Only 10% Of People Can Get 50/50 On This 80s Movies Quiz
- by Kevin Stewart
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Ah the 1980s; what a memorable decade in terms of popular culture. It saw the emergence of dance music and new wave, a boom in the video gaming industry, a shocking trend of bright colours in fashion, the peak of children's television and, perhaps most memorably, an absolutely fantastic period for movies.
There's just something about 80s movies that makes them stand out from the rest more than the movies from any other era. Movies became more high concept, coming of age movies were in abundance, as were action and martial arts movies, horror icons were emerging in droves, science fiction was heading in new innovative directions and the comedy stills seems as fresh today as it did back then.
But how well do you know and remember the movies from the 80s? Could you, for example, recognise them simply by seeing a still shot from a single scene and reading a basic synopsis/description? You're about to find out!
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This science-fiction adventure comedy movie may just be the most iconic movie of the 1980s. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson, it followed a teenager and his scientist friend as they travelled across time in the latter's time machine - which happened to be a DeLorean DMC-12 installed with a "flux capacitor" powered by plutonium stolen from Libyan terrorists. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This action-adventure movie comes from one of the 1980s' most memorable franchises - a franchise that has continued into the new millennium. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover and Sean Connery, the movie sees an iconic 80s hero following in the footsteps of his father - who has gone missing - to stop the Nazis from getting their hands on the Holy Grail first. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a horror comedy movie. Directed by Luca Bercovici and starring Peter Liapis, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres and Jack Nance, this movie focuses on a young man who uncovers his late father's creepy occult equipment in his family's old mansion. He tries to conjure the demonic forces his father messed around with, in the hope of gaining amazing powers. Consequently, a group of creatures appear in the mansion and terrify everyone who participated in the conjuring ritual. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
We're not making it much more difficult for you yet! This comedy horror movie - directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis - followed the exploits of a group who establish a paranormal investigation and elimination service in New York. After initially being seen as a joke that nobody takes seriously, they go on to save the world from a god hell-bent on destruction. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a superb action comedy movie. Directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkoff, Judge Reinhold, Ronny Cox and John Ashton, this movie focuses on a young and reckless Detroit police detective. Under the guise of taking a vacation, he heads to California to investigate the murder of his friend - which he was otherwise unauthorised to do, due to his close ties to the victim. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This terrifying movie defined horror in the 1980s. Directed by Wes Craven and starring Robert Englund, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Nick Corri and Johnny Depp in his first role, it saw the emergence of a powerful slasher villain who attacked his victims in their sleep - in a dream world in which he was all-powerful and could warp reality to his whim. The catch? If his victims died in their dreams, they died in real life too. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
A Christmas movie with a difference now! Directed by Joe Dante and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Corey Feldman, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday and Frances Lee McCain, this movie followed the exploits of a group of cute, furry creatures who mutated into hideous, trouble-making monsters when a strict "rule" was broken and they were fed after midnight. The rules also stated that they weren't allowed to get wet or exposed to bright light. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This was a fantastic science fiction action movie. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto and Richard Dawson, this futuristic movie was based on a novel and followed a police helicopter pilot who was falsely convicted of a crime and forced to be a "runner" in a television game show in which the contestants must avoid being brutally and callously murdered by professional celebrity killers. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
When you talk about blockbuster movies, you invariably think of movies like this one. Directed by Richard Marquand and starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Frank Oz, this movie sees the evil Galactic Empire - Which is ruthlessly led by Emperor Palpatine - building another Death Star for the purpose of putting an end to the noble Rebel Alliance once and for all. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is an absolutely outstanding war movie. Directed by the brilliant Stanley Kubrick and starring Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Arliss Howard, Kevyn Major Howard and Ed O'Ross, it sees a platoon of new U.S. Marine Corps recruits heading to Parris Island, South Carolina, for their basic training. The first half of the movie focuses on that training, before they graduate and are deployed to Vietnam in the second half. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
Now we're really talking! This is a fantastic adventure comedy movie that totally defined hordes of kids from the 1980s. Directed by Richard Donner (with a story by Steven Spielberg, no less) and starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton and Ke Huy Quan, it followed a group of kids as they sought out an ancient treasure. However, they were pursued by a family of criminals who also wanted to get their hands on the loot. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
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Which awesome 80s movie is this?
