6 scariest slashers in horror movie history

6 scariest slashers in horror movie history

Photo: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.. Image Courtesy Shudder
Photo: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.. Image Courtesy Shudder /
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If you're a horror fanatic, I'm sure you watch all types of horror films. You might even agree with me when I say that slashers are one of the best subgenres of horror to watch. I mean, there are just so many great slasher movies to choose from.

Some can be downright scary and unsettling, while others have a sprinkle of comedic relief throughout them. Here at 1428 Elm, we decided to have some fun and share our list of some of the scariest slashers in horror movie history. Of course, these are merely our opinions, and you might think differently. But if you're curious to know which slashers made our list, keep on reading to find out!

Note: We also included one film series in our list but marked it down as one film.

You're Next (2011)

Directed by: Adam Wingard

Written by: Simon Barrett

What makes You're Next scary to me is that the events that happened in the movie could actually happen in real life. Mysterious masked intruders could really enter your house with the intention of killing you. That gives me chills just thinking about it...

The slasher centers around a wealthy yet estranged family who get together for a family getaway at their country house only to soon find themselves fighting for their lives when a group of crossbow-wielding masked assailants break into the home and begin attacking them. Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, A. J. Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Barbara Crampton, and Rob Moran all star in the film.

Wolf Creek (2005)

Directed and written by: Greg McLean

Wolf Creek is an intense and gritty horror film filled with gory scenes throughout. This makes for a truly terrifying experience when watching it. It doesn't help that it's loosely based on real events, such as the real-life murders of backpackers by notorious serial killers Bradley Murdoch and Ivan Milat. That right there could add an extra layer of terror for viewers. You'll definitely feel unsettled and uneasy after watching this film.

The slasher follows a trio of backpackers who find themselves hunted by a twisted, sadistic, psychopathic serial killer in the Australian Outback. Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, and Nathan Phillips play the three backpackers, while John Jarratt portrays the serial killer, Mick Taylor.

House of Wax (2005)

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

Written by: Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes

I know many people would argue that House of Wax was a terrible remake of the 1953 version of the same name, but I beg to differ. Yes, the acting and screenplay wasn't necessarily good but the movie had its fair share of chilling moments. Remember the scene when a spear goes straight through a character's forehead, killing them instantly? Or what about the scene when a character gets coated with wax while still alive and then later their face gets ripped off? These are two very disturbing scenes that left me with my jaw dropped.

House of Wax follows a group of college friends who, while on the way to a football game, wind up with a flat tire in a ghost town. While waiting for their car to be fixed, they visit the town's wax museum only to soon find out that the wax figures on display are actually real people and that the museum's owners are looking to kill them and turn them into wax figures as well. Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Brian Van Holt, Paris Hilton, Jared Padalecki, Jon Abrahams, and Robert Ri'chard star in this slasher.

Halloween (1978)

Directed by: John Carpenter

Written by: Carpenter and Debra Hill

While Halloween lacks blood and gore, it's still considered by many to be the scariest Halloween movie to date because of the tension and suspense and how real it could be. It's the first film in the Halloween franchise, introducing viewers to the infamous mute serial killer, Michael Myers.

At the beginning of the film, a 6-year-old Michael murders his older sister on Halloween night in 1963 and is then committed to a sanatorium for the gruesome act. Flash forward 15 years later, Michael has escaped the sanatorium and returned to his old hometown, where he begins stalking and terrorizing a teenage babysitter and her friends.

Academy Award-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis stars as the teenage babysitter Laurie Strode. In addition, Donald Pleasence, Nick Castle, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, and others star in the film.

Terrifier movies (2016-)

Directed and written by: Damien Leone

Both Terrifer and Terrifier 2 are scary in that you have this creepy-looking clown killing people for no particular reason other than just because it can. Clowns are already scary looking and a common phobia of many people, and now there's a killer clown? That's super creepy if you ask me. The kills are so brutal and gory in these films that you'll find yourself turning your head away from the screen multiple times throughout. Remember that one scene in Terrifier 2 when Art the Clown throws acid in a woman's face before bludgeoning her to death? That was very disturbing to watch. He even rips out her heart and eats it. Talk about disgusting!

The Terrifier movies center around the sadistic and relentless killer, Art the Clown, as he stalks, tortures, and kills his victims in the most brutal ways possible.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Directed and written by: Wes Craven

What could be more creepier than an evil supernatural entity who can murder people through their dreams, which in turn causes their deaths in the real world as well? That right there makes A Nightmare on Elm Street one of the scariest slashers in horror movie history. You'll be scared to go to sleep after watching this film in fear that undead child killer, Freddy Krueger, will enter your dreams and kill you.

Here's the movie's synopsis via Rotten Tomatoes:

"In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams -- which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends' parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) solve the puzzle before it's too late?"

John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Nick Corri, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, and many others star in this slasher film.

What do you think are the scariest slashers?

Next. Our fave mask-wearing murderers from horror films. Our fave mask-wearing murderers from horror films. dark

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