80s/Low-Budget/Gore/Horror Movies

Note: This includes all the movies of this genre/category that I've personally seen. Most of them are shit. This list is not curated in any way. Horror is my coping-mechanism.
Modern movies ◦ Classics ◦ Shorts

Modern movies

  • X (2022)
    In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.
    First slasher movie I've seen (mainly due to Jenna Ortega). Good movie.

  • Midsommar (2019)
    A couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
    I liked the setting and the characters were really well written. Not like the other movies on the list (in that it has an actual story line), but I included it because it has gore.

  • Pearl (2022)
    In 1918, a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation, and lovelessness of life on her parents' farm.
    Could've been better but has some nice ideas. Horror is not like in X.

Classics

  • Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    During an escalating zombie epidemic, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter and his TV executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
    This movie is an absolute classic. The social commentary is... good? ...okay? Personally found it a bit boring. The zombies are sooo slow.

  • Videodrome (1983)
    A programmer at a TV station that specializes in adult entertainment searches for the producers of a dangerous and bizarre broadcast.
    To be honest I didn't 100% understand the story but this movie has its charme. The soundtrack (and Deborah Harry) are the bomb! I believe it's even one of the most sampled movie soundtracks of all time.

  • Cannibal Holocaust (1983)
    During a rescue mission into the Amazon rainforest, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by a missing documentary crew.
    Cannibal Holocaust is THE classic. Yes, the acting is bad. Just like the story. And the director did some fucked up stuff (turtle). But I loved it (with a bad conscience). The social commentary on it is a bit ironic considering what the movie is itself but I still liked it. And the main theme is amazing.

  • The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
    Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
    Another classic, but without dead animals! This time, it actually has a pro-vegetarian/vegan message. Personally not a super huge fan but it still is a great movie. Be prepared for a lot of screaming.

  • Chopping Mall (1986)
    A group of young shopping mall employees stay behind for a late night party in one of the stores. When the mall goes on lock-down before they can get out, the robot security system malfunctions, and goes on a killing spree.
    Not as well known as the two above, still worth the watch. It's veery low budget and comical sometimes ("Thank you, have a nice day"). Has great suspense. And some social commentary about over-consumption bla bla. It's freely available on YouTube, afaik. Would recommend.

  • Friday the 13th (1980)
    A group of camp counselors trying to reopen a summer camp called Crystal Lake, which has a grim past, are stalked by a mysterious killer.
    Watched for Jason, got disappointed. A classic but found it a bit boring and worse than other movies on this list.

  • Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977)
    A hedonistic photojournalist, an anthropologist, two female missionary workers and a treacherous hunter's party trek into the Amazon to find a cannibalistic tribe long thought extinct.
    Not good, not worth it.

  • Carrie (1976)
    Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.
    I actually watched this a few hours before my own senior prom to calm my nerves lol. This movie definitely is one of the better ones on this list and - ignoring the horror - somewhat wholesome. Poor Carrie, her mother is terrifying af. Religious extremism in horror always gets me.

Shorts

  • Possibly in Michigan (1983)
    Two Women are chased through a shopping mall by a stalker named Arthur.
    If you haven't seen this yet, you're seriously missing out. It's an opera with super catchy music and has a lesbian subplot. Not much gore, still terrified me.
    ♬ I bite at the hand that feeds me - Slap at the face that eats me ♬.

  • Stuck (2020)
    A gymnastics coach must deal with a man who has taken an interest in the young girls she coaches. When the creep makes a bold move, the coach responds with an even bolder one.
    Unrealistic? Yes. Not the best, not the worst. Gore is good.

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