Slashers/ Gialli Horror
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
"I guess I was about 12 or 13 when I first set down and watched Freddy on the small screen with my ma and da (both were avid and dedicated Horror fans of the 80s and the VHS revolution). Now you would think that at that age and being in the presence of your family you would be able to stand the frights and chills but there was something so damn scary about a being that not only looked like pure evil but could get to you in your most private situations - your dreams!
Every night for about 6 months Freddy Krueger invaded my wishes, daydreams, hell even my wet dreams and had me standing (at almost 6 foot at the time) at the end of my parent's bed in the middle of the night shouting "Ma, Da wake up, I can't sleep. I can't get to sleep!" Of course this scared them half to death to glance up from their slumber and see an almost grown man standing in front of their bed...boy did I get yelled at!
Robert Englund once told me he treated Freddy as the quintessential boogeyman in every child's story, the big bad wolf, the monster under the bed. Well he sure as hell pulled it off for this monster fan!" -
Cinestro
Black Christmas (1974)
Friday the 13th (1980)
"This was the film which made the legend of one of the most fearsome characters on-screen: Jason Voorhees.
If you are a fan of slashers, then this is a must-watch. From some pretty innovative kills (including a very young Kevin Bacon) to the startling twist at the end,
Friday the 13th brought cold, merciless killing to our screens.
It still makes for fascinating viewing, and everyone still loves Mama Voorhees!" -
Kane Hodder
Halloween (1978)
"Arguably the best slasher film, and certainly the most influential,
Halloween is John Carpenter's masterpiece. Its simple, its subtle, and it is also genuinely scary.
The premise? A masked killer is stalking babysitters on Halloween night. And unlike many of the slasher films after that would attempt to imitate its style and borrow its ideas,
Halloween didn't need a lot of blood, or a ridiculously high body count to be effective. The film works because of the level of suspense that Carpenter was able to build, and because of the fine performances by the cast. Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis? Genius.
It also works because it has one of the creepiest, and most memorable, soundtracks in horror history. And let's not forget our killer; Michael Myers is slow, he's methodical.....and he's unstoppable. The last scenes are absolutely chilling. Believe it when I say this,
Halloween is one of the greatest horror films ever made." -
Jenna26
Tenebre aka
Tenebrae (1982) (
*Giallo*)
"
Tenebre marks the triumphant return of Argento to the sub genre that started his career. It's a powerful film that's perhaps the greatest giallo ever made.
There's a scene in
Tenebre where the main character, Peter Neal, says, "All detection is boring. But, if you cut out the boring bits and keep the rest, you've got a best-seller." That's what director Dario Argento has done with this film - removed the boring detective work and given us a ripping good mystery with plenty of gore...axe in the head, slit throat, stabbings but the best one is at the end when a victim's arm is chopped off with an axe and the blood splatters the white wall behind her...definitely made it one of the greatest slasher-giallos of all time." -
Roshiq
Honorable Mentions:
Deep Red aka
Profondo Rosso (1975) (
*Giallo*)
"The thing that sets
Deep Red so far apart from his other films is its brave maturity and daring compulsiveness. It totters on a fine line between detective noir and straight slasher horror, and many later films such as
Se7en and
Saw would follow this technique with blatant admiration. Argento's camera weaves in and out of the crime scenes almost as if it were the muderer itself, and we as an audience never quite feel at ease - especially when the startling ending is revealed.
Dirty, gritty, and never tame, Argento captures italian horror in its most potent spirit here in what is often rightfully hailed as the god of all giallos." -
Alkytrio666
Phenomena (aka)
Creepers (1985) (
*Giallo*)