100 Best Slasher Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

Slashers — that gloriously grubby, stabby subsection of horror — were first unsheathed in the early 1970s, when Mario Bava stalked his cavorting, frequently disrobed victims around in A Bay of Blood. You can even look to Texas Chain Saw Massacre from the same time period, or even go back and pay Alfred Hitchcock a visit as he’s filling up the bathtub in Psycho.

But the Bava Blood bash set up mood of the slasher: Sexually charged, with a degree of mystery, where the ample cast of characters one-by-one take a sharp turn into doom. Slashers can be stylish (Opera, Dressed to Kill), carnal (Torso, Friday the 13th), grimly violent (The Prowler, The Burning), trashy (Pieces, The Slumber Party Massacre) and even supernatural (Halloween, Child’s Play). We’re studying all sides of the blade as we assemble movies that best represent this killer genre in the 100 best slasher movies, ranked by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh films first.

#1

Psycho (1960)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#1
Adjusted Score: 112591%
Critics Consensus: Infamous for its shower scene, but immortal for its contribution to the horror genre. Because Psycho was filmed with tact, grace, and art, Hitchcock didn't just create modern horror, he validated it.
Synopsis: Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), on the lam after stealing $40,000 from her employer in order to run away... [More]
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock

#2

Halloween (1978)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#2
Adjusted Score: 105028%
Critics Consensus: Scary, suspenseful, and viscerally thrilling, Halloween set the standard for modern horror films.
Synopsis: On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was... [More]
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles
Directed By: John Carpenter

#3
#3
Adjusted Score: 99661%
Critics Consensus: Wes Craven's intelligent premise, combined with the horrifying visual appearance of Freddy Krueger, still causes nightmares to this day.
Synopsis: In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler... [More]
Starring: John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss
Directed By: Wes Craven

#4

Pearl (2022)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#4
Adjusted Score: 104595%
Critics Consensus: Pearl finds Ti West squeezing fresh gore out of the world he created with X -- and once again benefiting from a brilliant Mia Goth performance.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Ti West returns with another chapter from the twisted world of X, in this astonishing follow-up to the year's... [More]
Starring: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland
Directed By: Ti West

#5

Totally Killer (2023)
Tomatometer icon 87%

#5
Adjusted Score: 92382%
Critics Consensus: Totally Killer may not take full advantage of its promising conceit, but this time-traveling horror/sci-fi mashup is still enjoyable overall.
Synopsis: Thirty-five years after the shocking murder of three teens, the infamous "Sweet Sixteen Killer" returns on Halloween night to claim... [More]
Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Julie Bowen, Randall Park
Directed By: Nahnatchka Khan

#6
#6
Adjusted Score: 95399%
Critics Consensus: Full of pith and Grand Guignol grossness, this macabre musical is perfectly helmed and highly entertaining. Tim Burton masterfully stages the musical in a way that will make you think he has done this many times before.
Synopsis: Evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) lusts for the beautiful wife of a London barber (Johnny Depp) and transports him to... [More]
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall
Directed By: Tim Burton

#7

Terrifier 2 (2022)
Tomatometer icon 86%

#7
Adjusted Score: 89767%
Critics Consensus: Terrifier 2 outdoes the original in every way -- which makes it bad news for the squeamish, but a bloody good time for genre enthusiasts.
Synopsis: After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to the timid town of Miles County where he... [More]
Starring: Lauren LaVera, David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullam, Sarah Voigt
Directed By: Damien Leone

#8

Thanksgiving (2023)
Tomatometer icon 84%

#8
Adjusted Score: 92091%
Critics Consensus: Combining belly-busting humor with delightfully over-the-top gore, Thanksgiving is a feast for grindhouse fans.
Synopsis: After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts -- the birthplace of the... [More]
Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Ty Olsson, Gina Gershon, Lynne Griffin
Directed By: Eli Roth

#9

Candyman (2021)
Tomatometer icon 84%

#9
Adjusted Score: 101078%
Critics Consensus: Candyman takes an incisive, visually thrilling approach to deepening the franchise's mythology -- and terrifying audiences along the way.
Synopsis: For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago's Cabrini-Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost... [More]
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo
Directed By: Nia DaCosta

#10

Freaky (2020)
Tomatometer icon 84%

#10
Adjusted Score: 98482%
Critics Consensus: An entertaining slasher with a gender-bending, body-swapping twist, this horror-comedy juggles genres with Freaky fun results.
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler spends her days trying to survive high school and the cruel actions of the popular crowd. But... [More]
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Katie Finneran, Celeste O'Connor
Directed By: Christopher Landon

#11
#11
Adjusted Score: 93609%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to a smart script and documentary-style camerawork, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre achieves start-to-finish suspense, making it a classic in low-budget exploitation cinema.
Synopsis: When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather's grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul... [More]
Starring: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Directed By: Tobe Hooper

