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What Your Favorite Slasher Franchise Says About You

Longtime readers may recall that, once upon a time, I wrote an article about what your favorite Halloween movie says about you. I know we all learned a lot about ourselves in the process, but were we maybe being too granular? It’s time to expand that scope out a little more and find out what our favorite slasher franchise, in general, says about us.

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Longtime readers may recall that, once upon a time, I wrote an article about what your favorite Halloween movie says about you. I know we all learned a lot about ourselves in the process, but were we maybe being too granular? It’s time to expand that scope out a little more and find out what our favorite slasher franchise, in general, says about us.

Now, I had to be quite choosy about how to define a “slasher franchise,” because this article should probably be shorter than War and Peace. My major criterion that I decided upon was that the franchise in question should have at least four installments, without including any remakes or legacy sequels. The only exception here is Terrifier, which is new enough to be exempt and at any rate does have a fourth film in the works (presuming the cast and director are still speaking to each other).

Even then, not every applicable franchise is contained in this article. But most of them are. All I’m saying here is that you shouldn’t expect me to tell you what you’re like if your favorite slasher franchise is the two Death Nurse movies. And if that is the case, you probably already know most everything you need to know about yourself anyway.

What Your Favorite Slasher Franchise Says About You

Psycho

You’re a little bit classy, but you’ve also got a kooky side. You’re not afraid to dive into a black-and-white movie, but you have also embraced the many ways that the slasher genre has changed since it first began. You sometimes have weird dreams about Jeff Fahey and lamps.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

You’re truly up for anything. Whatever curveballs life throws at you, you’re ready to embrace the chaos and make the best of what you’ve got.

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Halloween

You’re the baseball fan of the horror world. You have genuine love for many or all of the movies, but your truest love is building your life around stats, data, fun facts, and the like. You can break down every continuity path of the franchise at will, and are itching to debate anyone, anytime, anywhere. If I ask, “Should John Tate have been in DGG’s Halloween?” you not only know exactly what I’m talking about without a moment’s thought, and you’re already planning your talking points in your head.

Prom Night

You’re the Cubs fan of the horror world. You love an underdog, and you’re disappointed that nobody ever seems to agree that Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil is underrated. Trust me, friend, I’ve been there.

Friday the 13th

You like consistency. You like to know exactly what you’re getting every single time, and the feeling of that thing being delivered well is a welcome balm. (Well, at least for the first eight movies or so.) You’re probably the type who eats at McDonald’s while on vacation rather than an untested local restaurant. No shade, we all need some McNuggets now and again.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

You’re a maximalist. Your living space is probably full of color and a little cluttered. You have a vivid imagination, and you’re not afraid to use it to make creative projects that are sometimes off-putting to others.

Silent Night, Deadly Night

You don’t exist. Somebody cooked you up, Tyler Durden style, and talks to you when they’re dissociating. Just kidding, just kidding. I do like quite a few of these movies, myself. But if the overall Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise is your favorite bar none, you simply love Christmas. You’re all about themed viewings for every holiday, but the Christmas creep starts early in your household. Just after Halloween, in fact.

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Child’s Play

Well, first things first, you’re probably gay. On the pride flag, the red stripe stands for Chucky’s hair. But sometimes straight people have good taste too, as weird as that may seem. So, in a more general sense, if what floats your boat is the Child’s Play franchise (also known as the Chucky movies, if you’re nasty), continuity is king. You like to watch a story filled with beloved characters play out over multiple movies and a canceled-too-soon TV series. Additionally, you’re a hell of a lot of fun, and you’re always down for a spontaneous adventure.

Scream

OK, you’re probably gay too. But in the unfortunate event that you are not, liking the Scream franchise says plenty of other things about you. Just like with Child’s Play, continuity is also key here. That continuity love comes with the added wrinkle that you probably love binge-watching a good 1990s teen drama. You’re also a trivia buff who is having more and more complicated thoughts about feeling so represented by Randy when you first watched it. And you’re a bit of a softie. As much as you might complain about them never really killing off main characters, you don’t actually want them to.

Final Destination

You’re a little more ethereal than the average slasher fan. There’s probably a crystal, a deck of tarot cards, or a star chart somewhere within 20 feet of you. Barring that, you love a puzzle, and there’s nothing better than watching all the pieces that have laid out in front of you coming together.

