Summary

• Groundbreaking special effects in 1980s sci-fi films set a new standard for realistic visuals and creatures.
• Practical designs from the 80s still hold up today, showcasing the skills of directors ahead of their time.
• Hollywood's best sci-fi movies of that time offered space operas and family adventures, with iconic designs enduring over the years.

Sci-fi and fantasy movies were on the rise throughout the 1980s, and breakthroughs in effects and technology from films in the ‘70s such as Star Wars meant that audiences were becoming more used to seeing realistic visuals. Whether for creatures, aliens, or locations, filmmakers were keen to show off newer methods – even birthing the term “special effects movie”. This approach resulted in some of the best movies of that generation.

While the dawn of CGI in the late ‘80s would give way to a whole new era of movie special effects, some of the practical designs used in films of the period still look incredible almost 50 years later. Creating realistic alien worlds and creatures is a difficult process even for the best directors in the 21st century, and those doing it in the 1980s were certainly ahead of their time.

15 Dagobah's Visuals

From The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

After George Lucas and his effects company Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) forged several new effects techniques when making Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), it’s no surprise that its first sequel would look even better. Impressively, The Empire Strikes Back was Norman Reynolds’s first job as production designer, having served as art director on A New Hope.

The Star Wars films are synonymous with special effects, and it’s easy to understand why.

Reynolds’s vision for Dagobah still looks incredible, with the swampy design feeling real. The gloomy atmosphere helps to sell the planet, and the appearance of the original Yoda puppet is in keeping with the design aesthetic, which helps to ensure that the visuals have lasted to this day. The Star Wars films are synonymous with special effects, and it’s easy to understand why.

14 Manhattan Skyline

From Escape From New York (1981)

John Carpenter’s Escape from New York has a distinctive, grungy aesthetic, and one of the key aspects of design in this respect is the skyline of New York City itself. With sweeping camera shots and visual flair, Carpenter makes sure to show off as much of the city as he can.

In reality, the city was created via intricate matte paintings – some of which were painted by future Oscar-winning director James Cameron. Throughout the film, the paintings are seamlessly incorporated into the practical sets so that they’re barely noticeable – which is why they still hold up today.

13 E.T.

From E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Everybody knows what E.T. looks like, and that’s a testament to the quality and longevity of Carlo Rambaldi’s design work. Having already picked up an Oscar for his work on Alien, he won a second for this movie. What makes E.T. so brilliant is that he looks unique among cinema’s many alien designs, which allows the design to stand on its own.

Above all, E.T. looks friendly. The warmth of the film’s storyline and heartfelt interactions between the performers and the animatronic alien help to sell the believability of the design as well. It will be a long time before 1982's E.T. movie looks outdated.

12 The Aliens

From They Live (1988)

The unique thing about the aliens in They Live is that they were designed to fit perfectly into the human silhouette, and this gives the design a unique longevity. Much of the film’s themes have to do with human economics and politics, in particular dealing with factors that are still experienced in the 21st century. The bug-eyed creature design therefore associates itself with the political and social commentary of the film, extending its shelf life.

With strange, blue skin and almost externally exposed eyes and teeth, the design is creepy in all the right ways. The disguising of the aliens as human beings enhances the contrast between human and alien, cementing the make-up effects work in the mind of the viewer. Nearly 50 years on, the film is still as powerful as when it came out – and the special effects are no exception.

11 Hoggle

From Labyrinth (1986)

The world of Labyrinth is weird, unnerving, and surreal – and the designs of its various inhabitants all match that tone. Director Jim Henson had a lot of experience working with puppets and animatronics, so it’s no surprise that his own company Jim Henson’s Creature Shop was the go-to for deg this film.

The extensive use of animatronics made the film difficult to produce, but its legacy will surely last a long time.

In particular, the character of Hoggle looks phenomenal. His animatronic face moves entirely naturally, aided by performer Shari Weisner, who wears the suit and portrays the character physically. The extensive use of animatronics made the film difficult to produce, but its legacy will surely last a long time.

10 Predator Suit

From Predator (1987)

Stan Winston’s design for the Predator suit is instantly recognizable and iconic. Despite being a nightmare to film – with the actor barely able to see when inside the suit – the amount of media that has subsequently been inspired by and based on this design is immeasurable. Its strength is in the mostly human shape contrasted with its height and curiously extraterrestrial design.

Winston was, unsurprisingly, nominated for an Oscar for this design, and its endurance in spin-offs and sequels even as recently as 2022’s Prey. The terror-inducing mask on the suit was a strong design choice, as it makes the reveal of the Predator’s disturbingly alien face all the more unexpected. It’s no wonder the Predator movie franchise continues to last.

9 Los Angeles

From Blade Runner (1982)

Creating a realistic, futuristic, dystopian, technology-fuelled LA is no mean feat – so production designer Lawrence G. Paull and art director David Snyder’s work on Blade Runner is seriously impressive. The shots of the city were created mainly using miniatures, and they look phenomenal. They earned the pair an Oscar nomination, and it’s not difficult to see why.

So much of the Blade Runner franchise is about the dystopian, dark aesthetic and worldbuilding. The effects sequences that showcase the flying cars, neon advertising boards, and towering buildings are a huge part of that. It gives the story a distinctive look and hasn’t aged a day. The effects are clean and consistent, and look just as good now as they did in 1982.

8 The Brundlefly

From The Fly (1986)

Several iterations of make-up effects were created for The Fly as Jeff Goldblum’s Seth Brundle slowly morphs into a human-fly hybrid. Chris Walas’s Oscar-winning effects took months to create, and this ensured that their quality would persist. The main transformation at the end of the film is horrifyingly realistic.

As Brundle’s body starts to fall apart revealing the fly-creature, it’s disturbingly convincing. The bursting of eyeballs and stretching of skin is as gruesome as it is impressive. Part of why the effects have held up so well is that they were created using a combination of make-up, lenses, and full-body puppetry. Not for the faint of heart.

7 The Alien Water Tentacle

From The Abyss (1989)

James Cameron is a filmmaker who’s had an extraordinary level of experience with special effects, and the fully CGI water tentacle creature from The Abyss was one of the first effects of its kind. ILM were brought in to assist, and their computer systems were used to produce the visual.

The 75 seconds of CGI that the water tentacle takes up in the film was created painstakingly over six months – and that timeframe is a testament to the quality of the final production. Despite being an early use of CGI, the water tentacle effect is highly memorable and still looks good to this day.

6 Number 5

From Short Circuit (1986)

Taking up a majority of the film’s budget, and with no fewer than seven different models required for shooting, the Number 5 robot is one of the most lifelike and believable science-fiction creations from the 1980s. Although robotic, Number 5 moves and acts incredibly like a human.

It’s difficult to imagine the film doing nearly as well if Number 5’s movement wasn’t flawless.

Returning to appear in the following year’s sequel, the smooth movements and great use of technology to achieve a believable human-sized robot was an impressive task. It’s difficult to imagine the film doing nearly as well if Number 5’s movement wasn’t flawless. Even decades later, the practical effects of the Short Circuit films look brilliant.