Slasher Movies have a special place in the hearts of horror fans. The structure is typically quite formulaic – a mysterious killer has a strong desire for stalking an unsuspecting victim and creating a gore-filled scene by killing said victim with a sharp weapon of choice. More often than not, this killer has his or her sights set on slaughtering many people, until they are eventually caught. If you’re lucky, there will also be a captivating backstory to the rhyme and reason for the seemingly random killings.
When done right, a slasher can be a truly gripping watch, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats throughout, and there’s no denying that some of the most iconic horrors of all time have followed the slasher format. Unfortunately, not every slasher film quite hits the mark. In review, here are some of the very best and worst slasher movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
WORST: The Greenskeeper (2002) – 30%
The Greenskeeper follows the story of a serial killer who dresses as a greenskeeper. Not the most ground-breaking concept for a slasher, and to be honest it doesn’t get much better from there.
The killer crashes a party at a posh country club, armed with landscaping tools, and begins preying on rich party-goers. Rotten Tomatoes have given this garden-slaughter movie a mere 30% rating.
BEST: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) – 88%
While on a drive to visit their grandfather’s grave in the backroads of Texas, two siblings and their three friends run out of gas and fall victim to a cannibalistic family. They are taken out one by one by a chainsaw-bearing serial killer known as Leatherface.
Not to be confused with the lesser-valued 2003 remake, the 1974 original receives a noteworthy 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was one of the first teenage slasher movies to arrive on the horror scene, and it’s still to this day regarded as one of the best.
WORST: Small Town Folk (2009) – 21%
Peter Stanley Ward’s directorial debut Small Town Folk receives a pitiful 21% from Rotten Tomatoes, and while it could easily be mistaken as an attempt at a controversial comedy, it, unfortunately, misses the mark as a hit horror.
The story takes place in a small town called Grockelton, which doesn’t appear on any map, and the sole residents of this place comprise a mysterious landlord and his minions. When three travelers stumble upon the town, they are hunted down by the ‘small town folk’ and a series of very questionable events follow.
BEST: Hush (2016) – 91%
Hush receives an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and it’s not hard to see why. Winning points for originality alone, this thrilling slasher really puts viewers through a nail-biting emotional rollercoaster.
Deaf author Maddie Young lives a life of isolation in the woods, a retreat which is shattered when a masked psychotic killer turns up on her doorstep with the sole mission of getting inside her house. This alone is a terrifying concept, but with Maddie’s loss of hearing, it presents some unfortunate added challenges.
Kate Siegel who plays Maddie, and who you may know from The Haunting Of Hill House, really steals the show here.
WORST: Blood Lake (1987) – 18%
With a disappointing rating of 18%, Blood Lake lacks in originality what it also appears to lack in quality. The tiresome plot sees a group of teenagers looking to enjoy a party weekend, only for their plans to be disrupted by a blood-thirsty killer.
This movie brought nothing new to the genre and it showed in the dismal ratings from the few people who even bothered to comment.
BEST: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – 94%
This classic Wes Craven slasher film follows a group of teenagers who are hunted and attempted to be killed in their dreams by a clawed killer, resulting in their real-life demise.
The disfigured man who stalks and murders them turns out to be Freddy Krueger, who they discover has a childhood connection to them. If this doesn’t draw viewers in, then the promise of young Johnny Depp just might do the trick.
WORST: The Retreat [Silent Scream] (2005) – 13%
Another day, another group of teens naively heading for their untimely death at a suspicious cabin in the woods. The Retreat [Silent Scream] sees a group of psychology students follow their professor into the wilderness to work on a voluntary research project. When they arrive, things aren’t quite as they seem as their weekend retreat turns into a gory nightmare.
If you haven’t seen it, you probably aren’t missing out on a whole lot, with Rotten Tomatoes giving this gore-fest a 13% rating.
BEST: Halloween (1978) – 96%
The original (and arguably best) Halloween movie receives an outstanding 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
As the story goes, Michael Myers, who was locked away in a mental hospital at the age of six for brutally murdering his sister, escapes the night before Halloween, 15 years later. Michael returns to his hometown, where he wreaks havoc and goes on a killing rampage, giving the residents of Haddonfield, Illinois, an October 31st they’ll never forget.
WORST: A Crack In The Floor – 9%
Jeremiah Hill lives in an isolated cabin in the woods, having always been warned by his mother not to associate with the outside world. After watching her be brutally raped and killed right in front of his eyes, he spends the next 33 years alone.
When a group of college students invade his solitary life on a weekend hiking and camping trip by unknowingly stumbling across his cabin in the woods, the group’s weekend plans take a brutal turn, as the weekend becomes one of survival. A Crack In The Floor receives a shameful 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated slasher film on the list.
BEST: Psycho (1960) – 96%
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho tops the list here, leading the genre and setting the bar for every slasher movie to follow.
Marion Crane finds herself at the infamous Bates Motel after stealing money from her employer. There, she meets the owner, Norman Bates. Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, you’ll for sure know the iconic slasher shower scene.
