Image: Universal Pictures
About This Quiz
Film critics sometimes look down on the 1980s in the history of cinema, but the decade certainly had its share of memorable films. The '80s, in particular, featured blockbusters, high-budget films like the "Star Wars" sequels, "Indiana Jones" trilogy and "E.T. the Extraterrestrial" that attracted audiences in droves. People flocked to these blockbuster films because they featured easy-to-admire heroes up against fun-to-hate villains. Nothing was more thrilling than watching Luke Skywalker's lightsaber duel with Darth Vader or John McClane picking off terrorists one by one in a high-rise building.
But the '80s had more than just blockbusters. With the improvement of special effects, directors could wow audiences with horror, science fiction and fantasy films like never before. Audiences watched Carol Ann and all her bedroom furniture get sucked into a vortex in the closet, and terrifying xenomorphs attack a team of Marines on an alien planet. But we can't talk about '80s films without mentioning its comedies, too. Jeff Spicoli inspired a generation of stoners in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," and Clark Griswold endured the road trip from hell to reach Walley World in "National Lampoon's Vacation."
Whether you were alive during the '80s or you discovered these films decades later, now is the time to put your cinema knowledge to the test! You won't need a DeLorean to travel back to this decade; just start the quiz and let the memories of shoulder pads, mullets and power suits overwhelm you!
"Flashdance"
"Footloose"
"Sixteen Candles"
"Dirty Dancing"
Nobody puts Baby in the corner! She belongs on the stage, dancing with Johnny, the resort's dance instructor. Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze share chemistry and dance moves in this fun flick.
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"The Shining"
Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall star in this psychological horror film by Stanley Kubrick, based on the Stephen King novel. Will a family survive a winter at an isolated (and haunted) hotel?
"Poltergeist"
"A Nightmare on Elm Street"
"The Blob"
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"Raiders of the Lost Ark"
"Back to the Future"
1980s teen Marty McFly takes a DeLorean time machine back to the '50s, where he must ensure that his parents meet, dance and fall in love. Can Marty make it back to the future in time?
"The Goonies"
"Ghostbusters"
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"The Terminator"
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
"Gremlins"
"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"
Steven Spielberg's 1982 classic "E.T." features a little alien stranded on Earth, where he befriends a lonely boy named Elliot. Elliot's in for an amazing ride — including a flying bike!
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"Poltergeist"
"Ghostbusters"
In the 1984 fantasy film by Ivan Reitman, three scientists (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis) start a "Ghostbusters" business. Can they save New York City when ghosts slip through a portal?
"Die Hard"
"Aliens"
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"Raiders of the Lost Ark"
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is the first in the Indiana Jones series, which follows an archaeologist on his thrilling adventures. Indy and old flame Marion team up to find the powerful Ark in Egypt.
"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"
"Romancing the Stone"
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"Fast Times at Ridgemont High"
"The Breakfast Club"
"Top Gun"
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
A young Matthew Broderick plays carefree Ferris, who skips school with his girlfriend and his best friend. Will he be able to evade his sister and Principal Rooney, who want to bust him?
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"The Goonies"
"Stand By Me"
Rob Reiner's 1986 film follows four boys in 1950s Oregon who set off on a journey to find a boy's dead body in the woods. Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern will never be the same after this fateful trip.
"Big"
"Explorers"
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"Airplane!"
This 1980 comedy starring Robert Hays and Leslie Nielsen spoofs every disaster movie cliche. It's up to a war vet with PTSD to safely land a plane when the pilot gets food poisoning.
"Die Hard"
"Blade Runner"
"Gremlins"
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"Full Metal Jacket"
"The Empire Strikes Back"
"Return of the Jedi"
In the final chapter of the original Star Wars trilogy, Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader, hoping to turn him back to the light side. And Leia and Han lead a strike force on the planet moon of Endor.
"Top Gun"
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"The Karate Kid"
"Sixteen Candles"
"A Nightmare on Elm Street"
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High"
Did someone order a pizza in Mr. Hand's history class? Oh yeah, that's Spicoli! "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" follows a group of teenagers through an unforgettable year of school.
