I have 4 dvd racks, each with 4 shelves on them. They're all filled, with about 2 shelves worth of overflow. Of all those dvds, I have about 2.5 shelves worth of 70s movies, and about 5 shelves worth of 80s movies.

I suppose in the 70s, horror was still up and coming. You had some legitimately creepy films from that era, and if they weren't creepy, they were at least good stories. Then when the 80s came around, producers were more well aware of such a thing known as "horror fans", and they'd cater to the formulaic nature of what those people liked about these movies, leading to more exaggerated takes on these movies. More gore, more tits, and a general sense of debauchery about them that was relished by fans from this era.

You had a lot more humor thrown into the 80s movies, too. This could lead to a general lighter tone to most of them, which can also lead to a better replay value, especially when VHS was becoming a thing, and people would in fact rewatch these movies on home media.


I was talking with @der yesterday about the skate scene from the early 2000s. We were watching "Ridiculousness" (surprised that it's still going) and we thought of where all these skaters are now. I used to skate when I was a mid-teenager, but I'd notice more and more skaters became less about the skating and more about the crowds, and I think that type of metaphor can apply to this situation too. In the 80s, horror became the scene, and it started off strong, but then more people stopped caring about the actual horror aspect of these movies until they became jokes, and that's what led to the fucking 90s.


So I can see why someone would choose either one of these decades. 70s still had that lingering sense of class from the 60s, but 80s had more fun, colors, and abundance.

Good post. I agree with a lot of your insights. Makes sense.

I guess in a lot of ways it depends on the viewer and what you hold dear - I like cheesy, weird stuff. So in that respect, even though the late 80s was filled to the brim with shit, there's still a lot for me to dig through and appreciate.

I really can't decide between these eras. While most of the horror pre 1970 was pretty tame even though there were exceptions such as HG Lewis movies, I think 70s set a new benchmark in horror in the graphical aspect. Suddenly there didn't seem to be any limits any more. I love the 80s horror, it became even more graphic but I fail to think of what new ingredient it brought to the genre? Gratuitous nudity was already there in the 70s too.

But since both periods have enough of horror flicks with that grouchy VHS look that none of the newer modern horror can really re-create even if they try the handcam or mobile phone camera filming it still doesn't look that dirty or repulsive. My main gripe with modern horror is too colorful, polished and clean. Even if the blood and gore was fake as hell in the 70s and 80s it fel raunchy and had that look and feeling I prefer over the stuff that came later. I find it always odd when people say how they loved the stunning visuals in a horror movie, I'm like wtf you watch a horror movie because it has pretty images?

I think I have more 80s than 70s in my collection but you can't make me choose.

I love both decades, and am usually in the mood for one or the other, these days, but I'm all about the 70's. Besides taste, I think choosing between those 2 decades also comes down to one's personality, and which era is more you. Despite not being alive for any of it, I just think the 70's seemed like a far cooler time to live through. But a far as taste goes, yeah. If you prefer your Horror films to be fun, cheesy ad crazy as opposed to raw, mysterious and unusual, then, I can see the 80's being more appealing.

I prefer 80s horror. Certainly more of my purchases come from the 80s. However, I disagree about there being not nearly as much to like. 70s horror was innovative, whereas 80s horror was more about sequels and rip offs, which falls under quality vs. quantity. I enjoy plenty of those sequels and rip offs, but by the second half of the 80s, they were starting to wear thin. For example, slashers. I'm not sure there's any slasher from the second half of the 80s I'd consider a favorite, yet there are plenty from the first half of the 80s and even a few from the 70s.

Basically, I think 80s horror was great for a while, but it wasn't flawless, especially near the end of the decade. And with that in mind, I can understand why someone might prefer 70s horror. While not flawless either, it never reached the overall low quality 80s horror eventually managed to reach.

In the 80s with horror the same as with music, it became a business you had friday the 13th, halloween, elms st etc franchises, horror became very manufactered.
Just like the Music, in the 70s you had deep purple in the 80s you got fucken duran duran.
The raw energy was lost somewhat, in the 70s ppl were doing it mainly for love, in the 80s it became doing it to make money.
Granted 1980,81 were good in fact they felt more 70s than 80s

in the 80s sex became toned down as well, in the 70s you had full nudity, the 80s well you got see some colledge girls tits,
I felt the subject matter became far more conservative as well

I agree with some of what you're saying, but this is just cherry picking

Just like the Music, in the 70s you had deep purple in the 80s you got fucken duran duran

I could just as easily say in the 70s you had KC and the fuckin' Sunshine Band and in the 80s you got Slayer.

