80s Movies Quiz
DeLoreans, Ghostbusters, Top Gun and Die Hard: 15 questions on the movies that defined the 1980s.
In Back to the Future (1985), which car does Doc Brown turn into a time machine?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
DeLorean
Doc Brown builds his time machine into a stainless-steel DeLorean DMC-12, which needs to reach 88 miles per hour (142 km/h) and 1.21 gigawatts of power to send Marty McFly back to 1955.
Early drafts of the script had the time machine built inside a refrigerator, an idea dropped partly over fears children would copy it.
Which 1980 film revealed that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Empire Strikes Back
The Empire Strikes Back delivered the twist in its Cloud City duel; the line is actually "No, I am your father", and only a handful of people, including Mark Hamill, knew the real dialogue during filming.
The film was directed by Irvin Kershner rather than George Lucas, and many fans still rank it as the best in the saga.
Which 1984 comedy features the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man stomping through New York?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Ghostbusters
In Ghostbusters the demigod Gozer tells the team to choose the form of their destroyer, and Ray Stantz accidentally thinks of the Stay Puft mascot, summoning a 100-foot marshmallow man.
Ray Parker Jr.'s theme song topped the US chart for three weeks and was nominated for an Oscar.
Which film was the highest-grossing movie of the 1980s at the worldwide box office?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial took around $700 million worldwide after its 1982 release, overtaking Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film ever, a record it held until Jurassic Park in 1993.
The alien's voice was mostly provided by Pat Welsh, a retired elderly woman whose raspy delivery came from decades of smoking.
Which 1984 film taught a generation the lesson "wax on, wax off"?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Karate Kid
In The Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi has Daniel LaRusso wax cars, sand floors and paint fences, only to reveal that the repetitive chores have secretly drilled karate blocks into his muscle memory.
Pat Morita earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Miyagi, and the film shares a director, John G. Avildsen, with the original Rocky.
"Nobody puts Baby in a corner" is a line from which 1987 film?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Dirty Dancing
Patrick Swayze's Johnny Castle says the line to Baby's father before the final dance in Dirty Dancing, a film made for about $5 million that became a word-of-mouth smash and a home video phenomenon.
"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
In Top Gun (1986), what is the call sign of Maverick's radar intercept officer, played by Anthony Edwards?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Goose
Nick "Goose" Bradshaw flies in the back seat of Maverick's F-14 Tomcat and is killed when the pair eject from a flat spin, the loss that shakes Maverick's confidence for the rest of the film.
Iceman was Val Kilmer's rival pilot, while Viper and Jester were the instructors at the Navy's real Fighter Weapons School in Miramar.
In Die Hard (1988), who played the villain Hans Gruber?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman made his film debut as the urbane thief Hans Gruber in his early forties, having been spotted on Broadway in Les Liaisons Dangereuses; for his death scene the crew dropped him a beat early to capture real surprise.
Jeremy Irons later played Hans's brother Simon Gruber as the villain of Die Hard with a Vengeance in 1995.
Who directed The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Sixteen Candles?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
John Hughes
John Hughes wrote and directed all three teen classics between 1984 and 1986, shooting them around the suburbs of Chicago and launching the careers of Molly Ringwald and the so-called Brat Pack.
Hughes also wrote Home Alone, National Lampoon's Vacation and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, often finishing scripts in a matter of days.
In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which candy does Elliott use to lure the alien into his house?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Reese's Pieces
Elliott lays a trail of Reese's Pieces to tempt E.T. inside; Hershey agreed to the product placement after Mars reportedly declined to let M&M's be used, and sales of the candy soared after release.
The deal is still taught in marketing classes as one of the most successful product placements in movie history.
Which 1988 Best Picture winner starred Dustin Hoffman as an autistic savant and Tom Cruise as his brother?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Rain Man
Rain Man won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Barry Levinson and Best Actor for Hoffman, whose character Raymond counts a spilled box of toothpicks in seconds.