Hatchet

You love gore, baby! And you’re deep in the paint on the horror genre in general. You become that “Leo pointing at the screen” meme from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood every time one of those cameoing horror icons makes an appearance.

Terrifier

You love gore, baby! But maybe you’re a little more embarrassed about it than a Hatchet fan. You like to point to the visual metaphors and the world-building and say you read Terrifier for the articles. But we know why you’re here. It’s OK. Embrace your blood-soaked truth.

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Brennan Klein is a millennial who knows way more about 80's slasher movies than he has any right to. He's a former host of the  Attack of the Queerwolf podcast and a current senior movie/TV news writer at Screen Rant. You can also find his full-length movie reviews on Alternate Ending and his personal blog Popcorn Culture. Follow him on Twitter or Letterboxd, if you feel like it.

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The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in November 2025

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Halloween season is over, and many streamers have forgotten about us horror kids. While they take their 11-month hiatus from the genre, we can be grateful that we still have an app that cares. We are so lucky that Shudder remains that girl year-round. Whether you’re finishing their new original show Guts & Glory, catching up on The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans, or running at some of their deep cuts like I am, Shudder has your best interests at heart. As usual, she has quite a few titles fighting for our attention. Which is why I am here with five titles I think should be at the top of all of our watch lists this November. So, cancel your holiday plans and pick up your remote because we have got horrifying things to watch.

The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month

Habit (1995)

An alcoholic unwittingly enters into a relationship with a succubus in New York City. If you ever wondered what Larry Fessenden was getting up to in his youth, you need to see this ’90s gem. I lucked out and caught it at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival last year, and I lived my best life. While watching it on the small screen will not be the same, I plan to hit play anyway. Mostly because I love to see 1990s succubi leaving their mark on men…and also the horror genre. Shudder is also adding The Last Winter and Depraved, so we can spend a whole day with Uncle Larry’s work.

Sew Torn (2024)

A seamstress happens upon a failed drug deal and steals a briefcase. She soon finds herself caught in a deadly situation where all roads lead to death. I caught Sew Torn at SXSW last year and have been wondering what happened to it. So, I am very happy this odd little bird has found her way to Shudder. I cannot wait to make my friends who are looking for something cute and deadly watch. I knew nothing when I hit play on this, and I encourage you to know as little as possible, too. I fear I have already written too much in this blurb to be completely honest. 

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You can watch Sew Torn on November 1st.

The Retreat (2021)

A couple goes on a pre-wedding retreat and unwittingly becomes targets of a group of serial killers. We have seen too many movies about retreats, and I thought this one would be more of the same. This title does not completely reinvent the wheel, but it does set itself apart within this oversaturated subgenre. The Retreat is a surprisingly fun and tense little thriller that feels made for the winter watches. Come for the lesbian characters leading the film, and stay for the violence. I also encourage you to check it out while it is on Shudder, because it is usually on apps with ads.

You can watch The Retreat on November 1st.

The Creep Tapes (Season 2)

Peachfuzz returns with more tapes, chaos, kills, and WTF moments. Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice have reentered the TV arena and are making things weird again. If award shows were real, this duo would be leading the Emmys charge. I saw the first three episodes, and Josef/Peachfuzz is still the serial killer after our own hearts. Our Wolfie is still cutting up (literally and figuratively) in the most amazing ways. Guest stars in danger this season include David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil), Katie Aselton (The League), and Robert Longstreet (The Haunting of Hill House). 

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You can watch The Creep Tapes (Season 2) on November 14th.

Krampus (2015)

A kid accidentally summons demons during the holidays in this horror comedy. Krampus remains one of the top-tier Christmas horror titles for me. It is also my favorite Michael Dougherty film. Not only because it has the star power of Adam Scott and Toni Collette, either. This movie is wicked, and even the kids are in danger. I do not have many holiday horror movies I revisit every year, but Krampus is one of the very few. It still holds up, and I cannot wait to rewatch it with a festively boozy beverage. 

You can watch Krampus on November 15th.

Those are a few reasons I am grateful for Shudder this holiday season. While the rest of you are fighting with your family and friends, I will be parked in front of my TV. You can have your turkey because I would rather gorge myself on episodes of The Creep Tapes anyway.

