The 1980s were the heyday of the slasher movie, when dozens of films about masked killers slashing their way through unsuspecting, often teenage, victims made their way into theaters and onto video store shelves.
That’s exactly the vibe that director and co-writer Matt Palmer aims to capture in Netflix’s new hit horror movie “Fear Street: Prom Queen,” the latest installment in the “Fear Street” franchise. “Prom Queen” is set in 1988, and its story of a killer stalking the prom queen finalists at Shadyside High could be lifted wholesale from a 1980s slasher movie.
I found “Prom Queen” to be a fun, if disposable viewing experience, but as a longtime slasher-movie fan, I mainly felt inspired to go back and watch more of the real thing. If you’re interested in checking out the origins of “Fear Street: Prom Queen's" style, here are five of my favorite 1980s slasher movies to stream now.
‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’
Easily the best '80s slasher movie (and one of the best horror movies ever made), writer-director Wes Craven’s haunting, hallucinatory suburban nightmare introduces Robert Englund as supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger, a deceased child murderer who now has the ability to attack people in their dreams.
Freddy is a horror icon, and Englund makes him instantly unforgettable as he terrorizes the teens of seemingly placid Springwood, Ohio.
Freddy is matched by determined teenager Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), who is convinced that her classmates are being killed in their sleep, even if no one else believes her. Nancy is a fierce but vulnerable hero, and her inner strength in standing up to Freddy is what gives “Nightmare” its emotional power.
The subsequent franchise is uneven, but Craven’s original film is a masterpiece.
‘Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II’
The first “Prom Night” is a lesser Jamie Lee Curtis horror entry, but this quasi-sequel — which was originally produced as a wholly unrelated movie — is much more entertaining, with a campy sense of humor and a welcome oddball tone. It’s the best prom-related slasher movie, featuring the ghost of a murdered prom queen taking her revenge 30 years later.
Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Shrage) possesses the body of a current student and embarks on a reign of terror, all with the goal of being crowned prom queen once again.
As in “Fear Street: Prom Queen,” the title is worth killing for, and director Bruce Pittman stages some inventive deaths as Mary Lou murders her way back to the top of the social hierarchy.
Watch on Prime Video
‘Sleepaway Camp’
Summer camps are a common setting for slasher movies (including “Fear Street: 1978”), and “Sleepaway Camp” is one of the most memorable, not just for its notorious shock ending.
It’s appealingly off-kilter even before then, starting with Desiree Gould’s unhinged performance as the controlling aunt who sends introverted main character Angela Baker (Felissa Rose) off to sleepaway camp, where she’s relentlessly bullied by the other campers.
As Angela’s tormentors start dying one by one, often in creatively gruesome ways, writer-director Robert Hiltzik keeps the audience on edge, questioning Angela’s mental state and her status as both a victim and possible perpetrator.
The movie’s handling of queer identity is both bold and potentially problematic, but it looks more groundbreaking as time has gone on. The mix of sexuality, trauma and vengeance makes “Sleepaway Camp” into a stark, brutal experience.
Watch on Prime Video
‘The Slumber Party Massacre’
Noted mystery novelist Rita Mae Brown originally wrote the script for this clever film as a slasher-movie parody, and while director Amy Holden Jones presents it in a more straightforward manner, it’s still full of sly humor.
It might be a stretch to call “The Slumber Party Massacre” feminist, but the filmmakers shift the perspective of the typically male-dominated genre, and there are plenty of opportunities to poke fun at the killer’s very phallic weapon, a giant drill.
There are also plenty of opportunities for the teen-girl characters to take their clothes off, as they get together for a sleepover at one girl’s house while her parents are away. A massacre ensues, courtesy of an escaped murderer, but there are at least as many fake-outs as actual murders, and Jones maintains a playful visual style even as things get nasty.
Watch on Prime Video
‘Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives’
The high point of the mostly glum “Friday the 13th” franchise is this goofy sixth installment, which brings in self-aware humor to liven up yet another story about hockey-masked murderer Jason Voorhees taking out a series of interchangeable victims.
The series has been around long enough at this point to have its own recognizable formula, and writer-director Tom McLoughlin toys with audience expectations, making cheeky references to the movie’s own absurdity. McLoughlin also makes Jason (played this time by C.J. Graham) into a completely supernatural force, bypassing any need to explain his frequent resurrections.
While past installments could be salacious and sexualized, “Jason Lives” captures more of a throwback monster-movie vibe, making it almost wholesome in comparison to the frequently sleazy slasher genre. It’s a lively, bright spot in a franchise that is more often grim and repetitive.
Watch on Pluto TV
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