Halloween Slashers – Top 10 Horror Movies

 

Halloween is a holiday that has a special cult following in the United States. Also in Poland, each year there are more and more enthusiasts of the “night of scares” Therefore, on the occasion of the approaching day of October 31, I decided to draw up a ranking of films that will make us spend this “scary” evening more pleasant. I focused primarily on slashers, which have been “haunting” audiences from cinema and television screens for years.

When was the first slasher created and who can be considered the “godfather” of this sub-genre? It is difficult to unequivocally answer this question. Some viewers believe that the first true slasher can be considered as early as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” The iconic scene with Janet Leigh screaming in the shower was also replicated many times later in popular slashers. “Psycho” itself also has many characteristics that can be attributed to later slashers. Starting with the character of serial killer Norman Bates and the ways in which he killed his victims.

However, the real beginning of the slasher era should be dated to the 1970s. In 1974, two films premiered in theaters, which were the prototype for later box office slashers. I’m referring to “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” directed by Tobe Hooper, and Bobby Clark’s “Black Christmas.” Both productions, in their plot axis, exhibited many of the characteristics that would later become key to slashers. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” presented the theme of a group of teenagers harassed by a deranged man. “Black Christmas,” on the other hand, showed a mysterious murderer who solicits dormitory girls by phone in order to then try to kill them. Both motifs would become one of the key elements for slashers in the decades to come.

Famous slashers

10. “Psycho Cop” (1989)

I will start my ranking with the most controversial film on this list. At least not in connection with the shocking plot, but rather with its mediocre quality. I’ll admit that I’m inserting it here for heavily subjective reasons. “Psycho Cop” was the first slasher film I watched. One evening with a friend we were looking for some movie to popcorn. At random, “Psycho Cop” just fired up. The friend didn’t like the film, while I was captivated by its camp aesthetics. After all, what could be “more beautiful” than a slasher in a vhs climate, with all its inconveniences. “Psycho Cop” was largely based on the plot axis of the film that was made a year before it, namely “Maniac Cop.”

The main character of “Psycho Cop” is a small-talking man in a police uniform, who utters up to thirty short sentences during the course of the screening. A murderer in the guise of a law enforcement officer takes the lives of people he meets on his way. Despite mostly negative reviews, a second installment of “Psycho Cop” appeared four years later. However, “Psycho Cop Returns” no longer had that dark, camp vibe, making it just an average B-grade slasher.

9. “Student Bodies” (1981)/“Return to Horror High” (1987)

When someone uses the term “horror parody” he probably has in mind a production like “Scary Movie”. I, however, would like to draw attention to two films that were made back in the 1980s. Mickey Rose together with Michael Ritchie (director of “Fletch,” “Wild Cats” and “The Golden Child,” among others) parodied slashers back in 1981. A film I would recommend primarily to fans of the Zucker brothers’ productions. In “Student Bodies” we have included a large amount of absurd humor straight from “Airplane”. The main character is an inept serial killer, clearly tired of his “trade”. I’m convinced that the Wayans brothers must have seen “Student Bodies” at least once before creating their “Scary Movie.” Many motifs are present in both the one and the other film. The convention of slashers and the silliness of their main characters is ridiculed in “Student Bodies” in exemplary fashion.

For cinephiles who prefer films on the borderline between horror and comedy, on the other hand, I recommend “Return to Horror High” from 1987. The action takes place on the set of a film being shot at a school where a horrific massacre took place several years ago. The film crew wants to open up those events, disregarding the demons still haunting the school. The filmmakers play with the viewer, who doesn’t know until the end what is just a part of the film being shot, and what is the truth, taking place outside the set.

From today’s perspective, the film is associated primarily with George Cloooney’s minor role, since it was in “Return to Horror High” that the actor took his first steps in the film industry.

8. “Prom Night” (1980)

The prototype of low-budget slashers that were unexpectedly successful. Jamie Lee Curtis, who became more widely known to the public in the film “Halloween,” in “Prom Night” once again plays the role of a teenager facing the unexpected deaths of more friends. The film opens with a sequence of childish play leading to a humiliated girl accidentally falling out of a window. The frightened kids make a pact with each other that they will keep what happened on that fateful morning a secret. After this situation, the action of the film takes the viewer six years forward.

