Best Slasher Movie

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Well, I thought I'm going to start something too... I'm a big fan of gruesome slasher movies. personally I really like the Final Destination movies and the Saw movies, but it can't get gruesome enough if you ask me... so what do you think is a great slasher movie?



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I'm honestly not a huge slasher fan. The only one that comes to mind at the moment I love is The People Under the Stairs. I despise pretty much, or all slasher franchises - namely the Friday and Halloween ones.



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I blame fanfiction for the fact that the concept of a 'slasher' movie has a totally different meaning to me from the one you intend...

I don't like slasher films at all. I suppose Scream and Halloween are the obvious ones, I dare say you've seen them already, though.



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Not so sure if it's the best, but my personal favourite is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, closely tied with the original Halloween.
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I'm a pretty big slasher goof myself.

That said, the king of the slasher film is, and always will be:


My favorite slasher films:
1. The Silence of the Lambs
2. Halloween(1978)

I acknowledge Psycho as the king of the slasher. Though, Halloween is a close second. Without it the genre would be lost.
3. Psycho(1960)
4. Se7en
5. From Hell
In my judgment, From Hell is a visually impressive, genuinely brilliant modern masterpiece. Crucially underrated as well as one of the best horror/slasher films of the past decade.
6. Saw
The true quality of Saw may have been brought down by a mess of inferior sequels, but the original should be looked upon as a stand-alone modern gem.
7. Dead Man's Shoes
8. Scream
9. Manhunter
10. Black Christmas(1974)

Black Christmas stands with Psycho and Halloween as one of the most influential slasher films ever made. Essential viewing for any slasher fan.



11. I might as well throw in Burton's Sweeney Todd as an honorable mention. Strange that one of the best horror films of 2007 happens to be a musical.
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If we're counting Psycho as a slasher, then it's definitely my favorite. I personally, consider it more of a thriller rather than a shlasher.



If we're counting Psycho as a slasher, then it's definitely my favorite. I personally, consider it more of a thriller rather than a shlasher.
Psycho is an obvious slasher film. If you disagree then I think you may have the wrong idea of what a slasher film is.

I don't believe a slasher has to be a full-fledged horror film (Even though Psycho is a horror film). Either way you wish to put it, Psycho is a bona fide slasher flick as well as it is acknowledged as the most influential slasher film ever made. That is undeniable.




My personal favourite is Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974)



See also Dario Argento's Profondo Rosso US title Deep Red (1975) and Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill (1980)



Though for seminal slasher thrills you should also seek out Mario Bava's Bay of Blood US title Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971). Many of the killings in this movie were directly copied in the Friday the 13th series.




My personal favourite is Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974)

See also Dario Argento's Profondo Rosso US title Deep Red (1975) and Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill (1980)

Though for seminal slasher thrills you should also seek out Mario Bava's Bay of Blood US title Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971). Many of the killings in this movie were directly copied in the Friday the 13th series.
I was close to including Deep Red on my list of favorite slashers as well. Certainly necessary viewing for any slasher fan as well as what I consider to be Argento's finest hour. I haven't seen Bay of Blood. Not the biggest fan of Mario Bava's work, though I love Blood and Black Lace.

A few more slasher gems:
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
The Burning
Candyman
The Dentist
The Hitcher (1986)
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
The New York Ripper
Sleepaway Camp
Suspiria
Tenebre
Terror Train
The Town that Dreaded Sundown



I love Blood and Black Lace.
Me too, just wish Blue Underground would put out a decent version because the VCI disc I have has a terrible picture transfer.

Blood and Black Lace (Mario Bava 1964)
= Giallo / Slasher



Maybe my definition of slasher is too narrow, but I have to ask, what qualifies the following as slashers?

The Silence of the Lambs
Dead Man's Shoes
Se7en
Manhunter

As I say, maybe my definition is just too narrow but, if all of those are slasher films, then surely Alien is too? And I just don't see that. In fact, I'd say that Alien was more of a slasher than all of those. I'm not really comfortable with Saw being there either. For a 'real slasher' I think there has to be a stalker element to the film. Sorry to be a pain, but I'd also disagree with Psycho being, undeniably, the most influencial slasher film of all time. I think that a good argument could be made for a number of the 70's slashers, most notably Black Christmas and Halloween, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even Friday The 13th could also lay claim to that crown. That's not to say that Psycho isn't, just that I don't think that it's undeniable.

