Summary

• Slashers spiked in popularity before 2000 but are still enjoyed today, blending genres with light moments and horror themes.
• Remakes of popular 80s and 90s slashers were prevalent in the 2000s, some improving on the originals while others fell short.
• Examples like 'Sorority Row' and 'House of Wax' demonstrate how some remakes capture the spirit of the original while adding new elements.

Slashers are a special subgenre of horror that became incredibly popular in the 80s and 90s, causing a lot of remakes to pop up in the 2000s. Slashers tend to focus on a group of people who are stalked and typically killed one by one by a killer, usually in a mask and almost always with a knife or other blade that provides the "slasher" name. These movies often blend genres and have lighter moments, or mystery themes alongside the horror.

While these movies spiked in popularity before 2000, they continued to be enjoyed and praised in the following decades. However, with so many huge properties coming out of the 80s and 90s, the 2000s opted to look back at the films that succeeded and remake popular franchises rather than starting over and making a new IP. While some remakes managed to massively improve on the original, others failed to recapture the magic and left audiences wanting.

8 Sorority Row

In 1982, The House on Sorority Row told the chilling story of a group of sorority sisters who face a terrible fate after accidentally killing their housemother. The movie was a slow burn that eventually went on to become a cult classic, thanks to leaning into the silliness and fun of the genre rather than desperately trying to create a dark mystery. And in 2009, the remake, Sorority Row, was released, updating the story for modern audiences.

The remake generally received far less favorable reviews, despite the strong performances of the actors. The updated film changes the story, with a sister in the sorority being accidentally killed, but the bones of the story remain the same. Sorority Row may not be the best of the modern slasher era, but it captures much of the same spirit of the original and it's worthy of being ranked with some of the best remakes of the 2000s.

7 The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror originally started life as a novel by Jay Anson in 1977. After the story was adapted in 1979 into a feature-length film, the story's popularity skyrocketed. There are now dozens of movies inspired by the novel, with many simply using the name Amityville as a reference, but it also spawned multiple successful franchises. However, despite major commercial success and inspiring an entire series and many more films, the movie was critically panned.

Like the 1979 movie, the remake that appeared in 2005 was also critically panned, but again, the movie was a major commercial success. The remake stars Ryan Reynolds as the father who becomes an ax-wielding murderer, and a young Chloë Grace Moretz before her career took off. The use of special effects and CGI also massively improved the quality of this version of the film, even if die-hard fans continue to prefer the original.

6 House Of Wax (2005)

2005s House of Wax is a remake of the 1953 film of the same title, which is in turn a remake of the 1933 film, Mystery of the Wax Museum. The earlier versions of the film leaned more into the mystery aspect of the story, while the 2005 remake decided to push it to an all-out horror slasher pic. Neither of the earlier films were a resounding success, but the idea, and the uncanny nature of wax figures certainly meant that they had the potential to be powerful and compelling.

The updated remake features a talented cast including Chad Michael Murray, Jared Padalecki, Paris Hilton, and Elisha Cuthbert. The movie has a much more consistent and darker tone than either of the original films, and thanks to advances in technology and techniques in practical effects, it was able to push the uncanny and unsettling nature of victims in a wax museum to incredible new heights. The movie feels similar to a classic slasher film in terms of tone, despite a lack of more light-hearted moments.

5 Friday The 13th (2009)

Friday the 13th established itself as one of the defining films in the slasher genre, releasing in 1980 and spawning a sprawling franchise that dug deeper into the history of the tragic and terrifying Voorhees family. The movie came at the perfect time to catch the wave of popular horror films, and despite some cheesy or low-quality moments, the film was an instant classic. In fact, the series was so popular, that in the 80s alone, they released eight separate installments, almost one per year.

In 2009, a reboot of the original was pitched in order to pull in new audiences for the expansive series that may not have seen all the previous entries. The film also starred Jared Padalecki, who was becoming a prominent figure in the supernatural space. However, despite the film becoming the second highest grossing entry in the series, the film was inundated with negative reviews. Considering the film was a culmination of the first four movies, it makes sense that critics felt it didn't add anything new, but the film was well executed, and the changes were largely positive.

4 Halloween (2007)

Halloween is another one of the most popular slasher films of all time from the mind of the legendary John Carpenter. The original movie saw a young Michael Myers who murdered his sister as a child, return to his town of Haddonfield 15 years later, and stalk his former babysitter, Laurie Strode. With the film becoming so iconic and well known, it would be a challenge for anything to measure up to the original horrifying tale.

However, in 2007, Rob Zombie's reimagined and rebooted version was released to the public, and as expected when playing with such beloved source material, the film was panned by critics. However, Zombie was true to himself in creating a story that sharply diverged from the original. The 2007 movie makes several core changes, and for many, these changes are viewed unfavorably, but when it comes to looking for a slasher movie, these alterations make a lot of sense. The villain is made more sympathetic, and those he interacts with become more monstrous and grotesque, taking advantage of him.

3 My Bloody Valentine (2009)

My Bloody Valentine was originally released as a small Canadian independent film in 1981 which had a small release, but in the years after it was released, it developed a dedicated cult following. The story is set during Halloween and sees a group of people celebrating Valentine's Day, only to incur the wrath of a terrible serial killer in a mining outfit.

While the horror remake keeps names, the holiday, and some characters, the two movies have far more differences than they do in common. The remake changed the story fundamentally, and who the killer is, as well as altering many of the relationships and plot points. However, these changes make it a stronger film in its own right. The film is entertaining, it feels more like a classic slasher movie with comedy and bloodshed, and it makes for a compelling story. Not all remakes need to be one-to-one adaptations, and in many cases, it's better if they aren't.

2 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (2003)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre became one of the earliest slasher films when it was released in 1974, when the genre had yet to be established. While it may appear slightly different to other slashers, the killer is a menacing figure, who wreaks havoc on victims with a signature weapon that can take them apart limb from limb, just like a slasher. The original was also an independent film which included several more stylistic choices, such as filming in a way that almost felt like a documentary, and opting to have much of the true horror happen out of frame.

The remake in 2003 adapted the story in a way that was faithful to the core of the story, but also fit in far better with contemporary horror. Characters are improved, the story has more coherence, and the shocking and intense moments are played off in incredibly effective ways. However, it also suffers from coming at the end of a slasher era and many of the scenes in the film being labeled cliché. Cliché or not, the film is an effective and engaging retelling of an outstanding horror story, and ranks as one of the best of the 2000s.

1 The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Finally, the 1977 iconic Wes Craven film, The Hills Have Eyes is renowned for its powerful storytelling, subtle monsters, and slow building tension. The movie was actually partially inspired by Tobe Hooper's 1974 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (via MovieWeb), with Craven discussing how he wanted to explore how far supposedly civilized people could fall. The story deals with a family on vacation who become stranded in a desert near a group of mutant cannibals.

While the original movie has a more subtle approach to the story, the updated 2006 version leans more heavily into the horror and gruesome elements of the story at an overall faster pace. The movie is largely similar, but like several of the other best remakes, it is not afraid to change details and make the story unique. It is more suitable for a modern audience, and the 2006 version is often hailed as being equal to or better than the original, with many people falling on either side of the opinion about which is the best slasher film.