Five 80s Horror Movies We’re Surprised Haven’t Been Rebooted

I’m not really a fan of remakes or reboots in general. Nine times out of ten it’s almost an identical film as its predecessor; adding nothing new to the story. As a kid who was born in the mid 80s, I’ve seen many of my childhood horror icons get butchered with a terrible reboot, from Freddy Krueger to Leatherface and more.

With all of the remakes that have been released in the past decade it’s surprising that there are still some memorable 80s horror films that haven’t gotten the reboot treatment. I looked through my old VHS collection from when I was a kid and noticed many horror films I loved that haven’t been given a shiny upgrade.

This isn’t to say that I feel they should or shouldn’t be remade; it’s just surprising that some greedy movie exec hasn’t capitalized on our childhood nostalgia. These five films are noteworthy (at least to me); for being quite popular and yet have flown under the reboot radar.

Maybe legal issues have prevented this from happening. Or, maybe these are films are only popular among a very small niche demographic of horror fans. Whatever the case may be, here are five 80s horror films we’re surprised haven’t been remade yet.

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

The Slumber Party Massacre follows a bunch of young girls as a killer tries to drill them (a drill is his weapon of choice). A rather straightforward by-the-numbers- slasher but it’s most definitely one of the most memorable of the decade.

By today’s standards it would be rather silly, and that’s fine. A spoof or horror comedy wouldn’t be out of the question. Even if it wasn’t given a proper theatrical release it’s surprising that this reboot isn’t in the works.

Christine (1983)

Remaking films based on Stephen King novels seems to be a thing nowadays; just look at the upcoming Carrie reboot. It’s surprising that a few other Stephen King novels aren’t finding their way back to the big-screen once again.

Christine follows a nerd who buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury, which turns out to be an actual killer car (literally). It’s surprising this hasn’t been remade just because. Speaking of Stephen King remakes…

Cujo (1983)

Cujo is the Stephen King tale a dog who gets bitten by a bat and goes batshit crazy. A good portion of the film follows Dee Wallace and her son trapped in a car with Cujo waiting patiently for them to get out so he can rip them to pieces.

When was the last great killer dog horror film we’ve seen? Why not bring Cujo back? Or not…

Pumpkinhead (1988)

Pumpkinhead hasn’t exactly aged all that well over the years. Which is all the more reason why a reboot might actually be a good thing. The technology of today would only be a blessing for the film as opposed to a reboot like Nightmare On Elm Street where it was clearly a hindrance.

Lance Henriksen plays a mournful father who calls on a demon (Pumpkinhead) to get revenge on the teenagers who killed his son.

While Pumpkinhead may not be as recognizable as Freddy Krueger or Jason, the film has built up a cult following in the years since its release. A following that surprisingly hasn’t been capitalized on with a reboot.

The Lost Boys (1987)

Two decades before the Twilight craze we had another teensploitation vampire flick. The Lost Boys was a pop-culture phenomenon during the late ‘80s. The film’s tagline — “Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire.” — flawlessly captured its blend of attitude and gore.

At the height of the recent vampire craze it was surprising that we haven’t heard an announcement that this reboot was on its way.

Are there any other ‘80s horror movies you’re surprised haven’t been remade?

Jesse Gumbarge is editor-in-chief at JarvisCity. He’s a fan of old-school horror flicks and starting pointless debates. You can contact him at JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com.