As for my pick, I can't believe that no one has mentioned this one. After Scream, it's probably my favourite.



I know that I often mention it (and I'm going to again) but this is pretty bloody good too.




Maybe my definition of slasher is too narrow, but I have to ask, what qualifies the following as slashers?

The Silence of the Lambs
Dead Man's Shoes
Se7en
Manhunter

As I say, maybe my definition is just too narrow but, if all of those are slasher films, then surely Alien is too? And I just don't see that. In fact, I'd say that Alien was more of a slasher than all of those. I'm not really comfortable with Saw being there either. For a 'real slasher' I think there has to be a stalker element to the film. Sorry to be a pain, but I'd also disagree with Psycho being, undeniably, the most influencial slasher film of all time. I think that a good argument could be made for a number of the 70's slashers, most notably Black Christmas and Halloween, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even Friday The 13th could also lay claim to that crown. That's not to say that Psycho isn't, just that I don't think that it's undeniable.

As for my pick, I can't believe that no one has mentioned this one. After Scream, it's probably my favourite.

I know that I often mention it (and I'm going to again) but this is pretty bloody good too.
Out of Wikipedia: The slasher film is a sub-genre of the horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner.

I'd say that TSOTL, Se7en, Dead Man's Shoes, Saw, and Manhunter are absolutely slasher films. I know I'm not alone either. Most top slasher lists I've seen include most of those titles.

When you suggested that Alien could be a slasher film, I thought the idea was absurd. But, now I can see basic slasher demeanor (a being stalking and killing other beings, even though the being is not human). It really comes down to the person categorizing the film to decide what label to give it. I did not wish to start a genre debate.

I'll re-state my post on Psycho for you: Psycho is the film that I personally consider to be the most influential slasher ever made. It pretty much started the genre, those 70's flicks just reinvigorated it.

I do enjoy A Nightmare on Elm Street even though I think that it is grossly overrated. Peeping Tom would be one I forgot to include. Great film.



I haven's seen American Psycho for years, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that one was a slasher, and if I've got the right movie in my head, than that is a pretty good one.

And Valentine was a pretty good movie too. Although it didn't really have a suprising ending. You could see it coming miles away. But overall a pretty good movie.




A system of cells interlinked
I prefer the classics over any of the garbage people are putting out today that people are calling slasher flicks. I just tried watching the original Saw again a couple of weeks ago, and this is just one of the worst pieces of crap ever. It's poorly done across the board, especially the editing and acting. Leigh Whannell is so ridiculously bad as Adam, the film is actually an unintended comedy. Also, the scene in which Dr. Gordon yells into the cell phone angrily is HILARIOUS. I couldn't stop laughing at how tremendously TERRIBLE his acting was in that particular scene. Elwes, who is a middling actor in anything, was seriously miscast in this one. The editing is unbearable, with goofy jump cuts and rapid fire camera tricks galore. This is usually a clear sign that the crew has no clue. What really irks me about this one, is that they had the premise for a really effective thriller, if they just would have stayed in the room and built tension while ratcheting up the suspense and threat levels. Instead, they cross cut to a boilerplate, tacked-on who-dunnit which focuses on a character played by Danny Glover in the worst and silliest performance of his entire career. The tensiom in the film is constantly hamstrung as we sit through boring procedural dialogue and eye-glazing flashbacks to a doll that just isn't scary at all.

A study in poor film making, Saw set a new low in splatter flicks. Sorry, Saw isn't a slasher film, as there is no slasher in the film! The Rube-Goldberg-esque torture devices certainly do not qualify as slasher fare; they are just torture porn gimmicks.

Some slasher films I like:

Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960)
Halloween (Carpenter, 1978)
From Hell (Hughes, 2001)

and a guilty pleasure of mine, which is clearly a bad film:

