What’s the best slasher film of all time?
This past summer, the Chiller TV channel listed the top 13 slasher films of all time. The list featured many of the usual suspects (Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs and Candyman’s Tony Todd); however, the ordering of the slasher films and their villains was highly unexpected. Now, Hollywood Soapbox readers, it’s your time to chime in.
The Chiller list included Leather from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th films, both appropriate for a top 13. Psycho’s Norman Bates and Child’s Play’s Chucky are easy to add to the group as well.
The surprises came when the Chiller folks threw a curveball and included Dexter Morgan from the recently wrapped Dexter series on Showtime.
Michael Myers from Halloween was bound to be #1, at least on most lists, but the producers decided to turn the tables and award top billing to — spoiler alert! — Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Having Freddy on the list is a no-brainer for most horror fans, but placing him above John Carpenter’s scary Halloween creation and even Anthony Perkins’s iconic portrayal of Norman Bates seems somewhat unfair. After all, didn’t Psycho reinvent the horror genre, and then didn’t Halloween reinvent the reinvention? A Nightmare on Elm Street, certainly original, came after these slasher flicks.
Scream’s Ghostface, another creation from Wes Craven (the director responsible for Elm Street), was also high on the list, so maybe there are some people who crave Craven at Chiller.
Johnny Depp’s performance as Sweeney Todd in Tim Burton’s musical film was the oddest choice. The movie is too recent to register on top genre lists, and most people remember Sweeney Todd for its Stephen Sondheim musical numbers, not Burton’s film. Ditto for Christian Bale in American Psycho, which also made the list.
Clive Barker’s Pinhead character from the Hellraiser series makes more sense, mostly because that movie villain has become part of cinematic lore.
What do you think of awarding A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger as the best slasher villain of all time? Leave your comments in the field below.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
