13 Movies From The ’80s That Earn Their Spot On The Worst Lists
The 1980s gave us some of cinema’s greatest treasures, from action-packed blockbusters to heartfelt comedies.
But not every film from that decade deserves a spot in the hall of fame.
Some movies bombed so badly at the box office and with critics that they’ve become legendary for all the wrong reasons.
1. Ishtar (1987)
Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman starred as talentless lounge singers who accidentally get caught up in a Middle Eastern conspiracy.
Despite having two Hollywood legends, the comedy fell completely flat with viewers.
Its massive budget ballooned out of control during production, and the final result couldn’t justify the expense.
The film became synonymous with box office disasters and Hollywood excess gone wrong.
2. Mac and Me (1988)
This shameless E.T. rip-off doubled as a feature-length commercial for McDonald’s and Coca-Cola.
A young boy befriends a stranded alien family, but the story gets buried under blatant product placement.
Every scene seems designed to sell something rather than tell a compelling story.
The alien costumes looked cheap, the acting was wooden, and the whole production felt more like an advertisement than entertainment.
3. Xanadu (1980)
Olivia Newton-John roller-skated her way through this disco-era musical fantasy that confused audiences more than it entertained them.
The plot about muses inspiring an artist to open a roller disco made little sense.
While the soundtrack produced some catchy songs, the movie itself was a garish mess of clashing styles.
Critics savaged it, and the film became a symbol of early ’80s excess and poor storytelling choices.
4. Leonard Part 6 (1987)
Bill Cosby starred in and produced this spy spoof that he later admitted was terrible.
The plot involved vegetarian terrorists using animals as weapons, which sounds more interesting than it actually was.
Even Cosby himself told audiences not to watch it before the film’s release.
The jokes didn’t land, the action sequences were boring, and the whole concept felt half-baked from the start.
5. Supergirl (1984)
Following the success of Superman movies, this spin-off aimed to bring his cousin to the big screen.
Unfortunately, the script was weak, the villain was forgettable, and the special effects couldn’t match expectations.
Helen Slater tried her best in the title role, but even her charm couldn’t save the messy plot.
The film failed to launch a franchise and left fans disappointed with its lackluster execution.
6. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Christopher Reeve returned as Superman to tackle nuclear disarmament, but the noble intentions couldn’t overcome the film’s severe budget cuts.
The special effects looked cheap and unconvincing, especially compared to earlier entries.
The villain Nuclear Man was poorly conceived, and the plot was preachy rather than entertaining.
This disappointing sequel effectively killed the franchise for nearly two decades and tarnished Superman’s cinematic legacy.
7. Sheena (1984)
Tanya Roberts played a female Tarzan raised by an African tribe with mystical powers to communicate with animals.
The film tried to capitalize on the jungle adventure genre but delivered laughable dialogue and silly plot twists.
The action sequences were clumsy, the romance was unconvincing, and the whole production felt cheap.
It won several Razzie Awards and failed to launch Roberts into stardom as intended.
8. Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)
By the fourth installment, the Police Academy franchise had run out of fresh ideas and relied on recycled gags.
The plot about training citizens as police volunteers felt tired and uninspired.
Most of the original cast returned, but they couldn’t breathe life into the stale material.
Critics panned it, and audiences began losing interest in the once-popular comedy series that had clearly overstayed its welcome.
9. Mommie Dearest (1981)
Faye Dunaway portrayed Hollywood legend Joan Crawford in this biographical drama based on her daughter’s tell-all memoir.
The film aimed for serious drama but became unintentionally campy with over-the-top performances.
The infamous wire hanger scene became a pop culture punchline rather than a powerful dramatic moment.
Critics were divided, but audiences turned it into a camp classic, which wasn’t the filmmakers’ intention at all.
10. Going Overboard (1989)
Adam Sandler’s film debut was this low-budget comedy about a cruise ship comedian trying to make it big.
Shot on a shoestring budget, the film looked cheap and the jokes rarely landed.
Even Sandler fans struggle to defend this early effort, which never received a proper theatrical release.
The movie is mainly notable for showing how far Sandler’s career evolved from these humble, awkward beginnings.
11. Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
In this fourth installment, a great white shark apparently holds a personal vendetta against the Brody family.
The absurd premise suggested the shark could track specific people across the ocean with supernatural intelligence.
Logic went completely out the window, the suspense was gone, and even the shark effects looked worse than the original from 1975.
Michael Caine famously said the movie was terrible but the house it bought him was lovely.
12. Teen Wolf Too (1987)
Jason Bateman replaced Michael J. Fox in this unnecessary sequel about the original teen wolf’s cousin attending college.
The story simply rehashed the first film’s plot without any fresh angles or creativity.
Bateman did his best, but the script gave him nothing to work with.
The werewolf transformations looked cheaper, the jokes fell flat, and the whole project felt like a cash grab that insulted fans of the original.
13. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
The eighth Friday the 13th film promised to bring Jason to the Big Apple, but most of the movie took place on a cruise ship due to budget constraints.
When Jason finally reached Manhattan, it was only for the last twenty minutes.
The kills were uninspired, the characters were forgettable, and the false advertising disappointed fans.
The franchise had clearly run out of steam by this point.
