These Movies are all Forty Years Old This Year
I recently posted an article about Rocky IV being forty years old. That struck me as odd, because I don’t feel that old. I was only 15 years old the year it came out.
Well, I got to thinking, what other movies came out in 1985? I’ve put together a list of the notable films (to me, at least) from that year. It might surprise you; there were some real gems:
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
American Ninja
Back to the Future
Beverly Hills Cop
Clue
Commando
Day of the Dead
Enemy Mine
Friday the 13th Part V
Fright Night
House
Ladyhawke
Legend
Lifeforce
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Missing in Action II: The Beginning
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Real Genius
Red Sonja
Rocky IV
Teen Wolf
The Breakfast Club
The Goonies
The Jewel of the Nile
Weird Science
Witness
Some observations, fun facts, and trivia about the list:
- Stallone was in Rocky IV and Rambo 2 in the same year
- Chuck Norris was also in two: Missing in Action 2 and Code of Silence
- Michael J. Fox was also in two: BTTF and Teen Wolf
- Arnold was also in two, though Red Sonja was more of a cameo
- The sequel trend exploded in the 1980s: there are eight sequels in this list alone. Can you spot them all?
- Two of the most pivotal “Coming of Age” teen movies came out this year: The Breakfast Club and Weird Science
- Real Genius is a hidden gem, if I remember correctly (I haven’t seen it in years)
- American Ninja is more of a guilty pleasure for me
- House would also fall into that same category, although at the time I found parts truly scary. The ghost haunting the main character was Richard Moll, of Night Court fame
- Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in only one film this year, Commando, (Red Sonja was a cameo role for him) but had just come off massive success with The Terminator in 1984
- Clue had the most interesting marketing campaign at the time: different regions had different endings. If you went back to see the film a few months later, you could view all four (which are also now on the DVD)
- To the best of my knowledge, only one of the films on my list has been remade: Fright Night. That being said, I believe Clue is being remade soon
- James Cameron wrote First Blood Part II. He was concurrently working on the Aliens script, which he directed and released the following year
- Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome was an interesting installment in the series. It was not quite as compelling as The Road Warrior, and yet still entertaining. The mileage on Max was obvious; it was clear that each day, post-apocalypse, was a struggle to survive
- Lifeforce is now a cult favourite and featured Patrick Stewart pre-Star Trek: The Next Generation
What do you think of this list? Did I miss any important ones from 1985 that are important to you?
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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.
— Timothy S. Johnston, 28 May 2025
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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel
“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop
“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite
“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories
“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest
“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels
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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!
WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.
Book Cover & Jacket Copy:
AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!
A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …
Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.
Taunting him.
Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.
If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.
But the assassin could be anyone …
Watch your back, Mac.
A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:
The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007
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TSJ’s Awards
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THE WAR BENEATH: FIRST PLACE 2018 GLOBAL THRILLER Action / Adventure Category Winner, 2019 Silver Falchion Award Finalist, 2018 CLUE Award Semi-Finalist, 2019 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist, & 2019 CYGNUS Award Shortlister
THE SAVAGE DEEPS: FIRST PLACE 2020 CYGNUS Award Winner, 2019 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards Finalist, 2022 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist; 2019 CLUE Award Shortlister
FATAL DEPTH: FIRST PLACE 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Award Winner, 2022 Silver Falchion Award Finalist (Best Action Adventure), 2021 CYGNUS Award Semi-Finalist
Praise for THE WAR BENEATH
“If you’re looking for a techno-thriller combining Ian Fleming, Tom Clancy and John Le Carré, The War Beneath will satisfy … a ripping good yarn, a genuine page-turner.” — Amazing Stories
“One very riveting, intelligent read!” — Readers’ Favorite
“If you like novels like The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising,
you will certainly enjoy The War Beneath.” — A Thrill A Week
“If you’re here for thrills, the book will deliver.” — The Cambridge Geek
“… an engaging world that is highly believable …” — The Future Fire
“This is a tense, gripping science fiction/thriller of which Tom Clancy might well be proud . . . When I say it is gripping, that is the simple truth.” — Ardath Mayhar
“… a thrill ride from beginning to end …” — SFcrowsnest
“… if you like Clancy and le Carré with a hint of Forsyth thrown in,
you’ll love The War Beneath.” — Colonel Jonathan P. Brazee (RET),
2017 Nebula Award & 2018 Dragon Award Finalist
“Fast-paced, good old-fashioned Cold War espionage … a great escape!” — The Minerva Reader
