One of the most popular horror subgenres is undeniably the slasher. Most slashers follow a similar premise where a serial killer murders a whole host of people, but when it’s done right, it’s easy to have a good time. A good slasher can have memorable villains that become iconic, or kills that are so ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh or wince at how gruesome they are. And if there’s ever a time to watch a slasher movie, it’s during Halloween.
Slashers are meant to be fun, and there’s something exciting about gathering a group of friends together and watching classics like Halloween (1978), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), or Friday the 13th (1980). But what if you’ve seen those movies so much that they’re no longer exciting? What if you’re in the mood for something a bit unconventional, or you want to discover a hidden gem lost to time? With the spooky season officially upon us, and with hordes of people scouring for horror movies on Shudder, Tubi TV, and more, here are 10 slashers you probably never heard of but should most definitely give your time and attention to.
The Driller Killer (1979)
In the UK, there used to be a list called the Video Nasties list. This list consisted of several horror films that were deemed to be in such poor taste that they were banned in the UK. The Driller Killer was one of those infamous video nasties, but its legacy isn’t about being a great slasher but being a bleak exposé on society in the 1970s. Oh sure, it still hits all the same beats you’d expect from a slasher. There are plenty of kills, most of them brutally done via power drill to the head, but the gore is surprisingly light. What makes The Driller Killer worth watching is its bleakness.
Throughout the film’s 90-minute runtime, we see how society systematically breaks down its lead until he’s driven mad and takes it out on the homeless population of New York City. Fans of Joker (2019) will be able to appreciate how shockingly similar Reno Miller is to Arthur Fleck. You empathize, yet detest him. Normally, you’re excited to see when a slasher piles up bodies, but in The Driller Killer, it makes you feel sick. This is a slasher with substance behind it, and those looking for an elevated and more meaningful take on the genre should keep The Driller Killer on their radar.
Black Christmas (1974)
Out of all the movies on this list, Black Christmas may be the one film you already know. Granted, you may know about this movie for its two vastly inferior remakes, but the original is a classic slasher that predates the genre tropes that would become popularized in the '80s. What makes Black Christmas such a cool slasher is how little we actually know about the killer. While we see them kill, we never discover their identity and don’t even know what their motivations are, making this an excellent slasher for those looking for a dose of mystery.
The film also opts to take its time establishing the mood of the sorority house, much like how Psycho (1960) spends most of its first half fleshing out the eeriness of the Bates Motel. The girls of the sorority house aren’t just victims waiting to be killed. They feel like fleshed-out characters, each with their own unique set of problems. All of it builds to an ending that is menacingly open-ended, and a final shot that will leave you deeply unnerved and eager to find more high-quality slashers like this.
The Babysitter (2017)
Not every slasher needs to be gruesome and bleak. Plenty of slashers love to make light of how dark the genre can be, and if you liked slashers like Happy Death Day (2017) or Totally Killer (2023), then The Babysitter is perfect for you.
The Babysitter rarely, if ever, takes itself seriously. It’s still a slasher that has buckets of blood and tons of gore, but there’s a nerdy charm to it that’s impossible not to love. The references to nerd culture feel like they’re ripped straight out of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), which helps build a dynamic between our hero and his demon-worshipping babysitter. It’s also a weirdly wholesome coming-of-age story about being able to stand up for yourself and having the courage to do what’s right, even if it may be scary. It’s odd to have a slasher with such a positive message, but leave it to The Babysitter to be an unconventional, yet lighthearted slasher that’s perfect for adolescents and teenagers.
The House On Sorority Row (1982)
Slashers occupy a unique space in the horror world because, more so than any other horror subgenre, their main goal is to entertain. Audiences love the kills and the gore of a slasher, but The House On Sorority Row offers something entirely different: suspense.
While you might think you know exactly where The House on Sorority Row is going once its premise is established, the confusion it creates is nerve-wracking. Like an unsettling Clue (1985), you’ll be fully engaged with trying to figure out who keeps messing with our seven leads and why they’re doing it. The reveal isn’t exactly anything to write home about, but the tension helps make the movie one of the more engaging and serious slashers from the ‘80s. If Black Christmas was a mystery more interested in setting up the pieces for a compelling finale, then The House on Sorority Row finds more meaning in the journey and savors that ride, making it ever so slightly the better slasher experience.
My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)
For most of the late 2000s and early 2010s, a glut of low-quality slasher remakes littered the market. These snoozefests traded in the scares of their predecessors for marketability, since many of them were released with PG-13 ratings. The exception is My Bloody Valentine 3D, which not only released with an R-rating but was also a pretty competent remake of the original film.
