11 Essential Slasher Movies of the 1980s, Ranked

The 1980s were the golden years for slasher films. After the explosive success of John Carpenter's classic, Halloween(1978), the genre was awash in a bloody frenzy of masked killers, elaborate death scenes, and unforgettable final girls. Low-budget productions coupled with high returns and increasing VHS popularity helped make the genre a dominant force in horror. The sudden rise in popularity of slasher films made it a genre that was worshiped by teens and reviled by parents.