The year 1984 was unusually good for movies. Many of the films released that year were not just entertaining but highly influential, and some that didn’t catch on right away upon release have stood the test of time to become cult classics.
We’ve run down 40 movies turning 40 in 2024 and given their US release dates. A few of them had complicated release histories, receiving releases everywhere but America, sometimes for a year or two. But that doesn’t mean those movies aren’t also 40 years old, so we included them anyway and noted the discrepancies.
Honestly, it’s hard to believe these 40 movies have turned 40 this year, but the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) says they are, in print and in black and white, so we have no choice but to believe it. Here’s our list of 40 movies turning 40, and we’ll need a stiff drink to accept that fact.
Image Credit: MediaFeed / Bing Image Creator.
1.’Sixteen Candles’
US Release Date: May 4, 1984
“Sixteen Candles” was a teen romantic comedy that catapulted Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall to superstardom overnight. It has aged horribly and contains all kinds of cringe-worthy jokes that would have gotten director John Hughes canceled if he were still alive.
Image Credit: IMDb.
2.’Beverly Hills Cop’
US Release Date: December 5, 1984
“Beverly Hills Cop” took Eddie Murphy, who was already a star thanks to “SNL,” and turned him into one of the biggest box-office draws of the decade. The movie created so much goodwill for him that he was even forgiven for “The Adventures of Pluto Nash.”
Image Credit: IMDb.
3. ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’
US Release Date: December 1, 1984
“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” was a little too gruesome for its PG rating, and it helped inspire the creation of the PG-13 rating that same year. Having said that, at no point in the movie does the titular archeologist protect himself from a nuclear blast by hiding in a refrigerator.
Image Credit: IMDb.
4.’Ghostbusters’
US Release Date: June 8, 1984
“Ghostbusters” is a genuine crowd-pleaser of a movie that has stayed popular through the years. It’s been the subject of a sequel, a remake, and a reboot, but the original classic remains the most popular.
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / IMDB.
5.’Dune’
US Release Date: December 14, 1984
David Lynch’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune” is incoherent and unwatchable, and Lynch himself has disavowed it. In the last 40 years, it’s gained a bit of a cult following, but those people are wrong. Meanwhile, the 2021 version appeared to have been made by someone who actually read the book. Kudos!
Image Credit: IMDb.
6.’Once Upon a Time in America’
US Release Date: June 1, 1984
“Once Upon a Time in America” is an epic gangster film directed by the great Sergio Leone and lasting almost four hours. Unfortunately, that cut of the film was hacked down to a little over two hours without Leone’s involvement for its US release, and it was awful. Luckily the movie has since been restored, making this epic film ripe for rediscovery.
Image Credit: IMDb.
7. ‘The Terminator’
US Release Date: October 26, 1984
“The Terminator” was a low-budget science fiction movie that made James Cameron one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood and inspired countless mega-violent dystopian movies that are still being made today. It also made Arnold Schwarzenegger a superstar, which in 2003 he parlayed into becoming the “Governator” of California.
Image Credit: IMDB / Orion Pictures.
8. ‘Gremlins’
US Release Date: June 8, 1984
“Gremlins” made a lot of parents angry, because it starts out as the story of a cuddly little creature that was featured prominently in advertisements. Then, halfway through, it turns into a monster movie, leading many parents to take their weeping six-year-olds out of the theater in the middle. It’s a popular cult movie today but boy… parents were not happy at the time.
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment / IMDB.
9.’This Is Spinal Tap’
US Release Date: March 2, 1984
“This Is Spinal Tap” is both one of the funniest movies ever made and the most biting satire of the state of hard rock circa 1984. Every single band who has ever gone on tour at any level will recognize every indignity they ever suffered on the road or at the hands of their record company.
Image Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. / IMDb.
10. ‘Top Secret!’
US Release Date: June 22, 1984
“Top Secret!” came from the filmmakers behind “Airplane!” and made a star out of then-unknown Val Kilmer. To this day, it’s still really funny, although a few of the jokes have aged poorly.
