When it comes to horror, slashers reign supreme. Freddy, Michael, Jason, Ghostface— these bloody icons define the genre with their mysterious origins, unsettling masks and high body counts. But where did the genre come from?
Horror heads everywhere are constantly debating the origin of the slasher. Some say Psycho or Peeping Tom invented the genre in 1960. Others say Hammer Studios nailed it down later in the decade. Some purists say Halloween is the granddaddy of them all. One thing that’s undeniable, though, is that slashers helped horror emerge from midnight screenings to mainstream popularity.
And there’s pretty much a slasher for every season. Winter has Black Christmas, spring has Midsommar, fall has Thanksgiving and Halloween. 0But summer is really where it’s at. From Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp to I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Cabin in the Woods, there’s just something about being able to blend the nostalgia of summertime freedom with the absolute terror of being chased around your beloved summer camp, small town/local beach by a vengeful and/or supernatural and/or unkillable stranger. Embrace the balmy brutality of some of our favorite summer slashers and try to survive until the end with these books and movies from the Burlington County Library System’s collection.
Adults
These books and movies are for mature audiences -- Rated R, MA or otherwise.
Movies to Check Out
Black Christmas (2008)— A group of Sorority sisters stay at their house over the holiday season, but quickly become terrorized by a lone psychopath stalking the house.
The Burning (2007) — A camp caretaker who was horribly burned from a prank that went awry stalks a summer camp in New York bent on killing the kids responsible for his disfigurement.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) — A rambunctious group of five college friends steal away for a weekend of debauchery in an isolated country cabin, only to be attacked by horrific supernatural creatures in a night of endless terror and bloodshed.
Friday the 13th (1980) — Camp Crystal Lake has been shuttered for years until the camp's new owner and seven young counselors re-open it, despite warnings of a "death curse" by local residents. On Friday the 13th the curse proves true as a violent killer stalks each counselor.
Friday the 13th (1999)— Want to watch all 12 movies in the Friday the 13th franchise? Continue the story of Jason Voorhees with Part 2! Five years later, at a nearby summer camp the new counselors ignore the warnings to stay away from the infamous site. One by one they are attacked and brutally slaughtered.
Halloween (1978) — Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again.
House of Wax (2005) — When their car breaks down on the way to a college football game, six friends become sidetracked and set foot into an eerie backwoods town. Curiosity gets the better of them when they are intrigued by its macabre 'House of Wax'. They soon find out that the town is not what it seems and they must find their way out before they fall victim to its ghoulishly inventive killers.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1999) — After an accident on a winding road, four teens make the fatal mistake of dumping their victim's body into the sea. One year later, the dead man returns from his watery grave seeking more than an apology.
Midsommar (2019) — After a family tragedy, a young American couple joins some friends at a midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that grow increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing.
Sleepaway Camp (1983) — In the summer of 1983, orphaned and introverted Angela and her cousin Ricky stay at Camp Arawak. Soon enough, teenage campers at Camp Arawak start dying in horrible "accidents."
Thanksgiving (2024) — After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts, the birthplace of the infamous holiday.
Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (2011) — Two friends on vacation at their dilapidated mountain house are mistaken for murderous backwoods hillbillies by a group of obnoxious, preppy college kids. When one of the students is separated from the group, the boys try to lend a hand, but as the misunderstanding grows, so do the body count and the laughs.
X (2022) — In 1979 some young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast members find themselves in a fight for their lives.
In A Violent Nature (2024) — When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower that entombs a rotting corpse, the body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving the stolen pendant.
Books to Check Out
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle — Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold. Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed "most effective" gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy. And they'll scare you straight to hell.
Curse of the Reaper by Brian McAuley — Decades after playing the titular killer in the 80s horror franchise Night of the Reaper, Howard Browning is devastated when he finds out a rehabbed former child-star is replacing him in the reboot. While Trevor revamps his image, Howard fights to reclaim his legacy, but his sinister alter ego threatens to consume his mind. Is the method actor succumbing to madness or has the devilish Reaper taken on a life of its own?
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix — In horror movies, the final girl is the one who's left standing when the credits roll. Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre twenty-two years ago, and it has defined every day of her life since. For more than a decade, she's been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group, but when one of them misses a meeting, her worst fears are realized.
Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning — After sitcom star Willow tweeted herself into infamy and had to be dragged blind-drunk out of a swimming pool, her agent shipped her off to the woodsy and wonderfully anonymous confines of Camp Castaway. The peaceful vibe is shattered when a terrifying woman pops out of the wardrobe and a camper vanishes. Willow and her new friends are on the run, but will they escape their shallow lifestyles or just end up in a shallow grave?
