As a child of the late 70′s /early 80′s movies played a huge part in my life and there are certain films from that era that I will always remember. These movies were my first taste of film fantasy, and no doubt shaped my tastes and continue to influence them to this day. It’s impossible to think back on those formative years without remembering these films, so I have decided to share the most memorable films from my childhood with you, my lucky readers.

Gremlins

If you were a child of the 80′s you will no doubt have been charmed by the adorable Mogwai then amused by it’s violently crazed Gremlin spawn. An enjoyable re-watch, not least for the strange story of the Dad who died in a chimney pretending to be Santa, which I somehow didn’t notice in my youth.

Bizarrely violent and ridiculously quirky, Gremlins is a brilliant feel good Christmas movie for those who like their comedy dark and their gremlins running wild.

The Goonies

This adventure movie has it all. A group of kids on a mission to save their homes from the obligatory money grabbing bad guys, an old pirate legend, a treasure map and some comedy crooks for good measure.

In the days before becoming a gay hobbit Sean Astin led this unlikely group of kids on an adventure to find One Eyed Willie’s treasure, getting into many amusing scrapes along the way and of course learning some valuable life lessons and more importantly finding a boatload of treasure.

Labyrinth

You remind me of the babe(What babe?) Babe with the power (What power?) Power of voodoo(Who do?)You do… Sorry where was I? Oh yes Labyrinth.

Jennifer Connelly plays a young girl on a quest to rescue her little brother, in this gorgeous fantasy film. In order to save her brother from the somewhat familiar Goblin King she must solve the great maze within 13 hours. During her mission she encounters many strange characters, many of whom are puppets, which adds to the otherworldly feel of the movie. Worth watching for too many reasons to list.

Star Wars

When episode IV burst onto our screens it changed movies forever. All children of the 80′s will remember their first Star Wars experience, as the series provided the most amazing special effects we had ever seen, bundled with awesome space fantasy that was perfectly designed to capture the imagination of a generation.

Whatever you might think of Lucas, he allowed us to grow up in a world where Jedi, weird hairy aliens, camp robots and crazy side buns were the norm. Which can’t be a bad thing.

E.T

The story of a young boy who befriends a short, funny looking extraterrestrial, and then attempts to keep him safe by hiding him from parents, friends and the sinister key jangling man who seems determined to get hold of the little fella.

An undeniably sweet film and one of the first I can remember seeing. As weird as he might look, my 5 year old self could think of nothing more awesome than befriending an ugly alien of my own.

Jaws

A man eating shark on a popular beach resort? What more could your average bloodthirsty child want from a film? Throw in some nudity, a gross shark autopsy and a floating head and you have it nailed.

The combination of the fleeting shark shots, happy swimmers, occasional violent deaths, worried townsfolk and of course that inspired music made this film unforgettable… and no doubt haunted every kid who went in the ocean for at least a decade.

The Karate Kid

This charming film about fighting brought joy to children and financial strain to parents, as their children begged to learn Karate. I think I managed about 3 lessons, just long enough to get the cool outfit.

Ralph Macchio stars as Daniel LaRusso, a teenage kid who moves to a new town, only to get on the wrong side of a local gang of Karate obsessed youths by flirting with the wrong girl. After the obligatory struggles and setbacks, Daniel discovers that the apartment handyman Mr Miyagi has got mad Karate skills, and convinces him to train him so he can beat the bad guys & get the girl.

Ghostbusters

Something strange in your neighbourhood? Who are you going to call? That’s right, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis and the other one in the guise of the Ghostbusters. This hilarious ghost based movie has it all, romance, humour, annoying government officials, huge terror dogs, a giant marshmallow man and of course lots and lots of ghosts.

I think Ghostbusters has to win the prize for the movie I have watched the most times, as it was a monthly (if not weekly) occurrence in my house. If you don’t love this movie you are probably dead inside, or mentally ill, or a cyborg. Look into it… seriously I’m worried about you.

Back to the Future

Michael J. Fox plays Marty McFly, a teenager who accidentally gets sent back 30 years in time and finds himself hanging out with his own parents. Of course anyone who knows anything about time travel will know that this will no doubt lead to trouble, and sure enough he soon realises his actions have endangered his very existence.

As the story unfolds Marty has to race to boost his Dad’s confidence, deter his mothers advances (uh huh), and of course get back to the future. Once of my favourite childhood movies, and still an enjoyable watch, although now you will find yourself marvelling at the past not only in the 50′s bit’s but also in the “current” 80′s scenes.

The Dark Crystal

As this was the first film I ever saw in the cinema I can’t leave it off my list. This beautifully dark fantasy film featured a variety of animatronics and puppets, creating a truly unique film, unlike anything we had seen before.

The story follows a young Gelfling, who believes he is the last of his race, in his quest to find the missing shard of a magic crystal and restore order to his world. Worth watching, not just for the ground-breaking methods used, but also for the great story.

Hope you enjoyed the list  and will consider revisiting or even introducing the next generation to some of these gems.  Of course there are loads of brilliant films of the time that I haven’t included here, as these are just the first ones that popped into my head, so I would love to hear about your favourites.