Nothing is more satisfying to horror fans than a good slasher movie. A mysterious killer, a group of unsuspecting soon-to-be victims, and the rising body count that follows. The late '70s to mid-'80s are considered by critics to be the Golden Age of the slasher genre, starting with iconic films like Black Christmas and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which led to further popular cult series like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street premiering during that period.
These movies, among others, helped to create a formulaic foundation for the genre that would become accustomed to specific tropes such as holiday slashers, revenge-driven camp killers, and final girls. At the peak of its popularity, the success of these iconic films boasted countless others to create rip-offs, many of which were shamelessly similar to the original. Here are some of the worst slasher copycats of the genre.
Trick
Even in 2019 filmmakers were still trying to cash in on ripping off the popular Halloween slasher tropes as evident with the uninspiring flick Trick which takes elements from popular films like Halloween and Trick r Treat. The film starts out on Halloween night 2015 when Patrick (Trick) Weaver, (wearing a mask that looks similar to the face of Trick r Treat's Sam without his sackcloth) murders a bunch of his classmates at a costume party after being teased. He is stabbed, and later shot multiple times, but somehow Trick manages to escape police custody, disappears, and is at first presumed dead, but every year he reappears on Halloween for more bloodshed. The trailer bills it as the next Halloween horror classic and while it's far from the worst copycat slasher film, it clearly takes from classic tropes and even the twist ending won't shock hardcore film fans.
He Knows You're Not Alone
This 1980 horror film has been widely considered a rip-off of the iconic slasher classic Halloween. The story follows a bride-to-be that's being stalked by a killer. Though it was commercially successful, the film was criticized by critics and fans alike for the number of clear similarities to John Carpenter's film from the killer to the plot and the music score. Though it's hardly the worst copycat of the slasher genre, its lack of originality hardly makes the film worth watching, not even for a young Tom Hanks feature.
Pinocchio's Revenge
Fan's of the cult classic Child's Play will find this 1996 slasher film's plot of an evil serial killer possessed doll being given to a child eerily similar to the 88' Tom Holland movie that spawned multiple sequels. Specifically, there are several sequences, including one in which the child lead demands the doll in question talk to prove its real to the adults as well as the scene near the end of both films in which the mothers use a door as a barricade, pressing themselves against it while the homicidal dolls slash through with a knife. Though Pinocchio's Revenge has a final twist that separates it from one of the most iconic killer doll horror films, the overall result was considered poorly executed by critics.
Trick or Treats
In 1978 audiences were introduced to The Shape aka the brutal killer Michael Myers in Halloween. The John Carpenter film's success spawned multiple sequels, remakes, and countless rip-offs eager to cash in on the spooky holiday's murderous franchise and this 1982 Gray Graver film is a clear representation of just that.
Following the same formula as the iconic Carpenter classic, audiences watch as a babysitter is terrorized by a murderous mad man on all Hallows Eve. The considerably generic tropes along with a lack of gore, weak acting, and overall slow pacing are amongst the flaws that have been pointed out by unimpressed critics leaving this film better left forgotten by fans of the slasher genre.
Bloody Murder
This 2000 slasher film's promo image will certainly look similar to fans of the Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchises. The film uses the ever-popular summer camp setting for its blood bath as the killer runs around in a hockey mask attacking his victims with his chainsaw. Though the movie adds some twists in order to separate itself from the franchises it clearly takes from, even that wasn't enough to keep the film from being criticized by many reviewers as a predictable straight rip-off.
Lovers Lane
This 1999 film is based on the urban legend of the Hook or Hookman, a mad man that wields a hook for a hand and attacks unsuspecting couples in cars. The story of the Hookman became popular during the slasher era and a number of films including I Know What You Did Last Summer, Candyman, and Final Exam all used a hook-handed killer. This film uses plenty of other slasher movie clichés as well, like the popular holiday setting and stereotypical characters. Lover's Lane has been critically panned for its generic script and overall weak plot.
Offerings
A disturbed man breaks out of a mental hospital to take revenge on those who wronged him in this 1989 slasher film. One of the most notable copycat references that horror fans and critics alike have pointed out is the film's music score which is so eerily similar to John Carpenter's widely known Halloween theme that it feels more like a rip-off than it does an homage.
The film copies plenty of scenes from Halloween as well, such as the psychiatrist character (similar to Dr. Sam Loomis) going looking for the escaped killer at a gravesite and the title heroine hanging up on a silent phone call only to immediately getting another caller that turns out to be her friend. This knock-off certainly didn't leave fans of the genre with anything new or exciting.
Deadly Little Christmas
This 2009 slasher was direct to video for a reason. The plot of the film follows a psychotic killer who, fifteen years after a violent attack on Christmas Day, has broken out of the mental institution and is ready for another blood bath during the holiday season. This film takes liberally from other franchises, a perfect example being the opening sequence in which audiences see from the murderous child's POV as a knife is shown being brandished before the child's father and mistress are repeatedly stabbed in bed. The film then cuts away to show the child holding the bloody knife in his hand feeling very much like the opening sequence in Halloween. This film certainly isn't getting any points for originality with critics or horror fans.
Blood Lake
The classic big bad woods flourished as a stereotypical setting for the slasher genre and this 1987 film dove into the horror movie tropes unapologetically. The shot-on-video slasher follows the typical formula, a group of teens are off on the lake for a weekend of partying as a killer hunts them down one by one. The film has been referred to as a cheap Friday the 13th knockoff and criticized in reviews for its poor acting, uninspiring killer, and slow, predictable plot. Those looking for a more original camp setting slasher flick will no doubt find plenty of alternatives that have more thrills and chills than a killer that looks like a watered-down cowboy.
Memorial Day
This 1999 slasher film is a blatant copycat of the Friday the 13th mixed with other popular slashers like, I Know What You Did Last Summer. The film uses the popular camp setting, taking place on Memorial Lake where Rachel, one of the main character's brother accidentally died years ago during a lakeside party. Rachel and her friends return to the lake where they begin to get picked off one by one by a masked figure. The film is filled with weak acting, a predictable plot, and twists that will come as no surprise to hardcore fans of the slasher genre. It was even referred to in a brief Bloody Disgusting review as an "originality-challenged endeavor."