Best Slasher Movies

3 score 1 out of 5 for gore, so squeamishness is a weaker reason to skip these than people assume. 4 never push past 2 for jump scares.

9 of them are films most horror lists never mention. Pearl rates 0.6 higher on Douban than IMDb — Chinese audiences consistently read this kind of horror differently, and the gap is often the most interesting signal on the page. 5 are currently streaming on Tubi.

29 films 1946–2026 Jumps · gore · dread scored Updated September 2026
01

Psycho 1960

Alfred Hitchcock

Jumps8 Gore4 Dread8 9.2/10

Streaming: Peacock · Tubi

02

The Silence of the Lambs 1991

Jonathan Demme

Jumps6 Gore6 Dread8 9.1/10

Streaming: Tubi

03

Peeping Tom 1960

Michael Powell

Jumps4 Gore2 Dread8 8.4/10

04

Halloween 1978

John Carpenter

Jumps8 Gore4 Dread8 8.3/10

Streaming: Peacock · Shudder

05

Deep Red 1975

Dario Argento · Hidden gem

Jumps6 Gore6 Dread6 8.3/10

06

I Saw the Devil 2010

Kim Jee-woon · Hidden gem

Jumps8 Gore10 Dread6 8.2/10

Streaming: Shudder · Tubi

07

A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984

Wes Craven

Jumps8 Gore6 Dread6 8.2/10

08

Pearl 2022

Ti West

Jumps6 Gore6 Dread8 8.1/10

Streaming: Paramount+ · Showtime

09

The Call 2020

Lee Chung-hyun

Jumps6 Gore6 Dread6 8.1/10

Streaming: Netflix

10

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma 2026

Jane Schoenbrun

Jumps6 Gore8 Dread8 8.0/10

11

Strange Darling 2023

JT Mollner

Jumps6 Gore6 Dread6 7.9/10

12

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 1974

Tobe Hooper

Jumps10 Gore10 Dread6 7.8/10

Streaming: Shudder · Tubi

13

The Cabin in the Woods 2011

Drew Goddard

Jumps6 Gore8 Dread2 7.8/10

14

Theater of Blood 1973

Douglas Hickox · Hidden gem

Jumps4 Gore6 Dread2 7.8/10

15

The Spiral Staircase 1946

Robert Siodmak · Hidden gem

Jumps6 Gore2 Dread6 7.7/10

16

Opera 1987

Dario Argento · Hidden gem

Jumps6 Gore8 Dread4 7.7/10

17

Scream 1996

Wes Craven

Jumps6 Gore6 Dread4 7.6/10

18

X 2022

Ti West

Jumps8 Gore10 Dread6 7.5/10

Streaming: Paramount+ · Showtime

19

Tenebrae 1982

Dario Argento

Jumps6 Gore8 Dread4 7.5/10

20

M3GAN 2022

Gerard Johnstone

Jumps4 Gore4 Dread2 7.4/10

21

Inside 2007

Bustillo & Maury · Hidden gem

Jumps8 Gore10 Dread8 7.3/10

22

Hush 2016

Mike Flanagan

Jumps8 Gore6 Dread6 7.3/10

23

Blood and Black Lace 1964

Mario Bava · Hidden gem

Jumps4 Gore6 Dread4 7.3/10

24

Terrifier 2 2022

Damien Leone

Jumps10 Gore10 Dread2 7.2/10

Streaming: Tubi · Screambox

25

Us 2019

Jordan Peele

Jumps8 Gore6 Dread6 7.2/10

26

Creep 2014

Patrick Brice · Hidden gem

Jumps6 Gore2 Dread8 7.1/10

Streaming: Netflix

27

Black Christmas 1974

Bob Clark

Jumps8 Gore4 Dread8 7.1/10

28

Candyman 1992

Bernard Rose

Jumps6 Gore6 Dread6 7.0/10

29

A Bay of Blood 1971

Mario Bava · Hidden gem

Jumps6 Gore8 Dread4 6.8/10

How these are scored

Every film carries three separate 1–5 ratings — jump scares, gore and dread — because they measure different things. A film can be a 5 for dread and a 1 for gore. Scores are editorial, not aggregated from other platforms, which is the point: review aggregates tell you whether a film is good, not what it will do to you.

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