The 5 best slasher films to get you in the Halloween spirit

As another year goes by far too quickly, we’ve once again made it to spooky season. When discussing the holiday it’s almost impossible to imagine it without the impact slasher movies have had. Just take a five-minute stroll down your street on October 31st and you’re likely to see an army of teens donning a Ghostface mask from the cult classic, Scream, or an equally terrifying rubber Michael Myers mask. In celebration of Halloween creeping ever closer, we’re counting down the quintessential slasher films you need to see before the month is up. So, dim those lights, try not to drop too much popcorn, and get ready for some sleepless nights…

Black Christmas

Here, you want to watch the original Black Christmas (1974), and not the remake. A group of sorority sisters (Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder) begin to receive some seriously creepy, vulgar phone calls at their home. What at first appears to be a sick joke eventually turns violent for the girls after their housemate goes missing and a nearby teen girl is murdered during the season of supposed goodwill. As the girls start to connect the dots, no one realises quite how close to home the culprit is… While not as bloody as the slashers we’ve come to expect today, it’s a seminal title in the genre. The movie set the ball rolling for the slasher genre and was the biggest influence for the phenomenally successful aforementioned John Carpenter classic, Halloween (1978), which was, in fact, originally conceived as a sequel.

The Final Destination franchise

What do you get when you put together an ensemble cast and a particularly persistent grim reaper? A slew of slasher classics, of course. Although the films have varied in terms of quality, you can’t go wrong with the first three. It revolves around a group of teenagers attempting to escape death after surviving a mass-casualty accident — thanks to the protagonist having a timely premonition. After managing to escape deadly airplane crashes and faulty rollercoasters, you can’t help but root for them even as they’re picked off one by one in freak accidents.

The Scream franchise

Arguably the most iconic of them all, Scream managed to use the predictable slasher tropes and added an element of satire to the genre, poking fun at itself in the process. Starring the likes of Courteney Cox, Rose McGowan, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Lillard and Neve Campbell, the Scream franchise has it all, even if the follow-ups never truly live up to the original. The films don’t only bring Edvard Munch’s memorably uncomfortable 1893 painting The Scream to life, they also bring a new meaning to cult horror. Ask anyone to name a slasher movie and Scream will most likely be the first thing on their mind.

Happy Death Day

If you’re willing to sit down to watch a movie and come away thinking you have no clue what just happened, this is the film for you. Simply put, in a similar vein to Groundhog Day, something bizarre happens where our heroine, Jessica Rothe, relives the same day over and over again. It always ends in the same way — with her being brutally murdered. Rothe then (naturally) takes it upon herself to stop being perpetually killed by some baby-masked slasher who seems to just have too much time on their hands. It’s bloody and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, allowing for some laughs along the way. 

The Cabin in the Woods

What first seems like a rote slasher film takes a wonderfully unexpected turn in the wild third act. After travelling to a remote cabin, American college students walk straight into a sadistic game held annually by a collective of mad scientists. The group unknowingly summons a group of blood-hungry zombies and becomes involved in a ritual of human sacrifice. It’s wildly entertaining, and just like Scream, promises to subvert all your expectations of a slasher film without skimping on the gore — if you’re into all that…