Image Credit: IMDb.
11. ‘Police Academy’
US Release Date: March 23, 1984
“Police Academy” was a rock-stupid comedy about a bunch of misfit police trainees and their various foibles. It was about as funny as a terminal illness, but that didn’t stop it from getting sequel after sequel after sequel.
Image Credit: IMDb.
12. ‘Amadeus’
US Release Date: September 19, 1984
“Amadeus” won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1984, and honestly it’s held up incredibly well. For some reason, only the longer, R-rated cut has been available on American streaming services, but if you can track down the original theatrical cut, watch that one, because it’s the superior version.
Image Credit: IMDb.
13.’The Karate Kid’
US Release Date: June 22, 1984
The movie that made a star of Ralph Macchio and taught us all to wax on and wax off is somehow 40 years old, and again, it holds up even if you’ve seen it before. Avoid every sequel and remake because those are awful.
Image Credit: IBDb.
14. ‘Footloose’
US Release Date: February 17, 1984
“Footloose” is another movie from 1984 that was subject to an inferior 21st-century remake that no one asked for or paid to see. It’s very much a product of its time, and it’s good fun if you can overlook a few cringe-inducing moments but avoid the remake at all costs.
Image Credit: IMDB.
15. ‘Red Dawn’
US Release Date: August 10, 1984
“Red Dawn” was the first movie to receive a PG-13 rating, thanks to the level of violence, but it should have received a separate rating for its very high score on the idiocy scale. It stars Charlie Sheen, Patrick Swayze, and a pre-rhinoplasty Jennifer Grey as small-town teens who fight back against a Russian invasion of the United States. Turn it into a drinking game and do a shot whenever someone yells, “Wolverines!”
Image Credit: IMDb.
16. ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’
US Release Date: November 16, 1984
1984 was a great year for movies that should have been left alone and not turned into franchises, such as “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” A brilliant and effective horror movie that made an icon out of the Freddy Krueger character, it made millions of people afraid to fall asleep.
Image Credit: IMDB.
17. ‘1984’
UK Release Date: October 10, 1984, not released in US until 1985
As the year 1984 approached, many people wondered how close we as a society would get to the totalitarian state depicted in the original book of the same title. Opinions vary on that score, but there was much more consensus that the movie “1984” was just kind of mediocre and a waste of good source material.
Image Credit: IMDb.
18. ‘Bachelor Party’
US Release Date: June 29, 1984
If you think recurring jokes about suicide are funny, you’ll love the Tom Hanks vehicle “Bachelor Party,” starring Tawny Kitaen prior to her appearance in Whitesnake videos. No one was expecting anything Kurosawa-level from this movie, but if you have Tom Hanks and lots of stupid sex jokes in your film, it should at least get two or three laughs. This movie couldn’t even manage one.
Image Credit: IMDb.
19.’Blame It on Rio’
US Release Date: February 17, 1984
“Blame It on Rio” is a romantic comedy starring Michael Caine and featuring a very early appearance by Demi Moore. The critics hated it, with the great Roger Ebert saying, “This movie is clearly intended to appeal to the prurient interests of dirty old men of all ages.” Ouch.
Image Credit: IMDb.
20.’Romancing the Stone’
US Release Date: March 30, 1984
If “Romancing the Stone” wasn’t intended to be a bargain-basement version of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” then the filmmakers sadly did not achieve their grand vision. An action-filled caper starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, it’s not very interesting or origi
Image Credit: IMDb.
21.’Blood Simple’
US Release Date: March 26, 1984
“Blood Simple” is the movie that introduced the Coen Brothers to filmgoers, and they knocked it out of the park on their first try. While the overall Coen Brothers filmography has been kind of hit-and-miss, this one absolutely hit the target, and when you watch it today it still seems fresh.
Image Credit: IMDb.
