Maybe extra so than another horror subgenre, slasher movies produce probably the most sequels. Nonetheless, there are some traditional slasher motion pictures from the Nineteen Eighties which have by no means turn into franchises, regardless of being completely terrifying. Although some proto-slashers have been launched beforehand, the ’80s was when the style lastly discovered its footing, and a lot of the tropes have been established.
Virtually each slasher movie has a masked killer, a bunch of promiscuous younger adults, and a excessive physique rely to fulfill the bloodthirsty horror hounds. The perfect examples handle to subvert expectations whereas additionally leaning into the exact same tropes which have turn into beloved fixtures. Films like Friday the thirteenth set the stage, however it was not alone.
The aforementioned film spawned quite a few sequels, however many glorious ’80s slashers didn’t. A number of the best slashers from the ’80s have been standalone movies, and by no means obtained the sequel remedy. A couple of have been remade, however the filmmakers have been content material to let the horrifying flicks converse for themselves.
Slaughter Excessive (1986)
Although Slaughter Excessive seems like simply one other gory revenge slasher on the floor, it provides fairly a couple of nice and nightmarish surprises. It follows the traditional prank-gone-wrong format, with a highschool nerd seemingly stalking his former classmates 10 years after his authentic torment. What it lacks in story originality, it makes up for with brutal results and intelligent kills.
The movie by no means actually had an opportunity to make sequels, although it does finish with the door large open for extra. Slaughter Excessive was, and nonetheless is, one thing of a cult traditional, so the financials weren’t proper to show the murderous exploits of Marty right into a franchise.
Joyful Birthday To Me (1981)
Halloween and Friday the thirteenth turned holidays into popular subjects for horror films, thus Joyful Birthday to Me continued the development. Years after her associates skipped her party, a prep-school senior turns her violent rage into actuality. The Canadian horror flick melds thriller with overt violence, and it is a lot creepier than the same old slasher.
The film’s convoluted plot wraps up considerably succinctly, although intelligent writing might have definitely turned Joyful Birthday to Me right into a franchise. Few Canadian horror movies from that interval obtained sequels, although the movie’s modest monetary success might have justified a follow-up.
The Prowler (1981)
Traditional ’80s slashers are usually cheesy, however The Prowler is a legitimately scary movie. Virtually 40 years after a brutal homicide, a small city levels their first faculty commencement in a long time, just for the killings to start out once more. The story is streamlined, and the kills are made even spookier by glorious results from Tom Savini.
The Prowler was buried beneath a heap of different slashers attempting to capitalize on the brand new craze. It seemed to be a ripoff, however was truly among the finest horror movies from the early days of the last decade. Sadly, the movie carried out poorly on the field workplace, killing any hopes of the titular Prowler returning for extra mayhem.
The Funhouse (1981)
Tobe Hooper delivered an all-time nice proto-slashers with The Texas Chainsaw Bloodbath, and he returned to the style for The Funhouse. Teenagers sneak right into a carnival attraction, solely to be stalked by the murderous denizens of the touring funfair. Not like the same old slasher components, The Funhouse additionally has a monster aspect, tipping the style in a brand new course.
The Funhouse is the kind of movie that was by no means meant to have a sequel, and the battle is resolved with a pleasant punctuation mark. It was made with Hooper’s themes of alienation and disillusionment, so a sequel in all probability would have tarnished the unique movie’s complexity. The Funhouse was no flop, however wasn’t a smash-hit both.
Fade To Black (1980)
Not like lots of the craze movies that got here out a yr later, 1980’s Fade to Black is an entirely authentic slasher movie that blazes its personal path. The story considerations a movie geek who’s rejected by a lady, solely to show his film obsession right into a murderous rampage. Fade to Black embraces tropes, however is not restricted by them.
The story was instructed from the attitude of the villain, so the ending was conclusive. Each element of the film was distinctive and particular, and it could not have been recreated in a follow-up. It was a monetary smash, however the tragic finale was the end result of the whole plot, and could not be reversed for the sake of a sequel.
Items (1982)
Just a few years into the slasher period, motion pictures like Items started pushing the style to sickening new lows of shock and depravity. A mysterious killer is choosing off college students at a Boston faculty and utilizing their varied components to make a macabre murals. Because the film’s tagline boldly declared, Items is “precisely what you suppose it’s.”
The movie is so over-the-top and violent that it reaches giallo levels of absurdity, and the film dumps a bucket of blood in almost each scene. This made Items a dare movie, and its controversy definitely held it again from reaching a really large viewers. Its premise was additionally considerably limiting, making a sequel nearly unattainable to stage.
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
1981 was arguably the very best yr for slasher motion pictures, and My Bloody Valentine is a crown jewel. A small mining city is terrorized by the threats of a killer, and people threats come true when a Valentine’s Day social gathering is staged. With its creepy mine setting and iconic killer costume, My Bloody Valentine is like its contemporaries, solely higher.
In 2024, Blumhouse introduced a reboot of My Bloody Valentine was within the works.
The Canadian slasher featured distinctive kills and a genuinely compelling thriller, and rapidly grew to become a cult traditional after its lackluster debut. A sequel was by no means on the playing cards, however that has by no means been dominated out both. My Bloody Valentine was remade in 2009, however has but to obtain a correct follow-up in additional than 40 years.
The Burning (1981)
Few movies unabashedly ripped off Friday the thirteenth like The Burning, and even fewer did it as successfully. Capitalizing on the Cropsy city legend in New York state, the movie considerations a vengeful camp caretaker who hacks and slashers younger campers. The film stole its concepts from Friday the thirteenth, however accentuated them with type and gore.
The Burning was fast-paced and scary, and the particular results have been a step above the same old slasher cash-ins of the early ’80s. The film was not a lot of a monetary success, and has since turn into an all-time cult traditional. Whereas its legacy lives on, the numbers simply weren’t proper to convey Cropsy again from the grave for one more spree.
Intruder (1989)
The slasher was already getting fairly drained by 1989, however Intruder breathed new life into the style by embracing custom with a couple of notable twists. The in a single day inventory crew of a grocery retailer are hunted and killed by a mysterious determine. The film’s setting provides the chance for creativity, and Intruder has enjoyable with its premise from begin to end.
With quite a lot of the Evil Lifeless crew concerned within the movie, the underrated slasher has a considerably tongue-in-cheek high quality. Because the film’s whole premise is constructed across the retailer, a sequel to Intruder would by no means have made sense. To not point out, the low-budget indie film flew manner too far below the radar to realize an enormous viewers.
Terror Prepare (1980)
Halloween cemented Jamie Lee Curtis as a legendary scream queen, and Terror Prepare is one other one in every of her traditional horror gems. Years after pranking a classmate so badly that he was hospitalized, a number of faculty college students rejoice their commencement with a costumed prepare trip. Each element of the movie is window dressing, however Terror Prepare is endlessly entertaining.
The costume social gathering gave the killer a myriad of disguises, and the prepare setting added a claustrophobic stress. The slasher was successful, however no direct sequel ever materialized. Nonetheless, Terror Prepare was remade in 2022, and was adopted by a sequel in the identical yr.