Now this is a really easy one. This movie - directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote, Henry Thomas and a very young Drew Barrymore in only her second movie - featured a friendly and benevolent alien who was inadvertently abandoned on Earth by members of his own species. It followed said alien's exploits as he tried to return to his home planet. Such was its popularity that it became the highest-grossing movie of the 1980s. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a violent, bloody and profanity-filled cyberpunk action movie. Directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith and Miguel Ferrer, this movie was set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan, in the near future. It focused on a police officer who was brutally murdered by a gang of criminals and subsequently revived by a mega-corporation known as Omni Consumer Products. He became a superhuman cyborg law enforcer. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
Now we're talking! This is a romantic military action drama and one of the defining movies of the 1980s. Directed by Tony Scott and starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt and Michael Ironside, it followed a cocky young Naval aviator aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, as he and his Radar Intercept Officer were given the once in a lifetime chance to train at the Navy's Fighter Weapons School at Miramar in San Diego. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a brilliant martial arts movie. Directed by Mark DiSalle and David Worth, it starred Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Alexio, Dennis Chan and Michel Qissi. When a man's brother was paralysed in a kickboxing bout with Thailand's extremely vicious and undefeated champion, he trains and prepares himself specifically to defeat him. After overcoming a number of difficulties and seemingly being out of the fight with the Thai warrior, he ultimately prevails and gains retribution for his brother. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
Sticking with the supernatural theme, this movie - directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara - featured a freelance "bio-exorcist" ghost who was hired by a recently deceased couple to scare away the annoying family who moved into their house shortly after their deaths (and who want to transform it in a tasteless, modern art-filled hell-hole). Hilarity ensues as a result. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a superhero movie - and it's arguably the one that started the trend for the kind of superhero movies we know today. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough and Jack Palance, it focused on one of the most iconic superheroes in comic books and his equally iconic arch-nemesis. Its unique tone made it a genuinely superb movie. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
Changing the tone somewhat, we now come to this movie - which was directed by Walter Murch and starred Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie and Fairuza Balk. This fantasy adventure film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and featured a group of highly recognisable characters from a movie that came decades prior to it (although it didn't perform nearly as well in terms of commercial success when adjusted for inflation). But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
Simply put, this is the best coming-of-age drama movie ever made. Directed by Rob Reiner, narrated by Richard Dreyfuss and starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell and Kiefer Sutherland, it follows a group of four very different friends as they set out on a journey further than they'd ever ventured before, in order to retrieve the body of a young boy who had gone missing and become local heroes. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a truly iconic adventure musical fantasy movie. Directed by Jim Henson and starring David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly and an enormous cast of puppets, it followed a young girl as she was forced to venture into a huge otherworldly realm on a quest to rescue her baby brother Toby, who she negligently wished away to the enigmatic Jareth, who is otherwise known as the Goblin King. Of course, the realm was full of monsters and puzzles, which made it difficult! But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a martial arts drama movie. Directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, Nobu McCarthy, Tamlyn Tomita and Yuji Okumoto, this movie sees a young martial artist travelling with his mentor to his old home in Okinawa, Japan, as he heads there to visit his father, who isn't long for this world, and confront his old rival - and the youngster inadvertently meets a dangerous adversary of his own while he's there. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a coming-of-age movie aimed at young adults, due to its adult content. Directed by Amy Heckerling and starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Brian Backer, Robert Romanus, Ray Walston and Phoebe Cates (who famously removed her bikini top in the movie), this movie followed a group of Southern California high school students as they dabble in and enjoy a little sex, drugs and rock and roll - which happen to be their three favourite subjects. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a great fantasy romantic comedy movie. Directed by Ron Howard, it starred Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, John Candy, Jeff Doucette and Eugene Levy. The movie was about a New York co-owner of a wholesale fruit and vegetable business who fell in love with a mysterious woman who turned out to be a mermaid. He wanted to be with her, but she believed that wasn't possible. However, of course, they did end up together as the credits rolled at the very end of the movie. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a brilliant science fiction adventure movie. Directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Joey Cramer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cliff DeYoung, Veronica Cartwright, Matt Adler and Paul Reubens in a voice role, this movie is about a 12-year-old boy who gets taken away by an alien spacecraft after walking through the woods to pick up his younger brother and wakes up to find himself eight years in the future, in a world that has dramatically altered around him. