The 10 Best Slasher Movies of All Time --- The Hunt for a Serial Killer
Oct 19 '05
The Bottom Line Its tough to pick a list of the best "slasher" movies of all time, but here is my attempt!
There is a basic definition for a "slasher" movie that I am going to go with here, and that is a film about a serial killer or killers. I think that in order to be a good slasher film, you have to be able to provide dramatic sequences, a lot of things that might turn your stomach, and realism that puts a fright in you throughout the film. If you can encompass all of those facets into one film, then you have yourself a slasher film. Here I am dealing with the avenue that serial killers are "slashers" in themselves, and that there have been some good movies that dealt with the subject.
So, here is my list of what I feel to be the 10 best "slasher" movies of all time:
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Se7en (1999) --
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman star as two detectives (one old and retiring, one new to the force and inexperienced), who are forced to deal with a series of murders that appear to have no motive other than killing. The killer seems to be using the 7 deadly sins as his mode of killing, and is making people suffer for what he feels they are doing wrong with their lives. Kevin Spacey stars as the killer (in his best acting role to date in my opinion), and is extremely good in the role here. You can never quite figure out what he is thinking, but throughout the whole film you can see that he is just playing with the two main characters, dictating what their next moves will be based solely on what he does. The twists and turns make this a great film, and with the power acting of Pitt, Freeman, and Spacey all tied into one story, this is one of the best films ever to come through the genre of serial killer films. Se7en is a film that can make you lose your lunch, and wow you all at the same time, and indeed cemented Pitt as an actor that would be around for a long time after this.
Saw (2004) --
Saw is a different kind of slasher film, and when it came out it wasn't at all what people expected. It relied more on the dramatic aspects surrounding the killer and the actions that he undertook, rather than the killer himself. It was a dark story about a serial killer deciding the difference between right and wrong himself, and taking it out on the people he felt to be committing wrongs. Forcing people to make choices that would leave their lives changed forever, or cause them to die in the process. Danny Glover was one of the stars of the film, and along with Cary Elwes put in performances that I really enjoyed watching. It is one of those films that you have to get lost in though, and by the time the ending gets there, if you are in tune with the story, you find yourself shocked by what has just occurred.
Psycho (1960) --
The original serial killer / slasher film, Psycho really set the mold for what would become a very successful genre. Where scary movies had needed monsters and ghosts before this, Psycho introduced humans as the scariest thing that you could come across. Anthony Perkins starred as Norman Bates, the innkeeper for the Bates Motel, as what we perceived as the main character comes in an escape from the law. That character is Marion Crane, played by the famous Janet Leigh. We soon find out that she is just a pawn in Director Alfred Hitchcock's vision though, as Norman Bates takes center stage as a man caught between something that is impossible to explain. Psycho has been called a "classic" by many film critics, because it was a film that had depth, but also because if provided an extra level of suspense and a story that was full of surprises.
Silence of the Lambs (1991) --
In one of the darkest movies that has come out in recent years, Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a FBI agent in training, who becomes an important person in the case of a ruthless killer that is on the lose. Everyone is at a loss as to what is making this serial killer tick, and there are no clues to where he could strike next. The only hope lies in Dr. Hannibal Lector, who Starling must interrogate to try and gleam information about the killer. The only problem, is that Lector is a killer himself, and has been locked up for years because of his crimes. It now comes down to one psychopath trying to catch another one, with Starling caught in the center of it. Foster and Hopkins are at their best in this film, and it ends in a sequence of nerve-rattling silence in the dark, as Starling tries to find the killer. The great acting, coupled with a great story, and we end up almost wanting Hopkins and Foster to get together.
Halloween (1978) --
Before Freddie and Jason came along, there was Michael Myers, who stabbed his way to box office gold back in 1978. John Carpenter directed this film about a psychotic that escapes a mental institution and goes on a murderous rampage through a small town. With his doctor in hot pursuit, this man doesn't seem to be able to be killed, and no matter what happens to him (burned, stab, shot) he seems to be able to move on. Jamie Lee Curtis caught her big acting break in the film as the star (Laurie Strode), and it becomes a struggle for her to survive as Michael appears to be bent on killing her before the movie is completed. Michael was doing "slashing" before Jason made it cool, and he did it just as silently. Carpenter did a great job of keeping the movie scary, and his main villain shadowed in mystery even after the film was over. They are still making sequels for this film, and could be for years to come, because they find new ways to put Michael into new generations of movie-goers.
