13. The Fisherman (I Know What You Did Last Summer)
Appearances: 3
Weapon of choice: Hook
The raincoat-wearing star of I Know What You Did Last Summer, the Fisherman character itself was probably the only cool thing to come out that series. Plus, he was inspired by a classic urban legend, which only adds to the cool factor.
12. Angela Baker (Sleepaway Camp)
Appearances: 5
Weapon of choice: Curling iron
Just when you thought it was safe to go to Sleepaway Camp. Wait, did anyone ever think that was safe? The gender-challenged “Angela” is one unhappy camper, driven by her/his even kookier aunt to go Columbine on Camp Arawak.
11. Kenny Hampson (Terror Train)
Appearances: 1
Weapon of choice: Knife
Jamie Lee Curtis just can’t catch a break. In Terror Train, she’s stalked by a wannabe fratboy gone mental. Hampson is quite the inventive looney too, continuously changing into the outfits worn by his costume party victims. Gotta love the Groucho mask.
10. Ghostface (Scream)
Appearances: 3
Weapon of choice: Bowie knife
A grand total of five different serial killers assume the Ghostface mantle over the course of the Scream trilogy. Along the way, Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson proved that even by deconstructing slasher movies, you can create an iconic slasher.
9. Chucky (Child's Play)
Appearances: 5
Weapon of choice: Knife
Perhaps the most unlikely of all slashers, this cute little doll possessed by the soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray even goes on to take a bride and have a son--all while being voiced by Brad Dourif.
8. Candyman (Candyman)
Appearances: 3
Weapon of choice: Hooked appendage
Also inspired by popular urban legend, the mythic Candyman is brutal, merciless, and unrelenting. He’s also just about the only African American movie slasher, proving that whether white or black, underneath we’re all red anyway.
7. The Miner (My Bloody Valentine)
Appearances: 2
Weapon of choice: Pickaxe
There’s been a renewed interest in this guy thanks to the current 3-D remake of the 1981 Canadian cult classic My Bloody Valentine. You have to give him points for creativity and a bad-ass outfit, as well as for keeping his true identity secret for so long.
6. Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)
Appearances: 5
Weapon of choice: His teeth
So is Hannibal really a slasher in the true sense? Did you see the cage scene with the security guards in The Silence of the Lambs? Ok, then. Mr. Lector may have been portrayed by two acclaimed actors and featured in an Oscar-winning film, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the boys.
5. Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Appearances: 6
Weapon of choice: Chainsaw
Top five time, here come the heavy hitters. This transvestite cannibal butcher is a nightmare on two legs. He’s also the earliest in the grand tradition of mute, mentally challenged horror movie killers.
4. Norman Bates (Psycho)
Appearances: 5
Weapon of choice: Kitchen knife
The first, and in the opinion of some, still the greatest. Hitchcock invented the slasher genre with this character in his 1960 masterpiece, Psycho. Despite his historical significance, Norman loses a few points for being more human and sympathetic than most of the slashers who followed him.
3. (Friday the 13th)
Appearances: 11
Weapon of choice: Machete
Surprise, surprise--even on the eve of the brand new remake, the man in the hockey mask only makes it to number three. Nevertheless, ol’ Jason is without question the most resilient of all slashers. Timex has nothing on this dude.
2. Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Appearances: 9
Weapon of choice: Knife-tipped glove
When it comes to a winning personality, no one on this list has anything on the bastard son of a thousand maniacs. Not only can he kill you in your dreams, he’s also never without a one-liner at the ready. Not to mention his fashion sense!
And finally, the number one slasher in horror movie history…
1. Michael Myers (Halloween)
Appearances: 9
Weapon of choice: Kitchen knife
Norman Bates may have been the first, but when it comes to the one figure that is the most influential, and the most responsible for the rise of the slasher subgenre, there’s only one choice. In his gas-station-attendant onesy and freaky Bill Shatner mask, the Shape is the personification of horror. He’s got the theme music, he’s got the puppy-dog head-lean, and he invented that whole get-up-from-anything gimmick. He’s been slashing for 30 years now, and still keeps coming back.
You shed some light on my question though. Thanks.