Horror is definitely the most versatile of all film genres. Over the decades, it has intrigued, terrified, scarred, and delighted audiences with stories that range from macabre to supernatural to downright chilling. Gothic horrors, possession flicks, and psychological thrillers, all have their rightful place within the genre, but one subgenre that stands out as the most entertaining is the slasher genre.
Slasher films are often identified by their masked killers, bumbling protagonists, and creative death scenes. They successfully tap into our fears and provide a healthy dose of fun. Sure, the tropes are overused – the shocking final girl, the over-the-top gore, and the undefeatable villain – but that’s all part of the appeal. It’s what horror fans are in for.
Some of the most iconic horror franchises, like Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street, belong to the slasher genre. These movies have terrified generations of audiences, spawned countless sequels and reboots, and inspired filmmakers. But for every Scream movie, there is a lesser-known slasher flick that lacks the budget or execution and makes up for it with entertainment value. These are slashers that are so bad, they’re good. You will mock the acting, laugh at the ridiculous plot, call the kills awful, but will love watching them anyway.
10
‘Prom Night’ (2008)
Prom Night
Release Date
April 11, 2008
Runtime
90 Minutes
Director
Nelson McCormick
Stream
A reboot of the 1980 cult classic, Prom Night turns an unassuming high school dance into a bloodbath. It centers on Donna Keppel, a high school senior trying to move past a traumatic event involving the murder of her entire family at the hands of Richard Fenton, her former biology teacher. She’s looking forward to her prom night, but it takes a grim turn when Fenton escapes prison and heads straight to the venue, killing teenagers one by one.
A Villain’s Over-the-Top Obsession
With its glittering gowns, dim-lit hall, and nerve-wracking tension as a masked killer picks kids off, Prom Night should have been an effective slasher. But instead, the ludicrous plot twist, laughable dialogue, and utterly absurd death scenes make it an entirely different beast than the original. The remake abandons suspense and scares in favor of over-the-top effects and a storyline that makes no sense. Still, there’s some campiness and nostalgic value that makes it entertaining.
9
‘April Fool’s Day’ (2008)
Release Date
March 25, 2008
Runtime
91 Minutes
Producers
Frank Mancuso Jr.
Slashers are typically set on Halloween or Thanksgiving. April Fool’s Day tries to desert the norm by placing itself in the middle of the year, during an uneventful time. A made-for-television reimagining of the 1986 classic, the story revolves around a group of privileged friends who gather for a weekend getaway at one of the friend’s sprawling mansions. A fatal prank scares them all, and exactly a year later, they are targeted by a vengeful killer.
Clever and Campy at the Same Time
April Fools’ Day pays homage to classic slasher tropes but is filled with unintentionally hilarious moments that turn the supposedly horrifying parts into mere spectacle. But while the 2008 movie lacks the subtlety of the 1986 original, it more than makes up for it with pure, unadulterated camp. The plot has some good red herrings and surprise twists and the characters deliver performances that only add to the film’s silliness.
8
‘Jason X’ (2001)
Release Date
April 26, 2002
Runtime
93 Minutes
Director
James Isaac
Stream
With Jason X, the infamous Friday the 13th franchise steers into the sci-fi direction instead of horror. In it, Jason Voorhees is cryogenically frozen by the government and is reawakened in the year 2455 on a spaceship when a group of students on an educational mission to Earth I stumble upon the craft. When they return with the specimen, Jason embarks on a new killing spree and the crew realizes they must stop the terror.
Horror Set in Space
Jason X deserves a spot on the so-bad-they’re-good slasher flicks for the sheer audacity of flinging a well-worn classic horror icon into the outer reaches of space. It’s as absurd as things can get, because the plot is a blend of high-tech sci-fi and gory kills, with Jason carving his way through a range of victims. Where he should be menacing, Jason ends up being entertaining. While die-hard Friday the 13th fans will scoff, those who appreciate a little camp and carnage will consider Jason X a guilty pleasure viewing.
Related
Friday the 13th: Every Movie in the Horror Franchise, Ranked by Number of On-Screen Deaths
With more than 160 kills to his name, Jason Voorhees has been a busy boy for the last 40 years, and we’ve got the numbers to prove it.
7
‘Cherry Falls’ (1999)
Cherry Falls
Release Date
August 25, 2000
Runtime
92 Minutes
Director
Geoffrey Wright
Stream
Directed by Geoffrey Wright, Cherry Falls is a slasher flick set in the sleepy town of Cherry Falls. The plot kicks off with a serial killer targeting high school virgins. When the townsfolk realize the killer is specifically going after the town’s teenagers, Sheriff Brent Marken and his daughter, Jody, hatch a plan to throw him off and uncover his identity before the murder count rises.
Violence in a Small Town
Cherry Falls is the kind of movie that could have only been made in the 1990s because of how bizarre the decade was for horror. A mash-up of teen comedy and graphic horror, the movie never quite knows what tone it intends to strike. The result is an uneven experience that horror fans will enjoy. The movie, while sharply critiquing teenage purity and social expectations, ends up being paper-thin and unpredictable, but is a cult classic nonetheless.
6
‘Candyman: Day of the Dead’ (1999)
A forgotten installment in the series, Candyman: Day of the Dead continues the saga of the vengeful spirit as he resurfaces in Los Angeles during the Day of the Dead celebrations. Caroline McKeever, the great-granddaughter of Candyman’s original victim, begins having nightmares and visions about a sinister figure and soon, gets embroiled in a series of murders that appear similar to Candyman’s terror from the past.
