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Best Thriller Movies

of the 1980s

The 20 highest-rated thriller movies released between 1980 and 1989, ranked by IMDb score.

1

Aliens(1986)

8.4 IMDb94% RT84 Meta

Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met wit

2

The Shining(1980)

8.4 IMDb84% RT68 Meta

Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prep

3

Die Hard(1988)

8.2 IMDb94% RT72 Meta

NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her office's Christmas Party, the entire building is overtaken by a gro

4

The Terminator(1984)

8.1 IMDb90% RT84 Meta

In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgen

5

Blade Runner(1982)

8.1 IMDb89% RT84 Meta

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way t

6

Predator(1987)

7.8 IMDb65% RT47 Meta

A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

7

The Untouchables(1987)

7.8 IMDb83% RT79 Meta

Elliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent, is determined to take down Al Capone. In order to achieve this goal, he forms a group given the nickname “The Untouchables”.

8

The Killer(1989)

7.7 IMDb96% RT82 Meta

Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded

9

The Vanishing(1988)

7.7 IMDb96% RT

Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation when they stop at a busy service station. Saskia is abducted in broad daylight and three years pass with no answers or closure surrounding her d

10

The Name of the Rose(1986)

7.7 IMDb72% RT54 Meta

14th-century Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and his young novice arrive at a conference to find that several monks have been murdered under mysterious circumstances. To solve the crimes, Willi

11

Blue Velvet(1986)

7.7 IMDb91% RT75 Meta

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped

12

First Blood(1982)

7.7 IMDb86% RT61 Meta

When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

13

Missing(1982)

7.7 IMDb94% RT78 Meta

Based on the real-life experiences of Ed Horman. A conservative American businessman travels to Chile to investigate the sudden disappearance of his son after a military takeover. Accompanied by his s

14

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan(1982)

7.7 IMDb87% RT68 Meta

The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.

15

RoboCop(1987)

7.6 IMDb92% RT70 Meta

In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the com

16

Lethal Weapon(1987)

7.6 IMDb81% RT68 Meta

A veteran cop and an unstable detective become partners who must put their differences aside in order to bring down a heroin-smuggling ring run by ex-Special Forces.

17

After Hours(1985)

7.6 IMDb90% RT89 Meta

Desperate to escape his mind-numbing routine, uptown Manhattan office worker Paul Hackett ventures downtown for a hookup with a mystery woman.

18

The Abyss(1989)

7.5 IMDb76% RT62 Meta

A civilian oil rig crew is recruited to conduct a search and rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocea

19

Blow Out(1981)

7.4 IMDb88% RT86 Meta

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the c

20

They Live(1988)

7.2 IMDb87% RT55 Meta

A lone drifter stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.

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