The famous Las Vegas card-counting scene was filmed at Caesars Palace, and the film was the highest-grossing release of 1988 in the United States.
Who played Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984)?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton played the waitress Sarah Connor, hunted by Arnold Schwarzenegger's cyborg because her unborn son will one day lead the human resistance, and returned as a hardened warrior in Terminator 2.
Hamilton later married the film's director James Cameron, and O.J. Simpson was once considered for the Terminator role.
Blade Runner (1982) was based on a novel by which science-fiction author?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Philip K. Dick
Ridley Scott's film adapted Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, moving the story to a rain-soaked Los Angeles of 2019 where Harrison Ford hunts rogue replicants.
Dick saw early footage shortly before he died in March 1982 and said the film captured his world exactly, but he never saw the finished movie.
Which character did Eddie Murphy play in Beverly Hills Cop (1984)?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Axel Foley
Murphy played the wisecracking Detroit detective Axel Foley, who follows a friend's killer to Beverly Hills; the role was originally developed for Sylvester Stallone as a straight action film.
Reggie Hammond, Billy Ray Valentine and Prince Akeem were Murphy's characters in 48 Hrs., Trading Places and Coming to America.
Who played the vengeful swordsman Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride (1987)?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin played the Spaniard who has spent his life hunting the six-fingered man who killed his father, delivering the oft-quoted line "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
Patinkin has said he thought of his own father, who died of cancer, during the final duel, and he still gets asked to recite the line by strangers.
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All Entertainment quizzes →About the 80s Movies Quiz
The 1980s gave cinema the summer blockbuster as we know it. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was the decade's biggest hit, a DeLorean hit 88 miles per hour in 1985, and by 1988 a barefoot New York cop was crawling through the air ducts of Nakatomi Plaza. John Hughes alone turned out Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off in three years.
These 15 questions start with the lines everybody quotes and the cars everybody wanted, then dig into call signs, villains, candy deals and the novels behind the films for the people who wore out their VHS tapes. A great quiz for 80s kids, movie nights and anyone who still knows all the words to "Ghostbusters".
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
What was the highest-grossing movie of the 1980s?
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), which earned around $700 million worldwide in its original run and held the all-time record until Jurassic Park in 1993.
Which 80s movies won Best Picture?
Winners included Ordinary People, Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Terms of Endearment, Amadeus, Out of Africa, Platoon, The Last Emperor, Rain Man and Driving Miss Daisy.
Who directed the most famous 80s teen movies?
John Hughes wrote and directed Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off between 1984 and 1986, and wrote Pretty in Pink.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- In Back to the Future (1985), which car does Doc Brown turn into a time machine?
DeLorean Doc Brown builds his time machine into a stainless-steel DeLorean DMC-12, which needs to reach 88 miles per hour (142 km/h) and 1.21 gigawatts of power to send Marty McFly back to 1955. Early drafts of the script had the time machine built inside a refrigerator, an idea dropped partly over fears children would copy it. - Which 1980 film revealed that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father?
The Empire Strikes Back The Empire Strikes Back delivered the twist in its Cloud City duel; the line is actually "No, I am your father", and only a handful of people, including Mark Hamill, knew the real dialogue during filming. The film was directed by Irvin Kershner rather than George Lucas, and many fans still rank it as the best in the saga. - Which 1984 comedy features the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man stomping through New York?
Ghostbusters In Ghostbusters the demigod Gozer tells the team to choose the form of their destroyer, and Ray Stantz accidentally thinks of the Stay Puft mascot, summoning a 100-foot marshmallow man. Ray Parker Jr.'s theme song topped the US chart for three weeks and was nominated for an Oscar. - Which film was the highest-grossing movie of the 1980s at the worldwide box office?
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial took around $700 million worldwide after its 1982 release, overtaking Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film ever, a record it held until Jurassic Park in 1993. The alien's voice was mostly provided by Pat Welsh, a retired elderly woman whose raspy delivery came from decades of smoking. - Which 1984 film taught a generation the lesson "wax on, wax off"?
