Mental Floss

THE '80S

Lynn-Holly Johnson, Bette Davis, and Kyle Richards in The Watcher in the Woods (1980).

Disney: Known for catchy songs, cute animal sidekicks, brave Princesses … and occasionally scarring children for life.

Rebecca Pahle
Brenda Chase, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

After a decade of giving bold young directors free rein, the Hollywood studios took back control in the 1980s. Still, a number of excellent movies managed to get made—including some that achieved greatness by reinventing old genres and tropes.

Eric D Snider




The Jim Henson Company

The animated series about diapered Muppets never explained why Kermit and company had been left inside a nursery and with no trace of their parents.

Jake Rossen




Tom Cruise stars in 'Risky Business' (1983).

Did Tom Cruise really dance in his underwear and a pair of Ray-Bans in 'Risky Business'? If you answered “yes,” you might be suffering from the Mandela Effect.

Jake Rossen








Warner Bros.

Before there was ‘The Batman' or ‘The Dark Knight,’ Tim Burton and Michael Keaton were reinventing the comic book movie genre with this 1989 blockbuster.

Matthew Jackson
Touchstone Pictures

Robin Williams's portrayal of John Keating was one of his iconic roles, and this drama about boys at a prep school in 1959 still endures.

Joy Lanzendorfer
Warner Home Video

Though much has been written about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the most entertaining look at the master composer's life might very well be Amadeus, Milos Forman's 1984 film about the artist's life (and rivalries).

Erika Berlin








JD Hancock, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

In the summer of 1989, there was no escaping Tim Burton's 'Batman.' The Caped Crusader was on everything from T-shirts to bed sheets—but the studio still claimed the film lost money.

Jake Rossen
Scholastic

In 1986, Ann M. Martin published the first 'The Baby-Sitters Club' book. Now, more than 30 years later, Netflix is bringing Kristy, Claudia, and all the rest of the club back to the small screen.

Erin McCarthy