8 Best Movies of 1986

By Vlad Zakh · June 28, 2026

1986 was a classic year. The Fly has a teleporting scientist merging with a housefly, Hannah and Her Sisters follows three sisters’ tangled lives, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has a charismatic teen skipping school across Chicago. Blue Velvet, Platoon, Stand by Me, Castle in the Sky and Aliens round out the eight.

The Fly (1986)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A scientist's teleportation experiment slowly merges his DNA with a common housefly.

Directed by David Cronenberg · 1h 36m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

TMDB ★ 7.5

Three sisters deal with romantic entanglements and personal crises across two years in New York City.

Directed by Woody Allen · 1h 47m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Criterion Channel, MGM Plus · 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

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 85% Metacritic 61

A high schooler fakes his way through one perfect, elaborate day off school.

Directed by John Hughes · 1h 43m · Rated PG-13

3 wins & 1 nomination

Where to watch

Stream: Apple TV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Blue Velvet (1986)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A college student's discovery of a severed ear pulls him into his town's hidden criminal underworld.

Directed by David Lynch · 2h 00m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Criterion Channel · Rent: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex · Buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Platoon (1986)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 89% Metacritic 92

A young soldier caught between two conflicting sergeants experiences the brutal moral chaos of the Vietnam War.

Directed by Oliver Stone · 2h 00m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars24 wins & 16 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · 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

Stand by Me (1986)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 89% Metacritic 76

Four young boys set out on a journey to find the body of a missing local teenager.

Directed by Rob Reiner · 1h 29m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar7 wins & 14 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Castle in the Sky (1986)

TMDB ★ 8.0

Two children search for a legendary floating city while pursued by pirates and government agents.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki · 2h 05m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · 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

Aliens (1986)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 93% Metacritic 84

A colonial marine unit is sent to confront a whole hive of the creatures that nearly killed Ripley.

Directed by James Cameron · 2h 17m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars20 wins & 25 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, fuboTV, Philo, YouTube TV, Netflix Standard 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

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 1986

The Fly (1986)

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Blue Velvet (1986)

Platoon (1986)

Stand by Me (1986)

Castle in the Sky (1986)

Aliens (1986)

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