[Editorial] 9 Best Slashers Released Within 10 Years of Scream (1996)

The slasher sub genre has always been huge in the world of horror, but after the ‘70s and ‘80s introduced classic characters like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Leatherface, and Jason, it’s not harsh to say that the ‘90s was slightly lacking in the icon department. 

That was until 1996 when Wes Craven crashed back into the scene with the meta-slasher Scream (1996) and changed the world of horror forever. He showed that slashers still had plenty to offer a horror-loving audience and the love for Scream showed that the slasher formula was as popular as ever. 

Due to Scream’s popularity, the next few years saw a slasher resurgence with original titles and additions to long-loved series popping up all over the place. So let’s check out some of the best slashers that were released in the 10 years following Scream’s premiere.

9. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Released just a year later, and penned by Scream writer Kevin Williamson, I Know What You Did Last Summer is one of the best whodunit horror movies out there. After a car accident on the Fourth of July sees a group of friends hitting a stranger on a remote road, they decide to dump the body in the ocean rather than ruin their lives. 

However, a year later it seems that someone knows what they did and is intent on making them pay. As the teens try to work out who they hit and who may have seen them do it, the killer in his fisherman’s garb starts to pick them off one by one. 

I Know What You Did Last Summer also gave us one of the most iconic horror characters and death chases ever with Helen Shivers, played by the wonderful Sarah Michelle Gellar.

8. Urban Legend (1998)

Set on the campus of Pendleton University, Urban Legend features a hooded killer who sets up elaborate scenes to kill their victims using urban legends. At the heart of the mystery is Natalie, whose ex-best friend is the first victim. As the rest of her friends start to die around her, she desperately tries to piece together the clues and discover the killer’s true motive.

There’s not a single bad death scene in this movie, with Natalie’s roommate Tosh and advice DJ Sasha receiving the most iconic kills. And Brenda’s reveal as the killer is fantastic. Not only has she played the hapless best friend for most of the movie, but she also prepared a slide presentation for her big explanation speech at the end. What more could you ask for in a killer?

7. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

20 years after the release of the original Halloween (1978), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later took us back to the world of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. It did what the franchise would soon become famous for, reworking the facts of the past sequels to allow Laurie to return to the screen and face off with the boogeyman once again. 

After faking her death, Laurie has changed her name to Keri Tate and is the headmistress of a fancy boarding school that her son, John, attends. As Halloween approaches, Laurie’s worst fears come true when Micheal finally tracks her down and forces her to face the monster from her past head-on.

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6. Cherry Falls (2000)

After Scream showed that horror could be meta and turn those genre expectations on their head, Cherry Falls decided to go one step further and have a killer that only targeted virgins. Our final girl is Jody, the daughter of the local sheriff who has just broken up with her boyfriend Kenny because he won’t stop pressuring her to have sex. 

Once the local teens find out the killer's MO, they decide to throw a sex party which will see as many people as possible lose their virginities and remove themselves from the killer’s hit list. 

This is another great murder mystery, diving into generational trauma and leaving you guessing about the real killer until the final act.

5. Valentine (2001)

I’m a huge fan of seasonal horror movies, and Valentine is here to make Valentine’s Day a spooky holiday. After the death of their friend Shelley, a group of lifelong pals find themselves the target of a stalker/killer in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. 

They immediately suspect Jeremy Melton, a classmate from their school days who was humiliated by most of the girls but especially Dorothy at a Valentine’s Day dance. But the killer wears a creepy Cupid mask, so we don’t find out the real killer until the closing moments of the film. With an amazing 2001-era soundtrack and Paige’s spectacular hot tub death, Valentine is an amazing standalone slasher movie.

4. Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

A collaboration that was teased in the final shot of Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) finally hit our screen ten years later with Freddy vs. Jason. Set in the town of Springwood, Freddy brings Jason back to life to spread fear among the locals so Freddy will be powerful enough to kill teens in their dreams again. 

However, things go wrong quickly when Freddy realises Jason cannot be controlled, and the two end up fighting each other. Lori and her ex-boyfriend Will team up to try and take down both killers and save the town from the impending bloodbath. Someone gets snapped in half in a bed, Katharine Isabelle is the wonderful Gibb, and Freddy turns into a giant bong-smoking worm at one point. What’s not to love about this film?

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

It was only a matter of time before we got a slasher remake on the list, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of the first classic movie franchises to be remade in a post-Scream world. Taking a very different tone and approach to violence compared to the original, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is arguably almost as good as the original. 

This time around Leatherface’s family is a little more fleshed out (and straight-up horrible) and the chainsaw-wielding killer is less complex and more bloody-thirsty, but it’s so interesting to see a different take on the same story that this remake is one of the best.

2. Wrong Turn (2003)

Similar in set-up to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wrong Turn sees a group of young people trapped in a remote location after a spot of car trouble. While trying to find help, they stumble across a group of hillbilly cannibal killers who are very skilled with a range of weapons and can climb trees really fast. All of this adds up to one of the scariest lost-in-the-woods slashers ever. 

Wrong Turn features some fantastic death scenes, as well as some terrifying chases through the woods as Jessie and her friends try to live through the night. Most of the sequels in this series may be a little on the bad side, but the first Wrong Turn is so iconic it’s no wonder they tried to keep the cannibal killers on our screens as long as possible.

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1. House of Wax (2005)

Another remake with a tonal shift is the wonderful House of Wax. After twins Carly and Nick, and the rest of their group are left stranded when one of their cars is sabotaged, they end up in the town of Ambrose. Once famous for its House of Wax attraction, the town is now almost deserted. However, things turn dark very quickly when the twins discover that everyone in the town is a wax model apart from killer brothers Bo and Vincent.

Intent on carrying on their mother’s legacy, the brothers have been filling the House of Wax and the rest of Ambrose with their victims. The most iconic part of the whole film has to be Wade’s death scene. From the moment Vincent sneaks up behind him and snips his Achilles tendon with a pair of scissors, to him being coated in wax, and then discovered as a living wax model later on - the whole sequence is perfection.

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