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"Who Framed Roger Rabbit"
"Batman"
A trauma in Bruce Wayne's childhood — seeing his parents murdered — spurs him to don a bat suit and fight crime in this Tim Burton film. Jack Nicholson stars as the maniacal Joker.
"Beverly Hills Cop"
"Beetlejuice"
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"Poltergeist"
Poor little Carol Ann gets sucked into another dimension in this horror film directed by Tobe Hooper. Her parents will stop at nothing to save her from the poltergeists invading their suburban home.
"The Shining"
"Ghostbusters"
"Beetlejuice"
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"Aliens"
"Dune"
"The Empire Strikes Back"
In 1980, "The Empire Strikes Back" shocked Star Wars fans with a big twist: Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father! We bet Luke wishes he'd listened to Yoda and stayed on Dagobah now ...
"The Evil Dead"
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"Trading Places"
"Risky Business"
"Big"
Josh is 12 years old and wishes he could be an adult, but he never expects his wish to come true! Tom Hanks stars as a man with the mind of a child, who must navigate a new job and a potential love interest.
"Look Who's Talking"
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"Rain Man"
Charlie (Tom Cruise) discovers he has a brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), who is autistic. Charlie wants to take custody of Raymond to gain his father's inheritance, but things don't go as planned ...
"Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure"
"First Blood"
"Raging Bull"
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"The NeverEnding Story"
"Labyrinth"
Teenage Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) wishes her baby brother away and then must navigate a maze to get him back. "Labyrinth" features Jim Henson's Muppets, but not the cute, Kermit the Frog kind!
"The Princess Bride"
"Dark Crystal"
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"Beverly Hills Cop"
"Coming to America"
In "Coming to America," Eddie Murphy stars as an African prince who comes to the U.S. incognito to find a bride. He thinks he's found the girl of his dreams, but will his king father approve?
"Trading Places"
"Summer Rental"
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"Aliens"
James Cameron directed this 1986 sequel to "Alien," introducing a cast of Marines who set out to destroy the aliens on a distant planet. Ripley tries to warn them, but do they listen?
"The Terminator"
"Predator"
"Platoon"
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"The Terminator"
"Lethal Weapon"
"Die Hard"
John McClane comes to the Nakatomi Plaza to reconcile with his wife, but he gets way more than he bargained for when thieves storm the building. It's a Christmas film for the action movie fan!
"Full Metal Jacket"
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"The Goonies"
"The Goonies" stars Sean Astin and Corey Feldman as members of a gang of misfit kids who stumble upon a treasure map. Of course, finding the treasure won't be easy, not with the bad guys on their trail!
"Raiders of the Lost Ark"
"Dune"
"Tron"
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"48 Hrs."
"Planes, Trains and Automobiles"
"Uncle Buck"
"Midnight Run"
De Niro plays Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter who wants out of the business. But first, he'll have to deliver an embezzler accountant (Grodin) to his bail bondsman — and avoid the FBI and the mob.
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"Uncle Buck"
"Summer Rental"
"The Great Outdoors"
"Planes, Trains and Automobiles"
All Neal Page (Steve Martin) wants is to make it home in time for Thanksgiving. But he has the trip from hell with an obnoxious shower curtain ring salesman (John Candy), whom he just can't shake.
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"The Great Outdoors"
"Summer Rental"
"Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure"
"National Lampoon's Vacation"
Chevy Chase plays dad Clark Griswold, who just wants a quality vacation with his wife and kids. But their long trip to Walley World will be unforgettable for all the wrong reasons ...
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"The Breakfast Club"
Five high school students with different personalities and problems find common ground at an all-day Saturday detention. At the end, you'll be singing "Don't You (Forget About Me)" too.
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
"Sixteen Candles"
"Pretty in Pink"
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"Predator"
"Aliens"
"The Evil Dead"
"The Terminator"
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the Terminator, an unstoppable cyborg sent back from the future to destroy Sarah Connor, whose unborn son will play a critical role in the future. He'll be back.