#12

Dressed to Kill (1980)
Tomatometer icon 83%

#12
Adjusted Score: 88977%
Critics Consensus: With arresting visuals and an engrossingly lurid mystery, Dressed to Kill stylishly encapsulates writer-director Brian De Palma's signature strengths.
Synopsis: When Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), a prostitute, sees a mysterious woman brutally slay homemaker Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson), she finds... [More]
Starring: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon
Directed By: Brian De Palma

#13

Scream 2 (1997)
Tomatometer icon 82%

#13
Adjusted Score: 87706%
Critics Consensus: As with the first film, Scream 2 is a gleeful takedown of scary movie conventions that manages to poke fun at terrible horror sequels without falling victim to the same fate.
Synopsis: Sydney (Neve Campbell) and tabloid reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) survived the events of the first Scream, but their nightmare... [More]
Starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Directed By: Wes Craven

#14

Scream (1996)
Tomatometer icon 77%

#14
Adjusted Score: 86219%
Critics Consensus: Horror icon Wes Craven's subversive deconstruction of the genre is sly, witty, and surprisingly effective as a slasher film itself, even if it's a little too cheeky for some.
Synopsis: The sleepy little town of Woodsboro just woke up screaming. There's a killer in their midst who's seen a few... [More]
Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard
Directed By: Wes Craven

#15

You're Next (2011)
Tomatometer icon 80%

#15
Adjusted Score: 86193%
Critics Consensus: You're Next's energetic and effective mix of brutal gore and pitch black humor will please horror buffs and beyond.
Synopsis: The Davisons, an upper-class family, are extremely wealthy -- but also estranged. In an attempt to mend their broken family... [More]
Starring: Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, AJ Bowen
Directed By: Adam Wingard

#16

Halloween (2018)
Tomatometer icon 79%

#16
Adjusted Score: 100487%
Critics Consensus: Halloween largely wipes the slate clean after decades of disappointing sequels, ignoring increasingly elaborate mythology in favor of basic - yet still effective - ingredients.
Synopsis: It's been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked... [More]
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton
Directed By: David Gordon Green

#17

Candyman (1992)
Tomatometer icon 79%

#17
Adjusted Score: 86040%
Critics Consensus: Though it ultimately sacrifices some mystery in the name of gory thrills, Candyman is a nuanced, effectively chilling tale that benefits from an interesting premise and some fine performances.
Synopsis: Skeptical graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) befriends Anne-Marie McCoy (Vanessa Williams) while researching superstitions in a housing project on... [More]
Starring: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons
Directed By: Bernard Rose

#18
#18
Adjusted Score: 79590%
Critics Consensus: Wes Craven's New Nightmare adds an unexpectedly satisfying - not to mention intelligent - meta layer to a horror franchise that had long since lost its way.
Synopsis: Reality and fantasy meet in unsettling ways in this installment of the long-running horror series, which finds director Wes Craven... [More]
Starring: Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Miko Hughes, David Newsom
Directed By: Wes Craven

#19

Scream VI (2023)
Tomatometer icon 77%

#19
Adjusted Score: 94724%
Critics Consensus: Certain aspects of horror's most murderously meta franchise may be going stale, but a change of setting and some inventive set pieces help keep Scream VI reasonably sharp.
Synopsis: Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.... [More]
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown
Directed By: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

#20

Scream (2022)
Tomatometer icon 76%

#20
Adjusted Score: 92599%
Critics Consensus: The fifth Scream finds the franchise working harder than ever to maintain its meta edge -- and succeeding surprisingly often.
Synopsis: Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the... [More]
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera
Directed By: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

#21

Terrifier 3 (2024)
Tomatometer icon 77%

#21
Adjusted Score: 84196%
Critics Consensus: Taking an axe to yuletide cheer and everything else in its path, Terrifier 3 is a bloody fantastic stocking stuffer for the holiday season.
Synopsis: After surviving Art the Clown's Halloween massacre, Sienna and her brother are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the... [More]
Starring: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Samantha Scaffidi, Chris Jericho
Directed By: Damien Leone

#22
#22
Adjusted Score: 100031%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A new contemporary twist-filled reimagining of the 1982 slasher cult classic just in time for Halloween. A slumber party turns... [More]
Starring: Hannah Gonera, Frances Sholto-Douglas, Alex McGregor, Schelaine Bennett
Directed By: Danishka Esterhazy

#23
#23
Adjusted Score: 100557%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Oliviero is a drunk, burned-out writer who amuses himself by hosting orgies and humiliating his wife. When a number of... [More]
Starring: Edwige Fenech, Anita Strindberg, Luigi Pistilli, Ivan Rassimov
Directed By: Sergio Martino

