would any of you still watch 80's horror and still find it gripping?

These movies still hold up today in my opinion, rivalling and surpasing most new horror films of the last 30 years. Halloween
(1978), The Texas chainsaw Massacre (1974) - except for the incessant screaming throughout the last quarter of the film. Postergeist (1982) and The Thing (1982). These movies are gripping in terms of plot and the sense of dread they evoke rather than the jump scares which have not aged well.

The best horror film of this generation (in my opinion) is The Conjuring (2013). It fits in with the above list of horror movie classics and I believe it will stand the test of time.

There's no question 80's horror flicks are far superior to most movies of the same genre put out today.

Modern horror films rely too much on jump scares. It's usually a weak and lazy technique, often used in place of genuine suspense and a solid plot.

__________________
You know the thing about a shark? He's got lifeless eyes; black eyes, like a doll's eye.

~ Quint

It was a fantastic decade for horror, IMO!

My top favorites are the below ones that I'd still love to revisit any day:
The Thing (1982)
The Evil Dead (1981)
The Changeling (1980)
The Shining (1980)
Videodrome (1983)
Predator (1987)
Hellraiser (1987)
The Hitcher (1986)
Poltergeist (1982)
Inferno (1980)

__________________
Movies Seen in 2016 so far

Movie Montages & Tribute Videos

IMDB Listing: 900+ Best to Worst Horror Movies of this Decade (2010-2019)

The thing and videodrome are not horror, the firsr is scifi horror, and the second thriller surrealism