The ‘80s silver screen was filled with unforgettable movies. Movies you watched with your friends while wearing neon jumpers and sporting big hair. Now it’s time to sit back, relax and take this quiz that will send you blasting into the past!
In this action packed sci-fi movie, time travelers Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown travel to the future to save Marty’s son from disaster.
2: What is the iconic 1980 entry in the Star Wars saga, counted as either the second or the fifth movie in the franchise?
Lucasfilm
1980's The Empire Strikes Back was the second to be released, following the original Star Wars in 1977. The thing is, the original trilogy was followed by a prequel trilogy, then a sequel trilogy. The original 1977 Star Wars was later renamed Episode IV—A New Hope, and the1980 movie was renamed Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back. Got all that?
3: This film will give you chills. Sit tight and hold onto your chair. Can you guess its title?
Warner Bros., Hawk Films, Peregrine
The Shining was released 1980. This horror movie is based on the novel written by Stephen King. It stars legend Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Danny Lloyd.
4: Do you remember which ‘80s movie was released with three different endings?
Paramount Pictures, The Guber-Peters Company, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Clue, released in 1985, had three different endings to best reflect the board game that inspired it. Was the murderer Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan), Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn), Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), Mr. Green (Michael McKean), Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), or Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren)? Don’t even get us started on weapons or rooms.
5: If you are into adventure films this question will be easy to answer. Which movie is in this image?
Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm
Raiders of the Lost Ark is an action packed adventure film released 1981. Harrison Ford, stars as Indiana Jones, an archaeologist who fights off a group of Nazis on their way to find Arc of the Covenant.
6: In what ‘80s movie does a crown prince take a job at a fast-food restaurant?
Paramount Pictures, Eddie Murphy Productions
In the movie Coming to America, Eddie Murphy played a crown prince from Zamunda who comes to America—specifically to Queens, New York—to find a bride. While undercover, he and his aide take jobs at McDowell’s, a burger restaurant. Adding to the fun, Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall played multiple roles, including old men at a barber shop.
The Breakfast Club is iconic for bringing together teens from different clicks to detention and forcing them to speak to one another when they would never be seen together in the halls.
8: A DeLorean plays an important role in which ‘80s film?
Dr. Emmett Brown creates a nuclear-powered time machine out of a DeLorean in Back to the Future. The stainless-steel car has to reach a speed of exactly 88 miles per hour before it can transport passengers to another time.
9: What fairy tale film is shown in this image?
Act III Communications, Buttercup Films Ltd., The Princess Bride Ltd.
The Princess Bride, was released 1987. The movie is about a beautiful princess Buttercup who found true love in a humble farm boy named Westley. The story continues about Westley’s adventures trying to find fortune to be able to marry his one and only beautiful princess.
10: Bill Murray played Carl Spackler in which of his ‘80s movies?
Orion Pictures
In the movie Caddyshack, Bill Murray played groundskeeper Carl Spackler. He is out to destroy a gopher who is damaging the golf course where he works. Some say that Caddyshack is the greatest sports comedy of all time.
11: Can you name the science fiction film from this image?
Cinema '84, Euro Film Funding, Hemdale
The Terminator is the first film in a series of 6 with a release date of 1984. The Terminator's only task was to find Sarah Connor and kill her. Kyle tries to save Sarah throughout the movie from Skynet and its army of machines.
12: Can you tell us which movie includes the line “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way”?
Touchstone Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Silver Screen Partners III
This famous line is spoken by the sexy human toon character Jessica Rabbit, who is married to a rabbit toon. In the world of this movie, toon characters are sentient beings, and they interact with actual humans. Toons live in Toontown, of course.
13: Can you name this crime film?
Act III Communications, Buttercup Films Ltd., The Princess Bride Ltd.
The Untouchables is a 1986 film produced by Art Linson. This crime packed drama set in the Prohibition era during Al Capone’s kingpin reign. He was best known for illegally supplying liquor to Chicago during this time.
14: Prince starred as The Kid in which ‘80s movie?
Warner Bros.
Prince starred as The Kid in the semi-autobiographical movie Purple Rain. The soundtrack, which features When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy, and Purple Rain, won an Academy Award for best original song score.
15: Let’s try a horror comedy movie!
The Geffen Company
Beetlejuice is a horror comedy film released 1988. The movie begins with Adam and Barbara being killed in a car crash. They only realized they were dead when they couldn’t see their own reflection in a mirror.
16: Which 1980 movie introduced the world to Jason Voorhees?
Paramount Pictures, Georgetown Productions Inc.
Jason Voorhees is not the main antagonist in the first Friday the 13th movie, but he plays a pivotal role. He is a major threat to teenagers in the movie’s many sequels.
17: What is the name of this cartoon?
Walt Disney Animation
Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a huge success of the 80’s silver screen. The movie mixed animation with live action which was a unique film production feature at that time.
18: Can you name the movie with the famous scene of Tom Cruise dancing in just a pink Oxford shirt, socks, and briefs?
The Geffen Company
People who haven’t even seen Risky Business know about the famous scene when Tom Cruise slides across the floor in his stocking feet, dancing to Bob Seger’s song Old Time Rock and Roll. It’s been parodied countless times in other movies, comedy skits, and commercials. Even Alf the alien and Homer Simpson have recreated Tom Cruise’s moves.
19: This film got 7 Academy Awards in 1986. Do you know the name of this movie?
Mirage Enterprises, Universal Pictures
Out of Africa is the epic drama film released 1985. Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton and Meryl Streep as Karen Blixen met in 1913, Africa. Their romantic relationship develops as Karen divorces Bror.
20: Eddie Murphy played Axel Foley in which of his ‘80s movies?
