1981

Absence of Malice: love and friendship, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

A ghost, a bite and a man trying not to become a monster — and somehow all three stay interesting.

An Eye for an Eye: courage and authority, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

A detective story where the clues are on a tape, and the investigator listens harder than anyone else.

Heat, greed and a lawyer who forgot to say no.

Running for pride, belief and the thin line between them.

A labour of gods, monsters and one man who won't be pushed around.

Continental Divide: love, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow: family and mortality, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Authority, steel and a very small boat: why Der Alte still steers Das Boot.

Dead & Buried: mortality and fear, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Dragonslayer: heroism and parents protecting their children, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Endless Love: family and love, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Escape from New York: freedom and heroism, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Escape to Victory: freedom, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Myth, a sword and a man being made — Excalibur still asks what makes a king.

Revisiting Eye of the Needle and the reasons it still deserves to be watched.

A quieter Bond with teeth — revenge, a sunken spy ship and surprisingly human stakes.

Friday the 13th Part 2: mortality and loss, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Galaxy of Terror: fear and parents protecting their children, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

A sprinting friendship that runs straight into history — and doesn't let you look away.

Ghost Story: family and the safety of home, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Laurie Strode, a hospital corridor and a revelation that rewrites everything — Halloween II doubles down and gets messy in the best 80s way.

Happy Birthday to Me: family and the safety of home, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Knightriders: family and courage, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Looker: our relationship with technology and consumerism, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Petrol, fury and a man who would rather ride away — Mad Max 2 still hits like a fistful of sand.

Modern Problems: the safety of home and friendship, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Ms. 45: family and the safety of home, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

My Bloody Valentine: courage and parents protecting their children, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Neighbors: family and the safety of home, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Nighthawks: the safety of home and authority, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Omen III: The Final Conflict: family and parents protecting their children, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

A summer cottage, a stubborn old man and a boy who quietly upends the whole family.

Outland: family and mortality and lifespan, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Possession: family and love, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Prince of the City: authority, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Quest for Fire: mortality and freedom, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

A museum-minded professor, a globe-trotting chase and a very particular taste in religious artefacts.

A movie about witness, appetite and the private cost of public conviction.

Roar: family and the safety of home, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Telepathy, corporate control and one of cinema’s most unforgettable practical stunts.

Sharky's Machine: the safety of home and authority, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Southern Comfort: mortality and lifespan and loss, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

A ragged platoon, one endlessly inventive idiot, and the sort of male friendship that still makes you grin.

Taps: freedom and authority, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Tarzan, the Ape Man: family and parents protecting their children, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The Beyond: the safety of home and loss, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The Boogens: family and love, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The Burning: fear and freedom, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The Cannonball Run: authority and fear, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The Evil Dead: fear and freedom, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

A childhood friendship that learns the hard way what loyalty and duty actually cost.

The French Lieutenant's Woman: love and loss, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The Funhouse: fear and greed, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The Great Muppet Caper: authority and the safety of home, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The House by the Cemetery: the safety of home and loss, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

A TV reporter, a therapist's retreat and an appetite for practical prosthetics — The Howling still bites.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman: freedom, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The Legend of the Lone Ranger: courage and heroism, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

The Prowler: the safety of home and mortality, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Thief: family and the safety of home, and why this 1981 movie still matters.

Frank can open almost any safe in Chicago. Getting out of the life proves considerably harder.

A child's map, six small thieves and a very big imagination.

Wolfen: fear and humanity, and why this 1981 movie still matters.