When it comes to the spooky season, fictitious killers reign supreme around the month of October. Costumes that range from the cute to the creepy bring up the harsh debate about which character dominates over the horror genre as a whole. Specifically with the character archetype of the “Slasher.” A slasher is defined as a character who mutilates or kills with an edged blade that usually stars in a “slasher film.” Slasher films—being one of the most popular genres in horror—usually depict victims in films being slashed with weapons in fantastical ways that spark fear and thrill in the audience. Films like Saw, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th immediately come to mind for fans. With popularized slasher characters such as Ghostface, Art the Clown, Chucky, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees, who really dominates the slasher-sphere?
Well, define “best.” Does best mean more kills, more movies, more notoriety? It’s a subjective phrase that means a lot to different people. No matter how prolific the slasher may be, they may only garner a minimal range of kills compared to the more skilled killers. Which begs the question: What makes a slasher the best slasher?
Most Kills
According to IMDB, the killer ranked with the most kills comes out to be Micheal Myers with a staggering 161 kills compared to the similarly high kill numbers of Jason Voorhees and Leatherface. Voorhees is debated heavily between fans on whether his kill count is under or above 200 victims, depending on the movie, because of Voorhees’s various forms of an undead zombie killing teens at a camp or when he becomes an extraterrestrial killer from the year 2455 in Jason X, the kills get blurred. Leatherface, on the other hand, has the lowest out of all of them, having only a handful across his films.
In reference to the recent spark in popularity with Art The Clown, IMDB remarks, “Art the Clown is a rising slasher villain who is quickly gaining kills and could potentially surpass Michael Myers in the future.” The Terrifier series has skyrocketed in popularity from its gore-heavy and satirical dark comedic horror that follows the murderous clown, Art. As someone who has seen a few of the Terrifier movies myself, it is a gore-fest. Especially in the controversial Terrifier 3 film which depicted multiple violent acts against children and bystanders. Looking at trending statistics, Art the Clown is sure to exceed Micheal Myers’s killstreak in its next films.
Most movie success
A film’s popularity as soon as it hits the box office can be a key indicator of its success. In a range of box office popularity, films that have been able to burst through with immediate success tend to leave a lasting impression on the audience the longest and can transcend decades. The all-time record of most box office hits in the horror category was The Exorcist (1973) and Jaws (1975). These films didn’t merely perform well—they redefined what horror could be for mainstream audiences; their immediate success at the box office helped solidify their place in film history.
In the slasher category of films, in 2017, the remake of It emerged capturing the same spark that the first It film in 1990 had, but revived and reimagined. Pennywise’s rebirth from Bill Skarsgård’s performance was an immediate hit in the late 2010s with pop culture phenomenons like waves of clown-themed horror media, Pennywise figures and gadgets, and the elusive clown sightings that trended on the news of people scaring citizens dressed as clowns. Clowns were swung back into the limelight as a result of It’s film success and influence on culture in the 2010’s creating a trend of horrific circus-themed Halloween costumes and capturing the film’s lingering impact on the public decades after the original.
Most popular
The question lingering on everyone’s mind: Who is the slasher that the average Joe chooses? Who is the character that truly transverses across every horror domain and is seen in dozens of references in media, pop culture, or film history?
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movies with the highest meters featured the slashers Norman Bates From Psycho, Micheal Myers from Halloween, Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Candyman from Candyman, and Art from Terrifier in the “Top 100 best slasher movies ranked by Tomatometer.” The striking and recognizable characters of these films are some of the most referenced and well-known characters in fiction of all time. Nightmare on Elm Street, for example, has been referenced in dozens of films and shows like Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken, The Goldbergs, The Simpsons, Goosebumps, Walking Dead, and many, many more.
Personal opinions
As a final test of the theory on who is the best, I went around the school to gather some student’s opinions on what their favorite slasher is and why. Here’s what students around Ludlow High had to say!
“I really like The Texas Chainsaw massacre because it is based off a true story and it’s one of the earliest adaptations of a slasher film,” Senior Andrew Beany shared.
“I really like Art the Clown from Terrifier because of his strange appeal. The fact that he doesn’t speak the entire movie is really scary and adds such an appeal to him,” Senior Aislyn Krasnov continues, “He’s overall a funny and sinister character that I really like.”
Senior Liam Richter says, “I like Freddy Krueger because of all the dream demon and really messed up stuff he does, he’s also kinda funny.”
In closing, slashers are a keystone in fiction for their terrifying and memorable features that make audiences adore the killers on screen. Horror films influence art and media in thousands of ways that can transcend beyond time for decades to come. Slashers are nostalgic for the young and the old and bring back that feeling of thrill that quickens your heartbeat. Whether or not you prefer Chucky or Leatherface, overall with a little bit of fun and fear factor, slashers are to make next Halloween unforgettable!