Paramount Pictures, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Eddie Murphy Productions
Eddie Murphy played Detective Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop. In fact, the movie’s theme song is Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer. At one point, Sylvester Stallone was going to play the detective—and how different would Beverly Hills Cop have been then?
21: Can you guess the name of this film that will give you thrills and chills from the start to the end?
20th Century Fox
Aliens, is the second movie from a series of six films. Ellen Ripley, who was still traumatized from her close encounter with the aliens featured in the first film, agreed to go back to LV-426 to investigate what happened to the colony after they lost contact.
22: Do you remember which ‘80s movie is about a soap opera star named Dorothy Michaels?
Columbia Pictures, Mirage Enterprises, Punch Productions
The 1982 movie Tootsie is a comedy that starred actor Dustin Hoffman in drag. He played an actor named Michael Dorsey who has a reputation for being difficult. In order to find work, Dorsey dresses up as a woman named Dorothy Michaels and finds success in the soap opera world.
23: This sports comedy was an ‘80s sensation. What is its title?
Orion Pictures
Caddyshack was released 1980. Carl Spackler is hired as a gopher exterminator. During the film he gets creative and uses some unusual extermination methods such as a high pressure hose and even a rifle.
24: Which ‘80s movie inspired the now-famous logo for Amblin’ Entertainment?
Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
The iconic shot of E.T. and his human friend Elliott riding a bicycle across the sky in front of the moon inspired the logo for Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin Entertainment. To keep details about E.T. from leaking during filming, Spielberg gave it a boring working title: A Boy’s Life.
25: Eddie Murphy stars in this action comedy film. What is its title?
Paramount Pictures, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Eddie Murphy Productions
Beverly Hills Cop was released 1984. This film made Eddie Murphy an international star almost overnight.
26: Do you remember which movie gave us the line “Come play with us”?
Warner Bros., Hawk Films, Peregrine
In The Shining, two ghostly little girls in blue ask young Danny Torrence to play with them. They’re commonly referred to as the Grady twins, because they’re dressed alike, but they are actually 8- and 10-year-olds in both the Stephen King novel and the 1980 film.
27: Can you guess the title of this supernatural horror film?
Renaissance Pictures
The Evil Dead was released 1981. It became one the most watched horror films of its time. The movie begins with five University students who decide to go on vacation to an isolated cabin. While approaching the cabin, the spookiness begins with the swing in the front moving on its own.
28: In which movie do crew members have trouble communicating because of their names?
Paramount Pictures, Howard W. Koch Productions
There's a real communication breakdown in the cockpit in Airplane! When someone says “roger,” co-pilot Roger Murdock says, “Huh?” When someone says “over,” Captain Oveur says, ”What?” And, of course, someone has to ask flight navigator Victor Basta, “What’s our vector, Victor?” Who’s on first?
29: Do you know the title of this science fiction film starring Harrison Ford?
The Ladd Company, Shaw Brothers, Warner Bros.
Blade Runner was released 1982. Rick Deckard, a police officer, takes on a case to track down bioengineered humanoids who are on Earth illegally.
30: Which comedy-horror film features only songs that are about the moon?
Polygram Pictures, Lyncanthrope Films, American Werewolf
An American Werewolf in London is a dark comedy about … a werewolf. Appropriately, the soundtrack includes Blue Moon, Moondance, and Bad Moon Rising. An American Werewolf in London features makeup and special effects that were amazing at the time—and it won the Academy Award for best makeup.
31: What ‘80’s drama tells the true story of Joseph Merrick, who lived with severe growth abnormalities?
Brooksfilms
Joseph Merrick, born in 1862, lived a difficult life due to severe growth abnormalities. As an adult, his head circumference was approximately 3 feet. In real life, he chose to appear in a human oddities show for a short time, billed as the Elephant Man. Mel Brooks, the well-known comedy producer who created Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs, backed the Elephant Man film, but he kept his name out of the credits to avoid making audiences think it would be a comedy.
32: Which 1984 movie is set in a small town in Oklahoma where dancing is banned?
Paramount Pictures, Phoenix Pictures, IndieProd Company Productions
Kevin Bacon starred in Footloose, playing a teen named Ren who moves from Chicago to a small town in Oklahoma. He is dismayed to find out that dancing is illegal. As you might expect, he sets out to change all of that. Tom Cruise was considered for the role of Ren, following his famous dancing scene in Risky Business. Luckily for Bacon, Cruise was filming All the Right Moves at the time.
33: Do you remember which ‘80s movie is about the classical composer Mozart?
AMLF, The Saul Zaentz Company
The 1984 movie Amadeus was inspired by a Broadway play. Actor Mark Hamill, best known for playing Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, wanted to audition for the lead role, but Milos Forman, the director, refused to consider him. Forman did not want his movie to be associated with Star Wars. Believe it or not, Hamill starred in Amadeus on Broadway in 1983.
34: Which movie is about a girl named Andie who makes her own prom dress?
Paramount Pictures
Andie doesn’t fit in with the rich kids at her school, and she has her own sense of style. We won’t give away the ending here (a spoiler from 1986?), but just know that Andie ended up with a different boy after test audiences disapproved of the film’s original ending. The title Pretty in Pink was inspired by a Psychedelic Furs song.
35: Which ‘80s movie features actor Alan Rickman falling from the fictional Nakatomi Plaza skyscraper?
Twentieth Century Fox, Gordon Company, Silver Pictures
Alan Rickman was expecting to fall backward onto a crash pad on the count of three, with help from a rope, but the stunt coordinator released him early so Rickman would express genuine surprise (or fear). It worked! Incidentally, the title Die Hard was translated to Die Slowly in Germany, The Glass Trap in Poland, and Action Skyscraper in Norway.
