TOP TEN - SUMMER SLASHER FILMS!

It’s officially Summer and you know what that means?! It’s the perfect time to put on a Slasher film or two whilst you count down the days until it’s Spooky Season! So if you’re visiting Summer-Camp, taking a trip into the woods or going on a roadtrip through the back-end of nowhere, this list of Sizzling Splatter Flicks is bound to scratch that itch for Slicing and Dicing we all get every year!

Friday the 13th (1980)

Of course we had to kick things off with this film right?! Putting the ‘camp’ in Summer-Camp this classic Slasher spawned 10 sequels, a remake and a video game for a reason. It’s bloody good fun! Fresh off the back of the success of Halloween in ’78, what differentiated Friday the 13thwas its unabashed delight in showing just how gruesome the kills in slasher films could be. With Tom Savini on the case the effects still hold up magnificently. This film has given me permanent paranoia that every time I lay down in bed I’m about to get an arrow through the throat! “Kill her Mommy…Kill her!”

The Final Girls (2015)

The perfect antidote to the ‘taking itself way too seriously’ of Friday the 13th, this film is amazing! Going full ‘meta’ we follow our protagonists (a group of Slasher Film Super Fans) as they find themselves literally sucked into ‘Camp Bloodbath’ a fictional movie in the world of the film. You still following? It’s honestly not as confusing as it sounds. Taking a Scream approach to the thrills on screen our crew of survivors know exactly what tropes are on the way and must use their knowledge of Horror Movies to outsmart the killer! Visually stunning, packing a real emotional punch and a killer soundtrack to boot, you really can’t go wrong with this one! You’ll be laughing, crying and jumping out of you skin!

The Ruins (2008)

Whilst not technically a ‘slasher’ it sure packs the gore you’d expect from one, disposing of it’s cast in an extremely brutal fashion. Less ‘Killer in a Mask’ and more ‘Natures Revenge’ this awesome film lays the blue print for not what to do when on an adventure abroad. Battling the locals, the elements and Mother Nature herself this is a flick you really don’t want to miss! Just remember to pack some weed killer next time you go away.

The Town that Dreaded Sundown (2014)

Now I know this isn’t the original and I can hear the horror purists screaming from here, but this film is one of the rare cases where I actually think the remake is better. Now hear me out! Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon who has had a crucial hand in bringing American Horror Story to the small screen, this film is packed with stunning cinematography, epicly creative kills (Trombone I am looking at you) and one of the last on screen appearances of Edward Herrmann (of Lost Boys fame). This is the perfect Small Town America Slasher. So next time you take a trip to Lover’s Lane watch out for the man with a bag on his head!

The Tourist Trap (1979)

Most young boys grew up wanting to be James Bond, Indiana Jones or Luke Skywalker. Me? I wanted to be Elvira and that still remains true to this day. The movie follows Cassandra Peterson as the TITular character following from her horror hostess duties on Elvira’s Movie Macabre and the audience follows along her adventure filled with blood, sex and rock and roll. Critically panned, the movie swiftly gained a large cult following and cemented Elvira as one of the greatest horror icons. If you love your horror served up with a generous dose of camp then this is certainly one for you and even if you don’t, Peterson has enough charisma to truly charm you into changing your mind.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Now surely you expected to see this one on the list? It literally has ‘Summer’ in the title. Coming out at the time that Scream completely revitalised the genre, this film really had a tough act to follow. Now our ‘Final Girl’ might not be the most likeable, hell none of our protagonists are that great, aside from Helen Shivers of course! But…and it’s a big but, this film really does the trick when all you want is a mindless Slasher with some of the hottest stars of the 90s! What are you waiting for?!…I’ll see myself out.

Cabin Fever (2002)

So again not strictly a Slasher per se, but it does provide the perfect Summer Break setting. A secluded Cabin in the Woods. There’s no demonic books to be read or any machete wielding maniacs, instead the horrors come from within. A deadly skin eating virus tears apart our casts’ perfect vacation plans and turns their Summer Break into a grizzly trip that they’d do well to survive. Cabin Fever has fun with the horror conventions we know and love and doesn’t bother trying to reinvent them but instead splatters them right across the screen in the most visceral of ways!

Eden Lake (2008)

Time for a bit of Home-Grown Horror now as we visit Eden Lake. A British Slasher is a rare thing and one that is done so well, even rarer. Focusing on a young couple (Kelly Reilly & a young Michael Fassbender) as they take a break by said lake, their holiday soon turns into hell when they are menaced by a group of young thugs. Dubbed ‘Hoodie-Horror’ our antagonists are terrifying in the way that they are so relentless and have no real justification for their actions, other than being pure evil (and little shits!). Made at a time when ASBO’s were sweeping the nation this one really takes you on a bleak and unrelenting ride. I’d avoid putting this one on if you want a happy ending – just saying.

It Follows (2014)

I honestly love this film so much. Catching this at the cinema when it was released was such an amazing experience and it’s definitely a film that stays with you well after the credits roll. This film tentatively fits into the category of ‘Slasher’ as our characters, led by the brilliant Jay (Maika Monroe) discover the clock is ticking on a sexually transmitted entity that stalks its prey without any let up. How Halloween had us constantly looking over our shoulder for a killer on the back seat, this film by David Robert Mitchell will leave you wary of every single person you see walking in your direction. Sex and those that have it have always been a trope of the genre and this film really explores just how horrifying the consequences of a random hook-up can be.

Stage Fright (2014)

Now this one is another remake. I absolutely love the Italian version (1974) but the reason I included this on the list is that it’s a bloody Slasher-Muscial. Starring Meat Loaf and Minnie Driver! Need I say more! Don’t say I don’t spoil you because this round up of Summer-Slashers really has it all now! A decade after the murder of her opera singing mother, Camilla lands the lead role in a Summer-Camp version of the same musical. Is it destiny or is something more sinister afoot? Wearing a terrifyingly awesome Kabuki Mask the killer unleashes hell in this film, disposing of the cast in delightful ways…and yes the killer sings! You’re welcome!

So there you have it, there is my killer round up of Slasher(sometimes adjacent) Films to enjoy this Summer. If you’ve got any of your own killer suggestions please let us know!

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