This is the third in a series of articles where we’ll be covering the Top Body Horror Films by decade. Body Horror is a Horror subgenre that features viral or medical transformations of the human body. Changes in the body are often grotesque and visually disturbing. Body Horror often shares similarities with other Horror subgenres such as Psychological and Medical Horror and Splatter and Gore films and Sci-Fi subgenres including Sci-Fi Biotech Films. However, Body Horror often focuses on the mutilation of the body or resulting transformation.
This third article will cover the Best Body Horror Films from the 1980’s and you can check out additional articles by decade below:
- Best Cronenberg Body Horror Films
- Top Body Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 1970’s
- Top Body Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 1980’s
- Top Body Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s
- Top Body Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 2000’s
- Top Body Horror Films You Haven’t Seen – 2010’s
- Best Recent Body Horror Films
- Best Body Horror Films of All Time
The 1980’s saw the continued emergence of Body Horror as an up-and-coming Horror genre. Quality continued to increase with Body Horror films, budgets were larger and more A-list directors, writers and actors/actresses were taking part in this new Horror subgenre wave. As with other decades, themes of the subgenre were also present with the flood of Alien (1979) knock-offs, the growing intersection of Cosmic Horror with Body Horror, remakes of 1950’s Horror films and increasing influence of David Cronenberg on the entire subgenre.
With the success of Alien (1979) in the prior decade and Aliens (1986) in this decade, it was inevitable that much inferior knockoffs would appear. While some of these films were more Body Horror focused, they were almost direct replicas of the first two Alien franchise films: Inseminoid (1981), The Beast Within (1982), Parasite (1982), Xtro (1982), Leviathan (1989) and The Terror Within (1989). Note: this is only a list of films ‘inspired’ by Alien that fall within the Body Horror subgenre and we’ll likely create an exhaustive list of all the Alien clones in the near future.
Cosmic Horror emerged in the 1980’s often in parallel with the Body Horror subgenre. Though these two subgenres have different foundational themes, Cosmic Horror often incorporates Body Horror specific to the transformation of Humans. H.P. Lovecraft often used themes of Body Horror and they were featured in film adaptations of his works with Re-Animator (1985) and From Beyond (1986). Clive Barker also saw his works adapted in the 80’s with a sub-par film adaptation in Underworld (Transmutations)(1985) and the Cosmic Horror and Body Horror subgenre classics Hellraiser (1987) and Hellraiser II: Hellbound (1988).
Remakes also became more popular in the 1980’s as the decade made it more acceptable to show more visual (and gruesome) Body Horror elements. The Thing (1982) would become a classic of multiple Horror subgenres (including Body Horror) through its use of very disturbing Body Horror elements. The visual horror of The Thing’s cloning and transformation was a vast improvement over the original The Thing from Another World (1951). Like The Thing, The Fly (1986) was also an improvement over The Fly (1958) by showing the visual degradation of Seth Brundle as the Fly DNA begins to take over his Human DNA. And while The Blob (1988) was actually a slight downgrade from the original The Blob (1956), the remake did take steps to show the assimilation of humans by The Blob in a more visually and horrific manner.
And finally, David Cronenberg continued his ascent as the Godfather of Body Horror in the 1980’s with Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), The Fly (1986) and Dead Ringers (1988). We have more information on David Cronenberg and his effects on the Body Horror subgenre in our article on the Best Cronenberg Body Horror films.
Our complete list of Body Horror Films features over 186+ films from 1956 – 2022. We’ll outline some of the rare and lesser-known Body Horror films from the 1980’s below and if you’re looking for some Body Horror film recommendations, subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release our series of articles outlining rare and lesser-known Body Horror films by decade.
Classic, must-see Body Horror Films of the 1980’s: Altered States (1980), Scanners (1981), An American Werewolf in London (1981), The Thing (1982), Videodrome (1983), Re-Animator (1985), Demons (1985), Aliens (1986), The Fly (1986), From Beyond (1986), Hellraiser (1987), Akira (1988) and Society (1989).
Lesser-known and Rare Body Horror Films from the 1980’s that didn’t make our list: Demonoid: Messenger of Death (1981), Spasms (1983), Underworld (1985), Parasite (1982), Basket Case (1982), Blue Monkey (1986), Street Trash (1987) and Dead Ringers (1988).
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Here is our list of the Top Body Horror Films from the 1980’s You Haven’t Seen:
#10
The Beast Within
Plot: A young woman gets raped by a mysterious man-creature, and years later her son begins a horrific transformation into a similar beast.
KBZ’s Take: This is a film that had a bit of notoriety around it when it released in the early 80’s. Similar to The Evil Dead (1981) and a few other early 80’s horror films, the film features a ‘woman raped by a monster/entity’ sequence. Though it’s not a graphic scene (by today’s standards), the film became primarily known for that specific sequence.
As for the film itself, it’s also considered a rip-off of Alien (1979) but we would say the film has more in common with Films About Werewolves. It’s not a great film by any means, but it does have a somewhat interesting human transformation sequence towards the end of the film that subgenre films will likely enjoy.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Zv8u4q
#9
The Brain
Plot: Dr. Blake runs a TV show called Independent Thinkers, which is sort of a Scientology-like self-help/religion program. But he’s not making his audience think any more independently – with the help of an alien organism he calls The Brain, he’s using brainwashing and mind control. The only thing that stands between them and world domination is a brilliant but troubled high school student with a penchant for pranks…
KBZ’s Take: This is a B film but slightly better than similar mid-tier Body Horror during the decade. While the special effects are pretty bad and the film has its share of requisite Horror film idiots (i.e. Don’t tell the Brain you’re going to tell the press about it, while it’s in a room with you), the film itself is fun. The mind control and conformist society themes of the film were actually ahead of their time and are more relatable for today’s audience.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/41LhAMo
Plot: A metal fetishist, driven mad by the maggots wriggling in the wound he’s made to embed metal into his flesh, runs out into the night and is accidentally run down by a Japanese businessman and his girlfriend. The pair dispose of the corpse in hopes of quietly moving on with their lives. However, the businessman soon finds that he is now plagued by a vicious curse that transforms his flesh into iron.
