The 5 Most Misunderstood Movies of the 1980s, Ranked

The 1980s were a good decade for mainstream classics that still endure, like this one Poltergeist, Ferris Bueller Day again Back to the Future.

But there are plenty of great ’80s movies that we love today that weren’t well received upon release.

Watch With Us has put together a limited list of five misunderstood movies of the 1980s – movies that critics missed, audiences missed or that were just completely lost to time.

First on our list Interior space, an irreverent sci-fi comedy that plays Dennis Quaid like a man shrinking to microscopic size.

5. ‘Innerspace’ (1987)

Volunteer Aviator Lt. Tuck Pendleton (Quaid) in a top secret experiment where Tuck is reduced to microscopic size in an underwater pod. Once both the Tuck and the submersible are small, they are transferred to the syringe intended for injection into the rabbit. However, the lab is under attack from competitors who want to steal their flagship technology. To protect the experiment, Tuck ends up being injected into the body of an unsuspecting hypochondriac named Jack Putter (Martin Short). As Tuck struggles to be freed from Jack’s body, his companions are still being held back by the thieves.

Interior space an amazingly overlooked ’80s comedy, what a director Joe Dante due to the poor marketing of the film at the time of release, despite the positive response from the audience. Dante also notes that the film gained a lot of attention after it hit home video, and since then, it has become a cult favorite among those in the know. Interior space it’s a must-see for its infectious, madcap energy that seamlessly blends comedy, sci-fi and adventure, relying on the wonderful dynamic between Short and Quaid.

4. ‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’ (1982)

The doctor of the emergency room at the hospital, Dr. Daniel “Dan” Challis (Tom Atkins) and a woman named Ellie Grimbridge (Stacey Nelkin) team will uncover a sinister plot to kill the world’s children on Halloween. Small-town fashion designer Conal Cochran (Dan O’Herlihy) has plans to start a deadly Celtic tradition using a popular Halloween mask and a hypnotic TV ad jingle. Can Dan and Ellie stop Cochran before his deadly plan is launched?

John Carpenter and his producer, Debra Hill, He wanted to give theirs Halloween franchise a new spin, so they ditched Michael Myers and reimagined it as an anthology with a new story for each installment. Halloween III: Season of the Witch it was planned to be the first in a series of new stories, but unfortunately, the audience only wanted the killer they knew and loved, and Halloween III it was a bus. The film has since gained a cult following that appreciates its unique tone, fun independent story and unforgettably dark ending.

3. ‘Body Double’ (1984)

Jake Scully (Craig Wasson) is a struggling actor in Los Angeles, and when things go wrong, he gets dumped by his girlfriend. However, things seem to finally turn around for him when he is offered a chance to live in a magnificent house in the Hollywood Hills. One night at home, Jake looks through the owner’s binoculars and sees a woman in a nearby house being murdered. Jake is determined to find out the truth about what happened to him, which leads him down to the LA underground for sex with an older actress named Holly Body (Melanie Griffith).

When Brian De Palma‘s Double Body which was first released at the box office in 1984, was not well received by audiences, and critics lamented the film’s shocking and graphic content. However, in the years since then, the film has grown to be regarded as one of De Palma’s greatest works, with fans and critics reassessing the film’s aesthetic and sexual indulgence. A perverse meta-commentary on filmmaking and voyeurism (showing clear inspiration from Rear window) and high-styled delights are part of what it does Double Body such a masterpiece.

2. ‘Star 80’ (1983)

Based on the tragic story of Playboy model Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered at the hands of her husband, Paul Snider, in 1980, Star 80 directed by Bob Fosse and the stars Mariel Hemingway like Stratten. Dorothy has the misfortune of first meeting Snider (played by Eric Roberts) in high school while working at Dairy Queen, and Snider quickly recognizes Stratten as a star in the making. After successfully persuading him, Snider gets Dorothy to move to Los Angeles with him, where he becomes her manager and lover. Tricked into believing that he is Dorothy’s only path to success, Snider takes more control of the young lady’s life.

Star 80 had a mixed reaction from critics at the time, possibly due to the highly unpopular title and Roberts’ disappointing performance. Star 80 it almost sounds like a film we shouldn’t be allowed to watch, but it’s a fascinating and unsparing portrait of control, abuse and misogyny, which gives a vivid color to the life and death of Dorothy Stratten. In the end, Roberts may have been again good at portraying a dangerous creep, which some feel is literally preventing him from getting the Oscar he deserves for his work.

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1. ‘King of Comedy’ (1982)

Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) wants to become a successful comedian like his idol, famous talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis). Unfortunately, Pupkin is aloof and self-centered, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he talks and acts about himself and his “comedy skills.” In his efforts to gain Langford’s attention, Pupkin becomes increasingly unstable to not only get Langford to learn his stuff, but to get close to him as well. When arriving at Langford’s doesn’t work, Pupkin takes drastic measures — kidnapping Pupkin and enlisting Masha’s help (Sandra Bernhard), another disturbed Langford follower.

The King of Comedy it was poorly received when it came out in 1982, receiving a lukewarm reception from critics and effectively flopping at the box office. Over time, viewers have taken notice The King of Comedy like a precious stone measured in the middle Martin Scorsesean impressive film; it’s a disturbing film that perfectly aligns with a deeply unlikable character who displays behavior we’d rather ignore in ourselves and others. It presents a terrifying look at the now-familiar celebrity obsession, and features one of De Niro’s greatest performances.