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Let me know what Shudder shenanigans you have got your little eye on. I am nosy and want to make sure I am not missing anything on my favorite streamer.

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The Best Horror You Can Stream on Netflix in November 2025

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The year is winding down, and I don’t know about you, but I am trying to pack in as many 2025 horror movies as I can. Is this because I love making end-of-the-year lists? Yes. Is it because I am an unhealed overachiever? Also, yes. So, I am assuming some of you are also cruising the streamers to see what you may have missed. While Netflix has had my favorite new slasher Heart Eyes for a bit, and I have mentioned that in previous streaming guides, they also have other new horror titles to show you.

I do not talk about them as much because I did not have a good time with them. However, that does not mean you won’t enjoy some of these titles. That’s why I am taking the high road and finding something to be grateful for about each of them. That way, you will know there is a silver lining if you do watch them. Allow me to help you figure out what to prioritize this month and what to skip. Check out this chaotic Netflix hitlist below! 

The Best Movies to Stream on Netflix This Month

28 Years Later (2025)

A group of survivors on a small island has built a fortress to protect them from the rage virus. However, a young boy discovers what is really outside the walls of their community and sets off to find a cure for his sick mother. We all loved 28 Days Later, and some of us liked 28 Weeks Later. So, 28 Years Later was never going to live up to the hype with almost thirty years of anticipation. While I didn’t love it, I did enjoy seeing Danny Boyle helm another zombie installment. What he does in the subgenre is top-tier, and we are welcome (even if the script left me wanting more). That might have gotten buried in all the talk about the dicks seen in the movie, though.

Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)

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A group of girls competing for prom queen starts disappearing, leaving the underdog to figure out what is happening to her competition. I had a lot of thoughts about this lackluster installment in Netflix’s Fear Street adaptations. As someone who grew up reading Fear Street books and wanting to adapt them myself, I do not understand how this movie came out so badly. Which made it hard to find something nice to say about this title. However, the soundtrack slaps, and it is not the soundtrack’s fault that it was wasted on a low-energy bottom-tier slasher. So, if you hit play on this, you can at least look forward to hearing some retro bangers selected by music supervisor Nora Felder. If you are familiar with her work on Yellowjackets and Stranger Things, you know Felder does not miss.

Maa (2025)

To battle a demon’s curse, a mother transforms into the legendary goddess Kali. As usual, Netflix did not advertise an international horror movie that seemed to have some potential. If they had told us Maa was an Indian Hindi-language mythological horror movie, most people who yell for intersectionality and originality would have run at it. Instead, we had to find out about it months later while looking for something we hadn’t already seen on the app. This movie is too long, and I cannot say it is good by any stretch of the imagination. However, it also made me realize how little I know about the goddess of destruction. If you are a nerd like me, this might lead you down a cool rabbit hole. You can also say you gave a view to a horror movie starring Brown people. Who knows, maybe you could be one of the few who enjoy this chaotic film.

Until Dawn (2025)

A group of friends find themselves trapped in a time loop where they keep getting killed in gruesome ways. I love the video game and was so bummed this adaptation was so bad. However, the practical effects are very cool and should be celebrated more. I think the stuff that the SFX team pulled off might be the only reason to watch the movie personally. I’m happy the actors whose work I enjoy got paid, and that’s another positive thing I can say. However, if we want to see young people in deadly time loops, we have so many movies that do it better. Excuse me as I look right at Happy Death Day and all of the movies that have tried to copy her.

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Ziam (2025)

A Muay Thai fighter battles through a zombie apocalypse to save the woman he loves. Netflix fumbled the advertising for this one too, because who doesn’t want to see a Thai zombie film? So, I was excited to watch it, but then sad I did not like it. However, I think this one is on me. It is an action-horror with a lot of heartfelt moments, and that’s not my bag. I wanted more violence and zombie action because I am a broken and heartless ghoul. So, Ziam might be the only movie on this list that does not deserve my bombastic side eye. I am waiting for other people to watch it and let me know if they have a better time with it, though. 

While I was not the audience for these movies, I am assuming some of you will dig them. Worst-case scenario, you cross off a few more 2025 horror movies and have something to talk about at Friendsgiving. Happy Horrordays! I will see myself out now…

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