1982 was a fantastic year for genre film lovers. There was plenty of sci-fi and fantasy for all ages, ranging from violent revenge in the time of sorcery to charming alien adventures fit for the family. Whether it was swords or spaceships, there was something for you.

The films released this year have stood the test of time as some of the most classic films in Star Trek, cyberpunk, sci-fi horror, dark fantasy, and kid-friendly fantasy. With so many classics, ranging from box office titans to underrated cult classics, it’s worth knowing the history of this monumental year. These are the 10 films of 1982 that redefined genre filmmaking forever.

10

The Secret of NIMH

Based on Robert C. O’Brien’s children’s novel, The Secret of NIMH follows the adventures of intelligent mice secretly living on a farm. The widow, Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), is trying to care for her children, but humans are trying to wipe them out, and her home is threatened. She’ll have to face the towering humans and vicious predators, as well as the conspiring forces of her rat peers.

Mixing magic and science, The Secret of NIMH was a surprisingly intelligent and dark animated film that established Don Bluth’s style as his directorial debut. Elizabeth Hartman gave an emotional performance, and the darkness is thankfully given some levity with Dom DeLuise as the comic relief crow, Jeremy. With sword fights, magical amulets, and dangers of venturing into the lairs of cats and owls, this animated marvel still stands strong as a cartoon highlight from a decade mostly considered the dark ages of lesser Disney animated films.

9

Poltergeist

The Freeling family is getting to their new house, and it’s not going well with all the strange supernatural elements emerging from the corners. The youngest of the family, Carol Ann, is intrigued by the ghosts who contact her through the television. But the spirits take a darker form when Carol Ann goes missing, and more frightening events involving clowns and trees terrorize the family.

What’s most fascinating about Poltergeist is how scary it is for a PG horror film, though its frights and violence would likely earn it a PG-13 rating today. Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) didn’t skimp on the horror, and co-writer Steven Spielberg (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) makes the family believable for this scenario. It’s still one of the freakiest ghost stories ever put to film and was surprisingly so revered that it received three Academy Award nominations.

8

Tron

Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is used to computers and plans to fight against greedy ENCOM executive Ed Dillinger (David Warner). Flynn’s infiltration of computer systems, however, finds him being transported to the digital world of The Grid. Inside this dangerous realm, he’ll have to find a way out by defeating the Master Control Program through teaming up with the hero program known as Tron (Bruce Boxleitner).

Tron was considered a groundbreaking sci-fi adventure for its dazzling special effects that dove into the virtual world of video games. The film was a visual feast for its backlit characters, who looked bathed in neon, and the exhilarating early computer graphics for the intense light-cycle battle. While the story might not have made much sense then, the iconography was so strong that it led to a sequel (Tron: Legacy) and animated series (Tron: Uprising).

7

Creepshow

Drawing great inspiration from EC horror comics, Creepshow is one of the most stylish and terrifying horror anthology movies ever produced. The story features such twisted elements as a severed head on Father’s Day, a plant-spreading meteorite, and a rich germaphobe being swarmed by cockroaches. These many tales are all portrayed with a comic book flair while boasting an impressive ensemble that includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Leslie Nielsen, and Stephen King.

Directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, Creepshow has so many aspects that I still find, well, creepy. From Leslie Nielsen drowning people at the beach to the fearsome anticipation of a monster in a crate, so many notable moments are sure to garner nightmares. I also loved how the film didn’t shy away from its comic book origins, going so far as to have animated sequences and colorful shots that look more like something out of Dick Tracy than a 1980s horror.

6

The Dark Crystal

Wanting to do something more fantastical than comical, Jim Henson turned his puppetry into the realm of magical worlds with The Dark Crystal. In a mystical world free of humans, Jen is the last of a race known as Gelfings, undertaking a task to restore balance to the universe with the shards of a magical crystal. Also seeking the power of the crystal are the evil Skeksis, the soul-sucking vultures, desiring to rule the planet with their cruelty. It’s up to Jen to save the day alongside his new ally, the Gelfling Kira.

The Dark Crystal was a dark departure from Henson’s usual Muppet puppetry and a compelling divergence for taking the medium into other genres. While not a critical or commercial success upon its 1982 release, the film has only grown more revered, especially as a precursor to Henson’s other 1980s puppet fantasy, Labyrinth. The incredible world would continue in the form of comic books, novels, and the Netflix prequel series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

5

Conan The Barbarian

Robert E. Howard’s barbarian warrior was on the big screen for John Milius’s Conan the Barbarian. Conan, played by a pre-Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger, is on a quest for revenge after his parents were murdered by the evil snake cult leader, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones). This obsession sends the sword-wielding Conan on a daring fantasy adventure with plenty of sex and violence for its tale of sword and sorcery.

