The 1980s were a time of classic movies of comedy, elaborate costumes, imaginative plots, daring storylines and immaculate casting, while at the same time there is a list of the worst 80s’ worst movies as well. It was known as the “Decade of Decadence” or the “Era of Excess,” characterized by pop culture, bolder fashion, consumerism, and entertainment — and there are plenty of movies to support that.
While the era saw the rise of classics like Top Gun, Aliens, Die Hard, When Harry Met Sally, and much more, among the 9,428 movies produced in the decade — with 1,519 making it to theaters — many were disappointing due to their grotesque garbs, scattered plot lines terrible acting and bloated budgets. What folows is a guide to some of the worst 80s movies.
‘Smokey And The Bandit 3’ (1983): Worst 80s Movies
This 1983 film with Jackie Gleason’s Sheriff Buford T. Justice as the main character was a box office flop with a disjointed plot and comedy without laughs. The first and second installments of the series performed well, but this bit was a sad decline from its predecessor (1977’s Smokey and the Bandit grossed $126 million, while this one did less than $6 million). Starring alongside Gleason were Jerry Reed, Colleen Camp, Paul Williams, and Pat McCormick.
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‘The Garbage Pail Kids Movie’ (1987)
This Rod Amateau-directed film featuring Jim Cummings, Anthony Newley, Phil Fondacaro, Arturo Gil, and Mackenzie Astin was inspired by stickers and trading cards simply failed to hold together in any sort of conherent way. It is about a boy getting bullied and body-shamed by older bullies, and is then visited by the Garbage Pail Kids, adorned with some of the most hideous makeup you’ve ever seen.
‘Jaws: The Revenge’ (1987): Worst 80s Movies
Jaws: The Revenge, featuring Michael Caine, had plotholes so large that a school of great whites could get through, and which left the audience confounded by what was going on. Although the 1987 film had a solid cast with the likes of Caine, Lorraine Gary, Mario Van Peebles and Lance Guest, what it lacked was an actual script that made sense.
‘Bolero’ (1984): Worst 80s Movies
Bolero told the story of a young woman in the 1920s who is seeking a worthy man to “deflower” her. That’s it. Bo Derek, who appeared on screen as the perfect woman in the 1979 comedy 10, was cast in a film so bad, that even its softcore sex scenes couldn’t bring in an audience. That speaks volumes about the quality of the film.
‘Mac And Me’ (1988): Worst 80s Movies
Jennifer Aniston is a background player in this 1988 E.T.-wannabe movie focused on a young boy trying to help an alien escape NASA and be reunited with his family. The special effects and hideous-looking aliens were terrifying to look at — and if you’re able to get past that, the acting was just as disappointing. The cast includes Nikki Cox, Danny Cooksey, Christine Ebersole, and Andrew Divoff also appeared in the one-and-half-hour film.
‘The Last Slumber Party’ (1988): Worst 80s Movies
Three teenage girls have a forbidden sleepover party to celebrate the final day of high school, and invite some boys to join them — not realizing that one of them is actually a homicidal maniac recently released from a mental asylum, whose weapon of choice is a scalpel. Typical slice-and-dice nonsense from the ’80s with a terrible script and barely comprehensible dialogue.
‘Inchon’ (1981): Worst 80s Movies
Inchon is set during the Korean War in 1950, where General Douglas MacArthur plots out the amphibious invasion of the film’s title locale. Costing $46 million to produce, Inchon was savaged by critics and grossed slightly more than $5 million. The Washington Post termed it an “epic bungle,” the production failing in its scripting, direction and subpar acting, which is particularly shocking when you realize it featured Sir Laurence Olivier in the role of MacArthur.
‘Over The Top’ (1987): Worst 80s Movies
Sylvester Stallone signed on to this drama about arm-wrestling after coming off the dual success of the Rocky and Rambo films. Made for $25 million, it grossed $16 million and for anyone wondering why, maybe it’s because, as noted, it was a drama about arm-wrestling! There’s no doubt Stallone signed on to this one for the money, and he’s probably the only one that made any.
‘Leonard Part 6’: 80s Worst Movie
Secret agent Leonard Parker, played by Bill Cosby, leaves retirement to take down evil genius Medusa Johnson in the 1987 Paul Weiland-directed film. Written by Cosby before his legal troubles became public, the humor of the script was everything that the brilliant The Cosby Show wasn’t. In other words, dumb.
‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’ (1987): Worst 80s Movie
Even the late fan-favorite Christopher Reeve’s presence could not hide the mediocre production behind Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Reeves’ beloved character tries to protect the world from potential nuclear war by destroying all such weapons. However, he has to deal with returning villain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) and his creation, Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). This one originally had a $35 million budget, which was literally slashed in half on the eve of production and it shows in virtually every frame.