John Carpenter’s first horror movie and arguably most famous film, the huge success of Halloween was one of the biggest catalysts in launching the horror subgenre that became known as the slasher film. The popularity of the genre carried on into the 1980s before the sheer number of films— and their decreasing quality— saw audiences start to lose interest in it through sheer fatigue.
Although slashers continued to be made, the genre wouldn’t see a resurgence in popularity or quality until a new generation of films appeared in the late '90s. The slasher is a distinct type of film, usually hitting tropes that involve a killer who was somehow wronged in the past looking for their revenge through wholesale murder, as well as a single victim who escapes alive at the end. Due to their frequent focus on the killer— although it isn’t always necessary in the genre— slasher films often spawn sequels or entire series that follow their further crimes.
Friday The 13th (1980)
Coming out firmly in the middle of the golden gge of the slasher film, the first story of Jason Voorhees and his killing spree at Camp Crystal Lake was a huge success at the box office and spawned what seems to be a never-ending film series and remains a classic in the genre.
Scream (1996)
Scream was meant to be something of a deconstruction of and ode to the slasher genre, something that director Wes Craven helped make into a cultural phenomenon in the first place. The characters in the film are all aware of the existence of horror movies, and remark on the horror tropes they’re experiencing.
Two things made it unusual for a slasher film at the time it came out: It was inspired by the actions of a real-life serial killer, and it cast well-known mainstream performers in the main parts.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
One of the final movies of the golden age of the genre, A Nightmare on Elm Street managed to reap commercial success even while coming out during a period of box office decline for similar films. Credited with spawning the “slasher” moniker, it nevertheless changed the direction the style it gave its name to by adding a supernatural element and demanding higher budgets for special effects.
Freddy Krueger became one of the most recognizable film villains and helped spawn a nine film series as well as cement Wes Craven’s name as a horror icon.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Along with Scream, this film helped bring the slasher genre back into the cultural eye. It was rushed into development following that film’s success, picking up a script the writer of Scream had finished several years before.
While his previous script was focused on being more self-referential about the slasher genre, I Know What You Did Last Summer was a straight return to the earlier slashers of the golden age. It drew largely on the urban legend of the man with a hook for hand, making him the villain of the piece.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
A huge success at drive-ins, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre spawned the increased interest in what came to be known as slasher films, and inspired later filmmakers in other horror genres. It’s viewed by many critics as a sterling example of both exploration films as well as striking social commentary.
Whatever a viewer sees in it, it’s touched off an ongoing love affair with horror viewers— it has sequels, big budget remakes, comics, and prequels, with antagonist Leatherface becoming a horror icon.
The Last House On The Left (1972)
the violence depicted in the film caused outcries and bans.
Many theaters and critics defended it, however, saying that it didn’t glorify violence and contained an important message. There’s no doubt that it had a lasting impact on the horror genre— it was even remade in 2009.
Alien (1979)
Although it’s a science fiction film, Star Wars two years before had reignited an interest in science fiction films.
Although it may not be as gory as a pure slasher, it takes the concept of a relentless killer picking through a group one by one to a new place.
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
By 1981, the slasher was everywhere, and the performance of this film at the box office showed the total oversaturation leading to audience fatigue. While it made a profit, it fell short of the kind of earning studios had come to expect from other lower budget films of the genre.
It has remained popular and well-regarded among fans of the genre, though— it’s had multiple rereleases, frequently appears on favorite horror lists, and even earned a 3D remake in 2009.
House Of Wax (2005)
Although a remake of a 1953 horror film of the same name, this offering saw a more explicit slasher-type focus. Part of the rush of remakes spurred on by the new version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2003, it proved popular with audiences.
Although it didn’t revolutionize the genre in any way— and the stunt casting of Paris Hilton, heavily featured in marketing the film, kept a lot of people from giving it a chance— it still stands as a more than serviceable slasher film.
Prom Night (1980)
The original version of one of the late 2000s slasher remakes, horror films Jamie Lee Curtis starred in that year, after having only appeared on the big screen in Halloween previously— this series of appearances helped cement her title as the “Scream Queen”.
It might have the plot and structure of a fairly generic slasher, but it has retained its popularity based in no small part on the direction and acting.
