Bill Hader, Edgar Wright, Eli Roth & more pick their favorite 80s movies

Last Updated on August 24, 2023

Making a top ten list of your favourite movies can be difficult, but is it any easier when you narrow that list down to a single decade? IndieWire asked dozens of filmmakers to put together a list of their favourite 80s movies, and the results are as widely varied as the decade itself. Which 80s movies does Bill Hader hold dear to his heart? What are some of Nia DaCosta’s favourites? Can Edgar Wright actually contain himself to just ten movies? What horror movies of the 80s top Eli Roth’s list?

Bill Hader’s (Barry) Favourite 80s Movies:

• Thin Blue Line 
• Road Warrior 
• Blood Simple 
• Evil Dead 1&2 
• Raging Bull 
• Naked Gun 
• The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On 
• The Hit 
• Raising Arizona 
• Crimes and Misdemeanors 
• Blue Velvet 
• Where is the Friends House 
• Pee Wees Big Adventure 
• Midnight Run 
• Come and See 
• Do the Right Thing 
• My Neighbor Totoro 
• Die Hard 
• Paris, Texas 
• Streetwise 
• Robocop 
• Stand By Me 
• Spinal Tap 

Nia DaCosta’s (The Marvels) Favourite 80s Movies:

• The Empire Strikes Back
• The Verdict
• The Thing
• Amadeus
• Purple Rain
• This is Spinal Tap
• Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
• She’s Gotta Have It
• The Great Mouse Detective
• Full Metal Jacket
• The Land Before Time
• Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
• Die Hard
• Coming to America
• Do the Right Thing

Edgar Wright’s (Last Night in Soho) Favourite 80s Movies:

• Airplane!
• The Blues Brothers
• Dressed to Kill
• The Elephant Man
• The Fog
• Raging Bull
• An American Werewolf in London
• Blow Out
• Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Blade Runner
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
• The King of Comedy
• The Thing
• Risky Business
• Gremlins
• Stop Making Sense
• The Terminator
• This is Spinal Tap
• After Hours
• Back to the Future
• Brazil
• Pee wee’s Big Adventure
• Police Story
• The Purple Rose of Cairo
• Aliens
• Blue Velvet
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• The Fly
• Something Wild
• Evil Dead 2
• Raising Arizona
• Withnail & I
• Akira
• Die Hard
• Midnight Run
• The Vanishing
• The Killer
• Do the Right Thing

Michael Giacchino’s (The Batman) Favourite 80s Movies:

• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Three Amigos
• Witness
• Silverado
• Stand By Me
• The Outsiders
• Little Shop of Horrors
• Back to the Future
• Gremlins
• Big Trouble in Little China
• Poltergeist
• American Werewolf in London
• Naked Gun
• Big
• Airplane!
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
• The Goonies
• Heathers
• The Mosquito Coast
• Three O’clock High

David Lowery’s (The Green Knight) Favourite 80s Movies:

• Do the Right Thing
• The Last Temptation of Christ
• Raising Arizona
• Midnight Run
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• Ishtar
• Fanny & Alexander
• Come & See
• Robocop
• The Fly
• Local Hero
• The Princess Bride
• The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & His Lover
• Mishima
• An American Tail
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
• Seventeen
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High
• The Shining
• Beetlejuice
• Possession

Eli Roth’s (Borderlands) Favourite 80s Movies:

• Porky’s
• Caddyshack
• FastTimes at Ridgemont High
• Last American Virgin
• Friday the 13th Part III
• Pieces
• Basket Case
• Sleepaway Camp
• Hamburger: The Motion Picture
• Robocop
• Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn

You can head over to IndieWire to check out many more lists from filmmakers such as Todd Field, Sophia Takal, Celine Song, Ed Solomon & more. While we’re talking 80s movies, be sure to check out our very own 80s Horror Memories video series which is slowly making its way through the the decade!

Give us your own Top Ten 80s Movies in the comments below!