Elements of the slasher movie date as far as back with movies like Psycho (1960) and Peeping Tom. Yet, Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980) are considered the first horror movies to be called ‘slashers.’
Horror fans know and celebrate the likes of famous ’80s slasher movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), but there are a number of other similar entrants out there waiting to be discovered. Fortunately, Amazon’s Prime Video is streaming 10 of these underrated 1980s slashers today.
10 Final Exam (1981)
In this 1981 no-frills slasher movie directed by Jimmy Huston (My Best Friend Is a Vampire), a college campus is targeted by a killer in a black mask. It’s mid-terms time at this North Carolina university, and some students are left behind to finish their exams. Sadly for them, they won’t be making it home for the break.
A tie-in novelization for Final Exam was written by Geoffrey Meyer. Among other notable differences, the killer’s motive is more apparent than in the film.
9 Madman (1982)
In what many consider to be a rip-off of Friday the 13th, Madman maintains some individuality because of its killer’s origin and death scenes. However, it follows a similar formula as the aforesaid movie.
In Madman, an urban legend about a homicidal patriarch murdering his family leads to the killer’s return. A summer camp is now besieged by the maniacal Madman Marz.
8 Blood Rage (1987)
Thanksgiving-set horror movies are rare so this 1987 slasher is unique for that alone. Evil twins used to be a common theme in storytelling. In this hack-’em-up emboldened by effective practical gore, the plot device is put to good use.
In Blood Rage (also known as Nightmare at Shadow Woods or Slasher), a boy’s twin committed a heinous act when they were both younger. The guilty one is sent away to a mental hospital until he escapes years later. That Thanksgiving, he returns to finish what he started.
7 Sorority House Massacre (1986)
Hyped up as a Halloween successor by some, this exploitative slasher is more akin to A Nightmare on Elm Street. By that, the plot rests on the protagonist’s prophetic dreams. A pledge’s ominous visions come true as she brings danger to her sorority house over Memorial Day weekend.
Much like the Slumber Party Massacre films, Sorority House Massacre is produced by Roger Corman and directed by a woman. In this case, the director is Carol Frank.
6 Blood Beat (1982)
In what is said to be one of the kookiest movies to come out of eighties horror, Blood Beat has a bizarre, if not unique, plot. This straight-to-video effort was Fabrice A. Zaphiratos’ directorial debut, not to mention his last film as a director.
In Blood Beat, a rural Wisconsin town is under attack by the spirit of a samurai whenever a specific woman sexually pleasures herself.
5 The Boogeyman (1980)
German director Ulli Lommel delivered an offbeat slasher with 1980’s The Boogeyman (also known as The Bogeyman in the UK). In the film, a single mother’s abusive boyfriend is murdered by her son. Somehow, the boyfriend’ spirit is then stored inside a nearby broken mirror.
Years later, the same mirror finds its way to the boy and his sister, both of whom are grown adults. The enraged spirit is then released and takes his revenge.
The film has two sequels; both of which are made up mostly of stock footage.
4 Frightmare (1981)
Also known as The Horror Star, Frightmare is a supernatural slasher where Ferdy Mayne plays a Vincent Price-like horror icon. When the actor dies, a group of drama students steals the body. Their doing so incidentally unleashes black magic that will do them in, one by one.
This Frightmare is not to be confused with the 1974 movie of the same name. This one so happens to have the horror film debut of Jeffrey Combs of Re-Animator fame.
3 The Mutilator (1984)
The Mutilator was originally slated to be called Fall Break before the name change. It’s noteworthy for its theme song and an array of gruesome death sequences. Those scenes almost earned its an X-rating, by the way. Critics were certainly not kind to the movie when it was initially released.
In The Mutilator, several college students go on a vacation at a beachfront property. There, the group is brutally attacked by a man called Big Ed.
2 Ghostkeeper (1981)
This Canadian movie almost never saw the light of day due to so many financial problems. During production, its already-small budget was drained mid-way. But, by some miracle, Ghostkeeper received a diminutive theatrical release.
In this supernatural slasher, travelers are surprised by a blizzard on New Year’s Eve. As a result, they get trapped at a spooky and empty Rocky Mountain resort. Or, so they thought it was empty.
1 Body Count (1986)
Although Italian horror is thought to be only made up of only giallo, there are movies like Body Count where the story is more straightforward.
In this 1986 slasher (also known as Camping Terror), friends visit an old summer camp that was shut down because of its past as a place of murder. As it turns out, the site was built on a Native American burial ground. The killings resume, but are they really the work of a mystical shaman?
Director Ruggero Deodato is best known for his seminal horror mockumentary Cannibal Holocaust.
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