Black Christmas 1974

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysBKrRtBuag




Halloween 1978

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74WPex_92xw




Friday The 13th 1980

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYLWO3NokyY




Just Before Dawn 1981

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdtTZH9VisA




Happy Birthday To Me 1981

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEalmOJsvM0




My Bloody Valentine 1981

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkREc4kLv7k




The Burning 1981

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y8v_urfL-k




Hell Night 1981

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKX_-u_dI04




The Prowler 1981

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_DaO4-N3oo




Alone In The Dark 1982

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrmgGP_37EU




I know some people consider Psycho to be a slasher, and though I agree it was one of the main influences on the sub-genre, I don't think it's a true slasher film- which is why it's not part of my Top 10 list...

Ok, tried not to list anything that's already in your list, but I think a couple of titles slipped past me and I'm too lazy to edit.

1. Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

This disturbing shocker melds slasher violence and giallo artistry in a tale of a masked, raincoat-clad child murderer who may or may not be a child herself. Alice is blamed for the death of her little sister (played by a very young Brooke Shields), of whom she was insanely jealous, and as she seeks to clear her name, the body count rises, and even the audience isn't sure if she's innocent or not. A stunning, atmospheric whodunit.

2. Child's Play (1988)

Child's Play isn't often mentioned when it comes to slashers, but it has all the goods: a homicidal maniac (who just happens to be a doll), grisly murders, a high body count and a killer who just. Will. Not. Die. Unlike most slasher villains, Chucky is verbose and fond of wisecracks -- like Freddy in A Nightmare on Elm Street -- although the original Child's Play is less comedic than later sequels (again, like Nightmare). I think it's hardly a coincidence that the My Buddy dolls faded in popularity soon after this film came out.

3. Evil Dead Trap (1988)

Before the onslaught of ghost stories, Japanese horror was often as graphic and low-brow as American. Exhibit A: Evil Dead Trap. This is brutal, graphic stuff (Pierced eyeball anyone?). The plot begins a bit like David Cronenberg's Videodrome: the hostess of a late-night submit-your-own-video TV show receives a mysterious submission that appears to be a snuff film. She investigates its origin with members of her crew, tracking it back to an abandoned warehouse. There she runs headlong into a trap (some might call it evil) set by a masked killer clad in military gear. He offs them one by one in wonderfully elaborate set pieces (foreshadowing Saw). The ending must be seen to be believed...if not really understood.

4. Halloween (1978)

The film that started it all. Although there were technically a few other slashers before Halloween, none came close to having the lasting impact of John Carpenter's classic. Thanks to Halloween, we now have genre standards like virginal heroines, masked, unstoppable killers and open-ended conclusions. Its success opened the door for the flood of slasher movies during the '80s and helped sustain the viability of independent film in general -- horror or otherwise. The story is as simple as a scary bedtime story -- an escaped mental patient who murdered his sister returning to his childhood home to wreak havoc -- but it's so exquisitely executed, from the direction to the acting to the creepy score, that Halloween has become legend.

5. Alone In The Dark (1982)

This is an unusual entry: a slasher with multiple, unmasked killers and respected veteran actors like Donald Pleasance, Martin Landau and Jack Palance. These three add a level of class to a film about four mental patients -- a child molester, a deranged war vet, a psycho preacher and someone known only as "The Bleeder" -- who escape their asylum and attack the family of a new psychiatrist, whom they mistakenly believe killed their old doctor. (They are crazy, after all.) Scary, fun, well-written and overlooked.

6. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2007)

While not always laugh-out-loud funny, this is a ceaselessly entertaining mockumentary that exploits the conventions of the slasher genre in often brilliant ways. In the story, Leslie Vernon is a serial killer looking to take his place alongside the likes of Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers. A documentary crew follows him on his journey as he reveals the trade secrets of the killing game, which play upon established slasher clichés.

7. Blood Feast (1963)

Known as the first splatter film, Blood Feast was directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. The plot of the film revolves around a crazed caterer who chops up people and uses them in religious rituals (as well as adding them to his food).

8. Peeping Tom

This British horror film doesn’t exactly fall into the slasher category, but it certainly had a major influence on the genre. In it, a lonely man kills women and records their dying moments. In some cases, he also has a contraption which allows the women to see themselves as they expire. Made in 1960, it was an incredibly controversial film at the time, and director Michael Powell’s career greatly suffered after its release.

9. Torso (1973)

After a number of college students turn up dead, four girls head to the safety of a country estate. Of course, the killer follows them there. This Italian film is considered a forerunner to the modern slasher movie.

10. Eyes of A Stranger (1981)

Starring The Love Boat's Lauren Tewes and a very young Jennifer Jason Leigh, you might think this would end up as a Lifetime movie of the week, but it's actually a nasty, gory flick that mixes slasher showmanship with crime thriller grittiness. Tewes plays a news reporter who believes that her neighbor is the serial rapist and killer (not to mention crank phone caller) who's been terrorizing the city. She plays a cat-and-mouse game that comes back to bite her when the killer goes after her blind and deaf sister (Leigh). As with so many great horror films of the era, Tom Savini handled the makeup effects.

Nice list, Red. Another great Italian forerunner to the slasher genre is Mario Bava's Bay of Blood. Seen it?

Also have you seen HG Lewis' sequel to Blood Feast? Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat?

The aforementioned ones are good-I would add the Hellraiser series, though.

i always did like the hellraiser movies. the second one was my fav.

Nice! I'm a huge fan of the second one, definitely one of the best horror sequels ever.

Yet another classic horror film getting remade...

i kinda like the one where they were in space too... but not enough
pinhead tho...

Anyone seen Blood Ranch 2006?

Yes, I enjoyed that one. I also really liked Sleepover Nightmare 2005- totally cheesy, but felt right at home as a throwback to 80's slashers.

I also really liked Detour '03- and not just because all the females wore extremely tight short shorts.

The Legend Of Samhain Jenna Jamison

The Cottage 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jTxHwJZeu8

I want to watch that!! Looks Funny

Severance 2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFGbgbF5RUc

It is. A great blend of humor and horror.

If the OP includes horror/comedy mixes, the Evil Dead Series (including Army Of Darkness)is awesome

Personally I never considered those slashers, but the Evil Dead series is indeed awesome!


Where's Evil Dead 4?

And one more thing- have you seen the short film Sam Raimi/Bruce Campbell did in the 70's called Within The Woods? It was a promo for prospective investors for Evil Dead. It's really good and it's interesting seeing ideas in that later used in the first and even second Evil Dead(like Ash becoming possessed)

Dang, I knew I would forget one in my Top 10-

House On Sorority Row 1983

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5CPZG5I4NM

They copied the Bleeder scene from Alone In The Dark(when he starts bleeding on the sister) in the slasher flick- Valentine.

it was that movie where bruce campbell played himself and went to that town where they thought he was a monster slayer... it was kinda funny.