22. ‘2010: The Year We Make Contact’
US Release Date: December 7, 1984
Few movies are less in need of a sequel than Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” but they did it anyway with “2010: The Year We Make Contact.” It’s not a bad movie and you won’t be bored while you watch it, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the original, despite having the participation of talented people like Roy Scheider.
Image Credit: IMDb.
23. ‘Revenge of the Nerds’
US Release Date: August 10, 1984
If you’re going to make a movie that ages horribly, then at least make sure it’s funny. “Revenge of the Nerds” checks both boxes, still being funny while containing scenes that are brazenly and unapologetically misogynistic and homophobic, and another that derives humor from sexual assault. If you can somehow look past all that, it’s still pretty funny.
Image Credit: IMDb.
24. ‘Body Double’
US Release Date: August 26, 1984
When it comes to making sexist, violent movies with only slightly more redeeming social value than “Irreversible,” director Brian DePalma has no equal. “Body Double” is his usual mixture of titillation, gruesome violence, and shots directly stolen from Hitchcock movies. Sorry, not “stolen,” inspired!
Image Credit: IMDb.
25. ‘Star Trek III: The Search for Spock’
US Release Date: June 1, 1984
Did they look under the couch? “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” is not bad, but it contains ham-fisted overacting by William Shatner, and a performance by Christopher Lloyd as the main Klingon. It was an early example of “retconning,” a modern cinematic practice wherein a character dies in one movie, only to have that same character appear alive in the next one.
Image Credit: IMDb.
26.’The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension’
US Release Date: October 5, 1984
“The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension” has a cult following today, but at the time when it came out, it’s safe to say that audiences just didn’t get it. Some of that is on the filmmakers, since the story is pretty incoherent, but it’s entertaining nonetheless and its cult following is justified.
Image Credit: IMDb.
27. ‘Conan the Destroyer’
US Release Date: June 29, 1984
Arnold Schwarzenegger became world-famous thanks to “The Terminator,” but his 1982 appearance in “Conan the Barbarian” definitely did him and his career some big favors. The 1984 sequel, “Conan the Destroyer,” is entertaining and features some exciting sequences, but you’ll forget the entire thing the minute the credits roll.
Image Credit: IMDb.
28. ‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’
US Release Date: November 9, 1984
During the 1980s, it felt like every crappy director who could afford a roll of film made a slasher movie, in an attempt to make some money off the then-new fad. This one featured a murderous dude in a Santa Claus outfit, leading to some outcry from parents who were worried their kids might see Kris Kringle bearing a bloody axe, thereby ruining the magic of Christmas for the little ones. Fortunately, most small children would happily accept a murderous Santa Claus as long as they still get their presents, so the controversy came and went pretty quickly.
Image Credit: IMDb.
29. ‘The Killing Fields’
US Release Date: November 2, 1984
“The Killing Fields” was a true story about the Khmer Rouge regime during the Vietnam War, and it’s pretty grim. A lot of people were expecting it to run away with the Oscar, but sadly it could not compete with “Amadeus” on that score. It’s still a great movie, though, and well worth your time, especially if you’re not familiar with this aspect of the war.
Image Credit: IMDb.
30. ‘The Cotton Club’
US Release Date: December 14, 1984
“The Cotton Club” is a movie about the famous Harlem nightclub of the same name, and since it’s a movie about the 1930s jazz scene in the African-American neighborhood of Harlem, a lot of people did not care for the decision to cast the very white actor Richard Gere in the lead. The movie is also evidence that its director, Francis Ford Coppola, has no problem putting his name on a cinematic mediocrity.
Image Credit: IMDb.
31. ‘Children of the Corn’
US Release Date: March 9, 1984
“Children of the Corn” is based on a Stephen King story and stars Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton, the groovy redheaded dude on “Thirtysomething.” It continues the long tradition of taking things Stephen King wrote and turning them into unwatchable expanses of two hours, which seem significantly longer while you’re watching them.
