1981
An American Werewolf in London
(1981)
John Landis
Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.
Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.
Das Boot
(1981)
Wolfgang Petersen (screenplay), Lothar G. Buchheim (novel)
Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 5 nominations.
The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth, and sheer terror.
Southern Comfort
(1981)
Michael Kane, Walter Hill, David Giler
N/A
A squad of National Guards on an isolated weekend exercise in the Louisiana swamp must fight for their lives when they anger local Cajuns by stealing their canoes. Without live ammunition ...
The Evil Dead
(1981)
Sam Raimi
3 wins & 1 nomination.
Five college students take time off to spend a peaceful vacation in a remote cabin. A book and audio tape is discovered, and its evil is found to be powerful once the incantations are read out loud. The friends find themselves helpless to stop the evil as it takes them one by one, with only one survivor left with the evil dead and desperately tries to fight to live until morning.
The Final Conflict
(1981)
David Seltzer (characters), Andrew Birkin
1 win.
The now adult Antichrist plots to eliminate his future divine opponent while a cabal of monks plot to stop him.
The House by the Cemetery
(1981)
Elisa Briganti, Dardano Sacchetti, Giorgio Mariuzzo
1 nomination
In New York, Dr. Norman Boyle assumes the research about Dr. Freudstein of his colleague Dr. Petersen, who committed suicide after killing his mistress. Norman heads to Boston with his wife Lucy Boyle and their son Bob to live in an isolated house in the woods that belonged to Dr. Petersen. Bob befriends the girl Mae that only he can see and she warns him to leave the house. Soon his parents hire the mysterious babysitter Ann and creepy things happen in the house. When Bobby goes to the basement, his parents discover the secret of the house.
The Howling
(1981)
Gary Brandner (novel), John Sayles (screenplay), Terence H. Winkless (screenplay)
2 wins & 2 nominations.
Television newswoman Karen White takes some much-needed time off after a traumatic incident with a serial killer. Hoping to conquer her inner demons, she heads for The Colony, a secluded retreat where the creepy residents are a little too eager to make her feel at home. Also, there seems to be a bizarre connection between Eddie Quist and this supposedly safe haven. And when, after nights of being tormented by unearthly cries, Karen ventures into the forest and makes a terrifying discovery. Now she must not only fight for her life... but for her very soul! Helped launch the short-lived werewolf craze in the early 1980s.
Time Bandits
(1981)
Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
1 win & 8 nominations.
A young boy's wardrobe contains a time hole. Through this hole an assortment of short people (i.e. dwarfs) come while escaping from their master, the supreme being. They take Kevin with them on their adventures through time from Napoleonic times to the Middle Ages to the early 1900s, to the time of Legends and the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness where they confront Evil.