Actually yes and 70s had disco with the glitter and funny clothing, I really can't think myself dressed up like that for a party.

I totally would for a retro themed party! But alas, I don't get invited anywhere

Aren't there retro parties where you can just go to uninvited as long as you pay the entrance or have the right dress code? Are they all private nowadays?

They won't even let me in those. They see me coming and lock the doors.

well you could but theres no doubt music went lamer in the 80s

biggest selling albums of the 70s

1Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water - 1970
2Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - 1977
3Bee Gees - Saturday Night Fever - 1978
4Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon - 1973
5Led Zeppelin - Four Symbols (Led Zeppelin 4) - 1971
6Pink Floyd - The Wall - 1979
7Eagles - Hotel California - 1976
8The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers - 1971
9Grease: The Original Soundtrack - 1978
10Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here - 1975
11Neil Young - Harvest - 1972
12John Lennon - Imagine - 1971
13The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street - 1972
14Supertramp - Breakfast In America - 1979
15Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life - 1976
16Carole King - Tapestry - 1971
17The Beatles - Let It Be - 1970
18Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy - 1973
19Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 1973

and the 80s
1 Michael Jackson - Thriller - 1982
2 Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms - 1985
3 U2 - The Joshua Tree - 1987
4 Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA - 1984
5 Michael Jackson - Bad - 1987
6 Prince - Purple Rain - 1984
7 The Police - Synchronicity - 1983
8 Paul Simon - Graceland - 1986
9 Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston - 1986
10 Phil Collins - No Jacket Required - 1985
11 Guns n' Roses - Appetite For Destruction - 1987
12 Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down - 1983
13 George Michael - Faith - 1987
14 Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet - 1986
15 Original Soundtrack - Dirty Dancing - 1987
16 Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman - 1988
17 Def Leppard - Hysteria - 1987
18 AC/DC - Back In Black - 1980
19 Madonna - True Blue - 1986
20 U2 - Rattle & Hum - 1988

of these 2 lists Im sure 90% here including yourself would pick the 70s

Oh God! For shame, 1980s! Two U2 records? Phil Collins Def Leppard? Kill me now!

I went to every Def Lep concert I could...not for the music(which wasn't that bad for 80's rock) but for the women! It was like a 10-1 female-male ratio at those shows. Hell, I'd bet I could get Yakko laid more than once at any one of those shows back then!

70s may have more respected releases, but I see an almost equal amount of crap there, and only a handful of favorites of mine on each.

This is more a clearer snapshot in time, I think:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1975

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1985

There's a lot more shit in the former. I'll take 80s any day.

I'm basically on your side on this one. The 80's were such a glorious mathirfaqqing smorgasbord for horror, it is unbeatable. But, when the 70's had a horror hit, it was a mega Grand Slam. I'm an 80's guy, but I see what you mean about the 70's.

One thing about the 70's is that some of the horror was less corporate, more genuine... I think of Audrey Rose when I think of this subject. There was some real, deep-seated middle-American unease with un-Christian religions and paradigms, and with anything new or "alien" (non-Western, non-Anglo... foreign). Race with the Devil captured this, too... I guess you could say the 80's had the Satanic panic going on, so I just disproved my own point... swell. The Exorcist is another example of what I'm trying to say. I'm pretty sure a LOT of people out there don't really understand that it's fiction at all. It gets into your mind on such a deep level, it just sways people. I think that came out of the zeitgeist of the late 60's and 70's, somehow, it couldn't have been made in the way it was at any other period.

What else, what else... The book Future Shock came out around 1970. People were really flipping out about things becoming more science fictiony in the 70's. I think the really serious horror movies of that decade were part of a reaction to science and progress... you could say that the Moral Majority, and various similar things that went on in the 80's, were a continuation of the same reaction.

Sorry, I'm just rambling. Trying to state what makes decades different is hard.

Slight edge to the 80's, ever so slight. Basically due to the advancement of SFX and gore.

Most of my favorite horror movies are from these two periods. The last few years of the 70s and the first half of the 80s gave us all the best slasher films. The early 70s gave us most of the best giallo and other Euro stuff. The 70s also has a big edge with made for TV horror movies, as those pretty much disappeared in the second half of the 80s. The 70s gave us a lot of really fun bad movies like Impulse, Stanley, The Meateater and Blood Freak. So it would be tough for me. I like a lot of films from both decades. I would say though that things started to tank from '85 onward.

It's a little different with music, for me at least. Someone posted a list of all the big albums from both years, and in the 70s list there's only maybe 2 I didn't like. But in the 80s list there's all the worst music ever created up to that time, like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and Prince.