Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

In a small American town, a diabolical circus and its demonic proprietor prey on the townsfolk.

The scariest Disney kids movie ever made?  Maybe.  It's this or Return to Oz, and that's some damn good company to keep.  Where else would the house of the mouse dare to show the main kid lead seeing visions of his own bloody decapitated head?  Nowhere, that's where...

Also, it has Jason Robards AND Jonathon Pryce, at their best.  Can't beat that.

And there is one ridiculous scene where the kid actors are very clearly much older.  Like, they specifically came back and shot that one scene for no real reason.  Bizarre.

Anyway, I love Ray Bradbury, and this is my favorite adaptation of his work.  It's pretty hard to get ahold of nowadays, so do what you must to try and get it watched.

Also, I love that artwork.  For decades I've been holding out hope of running across the movie tie-in version of the book in the wild.

The Thing (1982)

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

The greatest John Carpenter movie of all time.  The greatest Kurt Russell movie of all time.  The greatest horror movie of all time.  Bar none.

My dad rented three older horror movies when I was a kid.  Three classics that he felt I had to watch.  Those movies were Alien, Jaws, and The Thing.  And I specifically remember him talking this one up.  Talked about how scary it was, how digusting the monsters were, and how great the reveals were.  He was 100% correct on all fronts.

Decades later, the movie has only continued to grow in stature, if anything.  Everyone loves it, and celebrates it for the classic it is.  

And for the record, he also made sure to rent Big Trouble In Little China, and Escape From New York.  He's awesome like that.

Body Double (1984)

A young actor's obsession with spying on a beautiful woman who lives nearby leads to a baffling series of events with drastic consequences.

Also known as the movie Patrick Bateman is obsessed with in the book version of American Psycho.

This is the third and final selection from Brian De Palma, and represents him taking several of his favorite things - Hitchcock and gratuitous violence - and combining them to great effect!  Think Rear Window meets... well, something very bloody.

Seriously, this movie is so much fun, and so... I don't want to say "depraved."  But it ain't exactly highbrow.  I mean that in the best way possible.

Also, some major scenes take place in Troy McClure's house.  How awesome is that?