Slashers

“Please, mother”

Slasher films are the simplest form of horror.  If one is being charitable, they can be thought of as pure fables, stories of good and evil basic to our subconscious.  Less charitably, they are empty, soulless stretches of celluloid, that have no purpose but cheap scares; they are pornography with death replacing sex (do not take that as a criticism of porn).

The formula sets a human-like psychopath, often masked, after a group of pretty people who he kills in more and more elaborate ways with handheld weapons.  For the sub-sub-genre of Teen Slashers, add to the formula secluded locations where each sexually-active teen is killed until only one non-sexual female is left.  The greatest flaw of the Slasher sub-genre is how closely its films stick to the formula.  The best of them violate the structure.

Slashers:

• April Fool’s Day (1986)
• Bay of Blood (1971)
• The Boogeyman (1980)
• Candyman (1992)
• Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
• Child’s Play (1988)
• Child’s Play 2 (1990)
• Dressed to Kill (1980)
• Final Destination (2000)
• Final Destination 2 (2003)
• The Fog (1980)
• Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)
• Friday the 13th (1980)
• Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1984)
• Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
• Halloween (1978)
• Halloween II (1981)
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
• Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
• Halloween 5 (1989)
• Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
• Halloween 7: H2O (1998)
• Halloween 8: Resurrection (2002)
• Halloween (2018)
• Happy Death Day (2017)
• The Hitcher (1986)
• The Horror Show (1989)
• House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
• Jason X (2001)
• Killer Party (1986)
• Leprechaun (1993)
• Leprechaun 2 (1994)
• Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003)
• Long Time Dead (2002)
• Manhunter (1986)
• Menace (1934)
• New Nightmare (1994)
• A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
• A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
• A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
• Nine Lives (2002)
• Office Killer (1997)
• Prom Night (1980)
• Psycho (1960)
• Psycho III (1986)
• Psycho (1998)
• Scream (1996)
• Scream 2 (1997)
• Session 9 (2001)
• Sexy Killer: You’ll Die For Her (2008)
• Sleepaway Camp (1983)
• Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
• Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989)
• Terror Train (1980)
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

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Slashers Sorted by Year:

• Menace (1934)
• Psycho (1960)
• Bay of Blood (1971)
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
• Halloween (1978)
• The Boogeyman (1980)
• Dressed to Kill (1980)
• The Fog (1980)
• Friday the 13th (1980)
• Prom Night (1980)
• Terror Train (1980)
• Halloween II (1981)
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
• Sleepaway Camp (1983)
• Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1984)
• A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
• A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
• April Fool’s Day (1986)
• Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
• The Hitcher (1986)
• Killer Party (1986)
• Manhunter (1986)
• Psycho III (1986)
• Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
• Child’s Play (1988)
• Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
• Halloween 5 (1989)
• The Horror Show (1989)
• A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
• Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989)
• Child’s Play 2 (1990)
• Candyman (1992)
• Leprechaun (1993)
• Leprechaun 2 (1994)
• New Nightmare (1994)
• Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
• Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
• Scream (1996)
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
• Office Killer (1997)
• Scream 2 (1997)
• Halloween 7: H2O (1998)
• Psycho (1998)
• Final Destination (2000)
• Jason X (2001)
• Session 9 (2001)
• Halloween 8: Resurrection (2002)
• Long Time Dead (2002)
• Nine Lives (2002)
• Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003)
• Final Destination 2 (2003)
• Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)
• House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
• Sexy Killer: You’ll Die For Her (2008)
• Happy Death Day (2017)
• Halloween (2018)