The kids in the first scene have already grown up and are currently preparing for their prom. Their peace of mind begins to be disturbed by strange phone calls and hard-to-believe coincidences. The final escalation of violence begins to occur at the titular prom. The film, directed by Paul Lynch, popularized the slasher theme of murders at school, especially during the prom or school plays. The commercial success that the film eventually achieved (despite its rather modest budget) encouraged many filmmakers to replicate this pattern in subsequent productions of this type.

As a matter of interest, it can be added that the role of the teenager’s father was played by none other than the master of absurdist comedy – Leslie Nielsen. Nielsen, before he became Frank Drabin, usually starred just in B-grade films. Jamie Lee Curtis, on the other hand, only broke away from her patch of teenage horror movie heroines thanks to her role in “Trading Places”

7. “Slaughter High” (1986)

“Slaughter High” is one of the most interesting B-grade slashers. It’s not so much the quality of the film itself, but the notorious story surrounding the lead actor. Simon Scuddamore. Scuddamore plays the role of Marty, a teenager with the appearance of a typical school nerd, in “Slaughter High.” The boy is the object of regular jokes and pranks among his classmates. However, these are not nice classmate pranks, but, for example, putting his head in the school toilet or electrocuting him. It is also in this sequence that we have a homage to Hitchcock and his famous shower scene from “Psycho.”

The final confluence of events, Marty’s recklessness, combined with another prank by the group, causes him to succumb to a tragic accident. An accident that will change his face once and for all. Later in the film, the plot focuses on a reunion of graduates taking place several years later from the fateful event. The former schoolmates meet again on the grounds of the former school, which, admittedly, has been closed since the accident, but this does not prevent them from entering the closed building. What the later part of the film will look like is easy for any slasher fan to guess.

It is worth adding a few more words about Simon Scuddamor and the legend that circulates about him. At the time of the creation of “Slaughter High” he was twenty-eight years old. It was his first film (except for Caroline Munro, practically most of the cast were amateur actors) and also his last. A few weeks after the last clapper on the set of “Slaughter High”, Simon committed suicide. To this day, the exact reasons why the man decided to do the deed have not been explained. There have been many theories among slasher fans ranging from Scuddamore’s heroin addiction to family problems. On one horror site, I found a statement quoted by a forum user from a member of the team, who claimed that Simon was a quiet, albeit slightly strange and closed-minded man, devoting his free time to work and helping poor and difficult youth.

Scuddamore was so committed to this help that he adjusted his schedule on the set to his work schedule with the youth, rather than the other way around. The ultimate mysterious character of Marty’s reenactor has shrouded “Slaughter High” in legend. The film was shot in 1984, but did not enter theaters until two years later. Since Marty’s Revenge is set on the first day of April, the filmmakers originally wanted to call their film just “April Fool’s Day”. They gave up, the moment it came to their attention that a production with such a title was already entering theaters. For those interested in the story of “Slaughter High”, I talk more about the film in the podcast “Świat według Damiana.”

6. “Sleepaway Camp” (1983)

One of the most shocking slashers ever. The surprising ending of the film won fans among connoisseurs of the sub-genre. On the other hand, it received criticism among transgender communities. The film is set during a summer camp organized for young people. The camp is attended by petite Angela and her cousin Ricky, who takes care of her. The seemingly family-oriented camp hides many evil secrets, and each subsequent murder further complicates the case.

Among those murdered are a pedophile cook, an aggressive caretaker and a haughty and selfish teenage girl. Neither the police nor the camp’s caretakers are able to catch or even make a good prediction as to who might have gone to these horrible crimes and why. When they finally find out who the murderer is, they are in great shock, just like the viewers watching the last sequence of the film. “Sleepaway Camp” lived to see three more sequels, but they will interest only the biggest fans of B-class slashers.

