8 Best Slasher Movies of All Time

By Vlad Zakh · February 8, 2026

The slasher built a whole subgenre out of masked killers, doomed teenagers and a few unbreakable rules. Scream has a masked killer terrorizing a small town, A Nightmare on Elm Street has a killer stalking teens in their dreams, and I Know What You Did Last Summer has friends stalked a year after a cover-up. X, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Black Christmas and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre round out the eight.

X (2022)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A group of young filmmakers shooting an adult film at a rural farmhouse are stalked by their elderly hosts.

Directed by Ti West · 1h 46m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

TMDB ★ 6.0

Four friends who covered up a fatal accident are stalked a year later by someone who knows.

Directed by Jim Gillespie · 1h 42m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Philo, YouTube TV, AMC · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Scream (1996)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Reinvented the slasher genre by having its characters know the rules of one.

Directed by Wes Craven · 1h 52m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Peacock Premium, Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 93% Metacritic 76

A killer who hunts teenagers in their dreams can only be stopped by staying awake.

Directed by Wes Craven · 1h 31m · Rated R

7 wins & 8 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Friday the 13th (1980)

TMDB ★ 6.4

Counsellors reopening a cursed summer camp are stalked one by one by an unseen killer.

Directed by Sean S. Cunningham · 1h 35m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Halloween (1978)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 97% Metacritic 91

The slasher template, built almost entirely around one relentless, silent killer.

Directed by John Carpenter · 1h 31m · Rated R

9 wins & 3 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+ · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Black Christmas (1974)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 73% Metacritic 65

A sorority house is stalked by an unseen caller over the holidays.

Directed by Bob Clark · 1h 38m · Rated R

3 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Fandor, Shudder · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 85% Metacritic 92

A group of friends fall prey to a cannibalistic family in rural Texas.

Directed by Tobe Hooper · 1h 23m · Rated R

4 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Slasher Movies of All Time

X (2022)

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Scream (1996)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Friday the 13th (1980)

Halloween (1978)

Black Christmas (1974)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

You might also like

20 Best Halloween Movies

6 Best Babysitter Movies

6 Best Summer Camp Slasher Movies

50 Best Horror Movies of All Time

12 Best 90s Horror Movies

6 Best Donald Pleasence Movies