- 5 minutes ago
The slasher genre has seen a major comeback with innovative and terrifying new films. Discover which recent slashers have flown under the radar but are packed with suspense, gore, and creative twists that deserve your attention.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Slashers have had a resurgence in the last few years, as can be evidenced by recently spawned
00:05IPs like Terrifier, Fear Street and Ty West's X. Though the genre can be formulaic, Bodies Bodies
00:11Bodies and In A Violent Nature proved there's still plenty of ways to put a creative spin on
00:16the genre. Scream's Twilight Years seemed to be a punnet at one point, but the latest outing was
00:22the most successful entry yet, proving hack and slash flicks are back bigger than ever. Of course,
00:27with so many masked killer horrors dominating at once, there were bound to be a few stragglers.
00:33Despite showing promise, the entries on this list came and went with little fanfare,
00:37usually because of poor marketing, too much competition or the concept was too niche.
00:42Although loyalists should be familiar with a couple of these entries, some are virtually unknown,
00:47which is a huge shame considering how much innovation they harbour. Scream 7 and the upcoming
00:52scary movie Return may have been getting a ton of hype, but these recent slashers deserve just as
00:58much attention, if not more. I'm Sean Ferry for WhatCultureHorror and here are recent slashers that
01:04deserve more attention. The Conference
01:07In this Swedish dark comedy, a group of municipal employees attends a team building repeat when a
01:12masked killer begins picking them off one by one. What stands out about The Conference above all else is
01:18its biting commentary on workplace culture. Rather than putting their differences aside when bodies
01:22start to drop, the employees try to find a way to benefit from the lethal situations they can climb
01:29the work ladder. Although the bloodbath is initially horrifying, the victims are gradually depicted in
01:35a more unflattering light. As such, it's hard to know who to root for, especially after seeing the
01:41characters' fake smiles and forced camaraderie. Even though it would have been easy for the ensemble to be
01:46portrayed as power-hungry caricatures, each of them is believable, making their fates pack a sizeable
01:51punch. Rather than relying on gore, the twisted horror builds suspense through its pacing and atmosphere,
01:57but rest assured it totally delivers on vicious kills. Available on most streaming services, including
02:02Netflix, The Conference is worth a look for anyone in the mood for a subversive slasher. The Blackening
02:08In this horror comedy, seven friends reunite for a Juneteenth getaway in a remote cabin,
02:13unaware they're being targeted by a mysterious assailant. After being forced to play a board
02:17game centered around black culture, secrets amongst the group are slowly unearthed. Even
02:23though the blackening could be let down by bottom-of-the-barrel jokes, it works because the
02:28self-aware script celebrates and pokes fun at classic tropes. It does a fine job of embracing
02:33clichés while other times turning them on their head, keeping you on your toes. The gang are fully
02:39aware of the horror stereotypes, literally rolling their eyes when they realize they have to split up
02:43or investigate a strange noise outside. What truly makes The Blackening shine is its dynamic cast and
02:49the natural chemistry between them. Due to their witty banter and distinct personalities, you get a great
02:55sense that these characters have been through thick and thin, making it more impactful when bodies start
03:01piling up. With a 97-minute runtime, The Blackening never outstays its welcome, cramming every scene
03:07with gut-bursting lines, memorable kills and genius visual gags. Sick. Produced by Blumhouse and
03:14distributed by Peacock, Sick centers around two friends, Parker and Miri, quarantining during the
03:19Covid pandemic. When they discover intruders have broken in, the pair realize nobody will come to their
03:25aid due to the lockdown, meaning they have to rely on themselves to survive the night. Rather than trying to
03:30have a heavy-handed message surrounding the pandemic, Sick uses the isolation as a narrative device.
03:35Based on the premise, we know the chances of somebody coming to Parker or Miri's aid are slim
03:40to none, adding a permeating feeling of dread. The performances from leads Gideon Adlin and Beth
03:45Millian are top-notch, bringing authenticity to the escalating chaos, and their chemistry makes the stakes
03:51feel real, elevating every chase and confrontation. It's refreshing to see how briskly Sick moves, cutting out
03:58the unnecessary filler and focusing on well-executed set pieces. The kills are fierce yet beautifully
04:04staged, so they never come across as gratuitous. At the same time, there's a layer of dark humour and
04:10self-awareness that keeps things fresh. Though hype for Sick never took off, it's one of the most intense
04:15slashers to come out in recent years. Silent Night, Deadly Night
04:19Even though the original Silent Night, Deadly Night was intended as a sincere horror, the murderous Santa
04:24saga quickly descended into a meme-generating parody, especially after that Garbage Day clip from the
04:32first sequel went viral. After churning out subpar installments and a lousy remake, it felt like the
04:39Christmas-themed brand was finished. However, 2025's Silent Night, Deadly Night took a back-to-basics
04:45approach, being a legitimate fright-fest above all else. Although the reboot embraces the campiness of
04:51the 1984 cult classic, there's a bigger push on character depth and emotional tension. The updated
04:57storyline explores trauma with nuance, giving the protagonist a detailed backstory that adds weight.
05:03Rowan Campbell brings a believable vulnerability to the psychotic Billy Chapman, making his descent
05:08into madness oddly sympathetic. The nods to the classic never feel shoehorned in, but are noticeable
05:14enough for purists to appreciate. At the same time, this Silent Night, Deadly Night stands on its own,
05:19so newbies should find it equally enjoyable. Though this iteration could have been a bare bones remake,
05:25it ended up being the best entry in the series. Totally Killer
05:28Like Back to the Future, but with more stabbing, Totally Killer centres around high schooler Jamie,
05:33who's accidentally transported 30 years into the past. While trying to find a way home, Jamie bumps
05:38into her teenage mother, Pam. Knowing her mom is destined to be killed by the Sweet 16 killer in her
05:44timeline, Jamie must do what she can to change the future. Rather than copying Back to the Future to
05:50a T, Totally Killer finds imaginative ways to differentiate itself. Instead of Jamie being pals
05:56with her mom, she's surprised to see Pam is a bully, making it harder to get close and protect her.
06:01The kills are inventive without being overly grim, and the whodunit mystery is compounded by red herrings,
06:07keeping viewers guessing until the end. Visually, Totally Killer leans into retro aesthetics, creating an immersive
06:13throwback atmosphere. Although the film could be bogged down by excessive 80s references, the gags are
06:19clever, like when Jamie points out how un-PC the school mascot is or how the drugs are noticeably
06:25weaker. Anybody eager to watch a horror flick with its tongue firmly in cheek should give Totally Killer
06:31a go. Heart Eyes
06:32Heart Eyes revolves around a masked sicko who targets loving couples each Valentine's Day. Our lead,
06:38Ally McCabe, is anti-romance, so she should be off limits to the Heart Eyes killer. But when
06:43HEK mistakes Ally and her work colleague Jay Simmons as an item, the platonic pair find themselves on
06:50his radar. Leads Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding have effortless chemistry, especially when they're
06:55trying not to have chemistry to stay alive. Even though the stakes are sky high, it's funny to see
07:00Ally and Jay's non-flirtatious behaviour being misconstrued by HEK as affection, compounding the
07:06killer's drive to murder them. Although light-hearted horrors often tone down the violence, Heart Eyes goes in the
07:13opposite direction, kicking things off with a poor woman being pulverized by a grape juicer. This
07:18execution grabs your attention straight away, emphasizing that the deaths are going to be
07:23elaborate and messy. For this reason the titular villain feels like a genuine threat, despite the
07:29fact that the movie regularly pokes fun at tropes in horror and rom-coms. Though a sequel is in the
07:34works,
07:35Heart Eyes failed to make a profit, but if the follow-up does well, the love-hating sicko could become
07:40the
07:41next iconic slasher villain. Influencers. Influencer is a smart horror indie that creatively explores
07:48the pitfalls of social media. After the film's success, it was reassuring to hear a sequel was
07:52greenlit. Even though Influencers is just as solid, it didn't leave as much of an impression as its
07:57predecessor. The first installment followed an insane woman called CW, who's hell-bent on murdering
08:03and replacing an online celeb using deepfakes to steal their life. Rather than repeating the original's
08:09formula, Influencers shows CW in a different dilemma. This time CW settles down in France
08:15with her girlfriend Diane, hoping to quash her destructive nature. But after being pestered
08:19by content creators, CW finds herself falling back into bad habits. This time around CW comes across
08:26less like a master manipulator and more like an addict who's trying to better herself yet still
08:31succumbing to her obsession. When she kills Diane, CW creates deepfakes of her, not just to cover her
08:37tracks, but as a coping mechanism for grief. Moments like this show CW isn't a clear-cut monster,
08:43but a broken human being. There's gore aplenty, but Influencers is more depressing than scary,
08:49since it shows how the pursuit of clicks and subscribers can be self-destructive.
08:53Thanksgiving. Though Thanksgiving began as a fake trailer for 2007's Grindhouse,
08:59the horror community wanted the holiday-themed teaser to be turned into a reality. Although Eli Roth
09:04teased the possibility nothing came of the project for over a decade, but after a long,
09:09long wait, a full-length feature of Thanksgiving hit theatres. Set in the town of Plymouth,
09:15the locals find themselves being terrorised by a John Carver-masked psycho in the week leading up to
09:21the festival. Despite the straightforward premise, Roth stuffs Thanksgiving with all his best ideas.
09:26It opens with a visceral massacre and a Black Friday sale, which is sure to get under anybody's skin
09:31long before the killer shows up. The film boasts a great cast, especially Patrick Dempsey and Rick
09:36Hoffman, the latter taking a sizeable chomp out of every scene he's in. Even though most of the
09:42characters are jackasses, they don't feel like cannon fodder. Each of the victims is well-written
09:47and played delightfully, making their inevitable demise more powerful or satisfying. Thanksgiving
09:53made a profit and is getting a sequel, but it still deserves more credit, considering it's arguably the
09:58best entry in Eli Roth's repertoire. Dangerous Animals. Sean Byrne's survival drama follows Zephyr,
10:05a drifter who is abducted by sadistic sea captain Bruce Tucker and imprisoned on his boat. When Zephyr
10:10learns Bruce feeds his prey to the local sharks, she sets her sights on escaping. Due to the marine
10:16location, there's a relentless sense of dread and isolation, which should leave anyone constantly on
10:22guard. Yet, Dangerous Animals is disarmingly frightening right from the opening sequence.
10:27Jai Courtney plays Bruce with playful charisma, making it more shocking when he nonchalantly guts
10:32his victims. Although slashers tend to rely on contrivance or convenience, Dangerous Animals has
10:38no room for sloppy writing. The key ensemble feels like flesh and blood human beings, keeping viewers
10:43invested throughout. Even though Zephyr is resourceful, the sinister captain is terrifyingly adaptable,
10:49taking every precaution imaginable to make escape impossible. Jump scares are a bomb,
10:54but they feel earned rather than forced. The pacing is airtight, ensuring there's never a dull moment
10:59while still allowing tension to build naturally. Thanks to the sharp script, focus on atmosphere,
11:04and Jai Courtney's career-defining performance, Dangerous Animals is a splasher slasher that horror
11:10veterans should sink their teeth into.
11:12And again…
11:12Tina…
11:12So…
11:12…
11:12anderer…
11:12Her