The ’80s were the heyday of the slasher movie. There were eight Friday the 13th films from Paramount, it was the decade when Halloween became a franchise, and it was the time when Freddy Krueger raised his razor glove. It was also the decade of now-appreciated one-offs like The Burning and Deadly Blessing and smaller franchises like Sleepaway Camp and The Stepfather. And, while the subgenre started to dwindle as the decade came to a close, the slasher is still a prominent part of cinema. The ’90s brought it back with Scream, but there’s an argument to be made that we are currently in the second golden age.
Some of those aforementioned A-list properties are being rebooted quite well and we still have filmmakers crafting wholly original entries in the subgenre. What follows are the best of both, with the only requirement being it was a slasher released after 2010. Just missing the cut-off were In a Violent Nature, It’s a Wonderful Knife, and The Strangers: Prey at Night (which looks a little better in hindsight thanks to The Strangers: Chapter 1).
10) The Babysitter
Not every slasher needs to be a grisly affair. In fact, they can be funny. And as time has gone on, many have leaned on that whole self-aware humor thing, and McG’s The Babysitter does that quite well. But really, The Babysitter is here for one major reason, and that is Samara Weaving. This was essentially her first exposure to a wide audience, and it couldn’t have gone any better. Weaving is so likable as Bee we’re desperate for her not to be a villain, but she very much is.
It’s a tour-de-force performance by Weaving, which she would do again in Ready or Not and again in Azrael. Toss in a small role in Scream VI and she is the definitive scream queen of the modern age, even if that wasn’t the role she played in The Babysitter. Unfortunately, The Babysitter: Killer Queen is a huge letdown, even with the addition of Jenna Ortega (the other definitive scream queen of the modern age) and a returning Weaving in the third act.
Stream The Babysitter on Netflix.
9) Happy Death Day
For the most part, slashers are in their comfort zone when they’re R-rated. In fact, PG-13 rated slashers are an outright rarity, but Happy Death Day proved they could work.
Happy Death Day is effective for three reasons. One, Jessica Rothe is fantastic in the lead role. Two, it has a buoyant and fun tone that allows it to balance laughs and scares. And three, turning Groundhog Day into a slasher was a great idea that proves to be a lot of fun. The sequel is a bit much, but the first Happy Death Day works even on rewatches.
8) Halloween (2018)
David Gordon Green’s Halloween made a ton of money and even scored some solid critical reviews, which is pretty far from standard for slashers, especially when it comes to the A-level properties. And it’s easy to see why it was a hit, as it does feel like an event.
But there are a few things that hold Halloween back from greatness. Its pacing is a little wonky, quite a few of its characters are irritating, and it comes equipped with the absolute dumbest twist in modern slasher cinema (specifically, the entire motivation of Dr. Loomis’ replacement). But there are stretches of minutes here that genuinely recapture the power of Carpenter’s classic, and that’s something that none of the other sequels have been able to do.
7) Curse of Chucky
When franchises go direct to video it’s almost never a good sign. Before the release of Curse of Chucky, it would have been fair to say absolutely never a good sign. But Curse of Chucky did indeed buck the trend.
2004’s Seed of Chucky altered the original trilogy’s formula too much. It felt like the product of a different IP, to a degree. Curse of Chucky, however, took things back to basics. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that this direct to video sequel is the scariest installment of the entire franchise. It wasn’t a fluke, either, as the other direct to video sequel, Cult of Chucky, is also quite good.
6) The Final Girls
Like Happy Death Day, The Final Girls shows slashers can work as PG-13 films as long as they’re intelligent, character-focused, and fun. Without a doubt, The Final Girls is all three of those things, but with an added slew of meta references to just what it is that allows slasher films to feel so unique. The characters literally go from our world to the world of a slasher film.
All of those things are assets, but The Final Girls is really here because it manages to feature a character dynamic that is genuinely touching and compelling. Specifically, a daughter getting the chance to get to reunite with her deceased mother, who was once the lead in a low-budget slasher. That particular dynamic is fully unlike anything seen in slashers leading up to this point, and it works very well.
