proto-slasher
38 movies and shows
Psycho
Wed, 22 Jun 1960
When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.
Corruption
Fri, 19 Jul 1968
A surgeon discovers that he can restore the beauty to his girlfriend's scarred face by murdering other women and extracting fluids from their pituitary gland. However, the effects only last for a short time, so he has to kill more and more women. It is ultimately a killing spree which ends with considerable death and disaster.
Strait-Jacket
Sun, 19 Jan 1964
After a twenty-year stay at an asylum for a double murder, a mother returns to her estranged daughter where suspicions arise about her behavior.
Dementia 13
Wed, 25 Sep 1963
A scheming widow hatches a bold plan to acquire her late husband's inheritance, unaware that she is being targeted by an ax murderer who lurks in the family's estate.
Thirteen Women
Fri, 16 Sep 1932
Thirteen women who were schoolmates ask a swami to cast their horoscopes. The news they receive is not good for any of them.
Homicidal
Wed, 26 Jul 1961
A woman named Emily checks into a hotel and offers the bellboy $2000 to temporarily marry her. We soon find out Emily is the caretaker of a wheelchair-bound mute named Helga, who was the childhood guardian of a pair of siblings: Miriam Webster and her half-brother, Warren, who is about to inherit the estate of their late father. Who is the mysterious Emily and what are her intentions?
Tower of Evil
Fri, 26 May 1972
A group of experienced archeologists are searching for an old and mystic Phoenician treasure when they are surprised by a series of mysterious murders...
Maniac
Mon, 20 May 1963
When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a storm of sexual guilt and murder.
A Bay of Blood
Wed, 08 Sep 1971
An elderly heiress is killed by her husband who wants control of her fortunes. What ensues is an all-out murder spree as relatives and friends attempt to reduce the inheritance playing field, complicated by some teenagers who decide to camp out in a dilapidated building on the estate.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Fri, 24 Dec 1976
When two young lovers are savagely beaten and tortured on a back country road in Texarkana, local police are baffled and must find "the Phantom Killer" before he can kill again.
The Spiral Staircase
Sat, 26 Jan 1946
On a stormy night, the mute servant to an ailing matriarch is stalked by a serial killer.
House of Wax
Thu, 16 Apr 1953
A sculptor opens a wax museum to showcase the likenesses of famous historical figures, but quickly runs into trouble when his business partner demands the exhibits become more extreme in order to increase profits.
Peeping Tom
Mon, 16 May 1960
Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.
The Flesh and Blood Show
Sun, 01 Oct 1972
Actors rehearsing a show at a mysterious seaside theater are being killed off by an unknown maniac.
The Severed Arm
Fri, 02 Nov 1973
Trapped in a cave, five men cut the arm off of another companion in order to ward off starvation. After they are saved, their victim seeks revenge on them one by one.
Blood and Lace
Wed, 17 Mar 1971
After her prostitute mother and her john are beaten to death while they are asleep in bed, teen-aged Ellie Masters is sent to an isolated orphanage run by a mysterious woman and her handyman, both whom she comes to suspect are hiding dark secrets.
A Bucket of Blood
Wed, 21 Oct 1959
Nerdy Walter Paisley, a maladroit busboy at a beatnik café who doesn't fit in with the cool scene around him, attempts to woo his beautiful co-worker, Carla, by making a bust of her. When his klutziness results in the death of his landlady's cat, he panics and hides its body under a layer of plaster. But when Carla and her friends enthuse over the resulting artwork, Walter decides to create some bigger and more elaborate pieces using the same artistic process.
The Love Butcher
Mon, 01 Dec 1975
The twisted tale of Caleb, and his alter ego Lester. After being pushed around too far, Caleb transforms into Lester and returns to those who have wronged him.
House of Mortal Sin
Tue, 03 Feb 1976
A troubled young girl goes to confession at the local church. Unfortunately, the sexually frustrated priest she confesses to becomes obsessed with her. At first, the priest stalks the girl, but later it is revealed that he will stop at nothing, including blackmail and murder, just to get close to her.