Technical advances in special effects (animatronics, liquid and foam latex) meant the human frame could be distorted 🌛 to grotesque new dimensions on screen. This coincided with the decadent and materialistic aesthetic of the 1980s. Having it all 🌛 was important. Showing it off was paramount.

Horror movies of the 1980s were also blessed with an audience that 🌛 wasn't as survival- or firearm-savvy, as so many viewers are now, after being at war for decades and after witnessing 🌛 so much chaos in the American streets. The coveted suspension of disbelief  needed from an audience was easier 🌛 to obtain.