Revenge may be a driving motivator for a plethora of slashers, but it’s frequently when slashers collide with the supernatural that provides the most enduring form of slasher entertainment. Part of that is by necessity, of course, just look to popular horror franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Child’s Play, Leprechaun, […]
Death Spa – Fandango at Home, Fawesome, Tubi
Also known as Witch Bitch in Europe, this wacky ‘80s slasher movie takes aim at the decade’s fitness craze in the most entertaining way. Michael Evans (William Bumiller) owns and runs a high-tech health club, but it soon becomes plagued by a series of freak accidents and bizarre deaths. It turns out his deceased wife holds a massive grudge and has taken to possessing the facility and gym equipment to torment Michael from beyond the grave. A ghost that kills out of jealousy through gym equipment is every bit as silly and entertaining as it sounds.
Evil Dead Trap – Fandor, Hoopla, NightFlight+, Prime Video, Screambox
This Japanese giallo-style slasher is for fans who love over-the-top plot reveals and an extra helping of sleazy gore and inventive, gruesome kills. The plot follows a late-night talk show host, Nami (Miyuki Ono), and her crew as they investigate the origins of a snuff film shot at a nearby facility. The atmospheric setup eventually goes off the rails most unpredictably, but director Toshiharu Ikeda wastes no time acclimating viewers with a gnarly burst of ocular trauma straightaway. It signals precisely the type of bloody madness in store. That the killer employs elaborate traps to commit murder means that someone beat Saw to the punch by over a decade. Fans of Malignant will want to check this one out.
I, Madman – MGM+, Tubi
When Virginia (played by Near Dark’s Jenny Wright) receives a package containing pulp horror novel I, Madman, reading it brings the villainous madman into her world. The lines between fiction and reality blur as Virginia becomes the killer’s target and the body count rises. I, Madman was directed by Tibor Takács (The Gate and Gate 2: The Trespassers). The Gate’s SFX artist Randall William Cook provided the stop motion animation and played the monstrous madman. Creatures, kills, and a pulpy feel make this 80s horror movie a unique slasher that also happens to be set over the holidays.
Maniac Cop 2 – Fandango at Home, Pluto TV, Prime Video, Roku Channel, Screambox, Tubi
From writer Larry Cohen and director William Lustig, this sequel wastes no time dispatching the protagonists of the previous entry. That means getting caught up quickly with a new pair of heroes to battle undead maniac cop Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar), and this time, he’s enlisted an ally in the form of a serial killer. Expanded mythology, new characters, and double the baddies are the tip of the entertaining iceberg here. It’s a sequel that manages to top the original, and in true ’90s style, Maniac Cop 2 even comes with a rap theme song. All set over Christmas, of course, if you’re looking for a seasonal slasher treat.
The Mightnight Meat Train – Fandango at Home, Fawesome, Hoopla, Roku Channel, Tubi
If the previous titles are too unserious or retro for your tastes, director Ryuhei Kitamura brings the gore and modern viciousness with this pick. Based on Clive Barker’s 1984 short story of the same name, The Midnight Meat Train follows a photographer obsessed with dark subject matter, getting in over his head when he discovers a serial killer who butchers unsuspecting night commuters in grisly fashion. Bradley Cooper stars as Leon Kaufman, the photographer who stumbles upon and then becomes obsessed with the ruthless serial killer. There’s a very supernatural reason behind the killer’s motives in this savage supernatural slasher.
