Best Slasher Movie Franchises of All Time

Slasher movies have existed for decades in the horror genre, tracing their origins back to the 60s and the release of Psycho, considered by many to be the very first slasher movie. Since then, this horror subgenre has evolved leaps and bounds, culminating in some of the most memorable movie franchises of all time, and birthing memorable slasher villains that haunt audiences' nightmares.

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By  Joshua Kristian McCoy

Gruesome, gory, terrifying, and even a little humorous at times, the slasher genre can evoke many emotions as a weapon-wielding killer hunts down their prey with no mercy, normally following a very similar formula, as the rambunctious teens fall first, but the innocent final girl pulls herself through blood and guts to victory.

6 Friday the 13th

Though the Series Takes a Few Strange Turns, the First Movies Remain as Essential Viewing

The 80s was one of the best decades for horror movie fanatics, seeing the rise of many movies that have cemented themselves as legendary, and the origin decade of one of the most iconic slasher series: Friday the 13th. It starts with the eponymously titled first movie, in which a group of camp counselors are terrorized by a string of murders at Camp Crystal Lake. Fear and paranoia grip the group as they are picked off one by one, with a startling twist ending revealing Pamela Vorhees, the mother of Jason, was killing all the counselors as revenge for her son Jason drowning to his death at camp.

It is only after the first movie that Jason takes the role of the terrifying and supernaturally strong killer, raking up quite a body count throughout the series. The Friday the 13th movies take some rather strange diversions, such as seeing him rampage through a major city, going to space, or pitting him against another legendary slasher villain. While these movies never quite capture what made the first so impressive, there is still some fun to be had, if viewers decide not to take these movies too seriously.

5 A Nightmare on Elm Street

Freddy's One-Liners Make Him One of the Most Popular Slashers

Slashers normally play it straight or verge more on the side of surreal comedy, A Nightmare on Elm Street definitely leans heavily towards the latter. Burned by a mob of angry parents after being released from police custody for murdering children, Freddy did not remain dead. He came back as a vengeful demon, resuming his reign of terror on Elm Street through people's dreams, making him one of the more unique killers.

Though Freddy's melted visage is the stuff of nightmares, Freddy more often than not offsets his aura of terror with his witty one-liners that draw a chuckle from the audience and have him lauded as one of the best slashers. His movies become even more surreal and strange as the series progresses, as though they are a product of the audience's own dreams. Unfortunately, the 2010 remake did add a very unwelcome addition to his character and laid this dream demon down for eternal sleep. At least fans will always have the other excellent movies to relive time and time again.

4 Terrifier

Art the Clown Executes the Most Gruesome Kills in Cinema History

Art the Clown and the Terrifier franchise have been making waves throughout the horror community, and people either love them or hate them, but there is no denying this series has cemented itself in horror movie history, and will likely be considered a classic in the years to come. Though Art is mostly known for his bloody, gory antics in the Terrifier movies, he first appeared in a short film called The 9th Circle, and in the anthology All Hallow's Eve.

His rampage of terror seems to have no signs of slowing down, with a third movie released in early October, and a fourth confirmed to be in the works. The kills are nothing short of realistically gruesome, showing the depraved deaths of Art's character that no one is safe from, man, woman, or child. Perhaps these kills are too gratuitous, but the mastery over practical effects is nothing short of amazing, and has fans coming back for more.

3 Halloween

One of the Most Influential Horror Franchises of All Time

Even those who don't know their horror know Michael Myers and his series of movies, Halloween, as his influence is not merely confined to the franchise. A killer who started his deadly career as a child, Michael spent 15 years in Smith Grove's Sanitarium before escaping, donning an eerie mask and blue overalls that would become his staple look, and reigning terror down on Laurie and her friends on Halloween night. Michael would be put down time and time again, but thanks to a druid's curse as revealed in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, he is not so easy to kill.

With Halloween Ends bringing the series to a conclusion viewed as unsatisfactory by many viewers, it luckily hasn't completely tarnished the reputation of the series as a whole, remaining essential viewing for any slasher or horror movie fan, no matter how casual or avid. While waiting for any more Halloween creatures, if there are any, fans can pass the time by watching this franchise but should take caution, as not all films are as strong as others, such as H20 or Halloween Resurrection, and Halloween 3, while a strong standalone movie, does barely anything to add to the Halloween and Michael Myers mythos.

2 Child's Play

Though Small in Size, Chucky Terrorizes Countless People in His Franchise

The killer doll that started it all. Though Chucky wasn't the first possessed doll, that accolade belongs to Dead of Night, he is one of the most iconic, and the one often brought up when discussing killer doll movies. The spirit of serial killer Charles Lee Ray dwells within this unassuming Good Guy doll that Andy's mother Karen buys from a dubious seller, unaware of the evil housed within. He soon makes his murderous nature apparent, leading to struggles between Karen and Chucky, ending with him being shot, but this is far from the end for this murderous doll.

A series was spawned from his antics, and other dolls, Tiffany and Glen/Glenda join in the subsequent films Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky. The reboot in 2019 put a more modern spin on the doll, but the prior movies are definitely the strong point of the series. Brad Douriff and Jennifer Tilly steal the show in their roles and almost make the audience want to root for them over their victims.

1 Scream

A Self-Aware Slasher Comedy with Excellent Meta Commentary

"What's your favorite scary movie?" The infamous line uttered by Ghostface in Scream is right up there with Jigsaw's "I want to play a game" as one of the most quoted lines from horror movies, and Scream is also a perfectly acceptable answer to this question. It is a textbook whodunnit murder mystery, with plenty to say about the slasher and horror genre as a whole. It plays perfectly in the tropes, remaining self-aware enough to pull it off in a very tongue-in-cheek manner, and with 6 movies under the belt and a 7th to come, the gimmick still isn't too tired, especially with later movies poking fun at the 'requel' phenomena taking over many famous franchises.

As far as movie franchises go, it is one of the strongest as it has the highest number of entries of good quality movies, making it average out over more iconic series such as Halloween, even if it did borrow some inspiration from these films. Ghostface takes on a new shape in every film, and not just the mask that has slight alterations, but the person behind it, and their motives. Every time the audience views a new Scream movie, they get to play along and try to work out which one of the gang is the killer in disguise.

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