10 Subversive Slashers to Watch After ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’

Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is out in the world now. Though it doesn’t lean into frights, it does explore in vivid detail the power of slasher movies —especially for audiences who obsess over even the sillier aspects of their horrors.

While Camp Miasma offers a particularly frisky example of what happens when you rearrange all the tropes slasher movies have become known for , it’s not the first subversive flick to emerge from the genre. There are nearly as many meta slashers as there are straightforward ones at this point—a natural outcome when the often predictable source material is so easily poked fun at. Here are 10 other standouts.

Obviously . Wes Craven’s 1996 franchise-starter looked the audience in the eye and said, “We know you know what happens in these movies, and so do the guys in the Ghostface mask.” And for anyone who didn’t know that slasher movies have specific rules, the Randy character appears at just the right moment with a hilariously accurate rundown on them.

While we didn’t love everything about In a Violent Nature , there’s no denying it’s powered by a clever concept, telling its story from the point of view of a silent killing machine as he awakens and starts adding to his body count. Imagine a Friday the 13th sequel from Jason’s point of view, with some ferocious gore as a bonus.

Maybe the scary guys you and your cute friends spot on your weekend getaway aren’t actually plotting to break into your cabin and murder you. Maybe they’re actually kind, respectful best friends who’re just a little socially awkward. And when you think about it, there are lots of horrifying accidents that could happen in the forest! There’s no reason your mind should go straight to Texas Chain Saw Massacre every time you see a stranger in the wilderness.

However, you might want to consider this: your woodsy vacation spot could actually be a front for a group appeasing elder gods who require regular sacrifices performed by creatures and killers plucked from an array of horror villains, not just slashers. Your best bet is avoiding the basement and refraining from reading aloud anything resembling an incantation.

Student Bodies was released in 1981, which was so early in the first wave of slashers it actually predates many of them. Still, 1981 was enough time since Halloween and Friday the 13th for the formula to be imprinted on pop culture, and this high-school set horror comedy takes full advantage of all the parody opportunities.

Styled as a mockumentary, Behind the Mask introduces us to an aspiring serial killer learning his craft from slasher movies, including selecting a “final girl” who he believes will ultimately be his downfall. There’s also some in-joke casting to look out for, including horror luminaries Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, and Zelda Rubenstein. It was announced earlier this year that The Return of Leslie Vernon was in the works. Because every slasher needs a sequel!

Director Christopher Landon directed both of these slasher send-ups.