10 Underrated 80s Slashers You Need to See

The 1980s were the golden age of slasher cinema. While franchises like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street dominated multiplexes, dozens of lesser-known slashers lurked in video store shelves, waiting to traumatize unsuspecting renters. Here are ten underrated gems from horror's most prolific decade.

Often dismissed as a Friday the 13th clone, The Burning stands on its own merits with Tom Savini's incredible practical effects work. The raft massacre remains one of the most shocking sequences in slasher history. Bonus: early appearances from Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and Holly Hunter.

Yes, you probably know the ending, but Sleepaway Camp deserves recognition beyond its infamous twist. The film has a genuinely unsettling atmosphere and creative kills. Its sequels went full camp (pun intended), but the original maintains an eerie quality that lingers.

A prank gone wrong sets off this sorority slasher that's smarter than its premise suggests. Director Mark Rosman crafts genuine tension and gives his characters more depth than typical slasher victims. The pool cane kill is wonderfully inventive.

The MPAA butchered this Canadian slasher on release, but the uncut version reveals a genuinely brutal film with a memorable killer in a miner's outfit. The mine setting provides claustrophobic tension, and the whodunit mystery actually plays fair with viewers.

Another Tom Savini effects showcase, The Prowler features some of the most realistic gore ever committed to film. The killer's WWII-era military outfit is genuinely menacing, and the pacing builds to an effective climax.

Linda Blair stars in this atmospheric haunted mansion slasher that favors suspense over gore. The Gothic setting distinguishes it from camp-based contemporaries, and Blair proves she could be a capable Final Girl.

This wilderness slasher deserves comparison to Deliverance. Beautiful Oregon locations, a creeping sense of dread, and one of the most unique Final Girl moments in the genre make this essential viewing for slasher completists.

Originally titled Fall Break, this drive-in favorite delivers exactly what it promises. The gaff hook kill is legendarily gruesome, and the film's earnest attempts at characterization between murders are oddly charming.

A troubled production resulted in an uneven but fascinating film. Actresses auditioning for a coveted role are murdered one by one in a snowy mansion. The ice skating scene with the hag-masked killer is genuinely nightmarish and worth the price of admission alone.

Set entirely in a grocery store on its last night of business, Intruder is an inventive late-period slasher with incredible practical effects from the KNB EFX Group. Sam and Ted Raimi appear, and the setting provides endless creative murder opportunities. The band saw sequence is unforgettable.

These films prove that the 1980s slasher boom produced far more than just franchise starters. Seek them out—your next favorite horror movie might be waiting in the shadows.