#24

Evil Dead Trap (1988)
Tomatometer icon - -

#24
Adjusted Score: -1%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A talk-show hostess (Miyuki Ono) and her crew investigate when she receives a graphic snuff video.... [More]
Starring: Miyuki Ono, Aya Katsuragi, Hitomi Kobayashi, Eriko Nakagawa
Directed By: Toshiharu Ikeda

#25

Night Warning (1981)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#25
Adjusted Score: 93555%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An obsessive and murderous woman (Susan Tyrrell) tries to control her nephew, a 17-year-old basketball player (Jimmy McNichol).... [More]
Starring: Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrrell, Bo Svenson, Marcia Lewis
Directed By: William Asher

#26

Deep Red (1975)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#26
Adjusted Score: 95664%
Critics Consensus: The kinetic camerawork and brutal over-the-top gore that made Dario Argento famous is on full display, but the addition of a compelling, complex story makes Deep Red a masterpiece.
Synopsis: A psychic medium (Macha Méril) is brutally murdered, and musician Marcus Daly (David Hemmings) feels a need to solve the... [More]
Starring: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Clara Calamai
Directed By: Dario Argento

#27

Opera (1987)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#27
Adjusted Score: 91202%
Critics Consensus: The Opera house location gives plenty to work with for director Dario Argento, who hits his decadently bloody high notes here.
Synopsis: A hooded figure forces a young diva (Cristina Marsillach) to watch as he murders performers in a production of Verdi's... [More]
Starring: Cristina Marsillach, Urbano Barberini, Daria Nicolodi, Ian Charleson
Directed By: Dario Argento

#28

The Stepfather (1987)
Tomatometer icon 89%

#28
Adjusted Score: 91670%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn) is a family man, but he happens to have a series of families, with each one... [More]
Starring: Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack, Charles Lanyer
Directed By: Joseph Ruben

#29

A Bay of Blood (1971)
Tomatometer icon 86%

#29
Adjusted Score: 86839%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Following the murder of Countess Federica Donati (Isa Miranda), an heiress possessing a beautiful piece of beachfront property, members of... [More]
Starring: Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Camaso, Anna Maria Rosati
Directed By: Mario Bava

#30

Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Tomatometer icon 80%

#30
Adjusted Score: 81932%
Critics Consensus: Sleepaway Camp is a standard teen slasher elevated by occasional moments of John Waters-esque weirdness and a twisted ending.
Synopsis: Bunks and the showers are a mad stabber's beat at a summer camp strictly for teens.... [More]
Starring: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Karen Fields, Christopher Collet
Directed By: Robert Hiltzik

#31

Tenebrae (1982)
Tomatometer icon 81%

#31
Adjusted Score: 83061%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Visiting Rome on a promotional tour for his new novel, writer Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) is pulled into a murder... [More]
Starring: Anthony Franciosa, John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi, Giuliano Gemma
Directed By: Dario Argento

#32

Strange Behavior (1981)
Tomatometer icon 78%

#32
Adjusted Score: 77984%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An Illinois police chief (Michael Murphy) finds a connection between dead teenagers and experiments at a college.... [More]
Starring: Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, Dan Shor, Fiona Lewis
Directed By: Michael Laughlin

#33

The Burning (1981)
Tomatometer icon 83%

#33
Adjusted Score: 83333%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: At summer camp, some teenagers pull a prank on the camp's caretaker, Cropsy (Lou David). But the joke goes terribly... [More]
Starring: Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer, Lou David
Directed By: Tony Maylam

#34

Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)
Tomatometer icon 77%

#34
Adjusted Score: 77834%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Favorite daughter Karen (Brooke Shields) is viciously strangled and set afire in church on the day of her First Communion,... [More]
Starring: Paula E. Sheppard, Brooke Shields, Linda Miller, Tom Signorelli
Directed By: Alfred Sole

#35

Bloody Birthday (1981)
Tomatometer icon 75%

#35
Adjusted Score: 66653%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: As their 10th birthday approaches, three children, born prematurely during a complete solar eclipse, turn murderous.... [More]
Starring: Susan Strasberg, José Ferrer, Lori Lethin, Melinda Cordell
Directed By: Ed Hunt

#36

The Prowler (1981)
Tomatometer icon 75%

#36
Adjusted Score: 66653%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A crazed World War II veteran gets revenge on his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend, then stalks teens 35 years later.... [More]
Starring: Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Farley Granger, Lawrence Tierney
Directed By: Joseph Zito

#37

Child's Play (1988)
Tomatometer icon 74%

#37
Adjusted Score: 78431%
Critics Consensus: Child's Play occasionally stumbles across its tonal tightrope of comedy and horror, but its genuinely creepy monster and some deft direction by Tom Holland makes this chiller stand out on the shelf.
Synopsis: Gunned down by Detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon), dying murderer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) uses black magic to put... [More]
Starring: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif
Directed By: Tom Holland

