8 Terrifying Pop Culture Moments From The 80's
#1 THE LIBRARIAN GHOUL FROM GHOSTBUSTERS
Movies don't get much better than this '80s classic, but when you dig beneath the Bill Murray quips and confusing feelings about Dana becoming Zuul, you're left with a freaky ghost story every bit as terrifying as Poltergeist. We still get chills thinking about the nice old librarian lady suddenly turning into a demon from hell after Ray yells "Get her!"
#2 THE CLOWN PUPPET FROM POLTERGEIST
Speaking of which, Poltergeist itself made us leave the nightlight on a few years later than was socially acceptable.
#3 ZELDA FROM PET SEMATARY
In a movie about rabid animals rising from the grave, somehow a sick woman with spinal meningitis is the thing that still haunts us to this day.
#4 THE TROLL IN THE WALL FROM CAT’S EYE
Drew Barrymore had enough to worry about during the '80s, what with a drinking problem when most of us still had bedtimes. Now she has trolls sneaking out of her wall, and stealing her breath? That just seems unfair.
#5 DARKNESS FROM LEGEND
Tim Curry was all over 80's creepiness like with his terrifying performance in the miniseries IT. But before he ever put on the clown makeup, he played the Devil himself, in this cult hit that helped launch Tom Cruise's career. Who would have guessed Tom's personal life would be the creepiest thing to come out of a movie with Frankfurter basically playing Lucifer?
#6 E.T. DYING
This is the moment when most kids in the '80s learned that death comes for us all. E.T. phone home? More like trust issues phone therapist.
#7 THE JABBERWOCKY FROM ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
'80s parents were too busy adjusting their shoulder pads to vet this miniseries version of Alice in Wonderland which starred John Stamos, Pat Morita and a million other childhood favorites and turned the Jabberwocky into a living, breathing manifestation of our fears just in time for bed. Runner-up creepy moment: Carol Channing as The White Queen just straight up turning into a goat for some reason.
#8 THE SKEKSIS FROM THE DARK CRYSTAL
The Gelfling heroes of The Dark Crystal were freaky enough, but Jim Henson created living nightmares with the Skeksis. These rotting bird monsters were about as far from Big Bird and Kermit as you can get.