Friday the 13th Part III (Miner, 1982)
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I prefer the classics over any of the garbage people are putting out today that people are calling slasher flicks. I just tried watching the original Saw again a couple of weeks ago, and this is just one of the worst pieces of crap ever. It's poorly done across the board, especially the editing and acting. Leigh Whannell is so ridiculously bad as Adam, the film is actually an unintended comedy. Also, the scene in which Dr. Gordon yells into the cell phone angrily is HILARIOUS. I couldn't stop laughing at how tremendously TERRIBLE his acting was in that particular scene. Elwes, who is a middling actor in anything, was seriously miscast in this one. The editing is unbearable, with goofy jump cuts and rapid fire camera tricks galore. This is usually a clear sign that the crew has no clue. What really irks me about this one, is that they had the premise for a really effective thriller, if they just would have stayed in the room and built tension while ratcheting up the suspense and threat levels. Instead, they cross cut to a boilerplate, tacked-on who-dunnit which focuses on a character played by Danny Glover in the worst and silliest performance of his entire career. The tensiom in the film is constantly hamstrung as we sit through boring procedural dialogue and eye-glazing flashbacks to a doll that just isn't scary at all.
A study in poor film making, Saw set a new low in splatter flicks. Sorry, Saw isn't a slasher film, as there is no slasher in the film! The Rube-Goldberg-esque torture devices certainly do not qualify as slasher fare; they are just torture porn gimmicks.
Some slasher films I like:
Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960)
Halloween (Carpenter, 1978)
From Hell (Hughes, 2001)
and a guilty pleasure of mine, which is clearly a bad film:
Friday the 13th Part III (Miner, 1982)
I respectfully disagree. Your main complaint seems to be with the acting. The film is undeniably poorly acted. Every star in the film (with the exception of Tobin Bell and Michael Emerson) turns in a poor performance in what is the films biggest and most blatant flaw. Though, I didn't seem to think that the editing was as unbearably bad as you did. The jump cuts that you mention do not bother me at all. What gets me with Saw is the fantastic mood built up with a b-movie feeling. Saw contains a rare comfortable, morbid, and gritty b-movie aura. Even with all the loose ends the film has, it is far from being crap. The film is unjustly often criticized for the graphic nature of it, when it really isn't terrible compared to some of the other films that come out these days. Due to of all the poor work executed on it, I doubt such a success was predicted. The shoddy film making isn't what brought the film success though. The entertainment value is, and in entertainment, for most, it does not fail. Hell, I think that final 20 minutes or so rank up with some of the most suspenseful footage committed to film. It is a slasher film as well. The slasher is SPOILERS: lying in the middle of the floor.

...and for the record, the original Saw is not torture porn; just torture.



I'll re-state my post on Psycho for you: Psycho is the film that I personally consider to be the most influential slasher ever made. It pretty much started the genre, those 70's flicks just reinvigorated it.
This is what you wrote, which I replied to, I think you'll notice some significant differences.

"Psycho is an obvious slasher film. If you disagree then I think you may have the wrong idea of what a slasher film is.

I don't believe a slasher has to be a full-fledged horror film (Even though Psycho is a horror film). Either way you wish to put it, Psycho is a bona fide slasher flick as well as it is acknowledged as the most influential slasher film ever made. That is undeniable."



Ever - Bob Blacks' Black Christmas

Of the past few years - Hatchet



My fave are pretty standard issue picks, but that may be in large part due to that like most other horror subgenres, the slasher pic tends to get bog down by a certain formulaic theme that tends to draw me away from the over-all idea. It seems like the first film that provides any kind of a breakthrough is usually the one that all the others are measured by, & therefore, for me, the only ones that I can get any real enjoyment from.
That said, these are not only my top 10 fave slasher pics, but also, these are the only 10 slasher pics I'll watch (so far):



10. Cold Prey 2
Okay, as I just said, it's rare that I like a slasher flick (the ten listed here are the only ones that I can watch). What's even more rare is that I'll like a slasher flick sequel.
I enjoyed the first Cold Prey enough to see why it was such a surprise success. This 2nd installment, made more as a result of that the first one did so well (as opposed to a story that had always been planned to be made as a series from the start), follows the standard of other sequels that came from unexpected successful movies; it's not as good as the original. However, because it was somewhat willing to venture outside the formula it's predecessor, it felt more as an extension of the first film & not simply as a xerox-copied script hoping to just lazily cash in.




9. Scream
Just when it seemed like the concept of the slasher horror flix had been done to death, to point where where the genre was presumed to be deceased,
along comes Wes Craven's Scream. An update to the genre that revealed that the murdering masked megamaniac is not so easily slayed.
Unfortunately, on the flip side, the sequel to this film is also what began the massive resurgence of the endless multitude of horror sequels that tend to cranked out themselves out in numbers more than the body count of victims.
The slasher franchises have suffered from such an over-used formula, that, when a feature like Scream comes along, it has a feeling as though there is now new blood to be vigorously spilt.




