Fan Voted Top 80’s Movies

The 1980's... Full of great hair, guys in short shorts, loud annoying sweaters and ripped jeans along with some absolutely incredible music. You argue with a guy sitting next to you at lunch about how badass Darth Vader is, and nobody can beat him in a lightsaber duel. Or how badly you wish you were dating Farrah Fawcett.

The 80's not only had all of these crazy things, but the decade also featured some of the most iconic movies to date. From Star Wars to Rocky, Indiana Jones to Smokey and the Bandit and Mad Max, the list of amazing movies goes on and on. I asked all my WRIF listeners in an online twitter and Facebook poll, which movies should make the top 20? This list is the top 20 movies of the 1980's voted by you! Try and think of where you were and what you were doing when these movies came out. Read on to see where your favorite 80's movie appears, or if it just missed the cut!

Coming in at number 20 in a three-way tie is "Raiders of The Lost Ark". Starring Harrison Ford as Indie, this 1981 film is the first of (soon to be 5) installments. Raiders was the movie that really defined the 80's and become the franchise that gave Harrison Ford the true A-list star reputation he deserved.
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No, it's not a Christmas movie just because Christmas happens during the movie... Even still, "Diehard" is one of the most iconic action movies ever made and largely has the acting of Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman to thank for it. "Diehard" is the film that catapulted Bruce Willis into Superstardom. The movie has also become the center of one of the most heated debates on what makes a movie a Christmas themed film or not.

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You really shouldn't say his name three times... "Beetlejuice" is the standout 80's horror film that even has kids these days recreating the "say his name" three times trend. The character is a demon who's existed for thousands of years, making sure to live life to the fullest at every opportunity. In the movie, Beetlejuice makes an appearance after you say the words "Beetlejuice" three times consecutively in the exact same style. The whole idea behind this is that Beetlejuice is a cunning trickster who enjoys fooling people. The movie was such a smash-hit, it has even found its way onto Broadway.

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Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" is on the list of both one of the greatest war-themed movies ever made, and a contender for the being one of the best movies in the 1980's. The film is centered around a soldier in the Vietnam War, and how the conflict has turned his fellow marines into machines who are desensitized to the horrors in which they were forced to endure. This film was and still is known for being one of the most violent war movies ever made.  The one thing the producers stuck to their guns about was they didn't try to sugar coat how nasty war truly is.

Friday the 13th is a staple of American horror and the 80''s is where this movie was born. Directed by Sean Cunningham, the film is set at a summer camp with a dark past. The camp is in the process of being reopened, when a supernatural force which used to attend the original camp - Jason Vorhees returns to seek his revenge. This slasher/horror set the bar for what slasher films needed to be.

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A film pairing James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 1984 movie "The Terminator" is about a soldier sent back from the future to 1984 to kill an invincible cyborg who was also sent back to assassinate a woman whose child is the key to humanity's survival of course. Elaborate enough plot? I think so.

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John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd star in this unforgettable film where Jake and Elwood have a few days to get the band back together to save a home linked to their childhood. This funny, dark, and soulful movie is filled with laughs, swearing, action and does not follow a single highway safety rule throughout the entirety of the movie.

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Spinal Tap starring Rob Reiner and Michael McKean features an iconic band looking to revitalize their careers by doing a comeback tour through America.

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Who doesn't love a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger fighting an alien creature to the death, in the depths of the Central American Jungle.

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"The Goonies" with Sean Astin and Josh Brolin is one of those films that have the timeless theme of a bunch of nerdy kids finding a long-lost map to an unimaginable treasure. Of course, the movie takes us on the journey to the pirate's treasure where we learn a lot about the true makeup of the groups characters. It seems anything Steven Spielberg touches, turns to gold, or an iconic movie that we never stop talking about.

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If "Beetlejuice" is one of the most iconic horror movies of the 80's, "The Shining" is the best thriller of the decade. Stanley Kubrick again with Stephen King, worked their asses off on this one. Jack Nicholson gives one of the greatest acting performances ever to hit the big screen. The presence that envelops the father of a small family spending the winter at a hotel, truly is an incredible story for a thriller film and this one delivers.

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Oh, where would we be without the great "let me tell you about a story from my childhood" movie. The whole movie is told as "this is a story about the time me and my buddies found a body" (sorry for the spoiler). This is what makes the film a classic. It's the creativity which I admire most in the storytelling aspect of this film. No surprises here, another fantastic movie written by Stephen King.

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"Bueller..." John Hughes gave us this absolutely amazing movie which every High School teen alive wanted to recreate. Who doesn't love a movie about a kid who skips school and causes chaos everywhere he goes in the process?

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One of the first (good) movies about vampires and truly an eerie scenario for anyone moving to a new town.

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Now this is a film where it's hard to decide what's more impressive. The films crew of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver and Harold Ramis, or that we can trap ghosts inside a device and no longer have to worry about them stealing the covers at night. One of the greatest films ever made, certainly has a high ranking here on the best of the 80's. This only leaves one question... "who you gunna call?"

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According to many Star Wars fans, this is still the best movie in the greatest movie franchise ever made. Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back has everything! It has a secret base in the middle of a tundra planet, we get a snow monster out the deal as well. Then we get introduced to the Jedi Master Yoda and we learn that Darth Vader is in fact Luke Skywalkers father. The special effects we got to see on display for this 1980 film still stands out from the rest of the Sci-Fi universe throughout at least the rest of the 1980's.

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We're coming up on our fan-voted number 1 movie of the 80's. Number 4 takes us to "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" Where we can sit back and enjoy some of the most entertaining things the Earth has to offer, Sex, drugs, and Rock n'Roll.

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"Nightmare on Elm Street" has by far one of the most terrifying horror concepts ever. A supernatural force that kills you... when you sleep. Once Freddy Kreuger has his sights on you, it's usually only a matter of time.

Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are still know as "Doc and Marty Mcfly" to this day because of the success of this film. "Back to the Future" takes place 30 years before the main character is born, creating an unforgettable movie of crazy events and poking fun at old people. There is a reason this movie is number 2 on our list, and it's not because Marty falls for his mom in this movie...

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Five High Schoolers lives were changed forever during the course of one eventful Saturday spent in detention. We learn these kids are way more similar than they could ever imagine. This movie gives us a look inside how kids may act when they feel like their home life is literal garbage, seemingly perfect, or fake. Essentially, we find out that everyone has a crappy High School experience to an extent...