A straightforward slasher is always going to be a fun ride. Whether fans watch a classic like Friday the 13th (1980) or a newer film like X (2022), these stories are exciting and move ahead at a fast clip, always bringing memorable death scenes, big reveals, and sometimes, nods and references to other films from the genre's history.
Horror fans have a soft spot for slasher movies that are meta or deconstruct the genre, as these films tend to be the most interesting and creative ever made. There are several from the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and the 2020s that have a lot to say about this type of film.
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
The Nightmare On Elm Street franchise veers into meta territory with 1994's New Nightmare, which sees Heather Langenkamp playing herself: an actor known for portraying final girl Nancy Thompson and raising a family. Heather thinks about starring in a new movie as Nancy once again, and Freddy Krueger begins targeting her once again.
The movie deconstructs some slasher genre rules, including how the final girl is the character who can defeat the villain/killer and how they are left standing. Heather quickly realizes that she's the one who can stop Freddy, which is fun for horror fans to watch. New Nightmare is not only an excellent film in its own right but also one of the best from the franchise, which does have a few duds.
Scream (1996)
Scream is definitely the most famous horror movie that deconstructs the slasher genre. When fans want a good meta movie and one that talks about how people behave in slashers, this is absolutely the best pick.
One of the best quotes from Scream is when Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) goes through the rules that people have to abide by if they want to make it through the entire horror film. Randy talks about not having sex, not drinking and doing drugs, and not saying "I'll be right back." With this famous scene, Scream shows that it's intelligent and talking about the bad decisions that characters typically make in horror movies. This scene is also a great example of meta storytelling, as Randy is literally in a horror movie... talking about the rules of survival in a horror movie. Scream also includes several references to classic horror movies, from A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) to Halloween (1978) as Randy puts that movie on in the famous house party scene.
Funny Games (2007)
Funny Games breaks the fourth wall by having Paul (Michael Pitt) literally rewind the movie so he can stop Ann Farber (Naomi Watts) from picking up a gun and shooting Peter (Brady Corbet). This is a deconstruction of the violence that often takes place in horror and thriller movies since sometimes, characters often wish that they could stop time and go back and do something differently.
Funny Games could be considered one of the best horror movie remakes as the story is commenting on film violence. While Paul and Peter take a family hostage, the film has a different conclusion than moviegoers would expect, proving that not every slasher film has to end like all the others. It's also a smart film since the young men are successful in carrying out their plan against the Farber family and kill them. This movie changes the idea of a slasher film where the final girl and other characters win and outlive the killer. This time around, they don't make it, and Peter and Paul have been the masterminds the entire time.
The Cabin In The Woods (2011)
The Cabin In The Woods is considered one of the best 2010s horror movies and it also deconstructs slasher movies with its stereotypical main characters. Marty Melinski (Fran Kranz) is "The Fool," Curt Vaughan (Chris Hemsworth) is "The Athlete," Dana Polk (Kristen Connolly) is "The Virgin," Jules Louden (Anna Hutchinson) is "The Whore," and Holden McCrea (Jesse Williams) is "The Scholar." While fans don't learn much about these characters beyond these personality traits that they have, that's definitely the entire point and it's brilliantly done.
Once the characters get further into the simulation and are killed off one by one, they act exactly the way that horror movie characters tend to behave. They're scared and try their best to investigate what's wrong and make a game plan, but they ultimately fail since they are destined to die as part of this horrible and creative game.
Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)
Fear Street has a great love story between Sam Fraser (Olivia Scott Welch) and Deena Johnson (Kiana Madeira).
The opening scene of Fear Street: Part One: 1994 also pays homage to Casey Becker's (Drew Barrymore) death in Scream (1996), which allows the film to destruct the slasher genre. Heather (Maya Hawke) is working at a mall and closing up shop when a killer chases her and eventually murders her. The way that Heather runs away and tries her best to survive is reminiscent of Casey's own fight, and horror fans appreciate the '90s setting and vibe of this movie. Fear Street also shows how characters try to investigate and figure out the story behind the killings, as Sam and Deena and their friends team up. The killer wearing a black and white mask also reminds fans of Ghostface from Scream, a nice nod to a familiar villain from this time period.