5. “April Fool’s Day” (1986)

It was the film directed by Fred Walton that “appropriated” the name of an April Fools’ Day production. The plot oscillates against the departure of a group of students on the occasion of spring break. Spring break is a period of spring vacation for students in the United States. The protagonists go together to the house of the parents of one of their friends. From the beginning, the mood among them is one of “April Fools’ Day” jokes and fooling around. Over time, however, strange things begin to happen, and individual characters die under unexplained circumstances. Not wanting to spoil too much, I will only write as a small riddle that the ending of the film is strongly related to its title. The film, directed by Fred Walton, received mostly favorable reviews and enjoyed moderate success in theaters.

The best slasher movies

4. “Friday the 13th” (1980)

“Friday the 13th” is a series of films that made Jason Voorhees one of the most famous and terrifying characters in horror films. Even if in the first picture from 1980 the character of Jason practically does not appear. Voorhees was permanently introduced only in the second part. The original “Friday the 13th” is a typical (in retrospect) slasher film, where a group of young people arrive at a summer camp at Crystal Lake to prepare it for the opening of the season.

I’ll admit that despite all its cult status, I personally was not impressed by the film of Sean S. Cunningham did not enthuse. I haven’t watched the sequels (of which there were really a lot filmed, even by horror movie standards) and from what I’ve read, especially the second film in the series is much better than the first. Well, maybe someday I’ll find out for myself. Interestingly, among the little-known cast, one of his first roles was played by Kevin Bacon.

3. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)

Wes Craven’s story for the first time

If you make a duel between the most famous horror movie characters, there’s a great chance that Freddy Krugger could be in first place. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” appeared in theaters barely four years after the release of “Friday the 13th,” and despite this short period of time, slashers were already slowly in retreat. More and more poor-quality films were coming out, which only copied previously established patterns. The character of Krugger killing his victims in their sleep was something innovative, previously unheard of.

The film’s director Wes Craven tried his hand at horror as early as the 1970s. In 1972 he directed a film titled “The Last House on the Left”. His collaborators on the production included the aforementioned Sean S. Cunningham. Craven’s debut is quite disturbing (that’s probably the most apt term) and shocking in its depiction. Interestingly, originally “The Last House on the Left” was supposed to be a pornographic film, with even more brutality beating from the screen. The production stirred up a lot of controversy and was banned in many countries. The director himself for a while wanted to move away from the horror convention, overwhelmed by so much criticism. Nevertheless, between “The Last House on the Left” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Craven made three more horror films.

The closest he came to a slasher style was “A Deadly Blessing,” with a young Sharon Stone in the lead role. However, neither “A Deadly Blessing” from 1981, nor “Swamp Thing” premiered a year later, were commercially successful. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that “A Nightmare on Elm Street” had a budget of barely more than $1 million. Craven already had the script for the Kruger story prepared in 1981, but it wasn’t until late 1983 that he was able to find a studio willing to invest in the film. New Line Cinema, which had already been on the market for several years, decided to invest in Craven’s new production along with individual producers.

In the end, it paid off for everyone. With “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, New Line Cinema has permanently entered the top league, earning crores in profits. So did each of the private producers who put individual chunks of money into the budget. The most profitable, above all, was Wes Craven himself. Thanks to “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, the director has become one of the most respected horror filmmakers. The patch of a specialist in “strange” and iconoclastic works has once and for all evaporated.

Probably most horror fans are well acquainted with “Nightmare on Elm Street”, but for those who have not yet seen Kruger’s adventures I will briefly describe the plot. The film’s teenage characters are plagued by night terrors in which a cruel killer known as Freddy Kruger appears. Freddy kills the individual protagonists in their sleep. Despite fighting the brutal criminal, the teenagers pay the end of their sleep with death. In the course of the film, we see that the problem with Kruger haunted the people of the town years ago, and the possibility of defeating him is not as easy as it might seem at first.

The film marks the debut of just twenty-one-year-old Johnny Deep, who plays the role of Glen, the boyfriend of the main character Nancy (played by Heather Langenkamp). Originally, the filmmakers offered this role to the equally young Charlie Sheen, but the latter turned down their proposal.

