The 1980s really was the golden age of fantasy films. There are so many classic ’80s fantasy movies so it was really hard to whittle this list down. We tried to keep it a pretty narrow definition of ‘fantasy’, thus avoiding genre crossover movies like sci-fi/fantasy and horror/fantasy. That’s why a lot of classic 80s movies like Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Beetlejuice, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi are missing from this list. We wanted to go for a more purist fantasy list. We’ll save those movies for another list!
So to start off the list, it’s Brigitte Nielsen’s iconic Red Sonja! This film was not well received by critics but we still felt it deserved a spot on the list…
20. Red Sonja (1985)
This next movie is an absolutely bizarre and iconic ’80s trip:
19. Heavy Metal (1981)
18. The Beastmaster (1982)
It was hard to choose which Studio Ghibli movie should make the list, they are all so good. But we ended up giving the nod to:
17. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
It won the Academy Award for best movie ever made:
16. Highlander (1986)
Among our favorite 80s fantasy movies are the animated children’s flicks like these next two entries on the list:
15. The Secret of NIMH (1982)
14. The Black Cauldron (1985)
13. Ladyhawke (1985)
12. Dragonslayer (1981)
Possibly the coolest weapon of all time:
11. Krull (1983)
“Release the Krakken!”
10. Clash of the Titans (1981)
This one is a real classic 80s fantasy movie:
9. Excalibur (1981)
Tom Cruise’s finest hour:
8. Legend (1985)
This movie made every ’80s child cry:
7. The Last Unicorn (1982)
“What is best in life?”
Conan: “To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.”
6. Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Ok this movie really freaked me out as a kid:
5. The Dark Crystal (1982)
The first of two movies produced by George Lucas that made our top 5:
4. Willow (1988)
So “The Nothing” in this movie was my childhood introduction to existential dread:
3. The NeverEnding Story (1984)
Dance magic, dance!
2. Labyrinth (1986)
“As you wish.” And our #1 top 80s fantasy movie spot goes to the beloved…
1. The Princess Bride (1987)
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