10 Best Slasher Movies Released SInce ‘Halloween,’ Ranked

In 1978, John Carpenter’s Halloween changed the face of the horror genre. Set in the fictional Illinois town of Haddonfield, the film introduces the world to the terrifying killer Michael Myers (Nick Castle), the psychiatrist who pursues him, Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasence), and the babysitter he stalks, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). The impact and legacy the film has made is boundless, but it helped launch the slasher genre to new heights.

Since its debut in the world, Halloween has inspired many films. Whether it be the type of slasher who stalks their prey or even utilizing the surname in their own slasher films to pay homage, the effect Halloween has allowed these ten slasher films to be nothing short of a bloody good time. Since 1978, these are the best slasher films to be released.

10

‘Happy Death Day’ (2017)

Nothing can ruin a birthday quite like being murdered. Actually, reliving that murder over and over again. That’s the premise of the campily conceived slasher thriller Happy Death Day. Directed by Christopher Landon and written by Scott Lobdell, the film follows Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) as she sets out to find her killer to stop the repetition of her death. Blissfully self-centered, you watch as Tree gets what’s coming to her, until she showcases she’s a bit of a badass. Darkly humorous with just enough sci-fi, it’s literally Scream meets Groundhog Day.

When the Blumhouse-produced film came out, it was part of a string of an abundance of mid-2010s horror films that could barely survive a single film. But the simple fact that Happy Death Day knew exactly what it was allowed audiences to laugh and scream along with it. Perhaps with a low bar, it exceeded expectations, allowing us to desire more. Happy Death Day spawned a sequel that was just as ridiculous. The good thing about me not being afraid of the Happy Death Day franchise is that I went to college with the lead, so I know she’s still kicking!

9

You’re Next (2011)

Home invasion horror films hit differently. Add the slasher element to it, and you get the utterly terrifying You’re Next. When the estranged Davison family attempts to mend broken ties, the four children —Crispian (A.J. Bowen), Drake (Joe Swanberg), Felix (Nicholas Tucci), and Aimee (Aimee Davidson) —and their significant others return home to celebrate Audrey (Barbara Crampton) and Paul’s (Rob Moran) wedding anniversary. Off to a rocky start, everything gets worse when they are stalked by crossbow-wielding assailants in animal masks. Bygones must be bygones; otherwise, it means death.

You’re Next is a terrifying slasher film because of the haunting imagery, as well as the thought about how bad things can go for a single family. It’s an innocent family fighting for their lives in bone-chilling fashion. But like a good thriller, not everything is quite like it seems. Are these masked animal intruders randomly targeting this family or is there something deeper within the mystery? If you’re looking for a cult classic that’s a bloody good time, this is one for you.

8

‘Candyman’ (1992)

Sometimes the best horror stories are based on folklore and urban legends. Such is the case for Bernard Rose’s gothic thriller Candyman. Inspired by Clive Barker’s “The Forbidden,” the film follows Chicago graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) as she seeks to complete her thesis on urban legends, leading her to come face to face with the legendary Candyman, the hook-handed ghost. As the story urban legend goes, an African American man, an artist and son of a slave, was murdered for his relationship with the daughter of a wealthy white man. Now, whenever someone says his name five times in a mirror, Candyman will appear to you.

Gory for its time, Candyman was a striking film. Candyman represented a massively important step in terms of Black representation the types of stories that could be told in horror. Playing into the tropes of class and race, by placing the film in the inner city in the Cabrini-Green public housing, Candyman explored the depths that no other horror film had done before. Tony Todd’s performance is regarded as one of the best slashers of all time. It was so strong, he continued to play it through multiple sequels and reboots. That’s the good thing about portraying a ghost! Candyman is one of those films that still has an underrated aura in the overall horror conversation, but its impact and legacy are everlasting.

7

‘Child’s Play’ (1988)

It’s quite natural for a mother to come to the aid of their child after a tragic event by bringing happiness into their lives. So, it makes sense for the widowed Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) to provide her son Andy (Alex Vincent) with a toy for his birthday. It’s not her fault that she didn’t know Chucky was a demonically possessed doll! Helping to launch another beloved franchise, Child’s Play took the idea of blurring fantasy with reality to craft a truly unlikely slasher. The concept of a living doll was not necessarily an entirely new idea, but the lengths at which the anthropomorphic doll went was literally terrifying. It suddenly made other 80s dolls like Teddy Ruxpin scare the bejesus out of you. With a creepy tone that blends horror with comedy, Child’s Play became a parent’s nightmare.

Set up like a crime thriller, Child’s Play isn’t necessarily remembered for Chris Sarandon’s Detective Norris hunt, but more so for Brad Dourif’s legacy-making performance as the voice of Chucky. As far as the mastery of the film for its puppetry, Chucky is in a league of its own. Thanks to Chucky, it took almost a decade before Pixar could rectify the concept of toys coming to life in a positive light. Chucky walked so M3gan and Annabelle could sprint.

6

‘Terrifier 2’ (2022)

There are a few potential icons that can maybe make a case for the modern Mount Rushmore of slashers. The name at the top of that list is most surely Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton). Not since Pennywise in IT has there been a more terrifying clown. Pennywise preyed on your fears. This guy will literally mutilate you. As the central killer of Damien Leone’s gory Terrifier franchise, Art the Clown’s rise into pop culture iconography came thanks to his second appearance, Terrifier 2, a carnage-filled flick. The second installment sees Art return to life for a killing spree, and the only person destined to stop him is Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera).

