What makes a good horror flick? That’s a complicated question. There has to be gore, although in some cases, implied gore can be more frightening. If the camera cuts away at just the right moment and shows a bit of blood splatter, your mind can create something far more disturbing than anything the filmmaker could’ve shown you on the screen.

With that said, there’s nothing wrong with a good hack and slash gorefest – the type of movie that heads blow up and limbs are ripped off every few minutes with no particular point or reason. Let’s be honest. The entire reason that group of hot young girls ran out of gas at the creepy truck stop was so they could be haunted by a sadistic maniac with mommy issues. What’s the point? Blood! Gore! Mutilation! And likely boobs! It’s a slasher flick. Why does it need a purpose?

There is definitely a place in the horror flick genre that actually make you think and have some sort of message. I call these the thinking man’s horror films and you’ll find a few of those on the list below. I’ve always found those to be the most frightening and disturbing as they play on your deepest inner fears and have a way of sticking with you long after the movie has ended. These thinking man’s horror flicks also seem to have the most plausible catalysts which makes them all the more terrifying.

And hey, horror movies aren’t just about the gore. I also like a good suspenseful horror flick that leaves the gore to your imagination; like Blair Witch Project, Funny Games and The Haunting in Connecticut.

The list I have compiled below is by no means complete and will be added to over time. For now, this is a brief list of what I think are some of the best slasher movies ever made.

  • Shaun of the Dead – Simon Pegg and Nick Frost make zombie fighting funny in this horror-comedy. It gets a place on my top horror flicks list not just because its one of my favorite movies but because its genre bending combination of horror movie gore and hilarious British comedy make it a near perfect movie.
  • 28 Days Later – Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m in love with Cillian Murphy. That said, this is the kind of movie that is most terrifying because the subject matter is completely believable. Could there actually be a virus in some lab somewhere in the world that if unleashed on the public could create this kind of chaos? I don’t think any of us can answer that question. Scary.
  • Freddy VS Jason – It was bound to happen. Nightmare on Elm Street meets Friday the 13th. Two icons of slash and gash meeting for one fantastically gory flick. The reason its included on this list is obvious – it’s awesome. The end.
  • Land of the Dead – George A. Romero returns to helm the series he created and the result is spectacular. This is what zombie movies are all about.
  • Saw - Jigsaw is the killer with a purpose; creating elaborate traps to teach his victims a lesson he feels they need to learn about their lives. If hapless soul ensnared in his web passes Jigsaw’s test – which always requires something horrible and grotesque – they get to keep their lives and are set free. If they fail, they die. I chose to include only the first in the series on the list as its the one that started it all, but they’re all good.
  • Planet Terror – This movie is genius – pure genius. It’s so over the top and outrageous it’s impossible not to love. Grindhouse never fails to entertain and Planet Terror is no exception.

There you have it my twisted friends – my top horror flick picks. Check back often as there will be plenty of updates and new movies will be added often – and make sure you leave your pal Slasherella a comment or two. I love nothing more than talking gore with my fellow deviants.

Slashes and gashes,

Slasherella