Recently, the world seems to have gone mad for 80s nostalgia. Perhaps this was spearheaded by the ridiculously popular Stranger Things, which is dripping in nostalgia, from its tribute to 80s horror and its inclusion of storylines that could have been taken straight from a movie by Joe Dante, John Carpenter, or even Steven Spielberg himself, to its perfect inclusion of 80s fashion, music, and even slang.
Updated September 21, 2022: As 80s nostalgia continues, we’ve updated this list with additional content and films set in the decade in order to keep the article fresh and relevant.
Since then, we’ve seen the resurrection of classic 80s franchises like Bill and Ted, sequels to big 80s movies like Top Gun, and a plethora of musicians hearkening back to ’80s music, from The Weeknd dominating music charts with his 80s-infused R&B to Miley Cyrus dressing akin to Debbie Harry from peak-80s Blondie. Whatever the (probably depressing) reason for this rekindled interest in an earlier time before the advent of the internet and smartphones, we’ve decided to celebrate this era of nostalgia by looking at some of the greatest movies released in recent times, which are set in the 80s.
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10 American Made
Universal Pictures
Donning a pair of large Aviator sunglasses for much of the movie, Tom Cruise acts with the same leading man swagger he showcased back in the 80s when his career first started taking off with movies like Top Gun. American Made is loosely based on the true story of Barry Seal, a commercial airline pilot who finds himself involved in drugs and arms smuggling while working for the CIA. Much like the 80s in which the movie takes place, the film is big, bold, and brash, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a surprisingly enjoyable flick that was widely praised by critics at the time of its release.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Summer of 84
Gunpowder & Sky
Fans of classic 80s horror couldn’t heap enough praise on Summer of 84, with some critics calling it the best horror movie of the decade. Released in 2018 but set, as the title suggests, in 1984, it has all the aspects that made the movies of that era so enjoyable. With a plot clearly influenced by Joe Dante’s 1989 classic The Burbs, a group of teenagers in the neighborhood begins to suspect that their policeman neighbor is up to something sinister. The story, however, actually takes a far darker tone than The Burbs and has some clever twists and turns along the way, guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
8 Rocketman
Paramount Pictures
The 80s was a decade of excess, and no one personified that excess quite like Elton John, who perfectly encapsulates the way that free love and good drugs in the ’70s transitioned to existential suffering in the ’80s. From his flamboyant persona to his personal battles with substance and alcohol abuse, the hit-maker was an all-around larger than life character. Taron Egerton perfectly captures the essence of the legendary pop star in Rocketman, managing to convey the highs and lows of such an interesting character in this rip-roaring biopic.
John’s career took off in the 70s, but by the end of the decade he had become helplessly addicted to cocaine. More than just a movie about living a rock’n’roll lifestyle, Rocketman depicts how the 80s was a strange period for John, demonstrating his vulnerabilities and his creative and personal struggles. Thankfully in 1990, John found sobriety and still remains one of the most celebrated pop artists of all time.
7 Mandy
RLJE Films
Nicolas Cage is certainly one of the most interesting movie stars of all time. Love him or hate him, there’s one thing we can all agree on: whether he’s appearing in a low-budget straight to V.O.D, a blockbuster action-adventure popcorn flick, or an arty independent film, he always gives it his all. That has never been more apparent than in the absolutely insane psychedelic horror movie Mandy. Honestly, it would be near impossible to do this brutal, mind-bending thrill ride of a revenge film justice with words alone; the best advice would be to watch it yourself. It’s not for the faint-hearted, though.
6 I, Tonya
Neon
I, Tonya chronicles the real life of professional figure skater Tonya Harding (played by Margot Robbie) and the actual events that led up to the 1994 attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan, which made world news at the time. As we follow Tonya, as she grows up through the 80s, it’s safe to say that it was somewhat unconventional with her family life being a tad dysfunctional. This is mainly due to her abusive mother, played by Allison Janney, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the part. Often played for laughs as a black comedy, the movie still has plenty of heart and doesn’t shy away from its dark subject matter, making for a unique yet enthralling viewing experience.
5 The Final Girls
Stage 6 Films
2015’s The Final Girls is a meta horror-comedy movie about a group of teenagers from the present who are transported back into a fictional 1980s horror movie (called Camp Bloodbath) in which they become the stars (and victims). Fully self-aware, it revels in the conventions and tropes of those wonderful campy 80s horror flicks. The Final Girls plays out just like one of these movies, except hilariously deconstructed and viewed through the eyes of Gen Z-ers. While most of it is played for laughs, there is some genuine heart to be found, acting as the perfect homage to a classic era of horror.
4 Everybody Wants Some!!
Richard Linklater has described his 2016 teen comedy Everybody Wants Some!!, which takes place in the early 1980s, as a kind of “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused (his 1993 film about groups of Texas teenagers’ last day of school in 1976). Everybody Wants Some!! centers on freshman baseball player Jake (Blake Jenner) arriving at a small Texas University. Jake meets his teammates and experiences the best few days before classes start. Nostalgic in the best sense, the film celebrates the spirit of being young.
3 Dallas Buyers Club
Focus Features
2013’s Dallas Buyers Club tells the story of a real-life AIDS patient, Ron Woodroof (one of the best Matthew McConaughey performances, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor), who discovers he is HIV positive in the mid-1980s. Responding badly to the only officially approved medication, McConaughey’s character smuggles alternative treatment. To help other AIDS patients, Woodroof, assisted in his venture by a transgender woman with HIV named Rayon (Jared Leto), forms a club to sell illegal anti-viral medications.
Dallas Buyers Club depicts the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, describing the adversity experienced by those living with AIDS in the 1980s, the time when the virus was extremely stigmatized. It’s worth seeing.
2 Straight Outta Compton
A fantastic ode to one of the most ground-breaking and controversial musical acts of all time, Straight Outta Compton is the true story of iconic rap group N.W.A’s rise to prominence in the late 80s. While some other films on the list play to our rose-tinted nostalgia of a bygone era, there’s no sugar-coating here.
While in many ways the 80s was good for the members of N.W.A (after all they did become the biggest rap group on the planet), the movie certainly doesn’t shy away from the not-so-great aspects of the decade, many of which contributed to the gritty subject matter tackled in the group’s music, that made them so controversial. Racial tensions, police brutality, class divide, and the AIDS epidemic are all uncompromisingly addressed in the movie, perfectly acted by its stellar cast.
1 It (Chapter One)
Warner Bros. Pictures
The 2017 version of It was the second major adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 book, following the 1990 version starring Tim Curry’s nightmare-inducing performance as the evil Pennywise. Like the 1990 version, it is split into two parts, with the first focusing on the main characters as children set in the 1980s.
Just as much a throwback to classic coming-of-age dramas like Stand by Me, as it is supernatural horror, director Andy Muschietti made his 80s inspirations well known. Chock-a-block full of retro references, Muschietti cites major horror directors of the era, Clive Barker, John Carpenter, and Joe Dante, as influences, as well as Steven Spielberg, which is certainly apparent in the aspects that focus on the interactions between the group of children. Audiences and critics alike were impressed, and it went on to become the highest-grossing horror movie of all time.
