Editorials
10 Great Modern Slasher Films You Might Have Missed
For the stalwart slasher fan, we’re still waiting on the modern revival. After rising to overwhelming prominence in the early ‘80s- an era dubbed the Golden Age of Slashers- the slasher slipped into dormancy in the ‘90s. It wasn’t until the massive success of Wes Craven’s Scream that it saw a resurgence, which died down quickly again at the turn of the century. The baton passed to the emerging extreme horror dubbed “torture porn” in the early aughts.
While the slasher has yet to receive a modern equivalent to Halloween or Scream to inspire the next wave of slashers, all hoping to cash in on that same innovative success, that doesn’t mean it’s been a wasteland for the subgenre. Far from it. The 21st century, so far, delivered numerous franchises like Hatchet and Wrong Turn, sequels to popular series Scream and Halloween, endless remakes, and a slew of original slashers like Happy Death Day and You’re Next. That doesn’t remotely cover the international or independent releases, many of which have fallen through the cracks.
For the diehard slasher fans, these ten underseen slashers bring the fun.
Dream Home
Most slashers frame their narratives through the protagonist, which is most often the final girl. 2010’s Dream Home takes the rarer route by showing the perspective of the killer as she’s driven to kill. Cheng Li-sheung works two jobs to save up enough to purchase her dream flat. Her efforts are thwarted at every turn, from the ailing health of her parents to consistent obstacles at the bank. Cheng Li-sheung breaks and unleashes ultimate carnage. Told in a non-linear format, nothing about Dream Home is conventional. It’s a refreshing take on the slasher, and it’s extreme. If you like your slashers extra gory, this is it.
Dude Bro Party Massacre III
Despite the title, this is a standalone horror-comedy with no previous installments. Created by the comedy troupe 5-Second Films, and based on a five-second short, Dude Bro presents as a lost film that’d been banned in the ‘80s. Thus intentional lo-fi, VHS quality grit. As for the plot, a masked killer named Motherface targets and slaughters fraternity bros. Loner Brent Chirino infiltrates a popular frat to catch the killer. It’s a comedy that plays up the laughs and stupidity but never dumbs down the gorier elements. Dude Bro makes for such a goofy slasher parody that it’s near impossible not to boost your mood while watching.
Lake Bodom
Anytime “based on a true story” pops up in a horror movie, it’s understandably met with eye-rolls and skepticism. In Lake Bodom, co-writer/director Taneli Mustonen uses the unsolved 1960s Lake Bodom murders that rocked Finland as a launchpad to create a slick, dynamic slasher. Set in the present day, a new foursome of friends decides to camp at the site of the 1960 murders, hoping to solve the case by reconstructing that ill-fated night by the minute. Naturally, things go awry after nightfall, and the killings begin. There’s plenty of originality in the story, but don’t expect a significant break from slasher tradition. Do, however, expect gorgeous cinematography and to have that need for a well-executed slasher well met.
Scare Campaign
One of the most tried and true tropes in the subgenre is the prank gone wrong. An ill-executed prank often makes for a handy catalyst to murder. Writer/directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes take it to the next level. Scare Campaign is a hidden camera prank show, where the cast and crew set up elaborate schemes to scare its targets silly on camera. The hijinks are becoming so involved, however, that it’s getting dangerous. When a rival web series threatens to usurp their ratings, and they’re encouraged to up the ante, things get deadly quick. The Cairnes first lean into expectations in terms of plot, then subvert it. More importantly, it’s a lot of fun, and the kills are delightfully bloody.
Psycho Beach Party
A strange comedic blend of ‘60s beach party movies, psychodrama, and ‘80s slasher, this parody based on an off-Broadway play brings the camp. Lauren Ambrose leads as the Gidget-like Florence, a young woman determined to become the first female surfer at Malibu Beach. Complicating matters is a string of murders, in which Florence becomes the prime suspect because of her dissociative identity disorder. In terms of kills, Psycho Beach Party is pretty tame. This is more of a genre-adjacent spoof than an outright slasher movie, so this pick is more for fans seeking something outside of the box.
Among the Living
By now, thanks to Shudder, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s third feature has grown a little less obscure. The setup sees three boys skip school to hang out and explore an abandoned film studio. There they witness a masked man dragging a woman across the lot. The kids manage to flee, unaware that the masked man saw them and is determined to silence them forever. Part Amblin coming of age tale, part slasher, Among the Living doesn’t reach the same intense heights as their debut, Inside. Still, with central protagonists that have barely hit puberty, Bustillo and Maury aren’t afraid to put their characters through the wringer.
Severance
The director of Triangle and Black Death, Christopher Smith, shows off his funny bone in this comedic slasher. The sales division of a military arms corporation embarks on a team-building retreat in the mountains but find themselves under siege by a masked killer instead. Aside from the wry office humor involved, that this sales team works for an arms company means you can expect a wide array of weaponry at the characters’ disposal. You can also expect things to get very violent. It’s kill or be killed in sales, after all.
Party Hard Die Young
This European slasher harkens back to the post-Scream slasher craze, but with a modern polish. Meaning if you’re feeling nostalgic for the teen slashers of yesterday, this is a worthwhile watch. For Julia, her friends, and hundreds of recent high school graduates, a getaway to a Croatian island resort is supposed to offer the best time of their lives. Instead, it turns into a fight for survival. Julia’s friend is found dead under mysterious circumstances, and the body count quickly rises from there. It’s a straightforward, no frills slasher under bright neon haze and a contemporary setting. That’s not a bad thing here. While the killer’s ultimate motivation is familiar, the identity is far less predictable.
Lesson of the Evil
Described as Dexter meets Battle Royale, leave it to Takashi Miike to bring the disturbing horror. The plot sees a popular high school teacher concoct a plan to address rising bullying and bad behavior among the student body. If you guessed death and mayhem, then you’d be correct. Lesson of the Evil is essentially a slow-burn slasher that crescendos into a shocking, violent climax. There’s a whole lot of taboo-breaking and bloodletting in this gruesome feature revolving around a sociopath, but with Miike’s distinct sense of humor. Its subject matter means this one isn’t so easy to find.
Cold Prey
Both Cold Prey and Cold Prey 2 should be required viewing for the slasher fan. While snowboarding in the mountains, an accident leaves Jannicke and her friends in search of shelter. They stumble upon a nearby abandoned motel and quickly realize they’ve become trapped inside with a deranged killer. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any stretch, Cold Prey thrills anyway with fantastic set pieces, creepy atmosphere, and nail-biting tension. Jannicke makes for a tremendous final girl that doesn’t get near as much recognition as she should. Cold Prey 2 borrows heavily from Halloween 2, offering a clean continuation of Jannicke’s battle against the menacing Mountain Man.
Five decades ago, Stephen King published the story of a bullied girl with telekinetic powers and forever changed the world of horror.
Carrie follows a high school misfit who seeks revenge for a hideous prank by psychically destroying her senior prom. The name Carrie White has become synonymous with the concept of a formal dance thanks to a flawless adaptation from Brian De Palma. Now fifty years after the film’s release, Mike Flanagan is putting his own stamp on the troubling story.
Rather than a feature film, the writer/director will expand King’s relatively slim debut novel into an eight-episode miniseries for Amazon Prime set to premiere on October 7.
Flanagan is no stranger to the world of Stephen King. A long-time Constant Reader, he first made waves with his daring adaptation of Gerald’s Game (2017), a novel many fans considered un-filmable. His underrated Doctor Sleep merges the disparate plot of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining with King’s original source material, and his 2024 genre-bending tearjerker The Life of Chuck faithfully executes one of the author’s most metaphysical novellas.