KBZ’s Take: Ok, to start with this is a weird film like most other Japanese Horror films. Though the film is in Japanese, you don’t even need the subtitles to understand what’s going on (though that’s still a tall task even with dialogue and subtitles). The film is much more about the visual Body Horror sequences which are some of the more unique and shocking of the entire subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3EWnNLL
#7
Xtro
Plot: Tony’s father Sam, abducted by aliens three years earlier, returns to earth and seeks out his wife and son, but Rachel has since been living with Joe and the reunion is awkward. Joe doesn’t trust Sam, and Rachel can’t quite decide what her feelings are for her two men. Sam is not the same as when he left, and he begins affecting Tony in frightening ways.
KBZ’s Take: This is another film that is considered a knock-off of Alien (1979) yet has enough weirdness in the film to differentiate it from similar clones. This British film features quite a few Body Horror sequences but none more visually disturbing than the sequence showing a woman giving birth to an adult alien (now in human form). It’s one of the craziest scenes of Body Horror from the decade that no subgenre fan should miss.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3JelPsF
#6
Brain Damage
Plot: A normal, average guy who lives in New York City becomes dependent on an evil, disembodied brain.
KBZ’s Take: This Horror Comedy film is one of the more enjoyable subgenre films from the decade – primarily due to Alymer. Alymer is the name of the parasitic creature that speaks in an aristocratic manner and injects drugs into the human subjects it controls. While it’s not a film to be taken seriously and is quite funny at times, it is VERY gory and has some of the more infamous scenes of Body Horror from the decade.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3IPTcQS
Plot: Alien parasite is let loose on a campus which turns frat boys and sorority girls into Zombies.
KBZ’s Take: From the same mind that brought you The Monster Squad (1987) is another forgotten 80’s classic of the Alien Invasion and Body Horror subgenres. While it has campy humor throughout, it blends Sci-Fi and Horror together perfectly for an often-scary tale. There was so much fresh and entertaining in this film (at the time) that you can still see how inventive it was today. It’s funny, it’s scary and you have one of the greatest B-actors of 80’s Horror (Tom Atkins) saying, “Thrill Me.” That this film does…
Additional Lists: Top Films About Zombies You Haven’t Seen #5, Top Films About Alien Invasions You Haven’t Seen #6
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3gNP8qB
#4
Possession
Plot A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife. At first, he suspects that a man is involved. But gradually, he finds out more and more strange behaviors and bizarre incidents that indicate something more than a possessed love affair.
KBZ’s Take: Possession is one of the most disturbing films on our list (and of the entire Body Horror subgenre). Body Horror is used throughout the film to visually explain metaphors including lack of physical pain during the breakdown of a marriage, a physical projection of an ideal mate, and so on.
Possession has so many layers that you likely won’t fully understand the film on your first watch. The film is ultimately a Psychological Horror film but the Body Horror from the film is so intense that it led to the film being banned in the United Kingdom during the ‘Video Nasty’ period.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/41IJJUc
#3
The Stuff
Plot: Amalgamated Dairies hires David Rutherford, an FBI man turned industrial saboteur, to investigate a popular new product called ‘the Stuff’ – a new dessert product that is blowing ice cream sales out of the water. Nobody knows how it’s made or what’s in it, but people are lining up to buy it. It’s got a delicious flavor to die for!
KBZ’s Take: This Horror Comedy pokes fun at consumerism in a terrifying way. While the film echoes the themes of Body Horror from The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), the satirical nature of The Stuff – turning consumers into mindless zombies – is scarier than the actual visual Body Horror in the film. The themes of corporate greed over consumer health are even more prevalent today than they were in the 1980’s, and watching the film through today’s lens makes the message of the film very prescient.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3SOS58P
Plot: A research scientist uses sensory deprivation and hallucinogenic mixtures to ‘devolve’ into a primal state.
KBZ’s Take: This film was quite popular in the early 1980’s but has become forgotten over time. It’s still one of the best films of the Sci-Fi Biotechnology Film subgenre and has intriguing philosophical concepts that are debated in the film and still relevant today. Though some of the special effects are a bit dated by today’s standards, the Body Horror in this film is crucial to the themes of the film and make it that much more disturbing to watch.
Additional Lists: Top Sci-Fi Biotechnology Films You Haven’t Seen #2
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2T0F1
#1
Society
Plot: A Beverly Hills teen (Billy Warlock) discovers his parents are part of a gruesome orgy cult for the social elite.
KBZ’s Take: We’re going to start off by saying this film is not for everyone. Though its achieved cult status over the years, it’s one of the weirdest films you will ever see. This film is hard to describe, and we even have it in five different subgenres – Teen & College Comedy Films, Horror Comedies, Films About Cults and our Weird Films collection. But where it ultimately shines is within the Body Horror subgenre.
The Body Horror in this film is some of the most creative yet appalling of the subgenre. While the Body Horror is shocking at first, it’s effect is blunted somewhat by the satirical comedy throughout the film. Society’s visual Horror isn’t meant to scare as much as satirize the wealthy as a deranged cult.
It’s a film you won’t forget – especially the third act – and the less you know about the film going in, the better. But be warned, even hardened horror film veterans talk about how disturbing the third act of this film is.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Cults You Haven’t Seen 1970-1989 #4
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3XZwnkK
