Ranking the Original Slashers
American Psycho (2000)
Small Description: A seemingly normal, attractive young man who has a high end business job has a secret life where he is a cold blooded murderer.
I decided to place Patrick at 10th because as he is a more well known icon he seems to lack when it comes to “slashing.” Of course he has a sort of charm to him but comparing him to the rest of the Slashers on this list there are far better killers.
Hellraiser (1987-2018)
Small Description: The movies focus heavily on a puzzle box called the Lament Configuration, this box opens up a gateway to a hell-like realm filled with the cenobite lifeforms. These cenobites are past humans who have now been transformed into these monsters whose only goal is to harvest souls to torture in their experiments.
Pinhead is an interesting character, especially considering the premise of the story with the cube, but there has been so many movies and it has been so ran through and it’s just not what it used to be. It has some pretty cool gore effects so it gets points for that but otherwise pinhead is a pretty weak “slasher.”
Halloween (1978-2023)
Small Description: The story begins with young (6 years old) Michael murdering his sister and is sent to a planetarium, 15 years after the act he escapes to go on a murderous rampage.
When it comes to original slashers everyone knows Michael Myers, the original movie was of course good for it’s time and Myers is a solid horror antagonist but being placed among all of the rest he just can’t live up to the standards of now. He’s come along way but it’s the same things repeated over and over when it comes to Myers.
Friday the 13th (1980-2009)
Small Description: As a kid he went to Camp Crystal Lake and he drowned in the lake due to negligence from the camp counselors. After this the camp is said to be cursed and is now the home for Jason’s murders.
Jason Voorhees is another one of the “OG’s” and is a well known slasher in the horror community who has been around for a couple decades now. Him and Myers both share a knife as their signature weapon and share many of the same attributes as each other which can make it hard to differentiate the two (in my opinion). Just because he’s well known doesn’t mean he’s the best.
Saw (2004-2023)
Small Description: The mastermind behind Jigsaw is a dying cancer patient and wants to test people’s will to live by placing them in death traps to escape from. On his “deathbed” he has two apprentices take over his legacy.
We’re slowly making it to some of my favorite slashers/movies in the horror genre. “Saw” was one of the first mainstream American movies to center around so much gore. Most people probably aren’t a big fan of these movies because of the intensity of the gore but without the intensity of it, it just wouldn’t “Saw.” I placed “Saw”/Jigsaw at six because even though he is one of my favorites, the traps have been overused in a handful of movies and just feels like a cash grab at this point.
Child’s Play (1988-2019)
Small Description: A serial killer who was shot uses voodoo magic to lace his soul with a chucky doll where he continues his murderous rampage as a doll.
Even though Chucky is the only slasher on this ranking that is a doll, he still is pretty high up my list. He’s not just a good horror movie antagonist. He is able to to keep the audience engaged with his humor. Even with the remakes and reboots, it’s always something new and enticing.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974-2022)
Small Description: A group of friends who are traveling run into a cannibalistic family where they’re soon killed by the family with Leatherface “Bubba/Jedidiah Sawyer” being the main perpetrator.
I know in previous rankings I said that I didn’t like the fact that these characters have been reused/ rebooted/remade so many times, but with Leatherface it’s different. There’s a certain car-accident-esque vibe to these movies. You’re watching a dysfunctional cannibalistic family have their son/brother murder these teenagers and then they all eat them. Cannibalism isn’t new in horror but seeing this in the ’70s, and even now, is just something you don’t see much especially how it’s portrayed in these movies.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984-1994)
Small Description: Krueger was a murder/rapist when he was alive. He was then burned alive by a group of people. Years later he comes back to haunt peoples (the children of the parents and other young high schoolers) dreams and kill them there.
Krueger has always had a special place in my heart, being one of the first horror movie characters I was introduced to. Besides the fact of that his ability to haunt people’s nightmares/dreams and invade them in the way he does has always enticed me, plus the backstory and how he is portrayed has always drawn me to him as a character.
Psycho (1960-1998)
Small Description: A secretary who has embezzled money runs away to stay at a remote motel, run by Norman Bates, under the domination of his mother. That night she is murdered by a “woman,” but we find out that it’s actually Norman, who has a split personality disorder which is of his mother.
Even though I’ve already critiqued past slashers for using just a knife for their choice of weapon, you would think that Bates would be lower down the list. The thing with Bates though is the split personality disorder which really sets him apart from the rest. Most slashers have a mental disorder or something else wrong with them, but with Bates, you’re not even expecting it to be him. You’re expecting it to be a woman, but it’s Bates. It’s a twist that most people didn’t expect the first time watching the movie but that’s what sets it apart.
Scream (1996-2023)
Small Description: Centers around a killer known as Ghostface, originating from two best friends who set out to kill their friends and students/staff at their school. Soon became some sort of urban legend and people began becoming obsessed with the killer and wanted to continue on the legacy.
Honestly, if the killer was the exact same person, Ghostface would be way down the list but the thing is you never know who the killer is as its a new killer each movie and it makes you want to come back for more each time. Of course there has been some bad Ghostfaces, but for the majority they’re all pretty good. You would think a movie centering around a killer wearing a mask weilding a knife (like other well known slashers) would be quite boring, but when it comes to “Scream” it’s a different motive, killer, and timeline for each killer, leaving you on your seat for the rest of the movie.
