8 Best Movies of 1984

By Vlad Zakh · June 28, 2026

1984 was great for horror and comedy. A Nightmare on Elm Street has a killer stalking teenagers in their dreams, This Is Spinal Tap follows a heavy metal band’s disastrous tour, and Ghostbusters has three parapsychologists capturing supernatural pests in New York. The Killing Fields, The Terminator, Amadeus, Paris, Texas and Once Upon a Time in America round out the eight.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 93% Metacritic 76

A killer who hunts teenagers in their dreams can only be stopped by staying awake.

Directed by Wes Craven · 1h 31m · Rated R

7 wins & 8 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A fading British heavy metal band's disastrous American tour is chronicled by an earnest documentary maker.

Directed by Rob Reiner · 1h 22m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Killing Fields (1984)

TMDB ★ 7.5

An American journalist and his Cambodian colleague are caught in the horror of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Directed by Roland Joffé · 2h 22m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Ghostbusters (1984)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A deadpan paranormal exterminator crew saves New York from a very literal apocalypse.

Directed by Ivan Reitman · 1h 45m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, YouTube TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Terminator (1984)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 90% Metacritic 84

A relentless killing machine is sent back in time to erase a resistance leader before he's born.

Directed by James Cameron · 1h 48m · Rated R

9 wins & 8 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+, YouTube TV, AMC, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Amadeus (1984)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 90% Metacritic 87

A rival composer's consuming jealousy of Mozart's genius drives him towards obsession and ruin.

Directed by Miloš Forman · 2h 40m · Rated PG

Won 8 Oscars43 wins & 15 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Paris, Texas (1984)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 95% Metacritic 81

A man who vanished for four years reunites with his young son and searches for the wife he left behind.

Directed by Wim Wenders · 2h 25m · Rated R

Won 1 BAFTA Award16 wins & 12 nominations total

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 86% Metacritic 75

An ageing gangster returns to New York decades later to confront the ghosts of his violent past.

Directed by Sergio Leone · 2h 19m · Rated R

Won 2 BAFTA Awards11 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 1984

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

The Killing Fields (1984)

Ghostbusters (1984)

The Terminator (1984)

Amadeus (1984)

Paris, Texas (1984)

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

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