Friday the 13th (1980)

How this movie managed 10 sequels is a mystery. And why Kevin Bacon signed on (it's one of his earliest films) is also a puzzle. But when this bloody bit of Hollywood gore first splattered onto screens, audiences were awed by the gruesome gore inflicted upon the film's teen stars.

From promiscuity to downright cruelty, the slash-happy Jason Voorhees returns after his supposed drowning, stalking a new batch of offending teen counselors at Crystal Lake Camp. Even the local wacko can put two and two together and figure out that Jason's back. But not these comely councilors, who start dropping like flies when this knife-wielding monster returns.

Inferno (1980)

In this sequel to the '70s classic "Suspiria," a young poet in New York buys an old book from a local antique dealer - a Latin diary describing a coven of witches called "The Three Mothers." Terrified that her apartment building is one of the coven houses, the woman pleads with her brother to abandon his studies in Rome and help her uncover this mystery. But before big bro is on the scene, strange things happen, including the girl's own death.

With signature Dario Argento style, the Italian horror master puts an angst-inspired teen twist to this bad '80s brew, and, in the process, dishes up a creep factor that sucks us in and shakes us to the bone

The Shining (1980)

An '80s masterpiece, Stanley Kubrick's classic marries the creepy atmosphere of a posh hotel closed for the winter with the spiraling madness of its new caretakers. Unlike other films of this decade, "The Shining" is surprisingly light on gore. But its real allure is in the nail-biting tension Kubrick dishes up as Jack Nicholson becomes unhinged.

Dismembered twins. Deceased partygoers. A babe in the shower who suddenly goes corpse cold. It could all be figments of this caretaker's imagination (he's a frustrated novelist, after all). But as his inner world and the hotel's other worldly inhabitants collide, "The Shining" scores big-time for turning an idyllic retreat into the seat of true terror.

The Beyond (aka "E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldilą) (1981)

An Italian horror classic not to be missed, director Lucio Fulci gives audiences a bona fide fright fest in this tale about a woman who inherits a Louisiana hotel. Unbeknownst to her - and the others who come to mysterious ends upon entering the building - the hotel holds one of the doorways to hell.

Zombie attacks, terrorizing tarantulas and a crucified Satanist weave their way from hell's fires into the dilapidated building.  But with true Italian flair, this slick scream fest takes its real gore factor from the demons residing within us all.

Bloody Birthday (1981)

Almost as though it tore its killers right from newspaper headlines, three 10-year-olds are the stars of this little shocker. Born in 1970 at the height of a total eclipse, the cosmic alignment of the sun, moon and planets leaves no emotion in these kids-turned-cold blooded killers. But like any big secret, it's soon discovered by the neighbours next door (a girl and her little brother), who take on the terrorizing tots.

Strangulations, arrows thrown through eyes...it's a gory gem that rattles audiences most because of the horrible thoughts that can lurk inside a beautiful child's head.

As the '70s came to an end, a killer shark scared the devil out of us, a hard-to-kill alien froze us with fear and a puke-projecting satanic spirit sent moviegoers screaming from theatres. But "The Howling" launched a new, albeit short-lived werewolf craze in the '80s. In this frightful flick, a TV newswoman and her husband head to a retreat in the woods. But strange things begin to happen in this idyllic little colony - ones that leave people howling at the moon.

"The Howling" may lack the haunting mood of "The Wolf Man" (1941). And it may have spawned a legion of unsatisfying sequels. But the beasts in this horror classic  are big, bad and rip people's heads off with special effects ferocity that's still scary more than two decades later.

The Evil Dead (1981)

Before Sam Raimi became the director of "Spider-Man" and its mega-budget sequels, he scored big-time with this '80s classic. Done with a thrilling hand that blends shock horror with humour, Raimi tells the tale of five young friends who head to a cabin in the woods.

There's unspeakable evil lurking in these perfect forests, and once they read from the Necronomicon - conveniently waiting for them in the cabin - one by one they morph into killer zombies.  Sweet.

Two decades later, this werewolf flick and its monster-morphing special effects can still shake audiences to the bone. Two American students embark on a walking tour of England. But this backpacker's dream takes an unexpectedly bloody turn.  Attacked by the ultimate stranger from abroad - a werewolf from hell - one man is torn to shreds.

The other survivor dreams incessantly of the attack, seeing what he thinks is a werewolf committing its vile acts of carnage. Yet there's more than meets the eye to this cursed dreamer's slumbering thoughts. Watching him morph into a murderous beast? Thrilling. Watching him romance a pretty nurse - yes, he's still got enough red-blooded American in him for that?  Priceless.

In this grim fright fest, a charming country bumpkin checks into a New York motel room with just one basket containing his surgically removed Siamese twin. He's a jealous little whiner, this physically deformed sidekick. More than that, he's the brains behind a campaign of revenge against all those he blames for his hideous carcass.

With his brother to do his bidding, the evil twin kills off those who've done him wrong.  But when the freak's brother gets his first date ever, the creature escapes from his basket and wreaks havoc on everyone within sight. "The Basket Case" won't win an Oscar. But seeing evil and goodness coexist in all of us is the real killer.

Taking that battle with our inner demons to the extreme, this  pick once again puts the spotlight on teens terrorized by evil forces. After a group of city kids heads to the country for a holiday, one is involved in an accident that kills a local storekeeper's son.

Full of rage, the bereaved father enlists a witch to call up the demon "Pumpkinhead," and once this hellraiser arrives the offending teens start dropping like flies. It's a gory flick to be sure, and one that warns that a parent's rage, once unleashed, is far worse than any of hell's fires.