From masked killers to unforgettable final girls, slasher films have terrified, thrilled, and entertained audiences for decades. But only a few managed to break through the blood-soaked pack and leave a permanent scar on pop culture. These aren’t just horror movies — they’re milestones that redefined the genre, launched careers, and made us sleep with the lights on. Ahead of the release of I Know What You Did Last Summer (IKWYDLS), we bring you some of the best titles that left us in a cold sweat.

Directed by John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis alongside ​Donald Pleasence, Halloween introduced audiences to Michael Myers — a silent, relentless killer stalking babysitters on Halloween night. With its haunting score, minimalist storytelling, and chilling suspense, this low-budget film became a genre-defining masterpiece and cemented Curtis as the original “scream queen.”

Horror legend Wes Craven turned the slasher genre on its head with Scream, a clever, self-aware take on horror tropes. Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, the film delivered both satire and scares while introducing the iconic Ghostface killer. It revitalized the slasher genre for a new generation and made audiences suspicious of everyone.

Also directed by Wes Craven, this surreal horror classic starred Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund as the terrifying Freddy Krueger, and a young Johnny Depp in his film debut. With its dream-based concept and gruesome visuals, A Nightmare on Elm Street took slasher horror into the supernatural, giving us one of cinema’s most unique and terrifying villains.​

Directed by Jim Gillespie and written by Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson, this glossy teen slasher featured a who’s-who of ‘90s stars: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Ryan Phillippe. Following a group of friends haunted by a deadly secret and hunted by a hook-wielding killer, the film delivered suspense, stylish thrills, and one of horror’s most iconic chase scenes.

Directed by Tobe Hooper, this gritty, relentless film introduced the world to Leatherface, played by Gunnar Hansen, and starred Marilyn Burns as the original final girl. Its grainy, documentary-style realism and raw terror made it feel disturbingly real — a landmark in horror cinema that continues to influence filmmakers to this day.​

Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, I Know What You Did Last Summer is the fourth installment in the IKWYDLS franchise. stars Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, Austin Nichols, with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt reprising their roles from the first two films.

takes place 27 years after the Tower Bay murders, when another hook-wielding killer appears and begins targeting a group of friends one year after they covered up a car accident in which they supposedly killed someone.

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