5 Lesser-Known but Bone-Chilling Slasher Movies if You Liked Terrifier 3

What to do when you're tired of Friday the 13th, you've seen A Nightmare on Elm Street a hundred times, and Halloween is an obvious but trite choice?

Then it's time to turn to less popular but no less worthy slashers.

1. The Town That Dreaded Sundown, 1976

A serial killer nicknamed the Phantom has appeared in the quiet town of Texarkana. He stalks and brutally murders the local teenagers. The police are baffled, but soon a clue emerges: the cops figure out that the Phantom attacks every three weeks.

The problem is that the next such date falls on the school prom, which means there will be a lot of potential victims walking around town.

The movie is loosely based on real events: in the mid-1940s, Texarkana was the scene of a serial killer who was never caught. There was a prime suspect in the case, but for technical reasons he could not be charged – he later received a life sentence for another case.

2. The Funhouse, 1981

Four teenagers go to see a traveling carnival, and before closing time, they decide to hide in a local funhouse and spend the night at the carnival. The plan works, but there is an unpleasant twist: after taking refuge in the attraction, the friends become unwitting witnesses to a murder.

The undeservedly forgotten horror from the legendary Tobe Hooper is interesting at least because it became the progenitor of carnival slashers, i.e. movies in which all the action takes place at a huge fair where a killer roams.

3. Haunt, 2019

Having decided to have some fun on Halloween, the company goes to an extreme horror house. A bright but seemingly harmless attraction turns out to be a nightmarish maze where demonic-looking killers in masks operate.

Each room is an elaborate trap, each turn leads deeper into the abyss of madness. The only way to survive is to find a way out of the puzzling tangle of corridors, doors and secret passages.

Not the most famous, but worthy project from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, screenwriters of A Quiet Place and directors of the new horror Heretic with Hugh Grant.

4. Amsterdamned, 1988

A serial killer has appeared in Amsterdam, dumping the bodies of his victims in the canals that crisscross the city. The case is assigned to experienced detective Eric Visser, and when he meets tour guide Laura, he begins to suspect that she is somehow connected to the murders.

A little known but cult European slasher by Dick Maas, which perfectly plays on one of the main attractions of Amsterdam.

This city has a complex network of canals, created in the 17th century to supply the city with water. There are dozens of winding and sometimes dangerous passages, dead ends, flimsy staircases, and long-forgotten utility rooms.

5. The Burning, 1981

It's the height of the season at the summer camp. But the teens won't have long to celebrate life, as the local woods are haunted by a madman named Cropsy, who is plotting a large-scale massacre.

He has a serious reason: many years ago, the local boys organized a prank that went wrong, horribly scorching his face and nearly sending him to the afterlife.

This is a golden-era slasher that was overshadowed by more popular releases, but later became a classic.