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Top 10 Underrated Slashers

When you hear the names Freddy, Jason, and Michael, there's a good chance you instantly think Krueger, Voorhees, and Myers. This sort of name recognition has cemented them as horror icons, never to be challenged by any other slasher in the industry.

But what about the others? What about the slashers that just don't get enough respect, while some are ealy just as awesome as the "terrorific trio"?

The reason those three are icons is because upon release, their films did very well, spawned several more sequels and lots of merchanding, so the names and faces are recognizable no matter where you live. However, some slashers never made it off the ground. I haven't seen every slasher ever made, so I'm sure there are still some really cool ones waiting for me to discover them. But, for now, here are my Ten Favorite Underrated Slashers.

10. The Old Hag Curtains (1983)

Curtains is a great early 1980s slasher that focuses more on scares and suspense than kills and gore. x actresses go up to a director's house in the middle of winter to audition for the lead role in the director's next production. Soon, they start getting killed off. One cool part about the movie is the creepy old hag mask the killer sports. It actually really is pretty creepy in some scenes, such as the famous ice skating sequence.

9. The Killer

Home Sweet Home (1981)

Home Sweet Home isn't really that great a film at all. It features awful acting, an awful script, and almost no blood or nudity. I do enjoy it, due to the fact that the kills tend to be on the creative de and it features one of the most annoying characters of all time. However, the main reason it's such an entertaining film is for the killer. He is never mentioned by name, but he's an escaped mental patient who happens to have huge muscles and shoots PCP into his tongue. He spends the running time of the film killing off a group of people at a house in the middle of the woods during Thanksgiving. He has this ridiculous laugh he does whenever he kills someone that ended up making me laugh. But the real reason he's on this list is for the beatings he goes through in the film. He gets stabbed in the back, shot in the arm, then shot in the chest with a shotgun and hardly breaks sweat when any of this happens. My jaw was on the floor when this happened, because he isn't Michael Myers, where he's a kind of immortal being, he's just a muscular man who escaped from an asylum. Another awesome thing is that he's played by Jake Steinfeld, famous for his Body By Jake workouts.

?w=300&h=202 8. The Clown The House on Sorority Row (1983)

The House on Sorority Row is a great cult clasc slasher that focuses on Hitchockian suspense rather than gore and nudity (don't be fooled; there's still some of the good stuff). The plot concerns sorority sters that accidentally kill their housemother and throw her in the old pool. Soon, someone begins killing them off at their big party. Eric is Mrs. Slaters deformed son who she kept in the attic of the sorority house. After her death, he escapes and seeks out vengeance against the sters. Even though the clown outfit only comes into play at the very end, and it only lasts a couple seconds, it's a really cool costume and I would have loved to see more of it. In fact, if they had used it prominently, it would have ranked much higher on the list.

&w=512&h=196&zc=1 7. Dr. Freudstein The House by the Cemetery (1981)

Dr. Freudstein was a turn-of-the-century surgeon who illegally experimented on humans. However, he found out how to use other humans' blood cells to make him live forever, even if he keeps decaying. A family moves into an ancient house and hear strange noises coming from the basement, like a child whimpering and footsteps. Soon, the family and anyone else unlucky enough to step foot in the house are murdered graphically. Dr. Freudstein is an unbelievably great zombie/slasher who's not afraid of murdering a child. With his smooth, decaying face and one piece old-fashioned suit, Freudstein is a force to be reckoned with.

6. The Slayer The Slayer (1982)

Two couples had over to an abandoned island for a little R&R, and end up getting killed off. The Slayer is your stereotypical slasher, with an exception of the killer. In the end, it is revealed it's a monster. That was the least thing I suspected when I thought of the killer, and it scared the pants off of me. Bedes, it's an astonishingly good effect that you just don't see nowadays.

5. Marty Rantzen Slaughter High (1986)

Marty was burned horrifically after a prank gone wrong in high school and had to be put in an institution. He breaks out and invites all the classmates who burned him to a "class reunion" at their high school. They attend, and he begins killing people. While doing so, Marty sports a great ensemble of a jester's mask, sports coat, and the traditional yellow gloves. I found him to be a really cool slasher that deserves some attention.

4. Madman Marz Madman (1982)

Madman Marz was a farmer who killed is wife and children while drunk. The town hanged him and when they got back the next morning, his body was gone. Years later, Madman Marz decides to slaughter some counselors at a summer camp. Madman remains in the shadows for most of the film, and when we finally see his face, it's ridiculous. Needless to say, once I saw it, I laughed. Long and hard. However, when he remained in lhouette, he scared the hell out of me. Just seeing a shadowed figure in the treetops above you is a frightening thought.

3. Ronald Reagan The Tripper (2006)

The Tripper was a great movie, thanks in no small part to the fact the killer wears a Ronald Reagan mask. It's a highly elaborate mask apparently, able to register the wearer's facial expresons. But the fact the killer keeps spouting awful one-liners as he dismembers stoned hippies is just clasc. He is definitely just as awesome as Freddy, Jason, or Michael.

2. Matt Cordell Maniac Cop Trilogy (1988-93)

Matt Cordell should have went on to be a horror icon, but he didn't when he so rightfully deserved to. He had all the characteristics of one: Unbeatable, a hideously scarred face, and he could really rack up a body count. Plus, being a cop has all sorts of advantages: You could make people get out of their car, put handcuffs on them, lead them down dark alleys, etc. Plus, he has his own rap! Does Michael Myers have a rap? Nope.



1. The Driller Killer Slumber Party Massacre II

Hoo boy, yes. The Driller Killer from SPM2 is definitely my favorite underrated slasher. I think the reason he's so awesome is because of a superb performance by Atanas Ilitch. The plot concerns an all-girl rock band relaxing at one of the girls' dad's new condo. However, the driller killer appears and wreaks havoc. He ngs, dances, and just has a blast killing off these girls with his...drill guitar??? The drill guitar is another major reason he's a great slasher. I mean, who thought up a demonic guitar with a drill bit attached to it? Whoever it was, I salute you.

There we have some of the greatest slashers ever to grace the lver screen. Questions, comments, concerns, etc., reply below.
ObscureCinema101 Monday 8/08/2011 at 03:00 PM | 80250
Madman from Midnight Movie hands down should be on here
BloodyAdored Monday 8/08/2011 at 03:11 PM | 80251
At risk of a major spoiler I'll mply call 'The Killer' from Deep Red... Very creepy!

joshk1986 Tuesday 8/09/2011 at 09:55 AM | 80305
Cropsy from The Burning still never gets enough credit in my opinion.
cropsy Saturday 8/13/2011 at 12:04 AM | 80537