#38

Blood Rage (1987)
Tomatometer icon 73%

#38
Adjusted Score: 73153%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A suburban apartment complex becomes a scene of carnage following the escape of an institutionalized twin.... [More]
Starring: Louise Lasser, Mark Soper, Marianne Kanter, Julie Gordon
Directed By: John Grissmer

#39

Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Tomatometer icon 70%

#39
Adjusted Score: 76372%
Critics Consensus: It isn't Tim Burton's best work, but Sleepy Hollow entertains with its stunning visuals and creepy atmosphere.
Synopsis: Set in 1799, "Sleepy Hollow" is based on Washington Irving's classic tale "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Faithful to the... [More]
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon
Directed By: Tim Burton

#40

Happy Death Day (2017)
Tomatometer icon 71%

#40
Adjusted Score: 79195%
Critics Consensus: Happy Death Day puts a darkly humorous sci-fi spin on slasher conventions, with added edge courtesy of a starmaking performance from Jessica Rothe.
Synopsis: Tree Gelbman is a blissfully self-centered collegian who wakes up on her birthday in the bed of a student named... [More]
Starring: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Rachel Matthews
Directed By: Christopher Landon

#41

Haunt (2019)
Tomatometer icon 71%

#41
Adjusted Score: 72744%
Critics Consensus: Haunt is spooked by the spirits of its obvious influences, but still packs enough thrills and chills to satisfy horror fans up for a haunted house excursion.
Synopsis: On Halloween, several friends enter an extreme haunted house and quickly discover some of their nightmares are real.... [More]
Starring: Katie Stevens, Will Brittain, Lauryn Alisa McClain, Andrew Caldwell
Directed By: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods

#42

Alone in the Dark (1982)
Tomatometer icon 67%

#42
Adjusted Score: 67361%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Homicidal psychopaths escape during a blackout, do some looting, terrorize a hated psychiatrist and visit a punk-rock club.... [More]
Starring: Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, Martin Landau, Dwight Schultz
Directed By: Jack Sholder

#43

American Psycho (2000)
Tomatometer icon 68%

#43
Adjusted Score: 74134%
Critics Consensus: If it falls short of the deadly satire of Bret Easton Ellis's novel, American Psycho still finds its own blend of horror and humor, thanks in part to a fittingly creepy performance by Christian Bale.
Synopsis: In New York City in 1987, a handsome, young urban professional, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), lives a second life as... [More]
Starring: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon
Directed By: Mary Harron

#44

Black Christmas (1974)
Tomatometer icon 71%

#44
Adjusted Score: 75238%
Critics Consensus: The rare slasher with enough intelligence to wind up the tension between bloody outbursts, Black Christmas offers fiendishly enjoyable holiday viewing for genre fans.
Synopsis: As winter break begins, a group of sorority sisters, including Jess (Olivia Hussey) and the often inebriated Barb (Margot Kidder),... [More]
Starring: Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Keir Dullea, John Saxon
Directed By: Bob Clark

#45
#45
Adjusted Score: 73501%
Critics Consensus: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors offers an imaginative and surprisingly satisfying rebound for a franchise already starting to succumb to sequelitis.
Synopsis: During a hallucinatory incident, young Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) has her wrists slashed by dream-stalking monster Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund).... [More]
Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Craig Wasson, Laurence Fishburne
Directed By: Chuck Russell

#46

The Funhouse (1981)
Tomatometer icon 67%

#46
Adjusted Score: 68333%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Rebellious teen Amy (Elizabeth Berridge) defies her parents by going to a trashy carnival that has pulled into town. In... [More]
Starring: Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper Huckabee, Miles Chapin, Largo Woodruff
Directed By: Tobe Hooper

#47

Friday the 13th (1980)
Tomatometer icon 66%

#47
Adjusted Score: 71859%
Critics Consensus: Rather quaint by today's standards, Friday the 13th still has its share of bloody surprises and a '70s-holdover aesthetic to slightly compel.
Synopsis: Crystal Lake's history of murder doesn't deter counselors from setting up a summer camp in the woodsy area. Superstitious locals... [More]
Starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram
Directed By: Sean S. Cunningham

#48

The Driller Killer (1979)
Tomatometer icon 64%

#48
Adjusted Score: 64567%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Enraged by rejection and a punk-rock band, an artist (Jimmy Laine) vents his anger on winos with a power drill.... [More]
Starring: Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day
Directed By: Abel Ferrara

#49

Cherry Falls (2000)
Tomatometer icon 63%

#49
Adjusted Score: 55125%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A small-town sheriff, Brent Marken (Michael Biehn), discovers the presence of a serial killer in his sleepy hamlet. Since the... [More]
Starring: Michael Biehn, Brittany Murphy, Jay Mohr, Gabriel Mann
Directed By: Geoffrey Wright

#50

Anguish (1987)
Tomatometer icon 57%

#50
Adjusted Score: 41834%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Teen friends Patty (Talia Paul) and Linda (Clara Pastor) head to a theater to watch the latest slasher movie, "Mommy,"... [More]
Starring: Zelda Rubinstein, Michael Lerner, Talia Paul, Ángel Jovè
Directed By: Bigas Luna

#51
#51
Adjusted Score: 55977%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Small-town vigilantes led by the mailman (Charles Durning) do not get away with killing a local simpleton.... [More]
Starring: Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Tonya Crowe
Directed By: Frank De Felitta

#52

Maniac Cop 2 (1991)
Tomatometer icon 62%

#52
Adjusted Score: 62300%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Renegade police officer Matthew Cordell (Robert Z'Dar) once roamed the streets of New York City unleashing his murderous brand of... [More]
Starring: Robert Davi, Claudia Christian, Michael Lerner, Bruce Campbell
Directed By: William Lustig

#53
#53
Adjusted Score: 58207%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Angela Baker (Pamela Springsteen), a psychotic transsexual, escapes from a mental hospital and surfaces at a summer camp as a... [More]
Starring: Pamela Springsteen, Renee Estevez, Tony Higgins, Valerie Hartman
Directed By: Michael A. Simpson

#54

Psycho II (1983)
Tomatometer icon 65%

#54
Adjusted Score: 68334%
Critics Consensus: Although it can't hold a cleaver to the classic original, Psycho II succeeds well enough on its own merits to satisfy horror fans.
Synopsis: Two decades after the original murders at the Bates Motel, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) completes his treatment at a mental... [More]
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia
Directed By: Richard Franklin

#55

Torso (1973)
Tomatometer icon 60%

#55
Adjusted Score: 60179%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A hooded killer with a hacksaw stalks college coeds (Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont).... [More]
Starring: Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Luc Merenda
Directed By: Sergio Martino

#56

Scream 4 (2011)
Tomatometer icon 60%

#56
Adjusted Score: 67400%
Critics Consensus: The franchise is showing its age, but Scream 4 is undeniably an improvement over its predecessor, with just enough meta humor and clever kills.
Synopsis: It has been many years since the Ghostface Killer cut a deadly path through the town of Woodsboro. In order... [More]
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts
Directed By: Wes Craven

#57

Orphan (2009)
Tomatometer icon 60%

#57
Adjusted Score: 66329%
Critics Consensus: While it has moments of dark humor and the requisite scares, Orphan fails to build on its interesting premise and degenerates into a formulaic, sleazy horror/thriller.
Synopsis: Devastated by the loss of their unborn baby, Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) decide to adopt a child.... [More]
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder
Directed By: Jaume Collet-Serra

#58

April Fool's Day (1986)
Tomatometer icon 58%

#58
Adjusted Score: 59710%
Critics Consensus: April Fool's Day takes a decent stab at deconstructing the slasher genre, but an underwhelming story keeps it from really sinking in.
Synopsis: When a group of college students decides to spend spring break at the secluded island estate of their wealthy classmate,... [More]
Starring: Deborah Foreman, Griffin O'Neal, Deborah Goodrich, Jay Baker
Directed By: Fred Walton

#59

Terrifier (2016)
Tomatometer icon 62%

#59
Adjusted Score: 62336%
Critics Consensus: All about the splashy kills, Terrifier artfully introduces the unpredictable massacrer mime Art, yet fails to carve an entertaining story worthy of his wrath.
Synopsis: A maniacal clown terrorizes three women on Halloween night.... [More]
Starring: Jenna Kanell, Catherine Corcoran, David Howard Thornton, Margaret Reed
Directed By: Damien Leone

#60

My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Tomatometer icon 58%

#60
Adjusted Score: 59888%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Friends defy the rules of a legendary murderer and discover he is real when they start celebrating Valentine's Day.... [More]
Starring: Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Keith Knight
Directed By: George Mihalka

#61

Silent Night (2012)
Tomatometer icon 62%

#61
Adjusted Score: 41992%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A vicious killer dressed as Santa Claus hides in plain sight during a small town's annual Christmas festivities.... [More]
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Jaime King, Donal Logue, Lisa Marie
Directed By: Steven C. Miller

#62

Hell Night (1981)
Tomatometer icon 57%

#62
Adjusted Score: 57555%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Fraternity and sorority pledges ignore rumors and spend the night in a mansion haunted by victims of a family massacre.... [More]
Starring: Linda Blair, Vince Van Patten, Peter Barton, Kevin Brophy
Directed By: Tom DeSimone

#63

Graduation Day (1981)
Tomatometer icon 57%

#63
Adjusted Score: 44324%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A coach (Christopher George) wearing black gloves and a stopwatch is suspected of killing high-school track stars.... [More]
Starring: Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, E. Danny Murphy, Michael Pataki
Directed By: Herb Freed

#64
#64
Adjusted Score: 57117%
Critics Consensus: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master marks a relative high point in this franchise's bumpy creative journey, although the original remains far superior.
Synopsis: Grotesque Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) gives some more suburban teenagers something to dream about.... [More]
Starring: Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox, Rodney Eastman, Danny Hassel
Directed By: Renny Harlin

#65
#65
Adjusted Score: 56678%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Decades after promiscuous teen Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) dies during a prank gone wrong, she returns as a spirit... [More]
Starring: Michael Ironside, Wendy Lyon, Louis Ferreira, Lisa Schrage
Directed By: Bruce Pittman

#66
#66
Adjusted Score: 59904%
Critics Consensus: Halloween: H2O is the best of the many sequels, yet still pales in comparison to the original Halloween.
Synopsis: Two decades after surviving a massacre on October 31, 1978, former baby sitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) finds herself... [More]
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Adam Arkin, Josh Hartnett, Michelle Williams
Directed By: Steve Miner

#67

Maniac Cop (1988)
Tomatometer icon 56%

#67
Adjusted Score: 56609%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Two New York policemen (Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell) and a policewoman (Laurene Landon) search for a killer in uniform who... [More]
Starring: Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree
Directed By: William Lustig

#68
#68
Adjusted Score: 58937%
Critics Consensus: It's a Wonderful Knife takes an enthusiastic stab at holiday-themed horror-comedy, even if it doesn't cut quite as deep as it should.
Synopsis: A year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve, Winnie Carruthers' life is less than wonderful... [More]
Starring: Cassandra Naud, Justin Long, Joel McHale, Jane Widdop
Directed By: Tyler MacIntyre

#69
#69
Adjusted Score: 55388%
Critics Consensus: Friday the 13th: Part VI - Jason Lives indeed brings back ol' Vorhees, along with a sense of serviceable braindead fun.
Synopsis: Years ago, Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) killed infamous hockey-masked murderer Jason Voorhees (C.J. Graham), and the intensity of the experience... [More]
Starring: Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, Ron Palillo, David Kagen
Directed By: Tom McLoughlin

#70
#70
Adjusted Score: 50361%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Seven sorority sisters drown their housemother (Lois Kelso Hunt), then meet the son she hid for 20 years.... [More]
Starring: Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Lois Kelso Hunt, Janis Ward
Directed By: Mark Rosman

#71
#71
Adjusted Score: 54728%
Critics Consensus: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 shocks with a gonzo blend of over-the-top humor and gore, but without the tense atmosphere of its predecessor, the stakes feel lower.
Synopsis: Chainsaw-wielding maniac Leatherface (Bill Johnson) is up to his cannibalistic ways once again, along with the rest of his twisted... [More]
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill Johnson, Jim Siedow
Directed By: Tobe Hooper

#72

The Strangers (2008)
Tomatometer icon 49%

#72
Adjusted Score: 55374%
Critics Consensus: The Strangers has a handful of genuinely scary moments, but they're not enough to elevate the end results above standard slasher fare.
Synopsis: Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) are expecting a relaxing weekend at a family vacation home, but their stay... [More]
Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks
Directed By: Bryan Bertino

#73

Prom Night (1980)
Tomatometer icon 45%

#73
Adjusted Score: 46602%
Critics Consensus: Horror aficionados might have a ball with Prom Night, but a lack of mystery and inability to capitalize on the dance hall setting makes for a generic night of mayhem.
Synopsis: This slasher movie follows a relentless killer who is out to avenge the death of a young girl who died... [More]
Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Stevens, Anne-Marie Martin
Directed By: Paul Lynch

#74
#74
Adjusted Score: 49202%
Critics Consensus: A likable cast and strong set pieces give There's Someone Inside Your House a lift, but they're outweighed by its messily misguided story.
Synopsis: Makani Young (Sydney Park) has moved from Hawaii to quiet, small-town Nebraska to live with her grandmother and finish her... [More]
Starring: Sydney Park, Théodore Pellerin, Asjha Cooper, Dale Whibley
Directed By: Patrick Brice

#75

Evilspeak (1981)
Tomatometer icon 50%

#75
Adjusted Score: 50558%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Bullied by classmates, a pudgy military-school student (Clint Howard) fights back by computer with the devil.... [More]
Starring: Clint Howard, R. G. Armstrong, Joe Cortese, Charles Tyner
Directed By: Eric Weston

#76
#76
Adjusted Score: 51012%
Critics Consensus: A by-the-numbers slasher that arrived a decade too late, the mostly tedious I Know What You Did Last Summer will likely only hook diehard fans of the genre.
Synopsis: A year after running over a fisherman and dumping his body in the water, four friends reconvene when Julie (Jennifer... [More]
Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze Jr.
Directed By: Jim Gillespie

#77
#77
Adjusted Score: 51869%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An orphan raised by nuns (Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick) grows up to be a killer toy-store Santa Claus.... [More]
Starring: Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Robert Brian Wilson
Directed By: Charles E. Sellier Jr.

#78
#78
Adjusted Score: 47721%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Someone with a power drill shows up uninvited to Trish's (Michele Michaels) high-school pajama party.... [More]
Starring: Michele Michaels, Robin Stille, Michael Villella, Debra DeLiso
Directed By: Amy Holden Jones

#79

Eyes of a Stranger (1981)
Tomatometer icon 43%

#79
Adjusted Score: 33438%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A TV newswoman (Lauren Tewes) catches a pervert (John DiSanti) watching her sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who cannot see, hear... [More]
Starring: Lauren Tewes, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John DiSanti, Peter DuPre
Directed By: Ken Wiederhorn

#80
#80
Adjusted Score: 44293%
Critics Consensus: An intriguing subtext of repressed sexuality gives Freddy's Revenge some texture, but the Nightmare loses its edge in a sequel that lacks convincing performances or memorable scares.
Synopsis: Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) moves with his family into the home of the lone survivor from a series of attacks... [More]
Starring: Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler, Clu Gulager
Directed By: Jack Sholder

#81
#81
Adjusted Score: 22163%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After the death of his abusive mother, a deranged man (Dan Grimaldi) starts to lure women back to his house... [More]
Starring: Dan Grimaldi, Robert Osth, Ruth Dardick
Directed By: Joseph Ellison

#82

Pieces (1982)
Tomatometer icon 43%

#82
Adjusted Score: 43587%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A frustrated Boston detective searches for the maniac responsible for mutilating a number of university coeds.... [More]
Starring: Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Edmund Purdom, Paul L. Smith
Directed By: Juan Piquer Simon

#83

Switchblade Romance (2003)
Tomatometer icon 40%

#83
Adjusted Score: 44249%
Critics Consensus: There is indeed a good amount of tension in this French slasher, but the dubbing is bad and the end twist unbelievable.
Synopsis: A beautiful young Frenchwoman, Alex (Maïwenn Le Besco), travels out to the country to visit her family and brings along... [More]
Starring: Cécile de France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon, Franck Khalfoun
Directed By: Alexandre Aja

#84

Scream 3 (2000)
Tomatometer icon 41%

#84
Adjusted Score: 45753%
Critics Consensus: Despite some surprising twists, Scream 3 sees the franchise falling back on the same old horror formulas and cliches it once hacked and slashed with postmodern abandon.
Synopsis: In the final installment to this trilogy, a murdering spree begins to happen again; this time targeted toward the original... [More]
Starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Patrick Dempsey
Directed By: Wes Craven

#85
#85
Adjusted Score: 46300%
Critics Consensus: The Strangers: Prey at Night may appeal to fans of the original who've been jonesing for a sequel, but its thin story and ironic embrace of genre tropes add up to a bloody step back.
Synopsis: Mike and his wife Cindy take their son and daughter on a road trip that becomes their worst nightmare. The... [More]
Starring: Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison, Lewis Pullman
Directed By: Johannes Roberts

#86

10 to Midnight (1983)
Tomatometer icon 40%

#86
Adjusted Score: 40172%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An outraged police detective (Charles Bronson) and his rookie partner (Andrew Stevens) skirt the law to catch a killer of... [More]
Starring: Charles Bronson, Andrew Stevens, Lisa Eilbacher, Gene Davis
Directed By: J. Lee Thompson

#87

Tourist Trap (1979)
Tomatometer icon 40%

#87
Adjusted Score: 22391%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A vehicle breakdown strands teens near a madman's (Chuck Connors) desert wax museum filled with lifelike dummies.... [More]
Starring: Chuck Connors, Jocelyn Jones, Jon Van Ness, Robin Sherwood
Directed By: David Schmoeller

#88

Maniac (1980)
Tomatometer icon 40%

#88
Adjusted Score: 41365%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Childhood abuse triggers a man (Joe Spinell) to kill women and use their scalps to dress his mannequins.... [More]
Starring: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Abigail Clayton, Kelly Piper
Directed By: William Lustig

#89

Halloween Ends (2022)
Tomatometer icon 40%

#89
Adjusted Score: 54649%
Critics Consensus: Halloween Ends -- for now, anyway -- with a frequently befuddling installment that's stabbed, slashed, and beaten by a series of frustrating missed opportunities.
Synopsis: This is Laurie Strode's last stand. After 45 years, the most acclaimed, revered horror franchise in film history reaches its... [More]
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney, Will Patton
Directed By: David Gordon Green

#90
#90
Adjusted Score: 41118%
Critics Consensus: Halloween 4: The Return Of Michaels Myers may bring the series' masked killer back into the fold, but fails to offer the visceral scares and inventiveness of the original.
Synopsis: The apparently comatose Michael Myers (George P. Wilbur) is being transferred from one hospital to another, but he wakes up... [More]
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris, George P. Wilbur
Directed By: Dwight H. Little

#91

Hell Fest (2018)
Tomatometer icon 42%

#91
Adjusted Score: 44827%
Critics Consensus: Hell Fest might give less demanding horror fans a few decent reasons to scream, but it's neither clever nor frightening enough to leave much of an impression.
Synopsis: On Halloween night, three young women and their respective boyfriends head to Hell Fest -- a ghoulish traveling carnival that... [More]
Starring: Amy Forsyth, Reign Edwards, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Christian James
Directed By: Gregory Plotkin

#92

Halloween Kills (2021)
Tomatometer icon 39%

#92
Adjusted Score: 53083%
Critics Consensus: Halloween Kills should satisfy fans in search of brute slasher thrills, but in terms of advancing the franchise, it's a bit less than the sum of its bloody parts.
Synopsis: Minutes after Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) left masked monster... [More]
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Anthony Michael Hall, Andi Matichak
Directed By: David Gordon Green

#93

Deadly Blessing (1981)
Tomatometer icon 43%

#93
Adjusted Score: 33438%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Friends visit a recent widow (Maren Jensen) who is frightened by the leader (Ernest Borgnine) of a neo-Hittite sect.... [More]
Starring: Maren Jensen, Ernest Borgnine, Susan Buckner, Sharon Stone
Directed By: Wes Craven

#94
#94
Adjusted Score: 42210%
Critics Consensus: An unnecessary remake that's more gory and less scary than the original.
Synopsis: In this remake of the horror classic, a group of young travelers -- including Erin (Jessica Biel), Andy (Mike Vogel)... [More]
Starring: Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, Mike Vogel
Directed By: Marcus Nispel

#95

Halloween II (1981)
Tomatometer icon 34%

#95
Adjusted Score: 38230%
Critics Consensus: Halloween II picks up where its predecessor left off - and quickly wanders into a dead end that the franchise would spend decades struggling to find its way out of.
Synopsis: After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr.... [More]
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Charles Cyphers, Jeffrey Kramer
Directed By: Rick Rosenthal

#96
#96
Adjusted Score: 34715%
Critics Consensus: As lumbering and bereft of conscious thought as its unstoppable star, Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood finds the franchise in desperate need of the title ingredient.
Synopsis: Years after the strange drowning death of her father, Tina Shepard (Lar Park Lincoln) returns to the site of his... [More]
Starring: Lar Park-Lincoln, Terry Kiser, Susan Blu, Kevin Spirtas
Directed By: John Carl Buechler

#97

Madman (1981)
Tomatometer icon 27%

#97
Adjusted Score: 27222%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: At a summer camp in the woods, Max (Carl Fredericks), one of the counselors, decides to regale the campers and... [More]
Starring: Alexis Dubin, Tony Fish, Harriet Bass, Seth Jones
Directed By: Joe Giannone

#98
#98
Adjusted Score: 32367%
Critics Consensus: A Nightmare on Elm Street feels exhausted by this cheesy fifth entry, bogged down by a convoluted mythology while showing none of the chilling technique that kicked off the franchise.
Synopsis: The fifth installment of the popular franchise focuses on Alice (Lisa Wilcox), a survivor of the fourth, who believes Freddy... [More]
Starring: Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox, Danny Hassel, Kelly Jo Minter
Directed By: Stephen Hopkins

#99
#99
Adjusted Score: 38533%
Critics Consensus: Texas Chainsaw Massacre doesn't skimp on the gore, but Leatherface may have irrevocably lost his ability to terrify.
Synopsis: Melody (Sarah Yarkin), her teenage sister Lila (Elsie Fisher), and their friends Dante (Jacob Latimore) and Ruth (Nell Hudson), head... [More]
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham, Jacob Latimore
Directed By: David Blue Garcia

#100

The Incubus (1982)
Tomatometer icon 17%

#100
Adjusted Score: 11566%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A Wisconsin doctor (John Cassavetes) and policeman (John Ireland) try to solve sexual assaults by what seems to be a... [More]
Starring: John Cassavetes, Kerrie Keane, John Ireland, Helen Hughes
Directed By: John Hough

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