Stream The Final Girls for free with ads on The Roku Channel.
5) Terrifier 3
Full disclosure, the three Terrifier films (which get better with each subsequent release) aren’t for everyone. They so relish showing off practical effects gore that the franchise is an inherently niche product (though Terrifier 3 showed that it is still an IP with impressive financial viability).
What’s great about Damien Leone’s Terrifier movies is that its really set up its own world, one that feels both grounded and somewhat removed from reality. It’s also fully unafraid to take risks, both in terms of narrative twists (e.g. bringing back the first film’s mutilated protagonist as a villain) and, well, blowing up a bunch of kids in a shopping mall. But, while Leone deserves a lot of credit, so too does David Howard Thornton, whose take on Art the Clown has turned him into a horror icon (the character was initially played by Mike Giannelli in Leone’s short films The 9th Circle and Terrifier). Lastly, Lauren LaVera is a revelation as Sienna Shaw, the protagonist of the second, third, and soon, fourth films. She has considerable range, and there are likely some very big things in her future.
Stream Terrifier 3 on Screambox.
4) Hush
While director Flanagan’s Oculus from 2013 was impressive, it was really this film that announced him as a force of nature in the world of horror. He’s since gone on to prove himself to be the most formidable helmers of modern-day Stephen King adaptations, but this tense, The Strangers-like underappreciated classic is equally as worthy of respect as his well-liked Netflix series, Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck.
Stream Hush with an AMC+ Prime Video channel subscription.
3) You’re Next
How You’re Next didn’t make Sharni Vinson a star here in the United States is truly a mystery. Her performance in the film is very much on the level of the Samara Weavings and Jenna Ortegas of the world, if not even better.
But she’s not the only thing about You’re Next that works like a charm. There’s a certain realistic nature that makes the kills feel extra brutal, and that’s again emphasized even further when one learns that these members of a family are being stalked by killers hire by one of the members of said family. It all feels so personal and raw that it’s an unforgettable experience. Not to mention, the scene where Amy Seimetz’s Aimee begins running for help only to immediately run dead-on into a garrote wire is a top-tier shock.
Stream You’re Next for free with ads on Prime Video.
2) Scream (2022)
While Scream 4 was released one year after that 2010 cut-off, it simply doesn’t belong on this list. It was a great way to say goodbye to Wes Craven and has a few great shocks (e.g. the Charlie Walker Ghostface reveal), but it’s overall fairly bland with a lame opening and a weird glossy look. It did have an excellent Ghostface in Jill Roberts.
And when Scream 4 tanked at the box office, it really did look as if the franchise was done for good. There was an eleven year gap between the third and fourth installments yet there was apparently just no hype. But then Scream (2022) rolled around and reinvigorated audience interest, and it’s easy to see why. A perfect blend of old and new, it’s the ultimate companion piece to the original 1996 Craven classic. It was the exact shot in the arm the franchise needed. Radio Silence proved they were two of the best voices in the horror business, and they managed to deliver what is arguably the best Scream movie besides the original. Toss in the success of follow-up Scream VI, an even darker and bloodier though not quite as effective film, and they managed to keep Ghostface from sinking into oblivion.
Stream Scream (2022) on Hulu.
1) X
Ti West’s brilliant X trilogy is not, on the whole a slasher. But the first film sure is. It has the look and feel of Tobe Hooper’s classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and even has a bit of his Eaten Alive in there to boot.
But X also stands fully on its own, both in terms of its placement in slasher history and its follow-ups, Pearl and MaXXXine. All three films do feature either Pearl, Maxine Minx, or a combination of the two in the case of X, but they manage to feel like three distinct, individual films. X is the traditional slasher, Pearl is the character study, and MaXXXine is the mystery. X is the best of the bunch, with two great performances by Mia Goth, a few genuinely shocking moments, the ability to build tension to a fever pitch, and a perfectly assembled cast. X isn’t just the best slasher since 2010, it’s one of the best slashers of all time.
Stream X on Max.
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