A Delightful and Melodramatic Slasher
The movie lands on the list for its combination of horror and culture, which creates an interesting contrast. The plot, filled with supernatural elements and slasher thrills, balances out the colorful and visually striking Mexican backdrop. But it’s the gore that places the movie on the edge of absurdity. It also does not help that the acting is often painful and trashy. The lukewarm response halted the franchise and a fourth installment arrived in 2021 as a direct sequel to the 1992 film.
5
‘Urban Legend’ (1998)
Urban Legend
Release Date
September 25, 1998
Runtime
99 Minutes
Director
Jamie Blanks
Stream
In Urban Legend, when a series of grisly murders start occurring on a college campus, a group of university students begin to realize that a serial killer is using popular urban legends as blueprints for their killings. Natalie, the protagonist, along with her friends, tries to piece together clues in time to uncover the killer’s identity before she herself becomes the next victim.
Exaggerated Tribute to the Genre
Urban Legend may not reinvent the wheel when it comes to the slasher genre, but it deserves a shout-out for being equal parts outlandish and innovative. By turning bedtime stories into a string of murders, it embraces the clichés of the form – the vapid college kids, the unbelievable killing methods, the plot twists that you can see coming from a mile away. The result is a wild and entertaining horror movie. As an added bonus, Urban Legend also features a cast of 90s favorites, including Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, and Rebecca Gayheart.
4
‘I Still Know What You Did Last Summer’ (1998)
Directed by Danny Cannon, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is the follow-up to the 1997 slasher hit and it brings back the survivors of the original, who are still haunted by their past. Julie James, now in college, struggles with nightmares. When she wins a trip to the Bahamas with her friends, she’s looking forward to the much-needed vacation, but it turns into a nightmare where she’s trapped on the island with a maniacal villain determined to ruin the party.
Does Not Live Up to the Original
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer does not hold back on finishing what it started back in 1997. It makes the list for its predictable plot and over-the-top execution. Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Muse Watson in their roles from before, it lacks sincerity. Instead, the character decisions are illogical, and the twists are dramatic. But that’s exactly what makes the movie so fun to watch, regardless of its bad reputation.
3
‘Psycho Cop’ (1989)
Psycho Cop
Release Date
November 28, 1989
Runtime
87 minutes
Director
Wallace Potts
Producers
Cassian Elwes
Cast
-
Robert R. Shafer
Officer Joe Vickers
Another direct-to-video slasher film, Psycho Cop introduces us to Officer Joe Vickers, a seemingly ordinary policeman with a psychotic side that drives him to commit murders in a ritualistic manner. The movie follows Vickers as he haunts a group of corrupt police officers who are having a wild party during the weekend in a secluded house. He methodically stalks and murders them one by one.
An Unhinged and Humorous Film
Brutally dispatching clueless victims is a source of terror in almost all slashers. But it’s the execution that makes a film worth watching. Psycho Cop, while campy, feels strung together with a total disregard for logic or coherence. The kills are outrageous, with the title character throwing victims away in creative but increasingly gory ways. The direction by Wallace Potts thrives on its low-budget aesthetic, and that’s what garners the movie its dedicated following.
Related
The Greatest Straight to Video Horror Movies of All Time
These movies may have bypassed theatrical distribution, but that’s not to say there’s nothing worth seeing.
2
‘Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2’ (1987)
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
Release Date
April 10, 1987
Runtime
88 Minutes
Director
Lee Harry
Cast
-
Eric Freeman
Ricky Caldwell
-
James Newman
Dr. Henry Bloom
-
Elizabeth Kaitan
Jennifer
Stream
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is an equally unhinged sequel to the otherwise successful 1984 classic. It takes viewers on a twisted ride with Ricky Caldwell, the younger brother of the original film’s killer. Now an adult, Ricky recounts his brother’s path to becoming a killer and how it led him to commit a series of murders on Christmas Eve.
A Slasher You Can’t Look Away From
The movie relies largely on flashbacks from the first movie and leads up to Ricky’s own killing spree, his escape from the mental institution he’s in to target those he believes are “naughty,” as well as the final showdown between Ricky and the police. The entire time, the movie maintains a dark and festive atmosphere that goes against the violent and unsettling kills. But the real joy of Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 comes from its endless quotable dialogue and ridiculous excess.
1
‘The Burning’ (1981)
The Burning
Release Date
May 8, 1981
Runtime
91 Minutes
Director
Tony Maylam
Stream
Inspired by the urban legend of the Cropsey Maniac, The Burning is a quintessential summer camp slasher flick that follows a group of teenagers pulling a prank on a camp caretaker and leaving him horribly disfigured. Five years after the accident, the burned Cropsey returns to seek vengeance on the campers, this time as a garden-tool-wielding psychopath.
Has an Added Grindhouse Appeal
The plot of The Burning is a straightforward affair – a group of young victims, a deranged killer, and an escalating blood count. Ideally, the tension should build enough to leave you uneasy as you watch the victims struggle to survive the night and witness brutal murders that tie back to Cropsey’s origins. But instead, the storyline is ripe with slasher clichés and a pulpy camp setting. It received mixed reviews, but ended up earning a cult following for its nostalgic vibes and grimy aesthetic.
You can view the original article HERE.