There were plenty of fantasy films throughout the 1980s, but none were more successful or iconic with their pulpy power than Conan the Barbarian. The film was a huge box office success and became a massive inspiration for the future of the genre, garnering everything from sequels (Conan the Destroyer) to spin-offs (Red Sonja) to parodies (Conan the Librarian from UHF). Taking great inspiration from the fantasy paintings of Frank Frazetta, Conan the Barbarian is a rousing action-fantasy, laying a solid foundation for Schwarzenegger to be recognized as a top name in action films throughout the rest of the 20th century.

In Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, aliens take on a gentle nature. The young Elliott comes across a marooned alien creature named E.T. Although frightened at first, Elliott and his siblings soon warm up to the curious creature, teaching him all the ways of Earth. They love him enough to find ways of protecting him against the government that wants to imprison him for research purposes, leading to daring rescues and bicycle chases across suburbia.

Spielberg’s adorable alien character changed sci-fi for the 1980s, when several studios wanted the next family-friendly film about an innocent alien visitor. Aside from this picture being a box office giant of 1982, it’s also a charming and emotional coming-of-age film where kids get to be the heroes for their association with an alien. While the story and visual effects are still mesmerizing, the film is also a fun time capsule of 1980s suburbia, thanks to Spielberg’s devotion to framing a believable family amid a fantastic event.

3

The Thing

A research station in Antarctica comes across a sled dog, the only survivor of a destroyed Norwegian base. The dog, however, turns out to be a terrifying alien creature that hides inside bodies and brutally strikes its targets. Faced with an uncertain enemy, the research station now must contend with an alien threat with nowhere to flee and nobody to trust.

John Carpenter’s The Thing is known for featuring some of the most elaborate special effects and goriest kills, such as the alien biting off arms and contorting the human body into monstrous deformations. At the same time, the classic horror film also taps into a paranoia about an unseen enemy that can easily infiltrate. With memorable roles by Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, and Keith David, and a dark tone maintained by Ennio Morricone’s score, The Thing holds up as one of the grossest sci-fi horror films to come out of the 1980s, far from the cuddly nature of E.T.

2

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The Wrath of Khan expanded on the Star Trek episode Space Seed by featuring the return of the evil genetic monster Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). Having been imprisoned for years, he sets his sights on getting revenge against Captain Kirk (William Shatner), engaging in daring ship-to-ship combat with the USS Enterprise. Kirk has much to lose from this battle after being reunited with his former lover and her child, and the adventure becomes more dangerous as Khan seeks the Genesis device, which could bring life or death to whatever planet it infects.

As a zippy change of pace from the first Star Trek movie, The Wrath of Khan brought excitement to the big screen with dazzling starship battles and an unforgettable villain performance by Ricardo Montalbán. The film also had real danger, with vicious tactics and the unfortunate end of one core Enterprise crew member. For drawing on everything from Star Trek lore to Captain Ahab quotes, this sequel made one of the most thrilling adventures and set the tone of Star Trek films (and the many inspired by them) for the future by being one of the best in the franchise.

1

Blade Runner

Detective Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) lives in a futuristic Los Angeles, where his job is hunting down Replicants. These artificially created beings have only a four-year lifespan, and an escaped group of them, led by the vicious Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), tries to find a way to extend their existence. As Rick investigates further, his profession doesn’t seem so black and white, especially with his romance with the Replicant, Rachael (Sean Young).

Based on Phillip K. Dick’s novel, Blade Runner is a sci-fi masterpiece from director Ridley Scott, despite the first version to hit theaters featuring narration that’s been cut since. The script perfectly explores the grand topic of what it means to be human, and the atmosphere is beautifully brooding, with unforgettable locations such as a decaying Bradbury building and the wondrous lighting of a Tyrell conference room. Add a moody ambient soundtrack by Vangelis, and you have a sci-fi classic that I still enjoy getting lost within to this day.

Blade Runner

Release Date

June 25, 1982

Runtime

117 minutes

Director

Ridley Scott

So much inspiration can be felt coursing through these many films. Whether it’s the world-building of a cyberpunk future or the advancements in puppetry, the films of today would be nothing without these 1982 pictures. Without Blade Runner, we may never have had The Fifth Element, and without Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, we might never have seen the next generation of that sci-fi franchise. So show some respect for the time of light-cycles, sword-fighting rats, sweet aliens with long necks, and space villains with plastic chests.