"Top 5 Teen Slasher Films"

 

#5 "The Final Girls"

“The Final Girls” is a slasher-comedy about a teen attending a screening of a slasher film her late mother was in. Within the first act, her and her group of friends are transported into an 80’s cheesy slasher flick. The screenplay was written by Joshua John Miller, Miller’s inspiration came from seeing his father, also an actor, die on film. He plays with the idea of what it would be like if he had a second chance, but this second chance was inside the movie. The film does a great job at poking fun at slasher films, where sexually promiscuous teenagers get murdered one by one.    

#4 "Freddy Vs. Jason"

            Okay, this film might not have the strongest writing or the best cast, but it has the original Freddy, Robert Englund- AND JASON VORHEES! The film has blood, guts, and sharp objects being thrown around, but it probably works best as a comedy-horror. The characters are pretty basic, which may stop the audience from forming any emotional attachment, leaving us not caring for who dies next. This movie has cool fighting scenes between Jason and Freddy, making it beloved by horror fans, giving us hope for another crossover, maybe Jason Vs. Michael?

  

#3 "Scream"

            Wes Craven reinvented the horror genre a second time with “Scream.” Other films came along hoping to imitate its success like, “Urban Legend” or “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” An interesting fact about this film is that it was rated NC-17 when first presented as a horror, but Craven was told it was too scary. “Scream” was later re-submitted for rating, but as a comedy, and was rated R this time. This film acknowledged other horror film Icons like, Freddy and Michael Myers, giving it a more realistic vibe. The scream trilogy gave us the last scream queen, Neve Campbell, and for that, we’ll be forever grateful.  

 #2 "A Nightmare on Elm St."

            Freddy Krueger- that’s all you need to say when presenting this movie. This film gave many of us nightmares, I mean, can you imagine knowing someone wants to kill you, and not being able to sleep on top of that? I don’t know if I would make it to the end, I need my sleep. A Nightmare on Elm St. spawned a franchise featuring this iconic villain. In the late 70s to the mid 80s, more than 100 men died in their sleep according to Vanwinkles.com, being named the “Asian Death Syndrome.” All the victims were Asian men, young and healthy, who went to sleep and never woke up. These strange deaths along with testimonies about sleep paralysis were the base inspiration for this movie.

 

 

#1 "Halloween"  

            A classic that had to be on this list is “Halloween.” This successful 1978 horror film, not only gave us horror icon, Michael Myers, but the memorable scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis. On a budget of $300,000, the movie grossed $47 million at the box office in the U.S. and $23 million internationally, making “Halloween” a profitable independent film. If you haven’t seen the 1978 version, and have only seen the Rob “I’m gonna stretch the fuck outta' the beginning” Zombie version, please do yourself a favor and watch the original, then apologize to humanity afterwards. 

Why "Scream 2" is the Best Horror Sequel in History!

The best sequel in horror film history? Yes. Horror sequels tend to be watered down versions of their predecessor, yet Scream 2 is nothing close to that. This sequel plays with the idea of "cause & effect" by exploring the consequences of the original Woodsboro massacre.  A remarkable quality of the film was the mixture of different genres it contained: Horror, romance, comedy, suspense...etc. The mixture of genres allowed us to sympathize better with the heroin; Who hasn't felt scared when walking down an isolated street? Who hasn't felt the butterflies of sharing a smile with their crush? Who hasn't shared a laugh with a close friend?

We were provided with a romantic plot that hooked us in the first film, and reeled us in with the second installment. I’m talking about the relationship between the ambitious news reporter, Gale Weathers, and the kind-hearted officer, Dui. 

We want them to be together, but reality keeps kicking in, reminding them of their differences, one dreams of being the next Diane Sawyer...

 While the other dreams of a normal life: a family, a white picket fence, and no murderers to chase after. 

Then, there's Sidney, our unlucky protagonist, and Derrick, a good guy that won't stop fighting for her. Once you fall for their puppy love, it hurts much more when their existence is in danger. 

"It's all happening again...." A memorable scene is when Derek, Sidney's boyfriend, is attacked. Dui rushes to Derek's rescue and Sidney's left outside the house, worried, scared, witnessing everything she believes to be her fault. It’s the exchange of looks that Dui and Sidney trade that makes the scene more significant. Dui looks at her in a way that tells her, it’s all starting again. Sidney, with watery eyes, finally accepts it, nothing is over, and more blood is to be shed.

Sidney, haunted by the sins of her mother, yearns for a normal life- but a normal life is not in her cards. (ONLY SPOILER) A killing that really hit home was Hallie, Sid's roommate, with whom she shared more than just a room, but her insecurities, and was never absent when Sidney needed reinsurance that she was not alone. 

Sidney formed an emotional bond with the victims, resulting in her blaming herself for everything, when she was only a victim as well. 

 After the first massacre, Sidney seems to suffer from post-traumatic stress. The poor girl sees ghost face everywhere, like soldiers coming back from war who find it difficult to adjust to a civilian life. A scene that pointed out how traumatized Sidney was, was the play rehearsal...

As far as the story-line goes, it’s perfectly structured. Each scene adds information to the murder mystery and pushes the story forward.  The acting is on point; Neve Campbell is a respectable scream queen.  “Scream 2” took the weaknesses of the first film and eliminated them from the second, while emphasizing on the strengths of the first installment, like making fun of horror films while being inside a scary movie itself. "Stab 2? Who would want that? Sequels suck."

 What’s your favorite horror sequel? And what did you think of “Scream 2?”