Friday the 13th (1980) --
The first film it what ended up being a chain of films, Friday the 13th came out way back in 1980, and redefined what a "slasher" film was. It also singled out a teen to young adult audience that could go see a scary movie and actually find a lot of commonalities that would raise the believability of the story. Now lets be honest here, Friday the 13th is NOT what we would call a great movie, it is even a stretch to call it a good movie, but it did set the tone for how slasher movies would be dealt with for the next 25 years. Here, the "plot" involved teens at a freshly re-opened lake being chased around by a man wearing a hockey mask and wielding a very big knife. He didn't seem to care who he killed, and there was no escaping the massacre that he was creating. Because it defined a genre this film makes the list, but it will never be on a "best of" list out side of "slasher."
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) --
Directed by Wes Craven, this was one of the films that anchored him as a force in the horror genre. The tagline itself helped show just how scary the film was going to be: "If Nancy Doesn't Wake Up Screaming She Won't Wake Up At All." That says it all right there, as we have a serial killer that strikes while you are asleep, rather than coming after you during the day. Freddy Krueger is a child murderer that is burned to death when a city takes justice into their own hands and kills him. Only this ends up making him much stronger, and he is able to get at people in their dreams now. Lacking the ability to rest the main characters of the film must fight back against a demon that only gains strength through the fear that people have of him. It was really an innovative idea in the genre, and rather than give people nightmares, it made us afraid to go to sleep at night instead. It spawned a host of sequels, but nothing could hold up to the original ‘Nightmare’, which brought about a revolution in playing with our psyches.
Scream (1996) --
Wes Craven came back with Scream as his latest endeavor to scare the teenagers of America. I actually was in a test audience before the film came out, and it was shown to us at Washington State University in 1996. There hadn't been a 'slasher' film like this out in a while, and it freaked out nearly the whole audience. What it left us with, was a strong will to spread the word about what was a really good film. In fact my friend (who has written on Epinions under Glock40) watched the film 11 times in theaters. In small town America, a killer is on the loose, scaring a lot the young people that live there. Oblivious to what is going on around them, the killer has been picking people off one by one without ever revealing to the audience or the characters who the killer really is. The film makes my list, because it scared its intended audience, and even after a bunch of years, it is still one that I will sit down with some popcorn to watch again. Drew Barrymore, Neve Campbell, and Rose McGowan are just a few of the young cast, which make the film interesting from beginning to end.
Sleepy Hollow (1999) --
I will admit I have a weak spot for this film simply because of the two main actors in the film (Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci). They star as Constable Ichabod Crane and Katrina Anne Van Tassel respectively, two people caught up in the turmoil surrounding a ghostly being that is attacking a small village. Depp plays an investigator tasked with figuring out just what is going on, and putting a stop to it, while Ricci serves as the "pretty girl in need of rescue." Tim Burton directed this film, and it follows the exploits of the Headless Horseman, and all of the trouble that he caused a small town one Halloween. Depp and Ricci are both very good in their roles, as they try to put a stop to the Horseman, and Burton does a great job of bringing a darkness to both the film and the merciless killer. It is an interesting take on the tale, and because of Depp and Ricci, it ends up being a winner of a film. A lot of people ended up not liking it, because I think they expected something different, but I thought the darkness brought a lot to the characters, and that this was the best possible way to bring this story to the big screen.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) --
A low-budget film to say the least, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of those films that scares you the first time, and you don't want to see it a second time. It is put simply a "gore-fest" and isn't the type of film someone with a weak stomach should see. Just as the title says, it involves chainsaws and a group of hippies that are traveling through Texas in the mid 1970's. The nightmare begins when they decide to spend the night in the one place they should have avoided. A night of terror for them, and the viewers, then unfolds as death waits around every corner for this group of 5. The film is very gritty, and it actually adds to how well the story plays out in the end. It's scary if you aren't expecting it, and really gross at times as well. This is one of those films that can only be called a "slasher" film, and really earned its spot on my list.
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