The Slasher movie genre has made horror movies very prominent, and popular, and these movies of today carry on the legacy of classic horror movies in media. In the spirit of Halloween, why not figure out which one is the best according to Eaglecrest?
Vote here for the semi-finals!
Round 1 Recap:
Many of the first-round matchups were relatively low scoring, but similarly, that does resemble many kill counts of old slasher movies, low scoring but fun to watch. Here are the recaps of round 1.
1992’s Candyman took home the first win of the day, beating Alien 8-4, a very good win for a movie that should’ve probably been ranked higher, and is at the peak of its franchise. Alien was also a very good movie, but Candyman is clearly a bit better according to the vote. Candyman will move on to face Friday the 13th, in a somewhat good matchup. Be ready.
The Exorcist beat Smile by a score of 9-3 in a very great match. To be honest, the only reason that Smile was on our bracket is because it was a recent and hyped-up movie. Other than that, it wasn’t a great movie, and making a movie based on the most basic human trait (a smile) doesn’t really work anymore. In the eyes of EHS, Smile was just a not-great movie to say it lightly. Exorcist moves on to play against It.
In a surprising turn of events, Saw managed to blow a lead against The Conjuring franchise. To be fair, both are great movie franchises, but Jigsaw always somehow seems to succeed in the movies, so it is only fitting that they succeed in the bracket as well. But anyway, by a score of 7-5, The Conjuring series is moving on to face Scream.
In the last matchup of the left side of the bracket, The Purge beat Us in a 10-3 blowout. Once again two great movies in a matchup of the ages, but simply put, The Purge was better according to the vote.
To start on the right side of the bracket, The Predator beat Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 9-2. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, was a mostly overshadowed movie because the book was highly successful. On the other hand, The Predator was an absolutely groundbreaking movie with its use of CGI, so it isn’t hard to see why it won. The Predator will take on Halloween in the 2nd round.
In the closest back and forth of round 1, Texas Chainsaw Massacre beat Killer Klowns from Outer Space, 7-5. TCM is widely considered one of the big 4 slashers, and if it hadn’t been for the popularity of more recent movies, it likely would’ve been the 4th seed. Killer Klowns on the other hand, is mostly forgotten about in the horror genre. What do you get when you cross an unstoppable force with a movable object… Yeah, you can guess. TCM moves on!
The Ring was able to edge out Ice Cream Man for a 7-5 win. Not much to say here, two middle-of-the-pack movies, not as well known as the classics. One was better than the other, and that better one was the one to win. The Ring will take on The Shining in round 2.
In the concluding matchup of round 1, Terrifier beat Scary Movie 7-5. Terrifier is by far the goriest movie on this list, based on the creator’s love of old horror movies and gore. Terrifier should very much be put in the category of movies that could win it all, expect it to potentially pull off an upset or two because of all the criteria points it marks off.
Round 2 Recap:
Round 2 was the first to involve the bye-week teams, many of the great slashers in the genre. Did they continue to solidify the case for why they’re the best of all? Or were they upset by others who are either modern-day greats or forgotten gems? In the recaps of round 2, we will find out.
In match one, Number 1 seeded Friday the 13th beat The Candyman, 11-2. Simply put… lightwork for Jason Vorhees just like everyone else he’s beaten. Additionally, considering that Friday the 13th has its own informal holiday, easy to say the classic slasher deserved the number 1 seed and deserved the win.
It (2017) beat The Exorcist 8-5 in a close battle. It was one of the most hyped-up horror movies at the time of its release, The Exorcist was never really that big, at least at the time of its release. Not much more to say. It wins.
In match number 3, Scream beat The Conjuring 10-3. Scream gave way to one of the most iconic horror villains of all time, Ghostface, and there is no reason the movie shouldn’t have won. ‘Nuff said.
In the closest matchup of Round 2, Freddy vs Jason beat The Purge 7-6. There’s a common theme with round 2: two great movies in one matchup. Either could’ve won, but it was ultimately the fight of two of the greatest horror villains that won. They’ll move on to round 3, and while you can expect them to go down next round, it won’t be without a fight.
Moving to the other side of the bracket and starting off hot, Halloween beat The Predator 10-2. The Predator could’ve gone very far into this bracket, but unfortunately for the film, there simply isn’t much you can do against Halloween. Micheal reigns supreme once again.
In a close matchup of two iconic horror villains, Texas Chainsaw Massacre beat Child’s Play 7-5. Not much to say, but Child’s Play has arguably the weakest villain, Chucky is a pest and nothing more and there should be nothing stopping a victim from punting him like a football. TSM keeps its run alive.
The Shining beat The Ring in the battle of the ‘The’. Once again, the psychological masterpiece that is The Shining proved why it is such a great film, and why Stanley Kubrick is such a great director. The Ring stood no chance.
In the final matchup of the day, Nightmare on Elm Street beat Terrifier 9-2. This is certainly a Tom Brady vs Patrick Mahomes type matchup, old fashioned gore, versus new fashioned gore. Two great films of their respective eras, but unfortunately Terrifier is more of an underground film when compared to the likes of Nightmare on Elm Street. Thus, the matchups for round 3 are set, and we begin.
Round 3 Recap:
In round 3, we saw the first matchups of legendary movies, these matches were fun to watch as we saw legendary movies clash in showdowns. Here are the recaps.
The first matchup was Friday the 13th vs It, and when it comes to killing fellow horror villains, Jason Vorhees still reigns supreme, as Friday the 13th beat It 7-5. Friday the 13th claims the first final four spot, and moves on.
In the first matchup that featured 2 VERY legendary movies, Scream was able to edge out Freddy vs Jason 8-4, to claim a match against Friday the 13th in the semi-finals. Freddy vs Jason is a great movie where two of the legends show off, but Scream is a good old-fashioned slasher, which gets to the purpose and doesn’t drag much out. Plain and simple.
In another matchup of legends, Halloween beat Texas Chainsaw Massacre 7-5. You’ve kinda gotta wonder how Michael Myers managed that win because Knife vs Chainsaw… I’d argue a chainsaw should win. But hey, we’re surprised every day so Halloween moves on.
For the first time, we had a tie, 6-6. In a case like this, it was decided that we’d take it to a class vote, and in a stunning turn of events The Shining won against Nightmare on Elm Street in the class vote 6-0. Great movies were decided by a totally DEMOCRATIC vote, and we’ve got a final-four matchup.