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"Labyrinth"
"The Princess Bride"
"The Princess Bride" is an unforgettable fairy tale featuring Princess Buttercup and Westley, whose love persists in spite of pirates, a creepy albino and an evil king. We'll read this storybook any day!
"The NeverEnding Story"
"Romancing the Stone"
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"Flight of the Navigator"
"An American Tail"
"The Neverending Story"
A lonely, bullied boy takes refuge in a magical book, which pulls him into the story in surprising ways. Join Bastian, Atreyu, Falkor and the Empress as they fight a dark, spreading force.
"Back to the Future"
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"The Land Before Time"
"The Dark Crystal"
"Honey, I Shrunk the Kids"
Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) thinks his shrink ray is a failure, unaware that it's shrunk his two kids (and two neighbor kids) to microscopic size! Can he find them before they're squished?
"Mac and Me"
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"An American Tail"
"An American Tail" features Fievel, a plucky boy mouse separated from his family on the perilous journey across the sea. He must navigate a scary new world, find his folks and avoid the cats!
"The Land Before Time"
"The Great Mouse Detective"
"Oliver & Company"
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"The Rescuers Down Under"
"The Secret of NIMH"
Don Bluth's 1982 animated fantasy features a mother mouse who will stop at nothing to save her family. She has help, of course, from a wise owl and a society of super-intelligent rats.
"The Great Mouse Detective"
"The Black Cauldron"
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"Predator"
"Little Monsters"
"The Land Before Time"
After Littlefoot's mother dies, the young long-necked dinosaur must find the Great Valley on his own — until he meets some new friends. Who knew a dinosaur movie could be so poignant?
"The Fox and the Hound"
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"The Fox and the Hound"
"Annie"
"The Wizard"
"All Dogs Go to Heaven"
"All Dogs Go to Heaven" is a surprisingly dark animated film featuring a murdered dog who escapes heaven to seek revenge, only to become a guardian to an orphan girl. You can't keep a good dog down!
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"Annie"
Aileen Quinn stars as an orphan whose dreams come true when she visits the home of Oliver Warbucks, a cantankerous billionaire. But she must foil a plot by Miss Hannigan, the orphanage director!
"A Christmas Story"
"Curly Top"
"Curly Sue"
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"Adventures in Babysitting"
"The Great Mouse Detective"
"My Neighbor Totoro"
This acclaimed film by Hayao Miyazaki focuses on two young girls who encounter benevolent spirits in the woods by their home. Satsuke and Mei steal hearts with their sweet innocence.
"Willow"
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"The Last Starfighter"
"Short Circuit"
"Explorers"
"SpaceCamp"
The 1986 adventure film "SpaceCamp" stars Lea Thompson and Kate Capshaw. Four kids at Space Camp are inadvertently sent up into space. Can they get home again with their limited training?
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"The Brave Little Toaster"
In this animated musical, five appliances, including the title toaster, set off on a journey to find their old master, a man who now lives in the city. Will they survive the trash compactor, though?
"Oliver and Company"
"Mac and Me"
"D.A.R.Y.L."
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"Vision Quest"
"Adventures in Babysitting"
"The Outsiders"
"The Karate Kid"
If Daniel's going to go up against the Cobra Kai, he'll first need to train under karate master Mr. Miyagi. Can this bullied kid learn karate from the unassuming but wise repairman?
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"Bugsy Malone"
"Who Framed Roger Rabbit"
Robert Zemeckis' fantasy features a bitter detective (Bob Hoskins) who reluctantly teams up with some wacky toons to solve a mystery in Toon Town. The film cleverly satirizes the film noir genre.
"Paper Moon"
"Moonstruck"
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"The Great Mouse Detective"
Disney's "The Great Mouse Detective" features Basil of Baker Street, a sleuth who investigates the case of a kidnapped toymaker. With the help of Dawson, he faces his old foe, Ratigan.
"The Secret of NIMH"
"The Fox and the Hound"
"Gremlins"
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