The Top 10 Underrated Retro Slashers
Slashers are my favorite horror subgenre, and many of the best were released during the so-called “golden age of slashers” in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The later years of the ’80s had many hit slasher movies as well.
Dozens of slashers were released during this era. Some, like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, claimed fame and fortune. The vast majority, however, were quickly forgotten.
Many of them, frankly, deserve to wallow in obscurity. But there are hidden gems waiting to be discovered amongst the carnage. Let’s shine a light on them.
Here are the top ten underrated retro slashers. None of the following movies were popular enough to earn a sequel, yet all of them have unique elements that are worth remembering. These movies are from North America unless otherwise noted.
10. The Funhouse (1981)
Tobe Hooper, the director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, made this quirky little slasher about a group of rowdy teens who are trapped inside a carnival funhouse at night. The group is stalked by a crazy masked carnie who bears a resemblance to Texas Chainsaw‘s Leatherface.
Related: The 10 Spookiest Horror Movie Locations
Hooper unfortunately was never able to duplicate the success and fame of the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre (he also directed the famous 1982 ghost flick Poltergeist, but everyone thinks Steven Spielberg helmed that movie). Although it’s no Texas Chainsaw, The Funhouse is a solid little slasher with a fun setting.
Where to Stream The Funhouse: Amazon Video
9. Intruder (1989)
In Intruder, the night crew at a grocery store is stalked by a shadowy killer. The maniac finds innovative uses for the store’s trash compactor and meat hooks. He even livens up the beer fridge by adding a decapitated head.
Slashers have been located in a wide variety of locations, but, as far as I know, this is the only one that’s set inside a grocery store. The creative location earns Intruder a place among the best underrated slasher movies of the 80s. Fans of the Evil Dead series will enjoy the (brief) appearances of Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi, and Bruce Campbell.
Where to Stream Intruder: Amazon Video
8. Silent Scream (1979)
Silent Scream was one of the first post-Halloween slashers. The main character is a college student who is renting a room at a local oceanside boarding house. Unfortunately for her (and everyone else staying there), a mysterious knife-wielding maniac is lurking inside.
The movie’s stabbing sequences are inspired by the famous shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The soundtrack is remarkably similar to the notorious Psycho score (with just enough changed to avoid a lawsuit, I assume). Silent Scream is no Psycho, of course, but it does have more style and suspense than most slasher movies.
Where to Watch Silent Scream: Amazon Video
7. Hell Night (1981)
Linda Blair stars in this college-set slasher about a group of coed fraternity pledges who spend the night at a creepy old mansion as part of a hazing ritual.
Unbeknownst to them, a deformed killer is lurking inside. The madman deftly uses the mansion’s hidden tunnels and trapdoors to stalk the students.
Hell Night makes more effort at characterization than most early slasher movies. Linda Blair’s character, Marti, is atypically smart and brave when compared to other final girls of that era. The movie also has an interesting tragic villain.
Where to Stream Hell Night: Peacock
6. Edge of the Axe (1988)
Edge of the Axe is a Spain-produced slasher (with English dialogue) about a series of killings that occur in a small California town. A college computer nerd and his quirky blonde love interest attempt to find the perpetrator before it’s too late. This movie has a character that gets killed inside a car wash. Major creativity points there!
Edge of the Axe’s production values and acting are adequate at best, but it has unique qualities that make it worth remembering. It’s one of the earliest horror movies to depict the use of the internet. It also has a cool twist ending and a creepy final image.
Where to Stream Edge of the Axe: Apple TV+
5. Sweet Sixteen (1983)
Melissa, a beautiful and enigmatic teen girl, moves to a small Texas town where the redneck locals coexist uneasily alongside the region’s Native population. Every high school boy in town wants her, but somebody has other ideas. One by one, the boys who pursue Melissa are hunted down and killed.
The local sheriff attempts to uncover the killer’s identity while trying to manage the local racial tensions. The town is loaded with plausible suspects, but the identity of the killer, when it is finally revealed, is genuinely surprising.
Sweet Sixteen features two alumni of famous slasher franchises. Dana Kimmel, who portrays the sheriff’s daughter, played the lead in Friday the 13th Part 3. Donald Shanks, who plays one of the suspects, portrayed Michael Myers in Halloween 5. Sweet Sixteen is also notable for its surprisingly progressive (for the time) depiction of Native American characters.
Where to Stream Sweet Sixteen: Amazon Video
4. Stage Fright (1987)
Stage Fright is an obscure Italian giallo about the cast and crew of a stage production who are locked inside a theater. They are rehearsing for an important upcoming show. Unfortunately, they’re not alone. Someone has decided that this will be their last performance.
Related: 10 Awesome Giallo Films Every Horror Fan Must Watch
Stage Fright is enhanced by the killer’s creepy and creative owl costume. I’m not sure how the producers came up with such a bizarre outfit, but it’s offbeat and unsettling. I wouldn’t want to encounter this guy in a dark theater!
Where to Stream Stage Fright: Apple TV+
3. Bloody Birthday (1981)
Three psychopathic kids who share the same birthday wreak havoc and commit murder while pretending to be sweet and innocent. This movie is unapologetically shameless and tasteless. It’s definitely not for anyone who is easily offended.
Bloody Birthday is unique among my underrated slasher movies because of the young ages of its antagonists. It is not the only horror movie to portray small children as evil, but it’s certainly among the most memorable.
The kid actors deserve credit here. All three, especially the girl, really give it their all. They look like they’re having a ball playing these malicious devils.
Where to Stream Bloody Birthday: Tubi
2. Just Before Dawn (1981)
This backwoods slasher is one of the few horror movies set in Oregon. A group of campers hoping to claim inherited land run afoul of a family of hulking inbred hillbillies. Just Before Dawn has a fun and suspenseful sequence set on a precarious suspension bridge.
This movie takes full advantage of its scenic setting. The beautiful foliage and waterfalls are an ironic backdrop for a series of gory murders.
Just Before Dawn isn’t well-known, but it does have its share of admirers. Author Stephen Graham Jones is apparently a big fan. The protagonist of his novel My Heart is a Chainsaw is obsessed with this movie and makes numerous references to it.
Where to Stream Just Before Dawn: Amazon Video
And The Top Underrated Retro Slasher…
1. Tourist Trap (1979)
Tourist Trap is about a group of friends who happen upon a weird wax museum while traveling through the desert. What starts as a mild diversion turns into a day of terror as they realize that the museum is not what it seems.
This movie throws everything and the kitchen sink at us. How many movies have eerie wax figures, creepy mannequins, supernatural shenanigans, and a human villain? It shouldn’t work, but somehow it does.
Tourist Trap has plenty of unforgettable moments, including a disturbingly realistic-looking sequence in which a victim drowns in wax. For its sheer entertainment value, plus plenty of creepiness, Tourist Trap is my pick for the #1 most underrated retro slasher movie.
