Can You Score 20/20? Ultimate 80s Movies Trivia Quiz

Answers Below – No Peeking!

Step back into the synth-pop, big hair, and blockbuster era of the 1980s with this ultimate trivia challenge! Test your knowledge of iconic films from Spielberg epics to action-packed explosions, with questions spanning easy classics to fiendishly tough details. Grab some popcorn and see if you can nail all 20!

20 Trivia Questions on 80s Movies

Question 1: Who directed the 1982 family sci-fi classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial?

A. George Lucas
B. Ridley Scott
C. Steven Spielberg
D. James Cameron

Question 2: In Back to the Future (1985), what speed must the DeLorean time machine reach to activate time travel?

A. 55 miles per hour
B. 88 miles per hour
C. 100 miles per hour
D. 69 miles per hour

Question 3: In Ghostbusters (1984), which actor plays the sarcastic Peter Venkman?

A. Dan Aykroyd
B. Harold Ramis
C. Bill Murray
D. Rick Moranis

Question 4: Which 1980 horror film features Jack Nicholson as the unhinged Jack Torrance?

A. Poltergeist
B. The Shining
C. Friday the 13th
D. The Fog

Question 5: Who directed the dystopian sci-fi noir Blade Runner (1982)?

A. Steven Spielberg
B. Stanley Kubrick
C. Ridley Scott
D. David Lynch

Question 6: In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), what is Indiana Jones’s real first name?

A. Marcus
B. Abner
C. Henry
D. Indiana

Question 7: What year was The Empire Strikes Back, the second Star Wars film, released?

A. 1979
B. 1983
C. 1980
D. 1981

Question 8: In Die Hard (1988), what is the name of the Los Angeles skyscraper taken over by terrorists?

A. Fox Plaza
B. Wayne Tower
C. Nakatomi Plaza
D. Century City

Question 9: Who wrote and directed the 1985 teen drama The Breakfast Club?

A. John Hughes
B. Rob Reiner
C. Howard Deutch
D. Amy Heckerling

Question 10: In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), what is the name of Ferris’s disapproving sister?

A. Sloane
B. Jeanie
C. Katie
D. Mia

Question 11: In Top Gun (1986), what callsign does Tom Cruise’s character Pete Mitchell go by?

A. Iceman
B. Maverick
C. Goose
D. Viper

Question 12: Who directed the 1986 sci-fi action sequel Aliens?

A. Ridley Scott
B. James Cameron
C. David Fincher
D. Roland Emmerich

Question 13: In Predator (1987), who delivers the line "If it bleeds, we can kill it"?

A. Blaine
B. Poncho
C. Mac
D. Dutch

Question 14: In The Princess Bride (1987), who repeatedly exclaims "Inconceivable!"?

A. Inigo Montoya
B. Fezzik
C. Vizzini
D. Miracle Max

Question 15: Who directed the 1988 live-action/animation hybrid Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

A. Tim Burton
B. Steven Spielberg
C. Robert Zemeckis
D. Joe Dante

Question 16: Who directed the 1988 fantasy comedy Beetlejuice?

A. Sam Raimi
B. Tim Burton
C. Wes Craven
D. Joe Dante

Question 17: In Big (1988), what does young Josh Baskin wish for at the Zoltar carnival machine?

A. To be tall
B. To be rich
C. To be big
D. To meet Susan

Question 18: Who directed the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally…?

A. Nora Ephron
B. Billy Crystal
C. Rob Reiner
D. Meg Ryan

Question 19: In Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), which actor portrayed the Joker?

A. Michael Keaton
B. Jack Nicholson
C. Danny DeVito
D. Kim Basinger

Question 20: In Lethal Weapon (1987), what is Detective Roger Murtaugh’s signature catchphrase?

A. I’m getting too old for this shit
B. Riggs, you’re crazy
C. Let’s do this
D. Time to die

Answers

  1. C. Steven Spielberg – Spielberg directed E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), a massive hit he helmed after Close Encounters; Lucas produced it, Scott made Blade Runner that year, and Cameron debuted with The Terminator in 1984.
  2. B. 88 miles per hour – The flux capacitor activates at precisely 88 mph in Back to the Future (1985), as Marty discovers; other speeds are distractors from speed limits or cultural nods but incorrect.
  3. C. Bill Murray – Murray stars as Venkman, the wisecracking leader in Ghostbusters (1984); Aykroyd played Ray, Ramis Egon, and Moranis Louis Tully.
  4. B. The Shining – Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) stars Nicholson as the axe-wielding Torrance; Poltergeist (1982) and Friday the 13th (1980) have different leads, The Fog (1980) is Carpenter’s.
  5. C. Ridley Scott – Scott directed Blade Runner (1982), his influential cyberpunk vision; Kubrick did The Shining, Lynch Dune (1984), Spielberg E.T..
  6. C. Henry – Indiana’s birth name is Henry Walton Jones Jr., revealed in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) by his father; others are aliases or friend names.
  7. C. 1980 – The Empire Strikes Back premiered May 21, 1980; 1979 was A New Hope, 1981 Raiders, 1983 Return of the Jedi.
  8. C. Nakatomi Plaza – The fictional Nakatomi Plaza is the setting in Die Hard (1988), filmed at Fox Plaza; others are real LA buildings or comic references.
  9. A. John Hughes – Hughes wrote and directed The Breakfast Club (1985), defining 80s teen cinema; Reiner did Stand by Me, others different films.
  10. B. Jeanie – Jeanie Bueller, played by Jennifer Grey, resents her brother’s antics in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986); Sloane is his girlfriend.
  11. B. Maverick – LT Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is Cruise’s hotshot pilot in Top Gun (1986); Iceman is Val Kilmer, Goose his RIO.
  12. B. James Cameron – Cameron directed Aliens (1986), expanding his Alien universe; Scott did the original Alien (1979).
  13. D. Dutch – Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch says the line in Predator (1987) after confirming the creature bleeds; Mac responds positively.
  14. C. Vizzini – Wallace Shawn’s Sicilian boss Vizzini says "Inconceivable!" repeatedly in The Princess Bride (1987); Inigo is the swordsman.
  15. C. Robert Zemeckis – Zemeckis directed Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), blending live-action and animation; Spielberg produced.
  16. B. Tim Burton – Burton’s directorial debut feature Beetlejuice (1988) stars Michael Keaton; Raimi did horror like Evil Dead.
  17. C. To be big – Tom Hanks’s Josh wishes "I wish I were big" in Big (1988), transforming overnight; others are plot misdirections.
  18. C. Rob Reiner – Reiner directed When Harry Met Sally… (1989), from Nora Ephron’s script; she wrote but didn’t direct.
  19. B. Jack Nicholson – Nicholson played the chaotic Joker opposite Keaton’s Batman in Batman (1989); DeVito was Penguin later.
  20. A. I’m getting too old for this shit – Danny Glover’s Murtaugh utters this repeatedly in Lethal Weapon (1987), highlighting his age; iconic 80s buddy-cop line.

How many did you get right? Drop your score in the comments below and challenge friends to conquer the ultimate 80s movies quiz!