Our top 10 pick of films released in the 1980s

Encouraging thousands of bouffant-haired teens to reach for their legwarmers, 80's classics such as Footloose and Dirty Dancing made dancing cool again. Kevin Bacon fights back against the tyranical John Lithgow here but it was never the story that people paid attention to. Filled to the brim with catchy dance moves, Footloose also featured Kenny Loggins's memorable theme.

Long before he'd even dreamt of Scream let alone a Screamake, Wes Craven was dreaming up stories of monsters that killed teenagers in their sleep. Bringing the now infamous Freddie Krueger to cinemas, A Nightmare on Elm Street doesn't shy away from embracing its more gory elements, including a scene where a bed spurts blood onto the ceiling. Lovely! Featuring a fresh-faced Johnny Depp and pioneering some special effects that would be honed later in the decade, A Nightmare on Elm Street is not one for the squeamish.

Finding his wife's workplace under siege by a host of foreign terrorists, Bruce Willis copes in the only way he knows how; by cockily fighting back. The one man army's vest iconically gets grubbier the tighter his situation becomes in this hostage classic. The formula at the heart of Die Hard worked so well that Bruce would go on to star in three sequels.

Although he'd go on to star in comic capers loved by children the world over (Kindergarten Cop, anyone?) before becoming Governor of California, Arnie was once the ultimate actioner. Forget Sly's Rambo, Arnie's Terminator struck fear in many a viewer back in 1984. Sent back from the future and intent on assassinating Sarah Conner before she could give birth to her rebellious son, the Terminator does just what his title suggests... as well as suffering the slight inconvenience of being robbed of all his clothes when time travelling.

Spawning a huge cult following, The Goonies sums up much of the innocence of childhood. Featuring a fantastical treasure hunt, equipped with pirate ship, goodies, baddies and a host of child stars, The Goonies also gave us the Truffle Shuffle.

In the midst of the success of the Star Wars series Harrison Ford became Indiana Jones, a university lecturer who put others to shame. Breathing a life into archaeology that Time Team never could, Jonesie raced into movie theatres everywhere with a giant spherical rock hot on his trail in one of the most famous opening scenes in cinema history.

Vampires were made cool way back in the 80's thanks to Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys. After moving to Santa Carla, murder capital of the world, brothers Michael and Sam slowly begin to realise that their new neighbourhood is riddled with vampires. Enter a helpful Corey Feldman to give Sam a hand when he discovers his brother has been transformed.

An instant classic, E. T. has cinema stalwart Steven Spielberg written all over it. When young boy Eliot finds an alien hiding in his family's shed he befriends it, forming an unlikely friendship with the outsider. Cue a brotherly love that is threatened when E. T.'s existence is discovered by the authorities... as well as a tearjerker of an ending. Featuring some of cinema's most iconic scenes (including E. T.'s attempts to phone home and Eliot's cycling silhouette against the full moon), E.T. is impossible not to love.

Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters of course! Bill Murray's sarcastic Venkman delights in this hilariously crazy film that documents the raise of the Ghostbusters – a group of scientists who have uncovered a way of capturing the ghouls who haunt New York City. When Sigourney Weaver calls for help not only does Murray's jaw drop, the team also find themselves confronted by a particularly nasty nemesis. Featuring a fantastically 80's theme (thanks to Ray Parker) and some glorious special effects, Ghostbusters is worthy of the applause it receives.