Put the kids to bed early tonight and get out the popcorn! This year for Halloween we're looking at classic slasher films! What is a slasher exactly? Typically, a slasher involves a killer or group of killers stalking and murdering people with sharp objects. There usually isn't much supernatural happening, the killer is or was a human with a traumatic past or a warped psyche, and the victims are picked off one by one. What would become the genre began in the 1960s with films like Psycho and the Italian murder mystery genre of films known as giallo.
Slashers are usually violent and bloody, but gore is rarely the main focus. Rather, slashers tend to build tension through killer point-of-view shots, cat and mouse like stalking, and the futile fleeing of victims. Common tropes include the victims being young and immoral or promiscuous, being isolated or in a remote location, and the victims consistently making poor decisions. The "final girl" trope also originates from Slasher films, wherein the last victim standing is a woman who manages to finally best the killer.
In celebration of spooky month and without further ado, here are my classic slasher recommendations.
(1980 Rated R)
This is the OG Friday the 13th right here. There have been billions of sequels and a remake, but nothing beats the original. Like the other recommendations on this list, Friday the 13th is low budget and gritty. It has an exploitation film vibe, and indeed the film was produced to capitalize on the success of John Carpenter's Halloween. A group of counselors at Camp Crystal Lake are terrorized by an unseen killer as they're murdered in unique and grisly ways. With special effects by Tom Savini, you know you're in for a treat. Even if you're familiar with the franchise the end of this film may surprise you.
(1974 Rated R)
Often imitated but never surpassed, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most important horror films of all time with Quentin Tarantino calling it "one of the few perfect movies ever made." This film is genuinely frightening and unsettling despite having much less blood and gore than its sequels. Like Friday the 13th, this film is ultra-low budget, but that only adds to the sense of dread it instills in its audience as it leans into a documentary style of cinematography. The plot is nothing special as far as horror films go with a group of young friends unwittingly falling prey to a psychotic family of cannibals. But the pacing, acting, set design, and overall mood are executed flawlessly. Don't miss this one!
(1983 Rated R)
Pure camp, pun intended. Just three years after Friday the 13th, the trope of young people murdered at camp or in the woods was already cliche. However, Sleepaway Camp doesn't take itself nearly as seriously as some of its contemporaries with some really unique kills and a bizarre twist ending. Not much to say for the plot, but the characters are memorable and the acting on point. Once a hidden gem, Sleepaway Camp has finally earned its place as one of the more notable 80's slashers.
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