Television series

Slasher

Name: Slasher
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Released: 2016
Cast: Katie McGrath, Steve Byers, Jessica Sipos, Brandon Jay McLaren, Leslie Hope

A Canadian anthology horror series where each season brings a new masked killer and a fresh mystery. Episodes burn through plot with zippy pacing and genuine kills; there's no filler, just twists and body counts. For people who want their slashers smart enough to guess wrong about, cruel enough to mean it, and serialised so you can binge without commitment.

TVMaze rating

3.3

If you liked this

Scream1996

The template Slasher refines: a masked killer, a small community, whodunit mystery, and a screenplay that knows the rules of horror well enough to break them. Funny and scary at once.

But The 90s irony can feel dated now. If you prefer genuine dread over self-aware winking, this might feel too pleased with itself.

I Know What You Did Last Summer1997

Slasher's spiritual ancestor: past sins resurface, a killer picks off the guilty one by one, and paranoia spreads through a tight group. Lush, cruel, and darkly fun.

But Slower-paced than modern horror. The mystery isn't as intricate, and some deaths feel predictable by today's standards.

American Horror Story2011

Shares Slasher's anthology DNA and high-concept kills. New story each season means you can sample without committing to a full arc, and the ensemble cast dies spectacularly.

But Wildly uneven quality across seasons. Some drag; others feel more interested in shock than story. Production design matters more than coherence.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Slasher

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Wailing2016

Both use a killer—real or imagined—to expose what people desperately want to keep hidden. The past doesn't just return; it metastasizes.

A Korean mystery-horror where a killer may not exist, the guilty are unclear, and paranoia spreads through a small community. Shares Slasher's obsession with hidden sins and fractured communities, but the ambiguity is intentional and profound. Stunning filmmaking that makes dread visual.

But Deliberately refuses to clarify what happened. Two-and-a-half hours of slow accumulation. If you want your mysteries solved, this will infuriate you.

Hannibal2013

Graphic, methodical, beautiful horror about a killer who hasn't been caught. Psychological cat-and-mouse that's far more sophisticated than Slasher, with painterly cinematography and baroque kills.

But Much slower burn. No mystery about the killer's identity; the tension comes from something else entirely. If you watch for the whodunit, this won't scratch that itch.

Friday the 13th1980

The foundational slasher. Camp, kills, and a killer with real personality. Jason became iconic for a reason—this film laid every rule Slasher plays with.

But Genuinely slow. Long stretches with nothing but teenagers wandering woods. The kills, while inventive, are brief and bloodless by modern standards.

The Killing2011

A serial killer's crimes ripple through a city and its institutions. Methodical mystery with an ensemble that unravels under pressure, similar to Slasher's whodunit engine but with far greater depth.

But Deliberately bleak and glacial. Three seasons to solve one murder. If you want immediate payoff and pacing, this will test your patience.

Hush2016

A killer hunts a deaf woman in her isolated home. Minimalist setup, maximum tension. Real violence that doesn't feel cartoonish. Slasher-adjacent but far more intimate and harrowing.

But Relentlessly grim with no breaks for wit or irony. Not comfort horror. The home invasion scenario triggers genuine dread in a way that feels less fun than Slasher.

Saw2004

A killer with a philosophy and an elaborate game. Mystery about identity, moral stakes with real teeth, and kills that serve the story. Slasher shares its logic: death as consequence.

But Torture-forward and graphically cruel in ways that can feel exploitative. The sequels become a parody of themselves; even the first can feel like setup for excess rather than story.

Ghostland2018

Both trap their characters in a cycle where the killer (or the idea of the killer) won't let them move on. Trauma has a shape that repeats.

A woman and her daughters survive a home invasion, then decades later, the trauma returns in ways that blur reality and memory. Slasher's brutality meets a non-linear structure that questions what you're actually watching. Genuinely unsettling.

But Deliberately confusing. The narrative plays tricks. If you need clarity or chronology to enjoy horror, the final act may feel like punishment rather than revelation.