Run for Your Life! Top 5 Chase Scenes from Slasher Films!
Joshua Macmillan
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Beginning in the 1970’s and throughout the 1980’s, the horror genre was graced with some of, if not the, best flicks that we could have hoped for. We were given solo films and franchises, and icons were born. The films of this era of horror helped to mold and shape the state of the genre for the rest of its life.
There is no getting away from the fact that in just about every horror film you will see the proverbial “Final Girl,” and there will also be your stereotypical classes of pawns that litter the cast and serve their own purpose. Also, in some way, shape, or form, there is likely to be an epic “Final Chase” scene.
These are not just slasher tropes though; even paranormal films use them in one way or another… maybe not all three of the items listed above, but if you look, you can usually find at least one or two of them.
For this list, we’re focusing on the “Final Chase,” and below are my personal top 5 favorites. It’s a short list, but I do hope that you guys enjoy it!
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Cast: Donald Pleasance, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, George P. Wilbur, Michael Pataki, Beau Starr, Kathleen Kinmont, and Sasha Jenson.
Directed By: Dwight H. Little
The film that brought Michael back! Halloween 4 is both loved and hated across the board when it comes to horror fans. I personally fall into the love category, and it is the chase scene that takes us up onto the rooftop that does it for me! This scene is tense, scary, and has you begging for it to end but also keep going. We follow Rachel and Jamie (Cornell and Harris, respectively) as they barricade the stairway leading up to the attic in hopes that it will deter the psychotic Michael Myers (portrayed this time by George P. Wilbur). Ultimately Michael gets through, and we see the chase continue out of the small attic window and up onto the roof. I can still remember the first time that I saw this scene, and every time since it still gets to me. It is rare that I will actually sit down to watch this film from beginning to end; I usually have it on while working on a project or cleaning, but when this scene comes on, I am glued to the screen!
https://youtu.be/8vtjt8Ns-cM
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Cast: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Anne Heche, and Bridgette Wilson.
Directed By: Jim Gillespie
I Know What You Did Last Summer is kind of in the same vein as Halloween 4 in the way that the fans are split. However, now a lot of fans are starting to see that this film is actually a sort of diamond in the rough when you really look at it. It has great kill scenes, great chase sequences, and is even a pretty good adaptation of the novel of the same name by Lois Duncan. The film takes its liberties, though, considering that the book isn’t a slasher, but the story beats are there and in my opinion the slasher angle definitely improves the story- maybe that’s just my own bloodlust though! There is every trope in this flick, and the chase scene that has us following the lovely Helen (Gellar) is everything that a slasher fan could hope for! We follow Helen as she runs for her life and narrowly survives a fall from a window while being stalked by the killer. She gets up in a daze and runs down the alley that she is in and towards the parade to safety but runs right into the open arms of the killer!
https://youtu.be/CyvEvlKZg_c
Halloween (1978)
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, and Nick Castle
Directed By: John Carpenter
Halloween, arguably one of the most beloved films in the genre, is also one of the starters of the slasher sub-genre (depending on whom you talk to, that is) and one of the first films to get a franchise. It’s been talked about for years how tense and terrifying this film is so I won’t say more than that. I did have to make what I think is an incredibly tough decision when choosing this scene; it was this or the chase scene through the halls of the hospital in Halloween II. Ultimately I had to go with this one since it delivers just a little bit more of what I look for. We start off with Laurie finding the body of her friend in a macabre tableau, leading her to two more bodies and her first face-to-face confrontation with Michael. After Laurie gets sliced on the arm, she takes a tumble down the stairs; and the chase is ON!
https://youtu.be/VO3yErXfvN8
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Cast: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunner Hansen, and Teri McMinn
Directed By: Tobe Hooper
Chain Saw is one of, if not THE, definitive cult classic in my eyes. You have all the classic archetypes that you need for a well-rounded cast, you have the edge of your seat suspense, and you have a sense of madness throughout the entire film that takes your breath away. There are two scenes that I will mention for this film; the first is when Franklin and Sally are looking their friends, and Franklin meet the business end of Leatherface’s chainsaw, leading into Sally’s being chased through the woods by our favorite cannibal. The second is when she makes her escape during the insane dinner; there is just something about her frantic screaming while being chased down that old country road that chills your blood!
https://youtu.be/2HoUwWem0wM
Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
Cast: Dana Kimmell, Paul Kratka, and Richard Brooker
Directed By: Steve Miner
Part 3 is hands down one of the best from the franchise, but it was another hard choice. I almost picked the final chase between Jason and Ginny in Part 2, which begins with a fight in the main room of their cabin where Ginny gives a terrific performance that sends chills down my spine when she screams, “There’s somebody in this fucking room!” through the woods and into Jason’s rundown cabin. However, I had to go with the final chase scene from Part 3 when Jason chases Chris. It is terrifying and fun and full of everything that a chase scene should contain.