I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones — In a small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton bodies start dropping fast over the course of a few unbearably hot days. Two unnoticed 17-year-olds, Tolly Driver and Amber Dennison go on a killing spree that will resonate through the decades. Tolly and Amber will be famous. Finally, everyone will know their names. The kills will be poignant, the jokes will hurt, and the violence will be endearing. Everything’s turned around for Tolly, for Amber – for all of Lamesa, Texas.
Jackal by Erin E. Adams — When Liz Rocher, a Black woman, returns to her predominately white hometown for her best friend's wedding she expects awkward reunions, not tracking down a killer of Black girls. When the bride's daughter, Caroline, goes missing, she relives the trauma of the brutal murder of Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in school and uncovers a pattern. Black girls go missing in the woods of Johnstown. With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness.
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson — The summer Jake turns twelve in 1980s Niagara Falls, he befriends a pair of siblings new to town, and so Calvin decides to initiate them all into the "Saturday Night Ghost Club." But as the summer goes on, what begins as a seemingly lighthearted project may ultimately uncover more than any of its members had imagined.
Young Adults
These books and movies are for young adults and are rated PG-13 or lower!
Movies to Check Out
The Final Girls (2015) — A young woman suffering the loss of her mother, a famous scream queen from the 1980s, finds herself drawn into the world of her mom's most famous movie. Reunited, the women must fight off the film's maniacal killer.
Happy Death Day (2018) — A teenage girl, trying to enjoy her birthday, soon realizes that this is her final one. That is, if she can figure out who her killer is. She must relive that day, over and over again, dying in a different way each time. Can she solve her own murder?
Prom Night (2008) — Donna's senior prom was supposed to be the best night of her life. A night full of magic, beauty, and love. Surrounded by her best friends, she thought that she would be safe from the horrors of her past. But when the night turns from magic to murder, there is only one man who could be responsible, the man she thought was gone forever. Now, Donna and her friends must find a way to escape the sadistic rampage of an obsessed killer, and try to survive the night of their prom.
When A Stranger Calls (2006) — Jill Johnson, a young teenager, is asked to babysit for a rich family in a massive house. The kids are sleeping, and it seems like an easy gig until she starts getting harassed by an increasingly threatening prank caller who seems to be watching them. W
Books to Check Out
Clown in A Cornfield by Adam Cesare — In Clown in a Cornfield, Quinn Maybrook moves to the small town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start, but instead finds a community torn between resentful adults and rebellious teens. As tensions rise over blame for past tragedies and changing values, a murderous clown emerges to settle the score: by eliminating the younger generation one by one. Now, Quinn must survive the night in a town where graduation might not come at all.
How to Survive a Slasher by Justine Pucella Winans — Queer teen CJ must rely on their knowledge of horror-movie rules to survive when a prophetic manuscript thrusts her into the center of a new murder spree in a town notorious for its past massacres.
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan — Although the movie above is rated R, the novel is actually for young adults! Four teenagers who have desperately tried to conceal their responsibility for a hit-and-run accident are pursued by a mystery figure seeking revenge.
Lights Out by R. L. Stine —something is very wrong at Camp Nightwing, and junior counselor Holly Flynn is determined to solve the mystery before it destroys the camp! The trouble begins with frightening acts of vandalism. After each, a red feather is left behind—signature of the culprit. Suddenly, one of the counselors is dead. “An accident,” say the police. But Holly knows better—and she knows she’s next. Holly can’t trust anyone now, not even her best friend, as she stalks the camp killer—and hopes that it soon won’t be “lights out” for her!
Never Coming Home by Kate Williams — Ten teen influencers arrive on Unknown Island expecting to find a tropical paradise, but instead they discover a deserted resort, poisonous snakes, and secrets worth killing for.
Slasher Girls & Monster Boys curated by April Genevieve Tucholke — An anthology of stories inspired by classic horror tales features contributions by leading suspense and young adult authors, including Stefan Bachmann, Leigh Bardugo and Kendare Blake.
Stranger Things: Science Camp by Jody Houser — Dustin arrives at Camp Know Where to navigate the new social hierarchy without the support of his Hawkins adventuring party. When camp counselors start to disappear, the solution won't take rocket science, but Dustin will have to get on the same wavelength as Suzie and the other campers before tensions reach a boiling point.
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron — Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the "final girl" at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.
Stream the Slasher Collection on Kanopy!
Some of the movies available on DVD are also available to stream on Kanopy. Find old school slashers like The Boogey Man or newer films like Tragedy Girls. Slay your way through the heat by staying cool indoors watching these movies!