Image Credit: IMDb.
32. ‘The Woman in Red’
US Release Date: August 15, 1984
“The Woman in Red” was a Gene Wilder comedy starring Kelly LeBrock as the object of his desire. It features Gilda Radner in a supporting role, and despite all that comedic talent, there is not a single laugh in the entire movie. Radner was a brilliant comic actor, and she deserved a lot better than being cast in stuff like this.
Image Credit: IMDb.
33. ‘Starman’
US Release Date: December 14, 1984
Director John Carpenter is best known for horror movies like “Halloween” and “The Thing,” but in 1984 he surprised everybody by making “Starman,” a surprisingly sensitive science fiction movie starring Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges in his weirdest performance ever. The movie didn’t do well at the box office, but Bridges received an Oscar nomination for his performance, and while a lot of the film is kind of clunky, it’s worth seeing overall.
Image Credit: IMDb.
34. ‘Repo Man’
US Release Date: March 2, 1984
“Repo Man” is one of the most iconic cult movies ever made, and attempting to describe its plot to people who haven’t seen it is a fool’s errand. Starring Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton as repo men, it’s still really funny, and to this day, there’s never been another movie quite like it. It also makes the best use of generic products in cinematic history.
Image Credit: IMDb.
35. ‘The Toxic Avenger’
Cannes Film Market Release Date: May 15, 1984
“The Toxic Avenger” was an ultra-low budget movie made by Troma Entertainment for what looks like a total cost of about $20. What it lacks in production values, it more than makes up for with jaw-dropping, over-the-top violence and jokes that have aged as well as a jar of mayonnaise left open in the sunshine for five consecutive days in August. You will enjoy the movie immensely, despite knowing better.
Image Credit: IMDb.
36. ‘Supergirl’
US Release Date: November 21, 1984
If you’re a fan of “so bad it’s good” movies, stay away from “Supergirl,” a spin-off of the Christopher Reeve man of steel movies. It’s so bad it’s bad, despite featuring actors like Faye Dunaway, Peter O’Toole, and Mia Farrow, and when it’s over you’ll need to cleanse your palette with a vastly superior movie, like “Grease 2” or “Showgirls.”
Image Credit: IMDb.
37. ‘Stop Making Sense’
US Release Date: April 24, 1984
“Stop Making Sense” is a concert film featuring Talking Heads, and at the time it was fairly revolutionary because it was literally just the band performing – there was no plot or behind-the-scenes footage, just the performance. It made a star out of David Byrne and also popularized very large, oversized suits.
Image Credit: IMDb.
38. ‘Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter’
US Release Date: April 13, 1984
Despite what the title says, “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” was not the final chapter in this slasher movie franchise, or even the penultimate one. Despite the death of homicidal maniac Jason Voorhees at the end of this movie, he simply comes back in the next one, murdering a character played by the great Ron Palillo of “Welcome Back Kotter” fame.
Image Credit: IMDb.
39. ‘Bolero’
US Release Date: August 31, 1984
“Bolero” stars Bo Derek as a young woman seeking to shed her innocence, and it was directed by her husband John Derek, who never saw a terrible screenplay he didn’t want to turn into a worse movie. It contained copious sex and nudity that won it an X rating, but even the most modest filmgoer will be way less offended by that than the acting and dialogue.
Image Credit: IMDb.
40. ‘Purple Rain’
US Release Date: July 27, 1984
This classic movie starring Prince was a major hit that turned him into a star on the level of Michael Jackson. Everything about it is pretty dated, but the story and the music are so good you won’t care.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.
Image Credit: IMDb.
More from MediaFeed
11 Totally Bodacious Albums That Are Turning 40 This Year
- 14 Albums We Can Hardly Believe Are Turning 30 This Year
- Here’s What 2024 Holds in Store for Your Zodiac Sign, According to ChatGPT
Like MediaFeed’s content? Be sure to follow us.
Image Credit: primipil / iStock.
