What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?

A slasher film typically involves a killer murdering a group of people, usually by means of a bladed tool. Although the genre has roots in films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and Michael Powell’s “Peeping Tom” from the 1960s, the genre as we know it today really started to take form in the late 1970s and early 1980s with films like “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th”.

The “Scream” franchise, first released in 1996, stands out because it revitalized the slasher genre in the late ’90s. Directed by horror maestro Wes Craven, Scream was a self-aware horror movie that parodied many of the tropes found in earlier slashers while still delivering a compelling and suspenseful storyline.

Here are ten of the most notable slasher movies of all time, including their release date and a brief description:

1. “Psycho” (1960): Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this film is often considered the precursor to the slasher genre, featuring a memorable performance from Anthony Perkins as the disturbed motel owner Norman Bates.

2. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974): This gritty and intense film by Tobe Hooper introduced audiences to Leatherface, a chainsaw-wielding maniac who terrorizes a group of friends.

3. “Halloween” (1978): Directed by John Carpenter, this film introduced the world to Michael Myers, an escaped mental patient who terrorizes a small town.

4. “Friday the 13th” (1980): Set in the eerie Camp Crystal Lake, a group of young camp counselors are picked off one by one by an unknown killer.

5. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984): Wes Craven’s supernatural slasher features Freddy Krueger, a disfigured killer who attacks his victims in their dreams.

6. “Child’s Play” (1988): This film brought a new twist to the genre with Chucky, a killer doll inhabited by the soul of a serial killer.

7. “Scream” (1996): Wes Craven revitalized the slasher genre with this self-aware horror film that plays with the cliches of the genre.

8. “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (1997): A group of friends are hunted by a killer after they cover up a fatal car accident the previous summer.

9. “Final Destination” (2000): This film introduced a unique concept to the genre: instead of a traditional killer, the main characters are stalked by Death itself after cheating their own demise.

10. “You’re Next” (2011): This home invasion horror film turns the slasher genre on its head when the victim fights back against her assailants.

This list is a mix of classics and modern takes on the slasher genre, demonstrating its enduring popularity and its evolution over time.