My Bloody Valentine 3D is a great slasher if you’re looking for something shameless and gratuitous. The gore and the kills are borderline ridiculous, but the film plays it so straight that you can’t help but appreciate how it revels in violence. There’s flagrant nudity, a creative and unrestrained embrace of 3D that predates Avatar (2009), and an old-school approach to horror that puts it alongside the remakes of The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) as remakes that respect and idolize their originals. Is it better than the original film? No, but My Bloody Valentine 3D revels in its debauchery. While it may not be for everyone, it’s perfect for those who want a slasher that is chomping at the bit to cut loose.
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2 (1987)
It’s impossible to understate the impact that A Nightmare on Elm Street had on the slasher genre. Whether it was Freddy Krueger’s charm, the dreamlike imagery, or the blend of comedy and horror, Freddy’s exploits inspired so many knock-offs and rip-offs that most of them are poor quality. Then you have Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2, which perfectly captures the charm of Freddy’s reign of terror. It is almost entirely to do with its lead villain, Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage). She’s what you would get if you wished that Carrie (1976) ended with Sissy Spacek becoming a cackling maniac as she enacts her revenge.
There’s also a fair bit of creativity with Hello, Mary Lou: Prom Night 2, or, at the very least, more creativity than your average slasher. Moments like the chalkboard sequence have impressive special effects that still hold up to this day, and you can tell that a lot of effort was put into making this sequel stand out from the sea of slashers in the ‘80s. Does it escape A Nightmare on Elm Street’s shadow? No, but it doesn’t have to, because fans of Nightmare will love it all the same and cheer for Mary Lou as she seeks vengeance on the people who did her wrong.
In A Violent Nature (2024)
When it comes to slashers, there’s a certain level of bombast one expects. You anticipate gore, shock, and thrills as you watch the killer make their way through their victims like the Kool-Aid Man breaks through walls. If you were to strip away the style and spectacle of a slasher, you would probably get something like In A Violent Nature.
There’s a foreboding sense of dread that permeates every shot of In a Violent Nature. Described as an ambient slasher, the stillness of the woods feels like something out of a Terrence Malick movie. There’s no spectacle here outside of the occasional kills that Johnny commits against the people who dared to disturb his rest. But when he kills, they’re spectacular. If you thought that Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th or Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) were imposing, you haven’t seen Johnny yet. The savagery of his kills is truly a sight to behold. There’s a certain beauty to watching what feels like a meditative mood piece with splashes of carnage. Slashers can be artistic, and In a Violent Nature is proof of that.
Freaky (2020)
Much like The Babysitter, Freaky doesn’t try to take itself too seriously. Unlike The Babysitter, Freaky is more confident at being both a black comedy and a gory slasher. It takes the concept of Freaky Friday (2003) and turns it completely on its head. Put a depraved serial killer in the body of a high schooler and put her mind in his, and the jokes just write themselves.
It helps that both Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton commit to the bit wonderfully, much in the same way that John Travolta and Nic Cage got lost in playing each other in Face/Off (1997). This is the kind of slasher that’s great with a group of friends who may not exactly be into horror. It’s not excessively violent, but it still honors the tropes of the genre and delivers an experience that both horror fans and newcomers alike can cheer at.
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Some slashers are infamous for their endings, and there’s no better example of that than Sleepaway Camp. It’s a film that lives and dies by its final shot, and it’s one that sticks with you long after you’ve finished watching it.
It’s not too common to see a slasher starring children, but these kids have attitude. Some of them have an attitude like they were ripped from The Monster Squad (1987), while others are pure evil like the bullies in Carrie. You really feel for Angela as she gets bullied for no apparent reason, which makes the moments of genuine happiness for her all the better. There’s also an understated nature to the kills compared to other slashers. Some of them are particularly nasty and actually manage to be pretty shocking, and this is coming from someone who’s seen a lot of murdered slasher victims. But it’s all in service to that ending, which is something that needs to be seen to be believed. Those who want to be dumbfounded at a slasher need to make time to visit Sleepaway Camp.
The Stepfather (1987)
If there was one slasher movie that deserved to have a bigger impact on the genre than it did, it needs to be The Stepfather. Sure, it had a few sequels and a mediocre remake in 2009, but the original is such a captivating slasher that it’s shocking how this film isn’t as adored as other ‘80s slashers.
If you’re going to see The Stepfather, it’s for Terry O’Quinn’s performance as the killer. He fully commits to being a crazed murderer on the search for a perfect family, yet he never comes across as an unrelatable monster. He’s warm. He’s affable. He’s actually a pretty good parent who cares about his wife and kid. If you found Pearl to be a sympathetic killer in X (2022) and Pearl (2022), then there’s a chance that you may even root for Terry O’Quinn to get a happy ending. It all eventually falls apart, leading to one of the best on-screen mental breakdowns of all time, resulting in a slasher that more people need to see ASAP. It effectively uses its 90 minutes to make one of the most underappreciated critiques of suburbia in horror, and it is a must-watch slasher this Halloween season.