He’s currently mired in pre-production for an expansive adaptation of The Dark Tower series, keystone to King’s connected universe, and Warner Bros. recently announced that Flanagan will helm a new version of The Mist, King’s 1980 novella which sees a small Maine town overrun by otherworldly monsters.
Considering the vast array of the author’s previously unadapted material, an obvious question arises. Why reimagine Carrie in 2026? Noting the timeless nature of the content, Flanagan expressed his desire to bring the story of a bullied girl into modern times, mirroring his approach to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. He explained, “The only way to approach it was to build something new out of the ingredients of Carrie. Otherwise, there’s really no purpose in trying to retread ground that’s been so beautifully walked before.”
His miniseries will maintain the novel’s bloody bookends while delivering “big surprises” along the way.
A New Prom Night Nightmare
The roughly 60-second teaser introduces Summer H. Howell as Carrie White just before the moment of catastrophe. Standing in a prom dress, she smiles at her applauding classmates with an ominous crown perched upon her head. Moments later, Carrie unleashes a rage-filled scream into the night air while promgoers rush for the exit doors. But careful examination of this scene shows Carrie wearing a different, albeit dirty dress as she seems to telekinetically punish her peers.
In an exclusive first look with Entertainment Weekly, Flanagan explains that in his version of the story, “the events of that prom are going to be completely different.” An open trunk emitting a crimson glow does hint at the pig’s blood dumped on Carrie’s head, but it’s likely Flanagan’s formal dance will be a different kind of horror altogether. Despite these changes, the series may end with the widespread destruction outlined in the source material. Unlike any previous adaptations, King’s novel ends with the near-total destruction of Chamberlain, Maine. A flaming street in Flanagan’s trailer promises similar carnage no matter what prank sparks Carrie’s deadly revenge.
The Monstrous Addition of Social Media
On the opposite end of this fiery conclusion is an extreme act of bullying that brings together the story’s main cast. King’s novel begins as Carrie gets her first period while showering in the girls’ locker room. Completely unaware of the concept of menstruation, the sheltered girl thinks she’s bleeding to death. Her classmates respond with vitriolic rage. Led by ultra-mean girl Chris Hargensen (Alison Thornton), they mock the terrified teen while pelting her with tampons. Glimpses of this disturbing event reveal that Flanagan has excised the scene’s nudity while adding a seismic update. As Carrie sobs in the shower stall, Chris and her friends film the breakdown with their phones.
Other scenes note the presence of social media, bringing King’s fifty-year-old story into the digital age.
Flanagan’s adaptation promises to explore the destructive power of social media, an often invisible entity with a potential for harm rivaling Carrie’s own powers. While King’s tormented heroine suffers in front of a small group of girls, Flanagan’s version of the incident will likely become a viral video, potentially circling the globe on social media. Similar to Katt Shea’s criminally underrated The Rage: Carrie 2, which includes elements of revenge porn exploitation, Flanagan’s modern retelling will distinguish itself by exploring the nebulous cruelty of online bullying, a force ten times more powerful than the irl pranks King first envisioned.
A Completely Reimagined White Family
In addition to modernizing these canon events, Flanagan hints at updates to Carrie’s oppressive upbringing at the hands of her mother, Margaret White (Samantha Sloyan). Dead before the novel begins, we never meet Carrie’s domineering father Ralph, known to carry a bible alongside his gun. Flanagan’s White household will be an altogether different beast. In his version of the story, Carrie and her mother have been hidden away in the unassuming home, forced out of hiding by Ralph’s unexpected death. Perhaps we will finally meet this elusive man whose shadow hangs over his wife and child. Considering the White family’s fundamentalist lifestyle, this reimagining hints at tradwife culture and a home ruled by staunch patriarchal control.
Whereas King’s Carrie has been tormented by her classmates since Kindergarten, Flanagan’s Carrie will be a wide-eyed newcomer to public school, eager to make friends and engage with her peers. We glimpse Carrie cozying up to Chris and the equally popular Sue Snell (Siena Agudong) as she navigates a new social scene. Of course, we know this kindness is part of an elaborate plot designed to lull Carrie into a false sense of camaraderie, setting up an atrocious act of public humiliation. These brief moments of feigned compassion put Sue’s own complicity into question. Will Flanagan’s version of the character find the courage to defend Carrie from vicious bullies or will she succumb to peer pressure and join in the mob mentality?
Perhaps the biggest deviation from King’s original text is the relationship between Carrie and her mother. King’s Margaret White is a horrifically abusive religious zealot whose worldview has been hardened by internalized misogyny. She shames Carrie for menstruating, locks her in a closet to “pray,” and regrets not killing her child in infancy. She’s also responsible for Carrie’s social ostracization. Known to berate her neighbors for their “sins,” Margaret forces her daughter to live by an extreme code of conduct and disallows any potential friends lest they corrupt the girl with their worldly ways.
Flanagan’s version of the character is perhaps just as much a victim as Carrie herself. Also trapped inside her home, his Margaret is overly vigilant, her own trauma manifesting as strict control. Describing a more sympathetic depiction of the iconic villain, Flanagan explains, “Our Margaret White is a woman who fiercely loves her daughter and wants to protect her from this world … [She] doesn’t know how to do that and thinks the way to protect her is to close her off; not punitively, but to create this private utopia.”
Despite this potential softening, Sloyan’s Margaret may still have a sharp edge. Though she has appeared in many Flanagan projects, from Hush (2016) to The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), she is best known for her role as the abhorrent Bev Keane in the poignant saga Midnight Mass (2021). Perhaps inspired by King’s Margaret White, Bev is pious and sadistic, willing to punish anyone who does not adhere to her warped approximation of Catholicism.
Flanagan specifically wrote Margaret with Sloyan in mind, likely remembering the actress’s eerie ability to create deceptive empathy and shift our allegiances on a dime.
Expanding Stephen King’s Telekinetic Universe
While most of King’s story deals with an unthinkable prom night in Chamberlain, Maine, large sections of the semi-epistolary novel see experts debating the nature of telekinesis. Do Carrie’s frightening abilities represent a new phase in human evolution or is the prom night carnage merely a fluke? King settles the debate with a shocking denouement in which a young mother recounts her infant daughter’s ability to dangle her crib toys in midair. We’re left to wonder if she will become another tormented girl who surprises the world with metaphysical strength.
Flanagan plans to build out this brief scene while amplifying themes of female empowerment. After introducing our main cast of characters, episode two will open with an unrelated story in which we meet another girl with the TK gene. Each subsequent chapter will expand this world, building out a roster of telekinetic young women. Considering King’s fondness for stories about powerful kids, often described as possessing “the shining,” Constant Readers will no doubt have their eyes peeled for various Easter Eggs nodding to the author’s vast catalogue.
Giving Carrie Her Own Voice
Perhaps the most striking distinction in Flanagan’s new trailer is the extent to which we hear Carrie’s voice. The sneak peek is fully narrated by the titular prom queen as she demands accountability. “I want to know why,” she explains while detailing Chris’ elaborate plan. Aside from the aforementioned coda, King’s book essentially ends with the aftermath of the prom night tragedy, leaving little time for Carrie to reflect. His shifting narrative does bring the reader into her fragile mind, though not before she’s been cowed by relentless cruelty. We watch Carrie sink into bloodthirsty revenge, but never hear a considered desire for justice or repair.
Flanagan’s original monologue allows Carrie to voice her pain and mourn the life she could have had. We’re also treated to a mug shot-style photo of Chris with a bruised and bandaged face, implying that the mean girl will have to answer for her senseless sadism.
Flanagan is known for filling his series adaptations with heartwrenching speeches that cut to the heart of his thematic intentions, and this teaser seems to follow suit. After years of fans, critics, and scholars analyzing Carrie’s pain, perhaps his modern retelling will offer the titular anti-hero a chance to finally speak for herself.
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