The 25 Greatest Slasher Movies of All Time

There's no doubt that Urban Legend cashed in on the success of Scream, but that doesn't change the fact that its premise is scary good. A college finds itself plagued by a series of murders inspired by urban legends — including one girl being murdered by a killer hiding in her backseat. The movie also gets extra points for unveiling a truly unexpected killer in the end.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

This under-appreciated modern classic is finally starting to get the attention it deserves. Amber Heard is excellent as Mandy, a beautiful young woman who goes to the wrong high school party (pro tip: parties at secluded farms are serial killer magnets). Finding new twists to infuse into the teen slasher sub-genre isn't easy, but All the Boys Love Mandy Lane manages to add wit and scares to its basic teen scream plot.

Where to watch: Netflix

Released in 2007, Hatchet is the whole slasher package: there's a genuinely creepy (and mysterious) killer, an unexpected setting, and a whole lot of twisted kills. The movie kicks off when two college students decide that Mardi Gras isn't exciting enough for them for some reason, and they decide to take a boat tour in the bayou at night with a bunch of strangers. Soon their guide starts filling them in on the swamp's legendary serial killer, and things go downhill for the students from there.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Halloween isn't the only reason that Jamie Lee Curtis is known as the ultimate scream queen. She also starred in this 1980 gem that follows a killer set on doling out punishment to four bullies responsible for a young girl's death.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Christmas gets dark in this 1974 slasher film about a serial killer who is stalking a group of sorority girls. With its truly unsettling kills and twisted sense of humour, this holiday horror film remains a must-see (and it's getting a remake with more empowered female leads later this year, making now the perfect time to watch the original).

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

On the surface, The Cabin in the Woods looks like a typical slasher film. A group of easily classified teens — the jock, the prom queen, the stoner — head to a cabin for some spring break fun. However, this clever film from Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon is all about deconstructing the genre by upgrading the standard serial killer to something a little more . . . epic.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

I can't stress this strongly enough: Wolf Creek is not an easy watch. This isn't a fun slasher movie, this is a stomach-turning survival film about three people who accept a ride from a stranger in the Australian outback. However, if you can handle the intensity, this movie is a good example of just how dark this genre can get.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Leslie Vernon seems like a nice enough guy, but his obsession with slasher movie killers like Michael Myers inspires him to follow in their footsteps. In a modern twist that's at once quirky and thought-provoking, he invites along a documentary crew to chronicle his descent into infamy.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

The masked killers in The Strangers are all the more horrifying due to their motivation: their only reason for torturing the young couple at the centre of the film is because they're home. That premise instantly sets us on edge, and the movie that follows more than lives up to its dark plot.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Some of the best slasher movies are the funny ones, as evidenced by the genius of the comedy/horror film Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Poor Tucker and Dale look like the kind of backwoods serial killers who off college students in scary movies, but really they're just trying to fix up their old cabin. Unfortunately, vivid imaginations run amok leading to a number of grisly deaths on their property.

Where to watch: Netflix

Just in case you need an excuse not to celebrate Valentine's Day, check out this movie which features a murderer who preys on lovesick holiday revelers. (And while the 1981 version is definitely superior, I'll also happily endorse the 2009 remake which stars Supernatural favourite Jensen Ackles, too.)

Where to watch: Hulu

Women rarely fare well in horror films, despite the famed "final girl." And that's still true in Slumber Party Massacre, which is exactly as advertised. Still, this movie deserves every ounce of praise it has been given in large part because it's one of the first widely released slasher films to have a female director, Amy Holden Jones.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Home invasion slasher films are their very own sub-genre, and you'll be hard-pressed to find one better than You're Next. A wedding anniversary is meant to bring a divided family together again, but instead the evening is interrupted by animal mask wearing psychopaths bent on taking out the entire clan.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Chucky isn't just any old killer doll. He's a killer doll possessed by Charles Lee Ray, an infamous serial killer who keeps his murderous ways alive while simultaneously gaslighting a young child. And really, there's nothing scarier than that set up.

Where to watch: Hulu

Kevin Williamson deserves major props for making slasher films must-see movies again in the '90s. Not only is he responsible for Scream, he also penned the screenplay for I Know What You Did Last Summer, a revenge-driven tale with a hook wielding killer and a flawless cast that includes Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze, Jr.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

If you never want to sleep again, then I have the movie for you. Alice, Sweet Alice begins with the violent death of a beloved local girl (Brooke Shields in her first big screen role) and quickly serves up a killer that wears one of the most disturbing masks in movie history.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

It's next to impossible to talk about April Fool's Day without mentioning its genre-defying twist. So, with that in mind, go into this brilliant movie knowing as little as possible and prepare to have your mind blown.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Happy Death Day may be the new kid on the block, but it has more than earned its place on this list by being a funny, original movie with killer twists that just keep on coming. Poor Tree just keeps on reliving the same day over and over again. Unfortunately for her, that also means she keeps getting murdered by a baby mask wearing assailant.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Leatherface is one of the scariest villains in all of movie history. It's not just his weapon of choice, it's the unrelenting sense of terror he inspires in his unflagging pursuit of the poor souls who cross his path.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Most slasher villains are confined to the real world, but Freddy Kruger is extra frightening because he comes after his victims while they sleep. His ability to attack when people are at their most vulnerable has solidified his status as a horror icon.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Jason Voorhes is a horror legend these days, but in the original Friday the 13th he's little more than a boogeyman. The real monster stalking the kids at camp Crystal Lake is someone entirely different, and that's what truly makes the movie one of the all time greats.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

There's been plenty of debate over whether or not Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece Psycho is a slasher movie or not, but I'm firmly in the camp that says it is. OK, so Norman Bates doesn't roam around looking for his victims — they unwittingly come to him — but the character's impact on the genre and all the slasher villains that came after him can't be overstated.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Slasher movies were looking pretty tired in the '90s, and then along came Scream. The movie breaks all the rules and deconstructs the genre right before our eyes. Then it proceeds to tell a smart, funny, and often gruesome story anchored by the coolest final girl of them all: Neve Campbell's take-no-prisoners Sidney.

Where to watch: Netflix

No other film could possibly be number one. The terror of Michael Myers combined with Curtis's stunning performance as Laurie Strode makes this movie the one which all other slasher movies bow before. And the fact that the franchise can still deliver superb movies 30 years later, as evidenced by the 2018 followup, only further illustrates how timeless this tale of babysitter versus masked killer truly is.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime