Top Tier Slasher/Survival Horror Movies
A list of the very best slasher and survival horror movies, all rated 8+ by Eric Myford, author of The Encyclopedia of Horror & Suspense Movies book series...
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- DirectorBernard RoseStarsVirginia MadsenXander BerkeleyTony ToddThe Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampJohnny DeppRobert EnglundTeenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.
- DirectorChuck RussellStarsHeather LangenkampRobert EnglundCraig WassonA psychiatrist familiar with knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.
- DirectorTony MaylamStarsBrian MatthewsLeah AyresBrian BackerA former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.
- DirectorAdam GreenStarsKane HodderJoel David MooreDeon RichmondWhen a group of tourists in a New Orleans haunted swamp tour find themselves stranded in the wilderness, their evening of fun and spooks turns into a horrific nightmare.
- DirectorScott GlossermanStarsNathan BaeselAngela GoethalsZelda RubinsteinThe next great killer and psychopath has given a documentary film crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the quiet town of Glen Echo.
- DirectorGreg McLeanStarsNathan PhillipsCassandra MagrathKestie MorassiThree backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local.
- DirectorGreg McLeanStarsJohn JarrattRyan CorrShannon AshlynThe outback once more becomes a place of horror as another unwitting tourist becomes the prey for crazed, serial-killing pig-hunter Mick Taylor.
- DirectorSean S. CunninghamStarsBetsy PalmerAdrienne KingJeannine TaylorA group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.
- DirectorJoseph ZitoStarsErich AndersonJudie AronsonPeter BartonAfter being announced dead and taken to a morgue, Jason Voorhees spontaneously revives, escapes from the hospital, and stalks a group of friends renting a house in the countryside near Crystal Lake.
- DirectorJeremy SaulnierStarsChris SharpKate PorterfieldTess Porterfield LovellA random invitation to a Halloween party leads a man into the hands of a rogue collective intent on murdering him for the sake of their art, sparking a bloodbath of mishap, mayhem and hilarity.
- DirectorTom HollandStarsCatherine HicksChris SarandonAlex VincentA struggling single mother unknowingly gifts her son a doll imbued with a serial killer's consciousness.
- DirectorDon ManciniStarsChantal QuesnelleFiona DourifJordan GavarisAfter her mother's mysterious death, Nica begins to suspect that the talking, red-haired doll her visiting niece has been playing with may be the key to recent bloodshed and chaos.
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsOlivia HusseyKeir DulleaMargot KidderDuring their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsMarilyn BurnsEdwin NealAllen DanzigerFive friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsDennis HopperCaroline WilliamsJim SiedowA radio host is victimized by the cannibal family as a former Texas marshal hunts them.
- DirectorMarcus NispelStarsJessica BielJonathan TuckerAndrew BryniarskiAfter picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a deformed chainsaw-wielding loon and his family of equally psychopathic killers.
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsTed LevineKathleen QuinlanDan ByrdA traveling family falls victim to a group of mutated cannibals in a desert far away from civilization.
- DirectorFabrice du WelzStarsLaurent LucasBrigitte LahaieGigi CoursignyMarc, a traveling entertainer, is on his way home for Christmas when his van breaks down in the middle of a jerkwater town with some strange inhabitants.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsKurt RussellZoë BellRosario DawsonTwo separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.
- DirectorNarciso Ibáñez SerradorStarsLewis FianderPrunella RansomeAntonio IranzoA couple of English tourists arrive on an island where all the children have gone crazy and are murdering the adults.
- DirectorRobert HiltzikStarsFelissa RoseJonathan TierstenKaren FieldsBunks and showers are a mad stabber's beat at a summer camp strictly for teens.
- DirectorEdward AndersonStarsTony CurranPeyton ListCameron GoodmanA late night airport shuttle ride home descends into darkness.
- DirectorPatrik SyversenStarsHenriette BruusgaardJørn Bjørn Fuller GeeLasse ValdalThe summer of 1974, four young people are all ambushed and left unconscious. They wake up deep in the woods with no one around but the sound of a hunting horn.