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This comedy horror movie - directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis - followed the exploits of a group of shamed paranormal investigators who end up winning the public back over after the discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity in New York - all of which is linked to an old painting of a powerful sixteenth-century tyrant and magician. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a very different kind of action movie. It's about the World Wrestling Federation champion who prides himself on his loyalty to his fans and the network he wrestles for - but a problem arises when the new head of another network wants the champion to wrestle for him. When the champion flat-out refuses, the new network's head initiates a violent brawling competition called "The Battle of the Tough Guys". When a seemingly unbeatable and mysterious man wins the competition, the network's head uses him to get to the champion. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a very creepy horror movie. Directed by David Schmoeller and starring Paul Le Mat, Matt Roe, Irene Miracle and Kathryn O'Reilly, it's about a group of psychics who are plotted against by a mutual former colleague of theirs - who had actually committed suicide by the time the film started - using a bunch of utterly terrifying puppets that have been animated by an ancient Egyptian spell - and who are extremely violent and murderous. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is an epic biographical drama movie. Directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen and Martin Sheen, the movie covers the life of a real world icon - the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule - from a very important moment in 1893, when he was removed from a South African train simply for not being white in a whites-only compartment, and end when he is assassinated and subsequently celebrated at his funeral in 1948. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a fantastic period drama. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Danny Glover, Adolph Caesar, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, it tells the story of a young African American girl and shows the problems African American women had to deal with during the early 20th century, including racism, sexism, poverty, domestic abuse, incest and paedophilia. The young girl gets transformed after uncovering her own self-worth with the help of two strong female companions. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a fantasy martial arts comedy movie. Directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall and Dennis Dun, it tells the story of a truck driver who helps his buddy save his fiancée from bandits in San Francisco's Chinatown. They embark into the unknown and scary underworld beneath Chinatown, where they face a powerful and centuries-old sorcerer, who needs to wed a woman with green eyes in order to set him free from a curse as old as he is. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a fantasy comedy movie. Directed by Neil Jordan and starring Daryl Hannah, Peter O'Toole, Steve Guttenberg, Beverly D'Angelo, Jennifer Tilly and Liam Neeson, this movie is set in a remote Irish location called Dromore Castle, which is in County Limerick, and it's a somewhat surprising and chaotic movie that is rich in Irish folklore (as far as ghosts and spirits go, at least), where the castle starts to come to life. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a superhero movie. Directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Jon Cryer and Margot Kidder, the movie sees one of the most iconic and powerful superheroes in all of fiction facing off against his manipulative arch-nemesis yet again - but this time, the arch-nemesis in question has been incredibly devious and created an evil solar-powered version of the superhero to do the fighting on his behalf. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a science fiction action horror movie. Directed by Wes Craven and starring Louis Jourdan, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise, David Hess, Mimi Craven, Dick Durock and Nicholas Worth, the movie tells the story of a scientist who gets transformed into a monstrous being when an evil paramilitary doctor decides to sabotage his laboratory. Later, he helps to save a woman and gets into conflict with the ruthless man responsible for the whole debacle. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a science fantasy action movie based on a group of incredibly popular characters from the 1980s. Directed by Gary Goddard and starring Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Courteney Cox, James Tolkan, Christina Pickles and Meg Foster, it's the story of a pair of teenagers who encounter a powerful warrior, who recently arrived on Earth from his home planet, and who must now do battle with his arch-nemesis in order to save the universe. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This slasher horror movie is part of a truly iconic horror slasher franchise. Directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard and starring Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Beau Starr, Wendy Kaplan, Tamara Glynn and Don Shanks, this particular instalment took place on Halloween, exactly one year after its predecessor, and saw the franchise's iconic killer return to his quiet home town in an attempt to murder his niece, who is now completely mute. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is an animated mystery comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It was directed by Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, Dave Michener and John Musker, and it featured the voices of Barrie Ingham, Vincent Price, Val Bettin, Susanne Pollatschek, Candy Candido and Frank Welker. This movie takes huge influence from the stories of Sherlock Holmes with a mouse protagonist who purposely copies the iconic fictional detective, both in terms of his appearance and his actions. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a comedy film that has undoubtedly got better with age and now has a cult following. Directed by John Hughes and starring John Candy, Amy Madigan, Macaulay Culkin, Gaby Hoffmann and Jean Louisa Kelly, it saw a desperate couple being forced to call upon the babysitting services of a near-forgotten relative when the woman's father falls sick following a heart attack. Chaos ensued, but the makeshift babysitter came good in the end. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This movie was a classic romantic comedy. Directed by Blake Edwards and starring Kim Basinger, Bruce Willis, John Larroquette and William Daniels, the movie sees a man set up with his brother's wife's cousin, who is very shy, which makes their encounter somewhat awkward initially - and it's made even worse when her jealous ex-boyfriend turns up and tries to get her back. In fact, utter chaos ensues as a result. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
