Top 10 Non-Franchise Slasher Films
The slasher film is perhaps the best known of all the horror subgenres, helped by franchise icons like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Ghostface, Michael Myers, and Leatherface that have made their way into the mainstream consciousness. But many of the best and most interesting slasher movies are the standalones that never received a sequel. Some of these were never intended to spawn a franchise and others were too unsuccessful to justify it; however, there’s something satisfying about filmmakers putting all their best and weirdest ideas on the line because they’re making a movie without a cash cow of sequels lined up or rights that need to be maintained by the studio. These sorts of movies are some of my favorites in horror, and I could easily make a list of 30 unfranchised slasher flicks. But I’m limiting myself to 10 here.
10. Doom Asylum (1988; Dir: Richard Friedman)
his is a ridiculous movie that I couldn’t help but love. Anchored by some shockingly great and icky gore, Doom Asylum often veers into extremely goofy territory that nearly threatens to derail your enjoyment of it before finally reassuring you that, yes, this thing is a lot of fun. The killer can’t help himself from peeling off terrible one-liners as he kills the cast in increasingly demented ways. The entire movie is essentially a compilation of non-sequiturs, but its zaniness and offbeat charm are surprisingly effective.
9. The House on Sorority Row (1982; Dir: Mark Rosman)
Perhaps the most “traditional” slasher on this list, it’s also one of the most elegant. Everything about it is relatively classy: Richard Band’s score is beautiful, the acting is uniformly good, the cinematography and direction are solid, and there’s more of a standard but well-done who-done-it element driving the plot. There is an interestingly dreamy overtone to the proceedings that keeps thing unique and overall, it’s pretty suspenseful.
8. Tourist Trap (1979; Dir: David Schmoeller)
The first of a few proto-slashers on this list, Tourist Trap is one of the creepiest of all time. This movie knows full well the general wariness towards dolls and mannequins and is very effective in capitalizing on it with a number of unsettling scenes that personify plastic in menacing ways. Pino Donaggio’s eerie score even incorporates the haunting voices of the souls perhaps trapped beneath their plastic exteriors. It’s all very skin-tightening, even if the movie isn’t heavy on violence. The feel here is very Texas Chain Saw Massacre-y, in terms of the seriousness with which it portrays its villains and their deep-rooted psychoses.
7. Alice, Sweet Alice (1976; Dir: Alfred Sole)
Probably best known for the first screen appearance by Brooke Shields, this movie focuses on young Alice, suspected of murdering her sister at her first communion. Not only does this nasty flick feature child murder and child murderers, but there’s a heavy pedo-vibe, particularly from Alice’s mother’s landlord. The whole thing has a creepy undercurrent that’s enhanced by the expressionless mask worn by the killer throughout the movie. It’s difficult to watch Alice, Sweet Alice without shifting in your seat every few minutes.
6. The Mutilator (1985; Dir: Buddy Cooper)
Like Doom Asylum, this is not a well-made or artful movie. But what it lacks in technical prowess, it more than makes up for in heart: the characters are likable, which is atypical for a slasher film; the kills are creative and absolutely brutal; there’s plenty of atmosphere; the music is great (including a folksy theme song written especially for the movie); and there are well-placed bits of slapstick comedy. The Mutilator is an offbeat slasher that offers something totally singular.
5. Pieces (1982; Dir: Juan Piquer Simón)
This Spanish production is such a unique entity that it kind of defies explanation. Although its tagline is “It’s exactly what you think it is!” the movie is absolutely unpredictable. Every character feels like some alien approximation of how humans behave; ridiculous dialog and illogical decision-making occur in nearly every scene. There are bouts of complete randomness such as a kung-fu professor and an ending that makes no sense. For a movie that, on its surface, seems completely incompetent, the murder set pieces are fantastically realized and the gore is top-notch. Pieces is the wonderful culmination of a lot of disparate “pieces” that shouldn’t work together. But, oh god, does it.
4. Don’t Go in the House (1979; Dir: Joseph Ellison)
This movie is a nihilistic and bleak foray into the life of a man suffering from serious trauma that has completely warped his worldview. Similar to Maniac (1980), Don’t Go in the House is less a traditional slasher and more of a character study, as the audience witnesses Donald Kohler descend into hell of his mother’s making via stalking, murder, and eventual madness that could only lead to his own demise. The movie offers no relief from its desolation, so it’s a difficult watch, but Ellison expertly guides the viewer downward until there is only rock bottom.
3. My Bloody Valentine (1981; Dir: George Mihalka)
This Canadian gem veers a little from the typical slasher set-up by concerning itself with the demise of middle-class adults instead of well-off promiscuous teenagers. Set in a blue collar mining town afflicted by a violent past, My Bloody Valentine is a suspenseful and bloody slasher that stands out for its maturity, gore, and iconic gas mask- and pickaxe-equipped killer. The mine setting adds inherent claustrophobia and darkness to the proceedings. The ending is fantastic, as well, and leaves the audience feeling like the blood-soaked cycle in Valentine Bluffs may continue indefinitely.
2. Maniac (1980; Dir: William Lustig)
Lustig’s Maniac is perhaps the sleaziest of sleazy slashers. The grime is personified perfectly by Joe Spinell as Frank Zito. His anguished, sweaty, and manic performance is essential to the success of this movie. He easily sells Zito as both a brutal and remorseless victimizer and a terrified, pathetic victim of his past. Tom Savini’s effects work is masterful, ratcheting the brutality of Zito’s actions to 11. A fantastically morose and disquieting score by Jay Chattaway is the dirty whipped cream on top of an absolutely filthy trip into the warped head of a killer.
1. Black Christmas (1974; Dir: Bob Clark)
When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing that director Bob Clark has made two Christmas classics, in two different genres. His first, a proto-slasher, is an immensely creepy affair. A sorority house is stalked by a killer that’s never identified, whose vulgar and crazed prank calls are genuinely unsettling and whose motivations are complete obscured. The pacing is slow and deliberate, the characters are given a life outside of just victims, the atmosphere is absolutely tense, and the movie had the genuine brazenness to keep its killer alive and ambiguous.