What a golden era for Hollywood! The 1980s were a decade when directors and screenwriters were eager to look outside the box for big ideas, following the birth of the blockbuster in the 1970s. Stars were born, the Brat Pack ruled supreme, and movie executives cashed in big time (and to their own private islands). Are you an expert on '80s cinema? Take this quiz and prove it!
Name This 80s Movie!
Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life
Gremlins
Gremlins is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante and written by Chris Columbus. It draws on legends of folkloric mischievous creatures that cause malfunctions—”gremlins”—in the British Royal Air Force going back to World War II and stars Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of Gizmo, the main mogwai character.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second installment in the Indiana Jones franchise and a prequel to the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark featuring Harrison Ford reprising his role as the title character.
Name This 80s Movie!
Predator
Predator is a 1987 American horror science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan and written by brothers Jim and John Thomas. It is the first installment in the Predator franchise. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of an elite paramilitary rescue team on a mission to save hostages in guerrilla-held territory in a Central American rainforest, who encounter the deadly Predator (Kevin Peter Hall), a skilled, technologically advanced alien who stalks and hunts them down.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
Batman
Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. Produced by Jon Peters and Peter Guber, it is the first installment of Warner Bros.’ initial Batman film series. The film was directed by Tim Burton and stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance.
Name This 80s Movie!
Big
Big is a 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Penny Marshall, and stars Tom Hanks as adult Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish to be “big” and is then aged to adulthood overnight. The film also stars Elizabeth Perkins, David Moscow, John Heard, and Robert Loggia, and was written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
Caddyshack
Caddyshack is a 1980 American sports comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis, and Douglas Kenney, and starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O’Keefe, and Bill Murray. Doyle-Murray also has a supporting role.
Name This 80s Movie!
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American coming-of-age comedy film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes in his directorial debut. The film received positive reviews.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford’s 1979 novel The Short-Timers and stars Matthew Modine, Lee Ermey, Vincent D’Onofrio and Adam Baldwin.
Name This 80s Movie!
Trading Places
Trading Places is a 1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis, with a screenplay by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod. It stars Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film tells the story of an upper-class commodities broker (Aykroyd) and a poor street hustler (Murphy) whose lives cross when they are unwittingly made the subject of an elaborate bet to test how each man will perform when their life circumstances are swapped.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
The Shining
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. The film is based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name and stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Danny Lloyd.
Name This 80s Movie!
An American Werewolf in London
Uncle Buck
Uncle Buck is a 1989 American comedy film written, directed by John Hughes, and starring John Candy and Amy Madigan with supporting roles by Jean Louisa Kelly (in her film debut), Macaulay Culkin, Gaby Hoffmann, Garrett M. Brown, and Elaine Bromka. It film tells the story of a bachelor and all-around slob who babysits his brother’s rebellious teenage daughter and her younger brother and sister while the parents are away.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Coming to America
Coming to America is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the lead role. The film also co-stars Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, and John Amos. The film was released in the United States on June 29, 1988.
Name This 80s Movie!
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
First Blood
First Blood (also known as Rambo: First Blood) is a 1982 American action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It co-stars Richard Crenna as Rambo’s mentor Sam Trautman and Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 American parody film written and directed by the brothers David and Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams in their directorial debuts,[6] and produced by Jon Davison. It stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty and features Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Lorna Patterson.
Name This 80s Movie!
A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd’s semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, with some elements from his 1971 book Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories And Other Disasters. It stars Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley and is a seasonal classic in North America.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
An Officer and a Gentleman
Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances “Baby” Houseman (Grey), a young woman who falls in love with dance instructor Johnny Castle (Swayze) at a vacation resort.
Name This 80s Movie!
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a 1987 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Steve Martin as Neal Page, a high-strung marketing executive, and John Candy as Del Griffith, a goodhearted but annoying salesman. In spite of their differences, they share a three-day odyssey of misadventures trying to get Neal home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving Day dinner with his family.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by John Landis. It stars John Belushi as “Joliet” Jake Blues and Dan Aykroyd as his brother Elwood, characters developed from the recurring musical sketch “The Blues Brothers” on NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. The film is set in and around Chicago, Illinois, where it was filmed, and the screenplay was written by Aykroyd and Landis.
Name This 80s Movie!
National Lampoon’s European Vacation
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, and Johnny Depp in his film debut.
Can You Name This 80s Movie?
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his feature-film directing debut. It stars Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, who also cowrote the screenplay with Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol, along with E.G. Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger and Judd Omen.
Unfortunately, you failed the quiz!
WE STILL GOT LOTS OF QUIZ THAT YOU CAN TRY AND ENJOY
Average Score? Hmmm. Not bad!
BUT YOU CAN DO BETTER NEXT TIME
You just prove that you are an 80s movie expert!
Keep on acing the quizzes; there’s more for you to try.
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