Crime thriller time now - and what a labyrinth of a complex plot this one had! Directed by Robert Towne and starring Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell and Raul Julia, this movie focused on the unlikely long-term friendship between a former drug dealer and a Detective Lieutenant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - a friendship made complex by the fact that one of them is bound by duty to bring the other to justice if he ever sells drugs again. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
It's classic horror time again now. This one was directed by Rob Hedden and starred Jensen Daggett, Scott Reeves, Barbara Bingham, Peter Mark Richman, Martin Cummins, Gordon Currie Alex Diakun, V.C. Dupree, Saffron Henderson, Kelly Hu, Sharlene Martin, Warren Munson and Kane Hodder. It's part of one of the most iconic horror franchises of all time and sees a group of doomed kids being stalked by legendary slasher killer Jason Voorhees in a new setting. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
We come to yet another 1980s horror movie now - and this one is very underrated. Directed by Jean-Claude Lord and starring Lee Grant, William Shatner, Michael Ironside and Linda Purl, this one of the few movies placed on the infamous "Video Nasty" list that featured well-known, mainstream actors. The plot focused on a feminist journalist being targeted by an insane serial killer who attacked her at home, then followed her to the hospital. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a very gory science-fiction horror comedy movie. Directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale, Robert Sampson and Jeffrey Combs, the movie is about a scientist who invents a formula that can bring dead bodies back to life. He and a fellow medical student begin to test the serum on human corpses and come into conflict with another scientist - who also happens to be infatuated with one of their fiancée's - and who intends to claim the invention as his own. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a truly wonderful epic fantasy movie. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Patricia Hayes, Sydney Bromley, Gerald McRaney and Moses Gunn, this movie is about a boy who reads a magical book containing the tale of a young warrior tasked with preventing a fantasy world from being engulfed by a dark storm called the Nothing. With a plethora of fantastic characters, it's a great watch. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a psychological thriller movie. Directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer, it's about a Manhattan lawyer whose work leads him to meet the editor of a publishing company. On a weekend that his wife and daughter are out of town, the lawyer has a meaningless affair with said editor - or so he thought. The original plan was for it to be a mere fling, but she starts clinging to him - with extreme consequences. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is an action comedy movie and a sequel to a movie from a few years earlier. Directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise and Sally Field, the movie focuses on two men transporting an elephant to the GOP National Convention, with a three day deadline and with a sheriff in hot pursuit. They meet some interesting people along the way - including an Italian gynaecologist. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is an adventure comedy movie. Directed by John Cornell and starring Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon, Hechter Ubarry, Juan Fernández and Charles S. Dutton, this sequel movie sees an Australian outback expert protecting his New York lover from a group of dangerous Colombian drug cartel gangsters, who have followed her all the way to Australia to kill her - a country that she eventually realises is where she belongs. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is basically a sex comedy movie. Directed by James Komack and starring Dan Monahan, Wyatt Knight, Tony Ganios, Mark Herrier, Kaki Hunter, Scott Colomby, Nancy Parsons and Chuck Mitchell, the movie focuses on the class of 1955 at a school called Angel Beach High, for whom graduation is close, as they face-off against their old enemy who requires them to purposely lose the school's championship basketball game because he's betting on their opponents. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This is a very unique Cold War science fiction movie. Directed by John Badham and starring Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood and Ally Sheedy, it saw a young hacker access War Operation Plan Response by accident. War Operation Plan Response is a United States military supercomputer designed to predict the possible outcomes in the event of a nuclear war. Believing it to be a mere computer game, the young hacker gets the computer to run a nuclear war simulation, which then tries to start World War III. But do you know what this movie was called?
Which awesome 80s movie is this?
This was a spy film in one of the most famous movie franchises of all time. Directed by John Glen and starring the late, great Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Julian Glover, Chaim Topol and Lynn-Holly Johnson, it is undoubtedly one of the franchise's better offerings. It sees the lead character attempting to find a missile command system while he gets mixed up in a web of deceit and duplicity spun by Greek businessmen who are corrupt rivals. But do you know what this movie was called?