8. The Devil's Rejects
Ever since the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre back in 1974, there have been a certain type of subhorror slasher-family flicks that have since tried to match the bar 'o' evil that was raised by the original Leatherface Clan.
While Rob Zombies' creation of Captain Spaulding's kith & kin, IMO, doesn't quite match up to the legendary status of TCM, it's was still a worthy effort to the genre.




7. Alice, Sweet Alice
Alice, Sweet Alice is a movie that was fortunate enough to have come out when it did.
At the time, the genre of the slasher flick hadn't taken root yet.
Therefore, sexual boundaries had not yet been set as to what gender one must be in order to establish one's as a murderously relentless, knife welding, masked maniac.

And even though we do see the occasional feminine face lurking behind a bladed weapon aimed at carving it's fair share of cadres of corpses, in today's world, the slashing game still seems to be mostly a boy's club.




6. Sunshine
Considered by many as the underrated film of 2007, Sunshine is a eco-conscience sci-fi film that by the third act, turns into an outer space slasher flick.
Now while this film is not perfect by any means, I still like the attempt of the premise, the depth of the visual design, & overall just the pace of the story as it unfolds.
So I guess I fall onto the side of those viewers who I would've liked to have seen get wider recognition than it originally did.
It kinda feel sad that the only people who experienced any light from Sunshine were the characters that were in it.




5. Cold Prey
A Norwegian-speaking cabin in the woods type of flick that follows the formula of the more well=known american franchises of the Freddy Kruger/ Michael Myers variety. Except, instead of a cabin, it takes place in an abandoned hotel. And also, the teenagers that terrorized by knife wielding slashmaster (a mountain man in this instance) are not so much in the woods as they are in the snowy mountains of Jotunheimen.




4. Frontier(s)
Let's talk gore shall we?
James Cameron once said" You don't create fear with gore. You create disgust. It's a whole different emotion."
Therefore,
for the longest time,
I truly believed that, try as I might, I just didn't like gory horror films.
Then, after I watched Frontier(s),
I realized that I was wrong.
What it actually was that I didn't like was gory horror films that had no or very little story.
For so long, it seemed like frightfest filmmakers were cranking out so many flicks that compromised the story for the sake of the blood & gore,
that it seemed like all movies of this kind were only capable of featuring broken plotlines that, at best, were usually as splattered as the "special" effects that are were gooey center of this particular subgenre of horror.
Glad to see that after watching Frontier(s), this was a case that proved that stereotype to be wrong.




3. Halloween
While Texas Chainsaw Massacre introduce us the idea of an unstoppable masked maniacal force intent on making all mere mortals that it comes upon into it's chopped sushi bitch, Halloween introduced us the formula of this theme before it became formulaic. And also before the formula became stupid.
Pay attention to the handling of the characters, the situations of each victum & even the simplicity of the musical score, & you'll find that even though this film requires the usual suspension of belief that is needed to swallow the outrageousness of this genre, Halloween does not require that you hide your intelligence too much behind any kind of William Shatner mask in order to enjoy it.
Which is why, even though I'm not a big fan of the way the slasher genre is handled these days,
H-1 still is & always will be a classic for me.




2. Psycho
Due to the era that Psycho was released, Norman Bates may not have had the opportunity to cut through a swath of teenaged bodies (not that most teenagers back then didn't deserve it) in the manner that the Freddies, Michaels & Jasons do these days, but he definitely crystalized the crazed, almost supernaturally-empowered maniacs that the modern masked comtemporaries have become famous for.
And even though the datedness of this movie has seemed to lessen the shock & horror of this b/w classic, the energy of it still reverberates today. Not to mention that, IMO, the ending shot of Norma's number-one son's visage is still one of the best creepy endings on film.




1. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
As someone whom is often very frustrated with most horror flicks, I was very pleased that this movie's plotline came off as very genuine. While most slasher flicks tend to make it's audience yell things to the screen like "Idiot! Run outside, not to the upstairs!" or "Don't go in there, you moron!", this movie actually made the situation of the onscreen victims seem logistically believable. Therefore, their fright & inevitable demise doesn't come off as deserving as the mindless teenage victims featured in other films, who make the viewer feel that their stupidity justified their grisly end. The intent of TCM's story was aimed more at making the observer feel the fear thru the fright of the victim, not just thru the singular idea of a mad demonic slash-object-wielding maniac.

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