- DirectorJames WongStarsDevon SawaAli LarterKerr SmithAfter getting a premonition about a plane crash on his school trip, Alex, a student saves a few of his classmates. However, their situation gets complicated when death starts chasing them.
- DirectorDavid R. EllisStarsA.J. CookAli LarterTony ToddDeath is stalking Kimberly Corman and multiple survivors of a deadly highway accident.
- DirectorAlexandre BustilloJulien MauryStarsAlysson ParadisJean-Baptiste TabourinClaude LuléFour months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceJamie Lee CurtisTony MoranFifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
- DirectorRick RosenthalStarsJamie Lee CurtisDonald PleasenceCharles CyphersWhile Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteA year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsCécile de FranceMaïwennPhilippe NahonBest friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.
- DirectorRob ZombieStarsSid HaigKaren BlackBill MoseleyTwo young couples traveling across the backwoods of Texas searching for urban legends of murder end up as prisoners of a bizarre and sadistic backwater family of serial killers.
- DirectorRob ZombieStarsSid HaigSheri Moon ZombieBill MoseleyThe murderous, backwoods Firefly family take to the road to escape the vengeful Sheriff Wydell, who is not afraid of being as ruthless as his target.
- DirectorWilliam LustigStarsRobert DaviClaudia ChristianMichael LernerA supernatural, maniac killer cop teams up with a Times Square serial killer.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
- DirectorChristopher SmithStarsDanny DyerLaura HarrisTim McInnernyDuring a team-building retreat in the mountains a group of sales representatives are hunted down one by one.
- DirectorAnthony HickoxStarsZach GalliganDeborah ForemanJennifer BasseyA wax museum owner uses his horror exhibits to unleash evil on the world.
- DirectorEli CraigStarsTyler LabineAlan TudykKatrina BowdenAffable hillbillies Tucker and Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are mistaken for murderers by a group of preppy college students.
- DirectorJonathan LevineStarsAmber HeardAnson MountWhitney AbleA group of high-schoolers invite Mandy Lane, an innocent, desirable girl, to a weekend party on a secluded ranch. While the festivities rage on, the number of revelers begins to drop mysteriously.
- DirectorRyûhei KitamuraStarsVinnie JonesBradley CooperLeslie BibbA photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsTatsuya FujiwaraAki MaedaTarô YamamotoIn the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
- DirectorCharles E. Sellier Jr.StarsLilyan ChauvinGilmer McCormickToni NeroLittle Billy witnesses his parents getting killed by Santa after being warned by his senile grandpa that Santa punishes those who are naughty. Now Billy is 18 and out of the orphanage, and he has just become Santa himself.
- DirectorMarcus DunstanStarsJosh StewartEmma FitzpatrickChristopher McDonaldA man who escapes from the vicious grips of the serial killer known as "The Collector" is then forced to help rescue an innocent girl from the killer's booby-trapped lair.
- DirectorMario BavaStarsClaudine AugerLuigi PistilliClaudio CamasoThe murder of a wealthy countess triggers a chain reaction of brutal killings in the surrounding bay area, as several unscrupulous characters try to seize her large estate.
- DirectorYoshihiro NishimuraStarsEihi ShiinaItsuji ItaoYukihide BennyIn future Tokyo, a young woman in the privatized police force tracks down her father's killer while battling against mutant rebels known as engineers.
- DirectorRobert HallStarsBobbi Sue LutherKevin GageLena HeadeyA young girl wakes up in a casket with a head injury and no memory of her identity. She quickly realizes she was abducted by a serial killer and she must fight to survive.
- DirectorAmy Holden JonesStarsMichele MichaelsRobin StilleMichael VillellaA female high school student's slumber party turns into a bloodbath, as a newly escaped psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill prowls her neighborhood.
- DirectorDave ParkerStarsSophie MonkTad HilgenbrinkWilliam SadlerA group of young horror fans go searching for a film that mysteriously vanished years ago but instead find that the demented killer from the movie is real, and he's thrilled to meet fans who will die gruesomely for his art.
- DirectorRyan NicholsonStarsAlastair GambleMihola TerzicNathan WitteA bowling night will turn into a bloody death match for a team of teenagers, as a deranged serial killer is taking them down one by one.
- DirectorTom ShanklandStarsEva BirthistleStephen Campbell MooreJeremy SheffieldA relaxing Christmas vacation turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the children begin to turn on their parents.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsSusanne LotharUlrich MüheArno FrischTwo violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.
- DirectorMats StenbergStarsIngrid Bolsø BerdalMarthe Snorresdotter RovikKim Arne HagenJannicke wakes up in the hospital. All of her friends are dead. As she walks through the dark corridors, she thinks she is left alone. But the nightmare isn't over yet.
- DirectorHo-Cheung PangStarsJosie HoChing WongHelen ToCheng Li-sheung is a young, upwardly mobile professional finally ready to invest in her first home. But when the deal falls through, she is forced to keep her dream alive - even if it means keeping her would-be neighbors dead.
- DirectorMarcus KochStarsGeorgia ChrisJoe DavisonRaine BrownTwo journalists are on the trail of a demented serial killer who may be much closer than they think.
- DirectorLars JacobsonAmardeep KalekaStarsColleen PorchAiden KershRidge CanipeOn a secluded family farm, a mother suffers a psychotic break due to postpartum depression, forcing the eldest son to protect his siblings from the mother they have always known and loved.
- DirectorMatt Bettinelli-OlpinDavid BrucknerTyler GillettStarsCalvin Lee ReederLane HughesAdam WingardWhen a group of misfits are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they bargained for.
- DirectorConor McMahonStarsRoss NobleTommy KnightEoghan McQuinnA clown comes back from the dead to haunt those who took his life during a fatal party mishap.
- DirectorRyûhei KitamuraStarsLuke EvansGary GrubbsAdelaide ClemensA gang of ruthless highway killers kidnap a wealthy couple traveling cross country only to shockingly discover that things are not what they seem.
- DirectorFrancis LawrenceStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.
- DirectorJuan Piquer SimónStarsChristopher GeorgeLynda Day GeorgeFrank BrañaThe co-eds of a Boston college campus are targeted by a mysterious killer who is creating a human jigsaw puzzle from their body parts.
- DirectorAlex ChandonStarsJo HartleyJames DohertySeamus O'NeillFour young offenders and their care workers visit the remote Yorkshire village of Mortlake, which prides on keeping itself to itself. A minor incident with locals rapidly escalates into a blood-soaked, deliriously warped nightmare.
- DirectorDon AdamsHarry James PicardiStarsBarret WalzAimee BravoMia ZifkinA group of art students working on their final project soon learn that putting a little of themselves into their work can be a bad thing.
- DirectorAbel FerryStarsFanny ValetteJohan LibéreauRaphaël LengletA group of friends decide to venture onto a trail high up in the mountains that has been closed for repairs. The already dangerous adventure turns into horror when they realize they are not alone.
- DirectorVictor SalvaStarsLuke KleintankAlex McKennaAnthony Rey PerezWhen Nick Di Santo learns that his father is not only alive but can possibly reveal the origin of his son's dark gift, he sets out on a trip that takes him to an abandoned mansion he thought only existed in his childhood imagination.
- DirectorJoseph KahnStarsJosh HutchersonShanley CaswellSpencer LockeAs a copycat killer named after movie villain Cinderhella stalks the student body at Grizzly Lake High School, a group of co-eds band together to survive while serving detention.
- DirectorPaul HoughStarsPaul McCarthy-BoyingtonEddie McGeeTrista RobinsonIn THE HUMAN RACE a group of 80 people are ripped out of their daily lives and all re-appear in an undisclosed location. These people are from all walks of life: young and old, athletic and disabled, white-collared and homeless. The rules to a race boom in their heads, in their own voice and language, laying out what will become a horrific race of terror: 'If you are lapped twice, you die. If you step off the path, you die. If you touch the grass, you will die. Race... or die.'
- DirectorJonas GovaertsStarsMaurice LuijtenEvelien BosmansTitus De VoogdtOver-imaginative 12 year-old Sam heads off to the woods to summer scout camp with his pack convinced he will encounter a monster...and he does.
- DirectorIrving PichelErnest B. SchoedsackStarsJoel McCreaFay WrayLeslie BanksA psychotic big game hunter deliberately strands a luxury yacht on a remote island, where he begins to hunt its passengers for sport.
- DirectorJeremy SaulnierStarsAnton YelchinImogen PootsAlia ShawkatA punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.
- DirectorPeter CarterStarsHal HolbrookLawrence DaneRobin GammellFive doctors on a wilderness outing are stalked by disfigured, crazed killers.
- DirectorTom DeNucciStarsBill MoseleyKane HodderNick PrincipeJackson and Emily aren't like the other kids. Two burgeoning sociopaths on the brink of total meltdown. Ticking time bombs seeking revenge. Who will unravel first?
- DirectorTodd Strauss-SchulsonStarsTaissa FarmigaMalin AkermanAdam DevineA young woman grieving the loss of her mother, a famous scream queen from the 1980s, finds herself pulled into the world of her mom's most famous movie. Reunited, the women must fight off the film's maniacal killer.
- DirectorArthur CullipherStarsShane BeasleyKelsey CarlisleEllie ChurchAfter unearthing the lost slasher film from 1978 in Found (2012), the now-grown-up skull-masked boy abducts and tortures helpless women. Now, he needs one more victim. Will her blonde-haired head end up as the Killer's latest trophy?
- DirectorCharles B. PierceStarsBen JohnsonAndrew PrineDawn WellsThe story of a hooded, berserk killer who terrorized the border town of Texarkana, Arkansas in 1946--leaving no fewer than five murder victims in his wake. He was never caught. Based on one of America's most baffling murder cases.
- DirectorWilliam FruetStarsMartin HewittRalph SeymourElaine WilkesIn order to join a sorority, three friends go to a hazing party in an old house where a sadistic bloodthirsty demonic spirit is lying in wait.
- DirectorDan CurtisStarsLysette AnthonyGeraint Wyn DaviesMatt ClarkThree horror stories, including a woman's fate when she and her lover attempt to rob her husband's grave, a woman who brings her son back from the dead and a Zuni fetish doll who comes to life again and goes on another murderous rampage.
- DirectorAndy PalmerStarsJere BurnsScottie ThompsonMatt AngelSix of the world's scariest psychopaths escape from a local Asylum and proceed to unleash terror on the unsuspecting crowd of a Halloween Funhouse, whose themed mazes are inspired by their various reigns of terror.
- DirectorChad FerrinStarsRobert MianoJoseph PilatoRobert RhineThree friends find themselves lost on Skid Row and are captured by an angry homeless gang.
- DirectorSatoshi KonStarsJunko IwaoRica MatsumotoShinpachi TsujiA pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
- DirectorNico MastorakisStarsDaniel HirschKelli MaroneyNicole RioA group of friends travel to a wilderness area to play a survival game. Soon they unexpectedly find themselves in a real-life survival situation.
- DirectorPål ØieStarsBjørn FlobergKristoffer JonerEva Röse5 Norwegians head for a cabin in the wilderness for a few days of team building. But strange things start happening--especially down by the water where they find an abandoned tent. Is someone else around?
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsVal KilmerLL Cool JChristian SlaterA group of FBI trainees are taken to a remote island for simulation training. However, once there, they realize that they are being hunted by a serial killer, who might be someone amidst them.
- DirectorDick RichardsStarsPaul Le MatCatherine HicksStephen McHattieA divorced mother, her young son and her new boyfriend set out on a road trip through Death Valley and run afoul of a local serial killer.
- DirectorRyûhei KitamuraStarsKelly ConnaireStephanie PearsonRod HernandezStranded at the side of the road after a tire blowout, a group of friends become targets for an enigmatic sniper.
