Fire up the ol’ time machine for a trip back to the 80’s. Here are 22 classic movies from the decade that are worth revisiting for your next movie night. They’re generally very family friendly, but some may contain some scary scenes or questionable language, so be sure to pre-screen them if you have little ones!
E.T. (1982): A group of Earth children help a stranded alien botanist return home.
The Dark Crystal (1982): On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and so restore order to his world.
Gremlins (1984): A boy inadvertently breaks 3 important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.
Neverending Story (1984): A troubled boy dives into a wonderous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
Ghostbusters (1984): Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.
Karate Kid (1984): A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting.
Back to the Future (1985): In 1985, Doc Brown invents time travel; in 1955, Marty McFly accidentally prevents his parents from meeting, putting his own existence at stake.
Real Genius (1985): Teenage geniuses deal with their abilities while developing a laser.
Goonies (1985): A group of kids embark on a wild adventure after finding a pirate treasure map.
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985): Eccentric man-child Pee-Wee Herman embarks on the big adventure of his life across the US mainland, as he sets out to find his beloved bike, when it is stolen in broad daylight.
An American Tail (1986): While emigrating to the United States, a young Russian mouse gets seperated from his family and must relocate them while trying to survive in a new country.
Short Circuit (1986): Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986): A high school wise guy is determined to have a day off from school, despite of what the principal thinks of that.
Lucas (1986): A socially inept fourteen year old experiences heartbreak for the first time when his two best friends — Cappie, an older-brother figure, and Maggie, the new girl with whom he is in love — fall for each other.
The Princess Bride (1987): A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil prince, a beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing (as read by a kindly grandfather).
Adventures in Babysitting (1987): Chris is settled in for a dull night babysitting when a girlfriend calls to say she’s marooned at a downtown bus station with very seedy characters around. The three plus one of the boy’s friends get into the parents station wagon for a trip to the inner city. All is well till the flat tire.
*Batteries Not Included (1987): Apartment block tenants seek the aid of alien mechanical life-forms to save their building from demolition.
Beetlejuice (1988): A couple of recently deceased ghosts contract the services of a “bio-exorcist” in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house.
Willow (1988): A reluctant dwarf must play a critical role in protecting a special baby from an evil queen.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988): A toon hating detective is a cartoon rabbit’s only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.
Big (1988): When a boy wishes to be big at a magic wish machine, he wakes up the next morning and finds himself in an adult body literally overnight.
Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989): Wayne Szalinski is your average “nutty scientist”, working on a top secret machine which miniaturizes objects. When it unexpectedly starts working, he’s so amazed he forgets to tell his family to be careful.
[Plot synopsis for each movie courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.]
They say smell is the sense that is most closely tied to memory, but I’ve got to think that the sense of hearing has to be right up there, especially when it comes in the form of themes of TV shows you used to watch as a kid. This list took a long time to put together, but it comes with a guarantee that you’ll be transported back to childhood. Great pains were taken so you’d be able to listen to each theme song right here on the page, and there was much debate on where each song should be placed on the list. Of course, we expect the debate to continue — which songs are ranked too high or too low? Which songs did we leave off? Tell us where we messed up! The good news is you can probably find you favorite TV show theme song — no matter how obscure — at TelevisionTunes.com!
50: Thundercats
49: Wonder Woman
48: Dukes of Hazzard
47: The Waltons
46: Green Hornet
45: I Love Lucy
44: Little House on the Prairie
43: Beverly Hillbillies
42: James Bond
41: Bonanza
40: Partridge Family
39: Dennis The Menace
38: The Simpsons
37: Pink Panther
36: The Munsters
35: G.I. Joe
34: Picture Pages
33: Happy Days
32: Transformers
31: The Cosby Show
30: Inspector Gadget
29: Andy Griffith Show
28: Mr. Wizard’s World
27: Greatest American Hero
26: The Jetsons
25: Fraggle Rock
24: Batman
23: Woody Woodpecker
22: Scooby Doo
21: Spiderman
20: The Addams Family
19: Lone Ranger
18: Underdog
17: Reading Rainbow
16: The Brady Bunch
15: Gilligan’s Island
14: Popeye
13: Mighty Mouse
12: Leave It To Beaver
11: Speed Racer
10: Flintstones
9: Mickey Mouse Club
8: Howdy Doody
7: The Little Rascals
6: The Muppet Show
5: Three Stooges
4: Sesame Street
3: Mister Rogers Neighborhood
2: Looney Toons
1: Peanuts
The first time Brian Jones saw the holiday classic A Christmas Story, he immediately became a fan. A super fan. After a low period in his life, Brian’s parents decided to try and cheer him up my making him his very own “major award” — a homemade replica of the iconic leg lamp that Ralphie’s father receives in the mail. A new career path emerged, and Brian launched RedRiderLegLamps.com.
The business took off, and a few years into the venture, he had the opportunity to buy and renovate the actual house used in the movie. The A Christmas Story House has become a Cleveland, Ohio tourist destination for fans of all ages.
In our interview with Brian, he recounts the wild story of buying the house on eBay, discusses some of the neatest aspects of the house, reveals some little-known tidbits about the movie’s production, and shares his favorite scene and character from the movie.
If you’re a fan of the movie, or are looking for a nostalgic look back at Christmas Past, you will love this interview, which is interjected with classic soundbytes. We promise you won’t shoot your eye out!
Run Time: 15 minutes, 31 seconds | Subscribe with iTunes
