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As one of the popular entertainment of the Reagan era , the slasher plastic film became as omnipresent as Cabbage Patch Kids and company lines , and the emergence of VHS and home entertainment systems left America champ at the routine for a constant flow of the type of creative thinker - blunt gore only the subgenre could supply . Like most trend , the slasher gold rush flare out fast , reaching peak popularity by mid - tenner and all but dying out by 1989 . Still , the amount of films let go during those years was massive , and for everyFriday the 13thsequel orHalloweenripoff , there ’s strong gold , bury slasher that got lost in the shuffle . Below are the ten best slashers you ’ve probably never hear of .
Nightmare In A Damaged Brain (1981)
When personal effects superior Tom Savini has to distance himself from your film , you eff you ’ve done something decently in the jolt section . Romano Scavolini ’s slasher landed on the UK ’s infamous “ video nasty ” list is one of the picture that actually earned its reputation with its story of a man who leaves a psychiatrical introduction to hunt down and murder his ex - wife and kid . The controversy surrounding the film got so great when a distributor was sentenced to eighteen calendar month in prison for refuse to edit out a moment of violence , that Savini ( who had been rumor to be involve in its creative activity , likely to supercharge the pic ’s profile ) had to make out out and publicly deny that he had anything to do that . He should have taken it as a compliment , asNightmare In A Damaged Brainremains a brutally effective , sexually - discompose psycho chiller from the slasher genre ’s golden earned run average .
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1982)
Academy Award nominee Susan Tyrell much immolates the CRT screen in this Oedipal repulsion show , in which she stars as a cleaning woman whose out or keeping intimate tending for her teenage nephew top to madness and gore .
Tyrell lead from gorgeous to viciously reptilian in the blink of an oculus in her tour - de - personnel performance , and the movie ’s homosexual subplot , though not particularly microcomputer , is an intriguing early instance of gay life portray in a mainstream cinema genre .
The Mutilator (1985)
Probably the only slasher with its own chipper original topic song and end credits montage , Buddy Cooper’sThe Mutilatorhas become something of a classic in its own right as revulsion fans have rediscovered it during the current dress shop Blu - ray recording label boom . A jolly simple plot of ground about a group of more - likable - than common kids drop fall break at a beachside cabin turn into one of the brutal photographic film in the subgenre , with an conclusion that packs a genuine worked up punch .
Blood Hook (1986)
During a Wisconsin town ’s yearly “ Muskie Madness ” sportfishing competition , a group of young people encounter a killer with a penchant for dragging teens below water with an outsize Pisces hook . Jim Mallon ’s totally insane regional shocker is so much skillful than a picture show about a murderous fishing enthusiast has any right to be , with a surprisingly square ( if extreme ) patch and plenty of clapper - in - cheek humor . Fun fact : Mallon would later go on to executive get the universally - lovedMystery Science Theater 3000 .
Slaughterhouse (1987)
Slashers tend to lack much artistic flourish , but writer / director Rick Roessler’sSlaughterhouseis the rare entry in the subgenre that feels like the person behind the camera is n’t asleep at the wheel . When the owner of a long - shuttered shambles ( Don Barrett ) is strong - armed into selling his property by local government agent , he let loose his rotund , simple - apt Logos to cut down a bloody swath through the townsfolk that wrong him .
With off - kilter humor , inventive kills and cadaverous art counselling to rival the originalTexas Chain Saw Massacre , Slaughterhouseis a forgotten slasher as stylish as it is disgusting .
Blood Harvest (1987)
Cult managing director Bill Rebane , notorious for his onlinerantsand outsized taste for his own work , did make one essential picture during his combat-ready eld , and that film stars Tiny Tim . stemma Harvest , another Wisconsin - shot regional travail , boast the magnificently eccentric recording creative person as a mentally - inauspicious former clown who may be stalk his township ’s new distaff arrival . Rough around the boundary and made on a budget too little to be called shoestring , Rebane ’s film is a gauche , dark , sexually perverse little bloodletting that ’s totally worthwhile .
Blood Rage (1987)
The tagline “ This Thanksgiving , it ’s not cranberry sauce ! ” narrate you all you need to know about this slasher dedicate to the vacation least - represented in horror cinema . A brilliantly brutal effect showcase about two Twin Falls ( one trade good , one evilness ) feature an outre operation by Louise Lasser , Blood Rageis worthy of annual see for those who like a little ultraviolence with their dressing .
Cheerleader Camp (1988)
Featuring adolescent idol Leif Garret and bad movie manor hall - of - famer Lucinda Dickey ( Ninja III : The Domination),Cheerleader Campproves that sometimes what the stock old summertime ingroup slasher needs is a fun theme to keep thing zippy . Betsy Russell ( later a fixture of theSawfranchise ) star topology as Alison , a cheer police captain haunt by pom pommy - fill up nightmares that may or may not be connected to the deaths of her admirer and squadmates .
More silly than shivery , Cheerleader Campstill delivers on its ludicrous premise with mascot dancing conflict , 80s teenager sex comedy guffaw and a last twist so sound it merit its own life stick .
The Undertaker (1988)
Italian - American actor Joe Spinell ( The Godfather , Crusing ) may be most famous for his fret - slicked , insane - eyed turn as mommy - obsessed serial orca Frank Zito in William Lustig ’s sleaze classic , Maniac , but this deranged twist as a homicidal funeral manager in one of his final roles before his expiry is just as good , if not better . The cinema was long only useable in bootlegs or heavily cut , but has recently been reconstruct . And thank goodness : The Undertakerfeatures Spinell at his monstrous , flamboyant sound !
Cutting Class (1989)
Rospo Pallenberg’sCutting Classisn’t just notable as the first film to have Brad Pitt in a major purpose , but it also show that there was something churning in the post - modernistic waters before Wes Craven hail along and re - excogitate the genre withScreamin 1996 . Taking an excited interest in its characters , Cutting Classfeels a bit like a teen drama before the body count begin produce and the wheels fall off in a deliciously over - the - top finale , winking and nudging all the way . Easily one of the most entertaining films of the 80s slasher cycle , Cutting Classfeels at once of its time and ahead of it .
NEXT : Child ’s Play Review : You ’ve Got A Friend In This Slasher remaking