The Karate Kid In The Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi has Daniel LaRusso wax cars, sand floors and paint fences, only to reveal that the repetitive chores have secretly drilled karate blocks into his muscle memory. Pat Morita earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Miyagi, and the film shares a director, John G. Avildsen, with the original Rocky. - "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" is a line from which 1987 film?
Dirty Dancing Patrick Swayze's Johnny Castle says the line to Baby's father before the final dance in Dirty Dancing, a film made for about $5 million that became a word-of-mouth smash and a home video phenomenon. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes won the Oscar for Best Original Song. - In Top Gun (1986), what is the call sign of Maverick's radar intercept officer, played by Anthony Edwards?
Goose Nick "Goose" Bradshaw flies in the back seat of Maverick's F-14 Tomcat and is killed when the pair eject from a flat spin, the loss that shakes Maverick's confidence for the rest of the film. Iceman was Val Kilmer's rival pilot, while Viper and Jester were the instructors at the Navy's real Fighter Weapons School in Miramar. - In Die Hard (1988), who played the villain Hans Gruber?
Alan Rickman Alan Rickman made his film debut as the urbane thief Hans Gruber in his early forties, having been spotted on Broadway in Les Liaisons Dangereuses; for his death scene the crew dropped him a beat early to capture real surprise. Jeremy Irons later played Hans's brother Simon Gruber as the villain of Die Hard with a Vengeance in 1995. - Who directed The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Sixteen Candles?
John Hughes John Hughes wrote and directed all three teen classics between 1984 and 1986, shooting them around the suburbs of Chicago and launching the careers of Molly Ringwald and the so-called Brat Pack. Hughes also wrote Home Alone, National Lampoon's Vacation and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, often finishing scripts in a matter of days. - In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which candy does Elliott use to lure the alien into his house?
Reese's Pieces Elliott lays a trail of Reese's Pieces to tempt E.T. inside; Hershey agreed to the product placement after Mars reportedly declined to let M&M's be used, and sales of the candy soared after release. The deal is still taught in marketing classes as one of the most successful product placements in movie history. - Which 1988 Best Picture winner starred Dustin Hoffman as an autistic savant and Tom Cruise as his brother?
Rain Man Rain Man won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Barry Levinson and Best Actor for Hoffman, whose character Raymond counts a spilled box of toothpicks in seconds. The famous Las Vegas card-counting scene was filmed at Caesars Palace, and the film was the highest-grossing release of 1988 in the United States. - Who played Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984)?
Linda Hamilton Linda Hamilton played the waitress Sarah Connor, hunted by Arnold Schwarzenegger's cyborg because her unborn son will one day lead the human resistance, and returned as a hardened warrior in Terminator 2. Hamilton later married the film's director James Cameron, and O.J. Simpson was once considered for the Terminator role. - Blade Runner (1982) was based on a novel by which science-fiction author?
Philip K. Dick Ridley Scott's film adapted Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, moving the story to a rain-soaked Los Angeles of 2019 where Harrison Ford hunts rogue replicants. Dick saw early footage shortly before he died in March 1982 and said the film captured his world exactly, but he never saw the finished movie. - Which character did Eddie Murphy play in Beverly Hills Cop (1984)?
Axel Foley Murphy played the wisecracking Detroit detective Axel Foley, who follows a friend's killer to Beverly Hills; the role was originally developed for Sylvester Stallone as a straight action film. Reggie Hammond, Billy Ray Valentine and Prince Akeem were Murphy's characters in 48 Hrs., Trading Places and Coming to America. - Who played the vengeful swordsman Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride (1987)?
Mandy Patinkin Mandy Patinkin played the Spaniard who has spent his life hunting the six-fingered man who killed his father, delivering the oft-quoted line "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Patinkin has said he thought of his own father, who died of cancer, during the final duel, and he still gets asked to recite the line by strangers.
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