Five Foreign Slasher Movies Every Horror Fan Should Watch
Slasher movies are mainly a North American phenomenon, but that doesn’t mean that other parts of the world can’t get in on the fun. Here are five foreign slasher movies that every horror fan should watch.
Let’s start with a quick tip of the hat to the most well-known non-North American slashers, the Italian giallo films. I haven’t included any giallo on this list because they have their own article, which can be found below.
Related: 10 Awesome Giallo Films Every Horror Fan Must Watch
Let’s take a tour of the best foreign slasher movies (and one special bonus at the end) that were produced outside of North America. Some of these movies will require reading subtitles for people who only speak English. I know that many people refuse to watch films with subtitles, but you are missing out on a ton of great horror movies (and great movies in general) if you only watch English-speaking films.
Most scary movies aren’t dialogue-heavy anyway, so it’s really not that hard to keep up. Anyway, let the journey begin!
The Top Five Foreign Slasher Movies
5. Amsterdamned (1988)
Our journey around the world starts in the Netherlands, where a maniac in a scuba diving costume is rising out of Amsterdam’s famous canals and attacking unsuspecting victims. A cocky detective is assigned to solve the case.
He splits his time between chasing the madman and dating a sexy scuba instructor. Amsterdamned has a wildly entertaining jet ski chase scene where the detective pursues the killer through the canals.
Closest American Equivalent: My Bloody Valentine, which features a killer in a somewhat similar-looking costume.
Where to Stream Amsterdamned: Shudder
4. The Last Matinee (2020)
Next we head to South America for The Last Matinee, a Uruguay slasher movie set inside a movie theater. The black-gloved killer cuts out the eyeballs of his victims and keeps them in a jar. Sometimes he even chews on the eyeballs.
Most slasher movies have a final girl that defeats the killer at the end. The Last Matinee actually has two of them. The obvious final girl is Ana, the intelligent and hardworking daughter of the theater owner. But the movie also has Angela, a spunky gal who is hanging out in the theater with a couple of guy friends. After the killer disposes of her buddies, Angela arms herself with a fire extinguisher and teams up with Ana to take him down.
The 2009 Friday the 13th reboot is one of the few other slasher movies to have multiple final girls. In both cases, however, one of these ladies tragically doesn’t make it to the end. The Last Matinee keeps us guessing about which one will survive.
Closest American Equivalent: Popcorn, a 1990 slasher that is also set in a movie theater.
Where to stream The Last Matinee: Amazon Video
3. Wolf Creek (2005)
Staying in the southern hemisphere but journeying to the other side of the globe, we find ourselves in Australia for “Wolf Creek”, one of the most sadistic, controversial, and downright cruel horror movies in recent history.
Unlike many horror movies, “Wolf Creek” has the patience to develop its characters. The first half feels like a conventional road trip drama. Two young British women and an Australian guy are vacationing in the desolate Australian Outback together. A love triangle seems to be developing between them, but the movie then takes a hard turn into horror and sadism.
The trio encounters Mick Taylor (John Jarrat) a rugged bushman and hunter. After the trio is tricked into staying at Mick’s isolated home, a horrific nightmare begins.
Closest American Equivalent: Wrong Turn
Where to stream Wolf Creek: Amazon Video
2. Prevenge (2016)
Next we head to the U.K for one of the most bizarre foreign slasher movies in history. A pregnant woman named Ruth goes on a rampage against people she blames for her husband’s death.
She hears a high-pitched voice telling her what to do and believes that it is her unborn child urging her to kill her enemies. Prevenge gets major points for creativity. There truly is nothing else like it.
Game of Thrones fans will recognize a couple of alumni in this movie: Gemma Whelan and Katie Dickie. Neither of them has much luck stopping Ruth’s rampage.
Closest American Equivalent: Rosemary’s Baby
Where to stream Prevenge: Shudder
1. Cold Prey (2006)
Grab a coat and some gloves, because we’re on our way to frigid Norway for our #1 foreign slasher movie. A group of friends staying in an abandoned ski lodge are terrorized by a hulking mountain man brandishing a razor-sharp icepick. As with Wolf Creek, this one spends the first half developing its characters, which makes their demises more meaningful.
The killer in Cold Prey has no apparent motivation and his identity is never revealed. Most horror movies include some kind of explanation for the villain’s actions, but this isn’t always necessary. In fact, having no motivation often makes the villain creepier. The film ends with a suspenseful cliffside battle between the mountain man and the movie’s final girl, Jannicke.
In 2017, WWE Studios reportedly purchased the rights to make an American version. The project hasn’t gotten off the ground thus far. Considering the WWE’s track record with movies, that’s probably a good thing.
Closest American Equivalent: Friday the 13th, if it was set during the winter.
Where to stream Cold Prey: Youtube
Bonus: Perfect Blue (1997)
You thought our journey was over, didn’t you? Not so fast. Although it isn’t really a slasher movie, this list would not be complete without “Perfect Blue”. Imagine if the Darren Arofnosky movie Black Swan was an anime film about a Japanese singer. The result would be very similar to Perfect Blue.
Mima, the main character, is a pop idol who has grown bored with her career. She wants to branch out into acting and tackle mature adult roles. But not everyone is happy with Mima’s decision. A psychopathic fan, enraged that the singer is trying to change her innocent image, is stalking her and slaughtering everyone who gets in his way.
To make matters worse, Mima is experiencing terrifying visions of a sinister alternate version of herself. The girl in her visions insists that she is a real person and that Mima is the one who is a hallucination. When people around her start to turn up dead, Mima wonders if her alternate self is responsible for the murders.
Perfect Blue is full of gruesome and lurid imagery, but it’s no mindless gorefest. Its themes about celebrity culture, media exploitation, and fan entitlement are even more relevant today than they were in the ’90s.
Closest American Equivalent: Black Swan
