5 Ultimate Forgotten Slasher Films That Demand To Be Seen

Tyler Doupe' |

May 10, 2022

Of all the horror subsets, I suspect the slasher genre is the most widely beloved. It’s a challenge to get the collective fanbase to unite around found footage, torture porn, or just about any other subgenre. Yet the horror community typically seems to come together anytime a new installment in a beloved slasher franchise is announced. With that said, there are still a number of flicks of the stalk-and-slash variety that don’t get the love they deserve. And that is a damn shame.

Read on for five slasher films that deserve their moment in the sun!

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

This slasher from the director of Warm Bodies experienced a troubled road to distribution. It remained almost impossible to find for several years, before eventually receiving a small-scale, stateside release. Accordingly, the flick has been passed over by a lot of horror fans. But the long road to release has absolutely nothing to do with the film’s quality. The distribution snafu likely pertained to difficulty identifying the picture’s audience; it is slightly more cerebral than your typical slasher feature.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is a bit more character-driven and has something of an arthouse feel to it. But this high school slasher is supremely enjoyable and takes full advantage of the remote, isolated, farmhouse locale where the majority of the action unfolds. The film serves up plenty of memorable kills along the way to an unpredictable conclusion. It may just inspire you to give it a second look to look for clues you may have missed the first time.

Slaughter High

This film about a prank gone horribly wrong was released as part of Lionsgate’s ‘The Lost Collection’ a few years back. And heralding the film as ‘lost’ is a pretty fair assessment. Slaughter High has remained largely overlooked for years. And while it isn’t top-tier horror, it is absolutely worth checking out. The film’s tone is more mean-spirited than a lot of its contemporaries, serving to give the killer additional motivation for an epic revenge spree that unfolds at a high school reunion. The deaths are visceral and creative, making this an entertaining and unsung effort that should definitely be on your radar.

Intruder

If a grocery store seems like an odd setting for a slasher film, that’s because it is. However, this flick makes the most of an unexpected location and uses the setting to serve up some inventive sendoffs. And did I mention the film features early career appearances by Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi, and Bruce Campbell?

While Intruder isn’t a perfect film, the concept of a group of employees trapped in their workplace overnight with a killer on the loose provides a serviceable backdrop that works within the slasher template effectively. Director Scott Spiegel demonstrates a knack for tension building. He also serves up some inspired camera angles that set this apart from a lot of lesser, late ‘80s stalk-and-slash efforts.

Dream Home

Sadly, foreign language horror almost always seems to live in obscurity. I understand that having to read captions can be off-putting. But to proactively avoid subtitles is to miss out on some of the best efforts the horror genre has to offer. And Dream Home is absolutely top-notch horror. A knockout performance from star Josie Ho elevates this darkly comedic slasher effort to the level of greatness. Ho stars as Cheng Lai, a young woman that isn’t willing to let anything stand between her and the luxury high rise of her dreams. Even murder.

The flick is brimming with social commentary on the housing market circa 2010. And it is still quite relevant today, as rising property values put the dream of homeownership further and further out of reach for so many people.

Hell Night

This campus slasher, which features Linda Blair in a starring role is surprisingly competent, considering how overlooked it is. The flick features a (mostly) likable cast of characters and a handful of solid kill scenes. The pacing is a bit wanky at times. But if you can look past that, I think you will find this stalk-and-slash effort that pits sorority and fraternity pledges against a crazed killer has a lot to offer.

It’s too bad this picture lives in relative obscurity, as I think the killer has an engaging backstory, and (at one point) the property may have even had franchise potential.