about killer slugs to be. In one scene a slug the size of a spoon crawls into a man's gardening glove which he is then unable to pull off: does the slug have super sticking powers? Still trying to remove the glove, the man stumbles, knocking some deadly chemicals onto the ground which begin to smoke and smolder. He then attempts to cut the gloves off with pruning shears, which have obviously not been sharpened in a while because they don't work either. In the struggle, he manages to trap himself under a shelf where the only thing he can reach is an axe. It is at this point that he decides that he may as well just amputate his hand: why go to the hospital or phone an ambulance? From there, things escalate very quickly and his entire house blows up. Killer slugs: 1. Man with the glove: 0.

'Motel Hell' (1980)

Motel Hell

Motel Hell tells the story of sibling farmers and hoteliers who lure victims to their motel and literally plant them in a garden until they are ready to be harvested and cooked in a smoker. When more people start to go missing, the sinister pairs, estranged brother Sheriff Bruce (Paul Linke) becomes suspicious and decides to investigate his siblings.

The whole film is a wild ride, from brother Vincent (Rory Calhoun) using cardboard cut-outs of cows and fake ads to capture victims to him later transforming into a fully-fledged chainsaw-wielding pig-man. The film contains pretty much every trope of 1980s horror films, the slightly incestuous brother and sister duo, sexual debauchery, Stockholm syndrome, cannibalism, and even a woman tied to a conveyor belt headed for cutting blades.

'Troll' (1986)

Troll

Things start to go horribly wrong for Harry Potter Jr. (Noah Hathaway) (not to be confused with that other Harry Potter) and his family when they move into a new apartment block and his little sister Wendy (Jenny Beck) is immediately possessed by an evil troll. Things go from bad to worse when Harry meets a witch who informs him of an ancient battle between fairies and humans that still rages within the very building he calls home. Now it is up to Harry to save his family and the rest of the building's residents before it is too late.

Other than people being turned into mythical creatures and talking tree stumps, the most bizarre part about Troll is the premise that the world was once divided between humans and fairies who eventually went to war. The humans won, and in retaliation punished the fairy's power-hungry leader by turning him into a troll.

'Evilspeak' (1981)

Evilspeak
Image via Warner Bros

Evilspeak is a cult classic that was banned in the UK for its graphic violence and satanic themes. The film centers around Stanley Coopersmith (Clint Howard) a military school student who is the victim of horrifically bullying. One day when being wrongfully punished for something he didn't do, Stanley stumbles across a book about how to perform the black mass. Stanley becomes obsessed with the ritual and steals a computer from the school lab to research it further. When the bullies commit their most heinous act yet, Stanley is pushed to breaking point and enlists the computer's help to perform the black mass.

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Evilspeak isn't for the faint-hearted, even though the effects are dated now, there are quite a few scenes that are hard to watch, especially if you are an animal lover. The film contains many of the common 80s horror themes, namely satanic panic and the outcast-turned-villain trope. However, it is the use of technophobia that leads to the most bizarre scenes, where the computer takes over the ritual.

'Dolls' (1986)

Dolls

If you are scared of old toys then steer well clear of Dolls. Shot in Italy in 1985, the film is about a group of people who seek shelter in a mansion during a violent storm. Because 80s B-horror movies had to jam as much misery in as possible, the film's central character, a little girl named Judy (Carrie Lorrain) has an awful family and is probably better off in the terrifying haunted mansion, with the weird old couple and a hoard of killer dolls, than she is with her neglectful father and volatile stepmother.

Every character in Dolls is creepier than the next, there's Judy's father (Ian Patrick Williams) who refers to himself as "daddy" when trying to seduce his wife, the stranded businessman Ralph (Stephen Lee) with the heart of a child and a love of toys who befriends little Judy, and of course the old couple and their dolls. As if that wasn't all strange enough, the guests are attacked by the dolls and start to turn into dolls themselves.

'Possession' (1981)

Possession

Perhaps one of the most bonkers horror films to come out of the 80s, Possession tells the story of Mike (Sam Neill) a spy who returns from Berlin to find his estranged wife acting rather peculiarly. Anna, (Isabelle Adjani) Mike's wife, is, as he suspected, having an affair, but this turns out to be the least of the couple's worries when Mike discovers the sinister secret that Anna is hiding in her second apartment.

The body count is high in Possession, and it is easy to see why the controversial film was banned in the UK for many years. Though it features a number of completely bizarre scenes, Possession has received widespread critical acclaim, winning several film festival awards including Best Actress and Palme d'Or at the 34th Cannes Film Festival.

'Hobgoblins' (1988)

Hobgoblins

Hobgoblins is the 1988 sci-fi horror about a group of horny teenagers who must defeat a bunch of furry goblins who use people's deepest fantasies against them in a vicious killing spree. Kevin (Tom Bartlett), a new security guard at a film studio has no idea of the terror he is unleashing on the world when he opens a deserted film vault and unknowingly frees the trapped extraterrestrial creatures.

Hobgoblins is about as bizarre as an 80s B-horror movie gets, however, the weirdest scene has to be when Amy (Paige Sullivan), Kevin's crush, has her fantasy bought to life by the hobgoblins, which as it turns out is becoming a striper and dancing on stage in a sleazy club.

'Parents' (1989)

Parents

Surprise, surprise, another 80s horror about cannibalism, this time it's the black comedy horror, Parents staring National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation's, Randy Quaid and The Exorcism of Emily Rose's Mary Beth Hurt, as parents of poor little Michael (Bryan Madorsky) a child who suspects his parents are cannibals when he finds body parts hanging in their basement.

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Parents has become a cult classic over time and has received praise for its social commentary on American life in the 1950s, but that doesn't negate the fact that it is disturbing as all hell. As if being forced to eat human flesh wasn't bad enough, things get even worse for Michael and even more uncomfortable for the audience when the young boy catches his parent doing the dirty amongst a pool of blood and human flesh.

'Night Of The Creeps' (1986)

Night Of The Creeps

The 80s filmmaker obsession with slug-like creatures continues in Night Of The Creeps, the horror sci-fi comedy where murderous alien slugs, eager to find hosts, are sent to Earth by aliens who look like giant naked babies. Though the first host is captured shortly, he is released years later by two naive college students allowing the slugs to go free and terrorize the town.

Night Of The Creeps was written and directed by The Predator writer, Fred Dekker and although it has its totally bonkers moments, (did we mention giant naked alien babies?) at the end of the day it is a fun, cult classic, alien slash zombie teen horror flick. It even scores highly on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average of 75%.

'Killer Klowns From Outer Space' (1988)

Killer Klowns From Outer Space

Killer Klowns From Outer Space is without question one of the wackiest horror films ever made. As the title implies, the film is about clown-looking aliens who arrive from outer space, determined to capture and harvest every human they can get their chunky hands on.

The clowns are the stuff of nightmares: they're giant, superhuman, four-fingered, make-up clad creatures sent from an unknown planet to harvest humans in cotton candy-like cocoons or turn them into popcorn. The entire film is completely bonkers: the only way to kill the clowns is through the giant red noses. However, they eventually respawn as popcorn kernels so good luck to anyone trying to enjoy a buttery snack while watching.

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