M78 is small but relatively bright, and it can be spotted with binos. Flame Nebula can be seen in your 8-inch scope, but it is a low contrast object, so it is only seen in the clear dark skies with good sky transparency, eg. in Sedili, Tg Resang etc.
Only if the Flame Nebula is clearly visible then there is a chance to spot the elusive Horsehead Nebula, which require excellent sky transparency, a 10-inch or bigger scope, and a H-Beta filter.