- DirectorByron DavisStarsLeandie du RandtNeels van JaarsveldTim TheronGentle, beautiful, pacifist Emma witnesses a murder in the wild. Six violent men killing a cop in cold blood. So, they hunt her like an animal in the desolate Karoo. She should have been easy prey. But life is full of surprises
- DirectorAnders JacobssonStarsMichael KallaanvaaraOlof RhodinHans WilhelmssonA mild-mannered film editor is assigned to cut a series of infamous slasher films and is driven murderously insane by the miles of extremely violent footage he edits.
- DirectorGorman BechardStarsCarmine CapobiancoPatti ChambersCarla BragoliA strip-joint owner and a manicurist find that they have many things in common, the foremost being that they are psychotic serial killers. They fall in love and are happy being the family that slays together, until one day they come up against a plumber who also happens to be a cannibal.
- DirectorDamien LeoneStarsJenna KanellSamantha ScaffidiDavid Howard ThorntonOn Halloween night, Tara Heyes finds herself as the obsession of a sadistic murderer known as Art the Clown.
- DirectorChristopher PhelpsMaxim Van ScoyStarsWray VillanovaLaura HajekNathan Andrew WrightFrom the vaults of the golden age of slasher films comes LAKE NOWHERE, a raucous, bloody romp which resurrects the thrill of gory midnight movies for an hour-long plunge into the depths of horror. Inspired by the dusty days of VHS, LAKE NOWHERE is preceded by original trailers & commercials, replicating the experience of watching a long lost bootleg tape. When a group of friends arrive at a desolate lakeside cabin, they are stalked and murdered by a Masked Maniac, whose lust for blood transcends our world. This age-old tale of senseless slaughter quickly spirals into the realm of supernatural horror and classic monster movies, as we learn the true power that lies within LAKE NOWHERE.
- DirectorJordan PeeleStarsLupita Nyong'oWinston DukeElisabeth MossAdelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realize that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.
- DirectorBrett SimmonsStarsFran KranzAlyson HanniganBrittany S. HallA camp counselor suffering from blackouts finds himself surrounded by murder victims. He turns to his horror movie enthusiast friend for advice, and to contend with the idea he may be the killer.
- DirectorBigas LunaStarsZelda RubinsteinMichael LernerTalia PaulA controlling mother uses telepathic powers to send her middle-aged son on a killing spree.
- DirectorGreydon ClarkStarsJoe Don BakerStella StevensGeorge KennedyThirteen years after the "Lawnmower Killer" killed her sister, high school student Mary Graves and obsessed detective Dick Harbinger are on the lookout for the killer to reappear during the annual Halloween Pumpkin Prom.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsKeith CarradinePowers BootheFred WardDuring a routine exercise, a team of National Guardsmen are threatened by angry and violent locals.
- DirectorDamien LeoneStarsMarie MaserMike GiannelliMichael ChmielAfter witnessing a brutal murder on Halloween night, a young woman becomes the next target of a maniacal entity.
- DirectorRichard GaleStarsPaul ClemensBrian RohanMelissa PaladinoThe epic story of one man's encounter with what could be the most relentless murderer of all time.
- DirectorEugene KotlyarenkoStarsJoe KeeryDavid ArquetteJoshua OvalleThirsty for a following, Kurt Kunkle is a rideshare driver who has figured out a deadly plan to go viral.
- DirectorBilly 'Bloody Bill' PonStarsJed DueslerVenus MoniqueDominic LopezWhen a brutal daylight massacre leaves them bound and gagged in a remote, abandoned warehouse, eight young West Texans soon realize their minutes are numbered.
- DirectorRene DaalderStarsDerrel MauryAndrew StevensRobert CarradineA high-school transfer student pushed to the edge by a trio of brutal bullies resorts to murder to reclaim the school from oppression, and later turns against the students wanting to fill the vacuum of their oppressors.
- DirectorNatasha KermaniStarsBrea GrantLeith M. BurkeDhruv Uday SinghA suburban woman fights to be believed as she finds herself stalked by a threatening figure who returns to her house night after night. When she can't get help from those around her, she is forced to take matters into her own hands.