Terrifier 2 is not for the faint of heart. As one of the most brutally imaginative films when it comes to gruesome deaths, the kill count was notorious for turning stomachs and causing fainting spells. Terrifier 2 is not your atmospherically operative slasher. It cuts deep. Literally. For a film that raised a crucial part of its funding on Indiegogo, Terrifier 2 deserves a spot in horror history. ​​​​​​​

5

‘Pearl’ (2022)

Beautifully camp in a technicolor fantasy, Pearl was Ti West’s follow-up to his exceptional X. Giving Mia Goth’s old woman character her rightful origin story, Pearl shares the titular villain’s fervent passion for becoming a movie star as she clashes with her own reality and violent tendencies. Set on a homestead in 1918 Texas, the whimsical slasher flick is brutally gruesome and fantastically clever.

Pearl is a dream for cinephiles. Not only does it live up to the horror hype, but it also pays homage to cinema at large. Pearl leaps out of the screen as a gloriously tragic character, and we watch the hope and optimism seep out of her as the monster inside rises. Pearl has now become a horror icon thanks to this incredible slasher. Now, the phrase “I’m a star” is forever associated with Pearl. ​​​​​​​

4

‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (1984)

Sweet dreams are certainly not made of these. About half a decade after Halloween, Wes Craven shook up the slasher genre when he brought a monster straight from your nightmares to life. A Nightmare on Elm Street follows a group of teenagers who are tormented by the undead child killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) as he murders them in their dreams. Seeking retribution on the teens’ parents for burning him alive, A Nightmare on Elm Street redefined how horror can stray away from strict reality.

By expanding upon the low-budget ideals that appeared in John Carpenter’s Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street pushed the morality around sexual promiscuity among teenagers that led to their deaths. When your deepest fears escape your imagination, you have Freddy Krueger to thank. The image of Freddy as a human monster was terrifying because Craven ensured the blurred lines of reality and dream. The film launched Freddy Krueger into the Mount Rushmore of slashers. But it also brought us Johnny Depp’s film debut and his infamous crop top that changed the world. Like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street has had an everlasting impact on horror history. And like Halloween, the sequels were just never as good as the original. ​​​​​​​

3

‘Scream 2’ (1997)

What’s that saying, the sequel is never as good as the original? While that may be true, Scream 2 might give its predecessor a run for its money. Utilizing everything that the original succeeded with, the follow-up film brought Sydney Prescott and the other Westboro massacre survivors back into the spotlight as a copycat killer tormented them while attending Windsor College. Owning the cliches that elevated the first to its place in horror history, Scream 2 served as a reminder that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. With a script by Kevin Williamson, Scream 2 poked fun at the history of terrible sequels while defying the odds.

What sets Scream 2 apart from the original is that it worked as a piece of satire while keeping the faith of the first. It’s bigger, it’s gorier, it’s even more twisted. Scream 2 helped establish its key players as the consistent cog thanks to the return of Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox. Of course, they were joined by a whole cast of performers who had already made a mark on cinema or were just moments away, including Liev Schreiber, Laurie Metcalfe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Timothy Olyphant, among others. By owning its place as a sequel, the appeal remains while it takes it to the next level. ​​​​​​​

2

‘X’ (2022)

Horror lives in this beautiful world where you can watch a big budget horror flick with all the frills you can desire, or you can watch a B horror movie that captures the essence of what many fans of the genre fell in love with. Then you have A24 swooping in to break that middle group with Ti West’s masterful X. The film that kicked off a franchise, X follows the cast and crew of a pornographic film as they are threatened by the homicidal couple living at the property they are renting. Harkening back to horror classics while reinventing the slasher film once again, X was a refreshing spin on the genre.

As an unexpected hit, the film launched Mia Goth into the scream queen conversation with her dual roles as Maxine and Pearl — both of whom earned their own sequels and prequels. Tackling a modern approach to the psycho-biddy archetype through the lens of exploration, aging, image, and self-worth, X provided everything you could want from a slasher and then some. X was authentically unapologetic, pushing it to places that an average moviegoer might be shocked to see. With blockbuster horror films sanitizing the reason why horror thrives, X broke the door back down to provide a bloody good time. There’s not a single death that’s not evocative. ​​​​​​​

1

‘Scream’ (1996)

The resurgence of the slasher genre was all thanks to Wes Craven’s Scream. Sometimes we hyperbolize and overutilize the word “groundbreaking,” but that’s exactly what Scream did. And it did so from its exceptional marketing plan. To bill Drew Barrymore, a Hollywood darling, with star billing and immediately kill her off in the opening scene? Absolutely brilliant. Killing off Casey Becker and her helpless boyfriend in such spectacular fashion set the tone for the film and the entire franchise. Scream launched Neve Campbell as a scream queen. It brought horror fans back to the theater with refreshing stories that weren’t rehashed IP through weak sequels. Scream’s legacy is unfounded.

The mainstream horror film is a gem of a slasher. A new villain is born as Ghostface, a killer who terrorizes Sidney Prescott and the teens of Westboro. With a juicy twist that ties the killers to our heroine, Scream established the rules of a slasher film that’s plain to see. The film reinvigorated the genre while propping up a new batch of stars. By paying homage to the horror films that came before it, Scream became a uniting bridge for horror fans old and new. Now, when someone asks the film’s infamous line, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” it’s safe to say many will respond with Scream.