The original series of Freddy Kruger’s adventures numbered as many as seven parts. The last of these was Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, which premiered in 1994. Initially, the film was supposed to be a new opening for the Kruger story. However, compared to the previous parts, “A New Nightmare” earned significantly less. The above situation put Craven in a quandary – whether to try to resurrect the old “Nightmare on Elm Street” formula or try something new. Fortunately, Kevin Williamson stood in his way.

2. “Scream” (1996)

Wes Craven’s story for the second time

However, before Kevin Williamson together with Wes Craven redefined the rules of the slasher, Craven would establish a temporary unsuccessful “love affair” with the world of mainstream cinema. In 1995, a film entitled “Vampire in Brooklyn” starring Eddie Murphy was released. The production, which will be much more appreciated years later, was treated as a total dud at the time of its release. Craven, a horror specialist, and Murphy, who specialized in comedies, tried to combine the two genres and create a work that was both funny and scary. However, the audience did not appreciate their efforts. For Murphy’s fans, “Vampire in Brooklyn” was too scary, and for Craven’s admirers the amount of gags with the main character was difficult to digest. When it seemed that Wes Craven’s cinematic standing might be on the decline, he made the film “Scream” with the help of a script by Kevin Williamson.

As mentioned above, “Scream” redefined the sub-genre. By the end of the 1980s, slashers were already reaching only a narrow audience. Only the sequels to the adventures of Jason or Freddy were reasonably popular. Slasher became synonymous with niche production, kitschy and sometimes tacky. For this reason, major record labels were no longer interested in investing in more productions of this type. Therefore, the duo Williamson – Craven, wanted to fight against the top-down themes and rules for this type of film. Originally, “Scream” was to be called “Scary Movie” and be a parody of old slashers. In the end, it was decided to make the film closer to the standard convention for the sub-genre, and the Wayans brothers used the released idea and title a few years later.

“Scream” tells the story of Sidney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell), a teenage girl who is stalked by a mysterious man harassing her with phone calls. Previously, the mysterious “Ghostface” has already murdered several teenagers, before calling them with the question “What’s your favorite horror movie?”. The final identity of “Ghostface” caused a lot of surprise among viewers. Through which, to some extent, the creators managed to break with the traditional slasher convention.

“Scream” turned out to be a great commercial success, but also won critical acclaim. Wes Craven was able to start another box office run, and the slasher returned to favor among young viewers. For Kevin Williamson, “Scream” was the beginning of a great career. In addition to the subsequent installments of “Scream,” he wrote, among other things, another box office slasher titled “The Scream. “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Fans of TV series, on the other hand, may associate Williamson with “Dawson’s Creek”. It is this screenwriter who is responsible for the adventures of Dawson and the rest of the Capeside residents. As a curiosity, it can be added that the title and the murderer’s mask itself refer to the 19th century work of painter Edvard Munch.

1. “Halloween” (1978)

Premiering in 1978, the film “Halloween” opened a new chapter in the history of horror films. The film, directed by John Carpenter, with a budget of only three hundred thousand dollars, eventually earned more than seventy million. “Halloween” tells the story of Michael Myers – a mentally ill serial killer. Myers stabbed his older sister at the age of six and has been in a mental institution ever since. Fifteen years after that incident, the moment finally arrives when Myers can be tried and finally locked up for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, the man manages to escape from the center and from that moment a bloody massacre begins in the city.

The killer kills more and more people, especially preying on teenagers. It was in “Halloween” that the rules for a typical slasher were first established. The character of a masked killer who takes the lives of teenagers – either as revenge or to punish them for sexual promiscuity. In the end, of the group of teenage protagonists, only “the final girl” survives – that is, a girl who, unlike her peers, does not have sex, take drugs or drink alcohol.

Particularly interested in the history of the creation, as well as the behind-the-scenes of Carpenter’s film, I recommend the Netflix documentary about the cult old productions.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN