Friday The 13th Celebration: Top 5 Slasher Films
Credit to: Paramount PicturesSpooookyyy!
Welcome back to The Wolf Den, y’all! This Friday, we’re celebrating a spooky time of year as a nice change of pace! No, it’s not Halloween just yet. It’s Friday, the 13th! We’re all stuck at home, bored out of our minds just watching whatever we can to pass the time, and no movie night is a movie night if we aren’t at least one good horror film! Slasher movies specifically, as I’m sure you all know, are such a creative and successful genre of film, so it’s pretty hard to think of your personal top five favorite movies without at least thinking about a slasher! Let’s not waste any more time, let’s jump straight into it.
Number 5: Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
I know, this is probably a really weird pick. Let me explain, and try to defend my choice here. For starters, the little guy Sam is literally Chucky, but better. I know that’s probably a head-turner, but let me explain. The idea of Sam alone is better than Chucky. Sam appears to be this adorable little trick-or-treater that wears some orange pajamas and a cute and creepy burlap sack over his head as a costume. Seems like a super innocent, makeshift costume on the outside, so of course he doesn’t really seem like a threat, but under that mask is a demonic Halloween entity with a mix between a pumpkin and a skull as a face. I find it so clever and honestly adorable that this little guy literally uses candy as killing weapons, whether it’s peeling back a chocolate bar to reveal a hidden knife inside it, or taking a nice big bite out of a big ol’ lollipop to create a sharp stabbing weapon. Oh, and he really likes chocolate. Seriously. Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen the movie, but he literally lets a guy live over a chocolate bar. That’s pretty cute, even for a terrifying pumpkin-faced toddler or whatever Sam is. He even had a little animation short before Trick ‘r Treat came out, called Season’s Greetings, released back in the ‘90s by the same director and writer, Michael Dougherty. This is also an unpopular opinion, but Sam is honestly the most well designed killer I’ve ever seen. Yup, over Jason Vorhees, over Michael Myers, and over Freddy Krueger. I love the cute burlap sack with button eyes as a mask, I love the cute little orange pajamas, and I love that he drags around a little sack behind him which totally has a bunch of chocolate bars in it. Sam is the greatest in my opinion, but unfortunately, his movie is only in fifth place. It’s got its charm, but this movie is pretty corny. Not necessarily in a bad way, because for its time, this movie is pretty good, but compared to the next movies, it unfortunately doesn’t stack up so well. If we were ranking characters alone, Sam would be in first place.
Number 4: Friday the 13th (1980)
While still better than Trick ‘r Treat, you’re all probably wondering why this one is still so low. Don’t get me wrong, this movie is legendary and it always will be, but oh boy is it slow. It’s just slow, slow, SLOW. I don’t blame it, because it’s all a part of the anticipation, but man, I really wished this movie had more going for it. It is still a wonderful movie, and I do love it, but man, it gets pretty easy to get bored if you’re not the type of person willing to give it a chance. The only reason why I ranked this higher than the previous film, was purely because of how genuinely scary it was at certain moments. Trick ‘r Treat did scare me a few times, but not as much as this one. Jason Vorhees is such a classic killer too, I was honestly hyped to watch this movie all over again just to see him in action. I gotta say though, he is one ugly character. I don’t just mean this one from the ‘80s, I mean literally all of his appearances. I just cannot help but to laugh when I see this guy without the mask. Getting back on topic though, the first Friday the 13th movie is a cult classic for good reason. We’ve got some good jump scares, a scary killer, a interesting batch of characters on the camp, and a really creepy environment. How could this movie not be on this top five?
Number 3: Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Now, I gotta say, back when I was a little kid, I absolutely loved this movie. I dressed up as Freddy Krueger himself for Halloween, complete with a rubber mask, and a cheap costume version of his gloved claw weapon. I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a hat though, so it was literally just some little Puerto Rican kid with a claw and a weird mask. Anyways, by my current standards, I gotta say, I do still love this movie, but this is only in the third spot for me. I love the idea of having some sort of vengeful dream entity that’s able to haunt you in your dreams and even kill you in them. Even when you try to stay awake, you’ll eventually get tired enough to hallucinate or just fall right back to sleep, where this clawed menace is waiting. This foul-mouthed demon is such a badass, and I truly do love him. He’s so badass, he even wears a fedora to show how classy he is… okay maybe it’s just because he’s an angry old guy who used to wear fedoras, but still, he looks great. I initially wanted to give him the number two spot, but after rewatching this movie alongside the other four picks, I had to be fair to myself and my own opinions, and decided to knock him down to number three. I love this movie with all of my heart, I do. I love the acting, I love the story, I love the environment, but I love the next pick just a little bit more.
Number 2: Halloween (1978)
Wait, what? Only in second place? Yup! I’ve got a pretty unexpected pick in first place, so sit tight. Halloween is an absolute CLASSIC film, whether we’re talking about slasher movies or any other genre. Halloween will always be one of those movies that sits in the back of your mind when debating your favorite film, because it really is that good. The killer, Michael Myers, is just so creepy, and he doesn’t even need to say anything! He’s so scary because of how emotionless and efficient he is! He doesn’t exactly have supernatural powers, he doesn’t have a cat’s nine lives, nothing like that. He’s just a deadly killer with no remorse, no regrets, no nothing. All his victims can do is stare into his eyes behind a cold, pale mask and face their certain demise. Michael Myers is arguably the most iconic killer in all of cinema, second to none, and once you see this movie, you’ll likely agree. But, if that’s the case, then why is Halloween only in second place? The story’s amazing, the killer is terrifying, what more could you want? Nothing actually, but everything this movie does, this next movie does it even BETTER.
Number 1: Psycho (1960)
Without even a bit of doubt, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is the greatest slasher of all time. Never have I seen a film so old be this good by today’s standards. Now, granted, there’s a bit of a pacing issue and the dialogue might seem a little bland to some, but for me, this is the perfect slasher film. Norman Bates, the killer in this movie, is just so creepy, and the story surrounding him is honestly just so impactful. I can’t spoil it because I really want you all to give it a watch, but man, Mr. Bates is an absolute thrill to watch. There’s plenty of scenes in this movie that just creep you out, and you find yourself in constant worry when Mr. Bates reveals his true colors. Even by today’s standards, the story is great, and the characters are extremely enjoyable. There’s some really impressive twists here, and even one specific sudden jump scare in this movie that actually really got to me. This movie’s not really the sort of film that’s meant to make you jump out of your seat in fear that something might pop out at you, but rather, it does a fantastic job at creeping you at and keeping you horrified. It’s an amazing film with a killer who is absolutely fascinating to watch, and I am so at peace with giving this film the number one spot.
Final Thoughts
Me personally, I’ve loved scary movies since I was child. I would get nightmares of course, but I was totally fine with them. These movies, especially the ones on this list, are just so creative and interesting, and now that Friday, the 13th is upon us, I just had to talk about some of my personal favorites! But what did you all think? Do you agree with my list? Have you watched all of these films? Let me know on my Instagram and Twitter, and be sure to follow us on both of them to stay constantly updated with a bunch of good entertainment news and reviews! That’s all from me! This has been The Wolf Den!
