Fandomonious: A Pop Culture Podcast · Fandomonious

173: Top 5 Slasher Franchises

October 29, 2025·1 hr 11 min·5 clips

Adam argues that Friday the 13th works best because the 2009 remake blends parts one, two, and three.

1. Fandomonious Episode 173 is a Top 5 Slasher Franchises conversation about how Adam and Ian rank horror series they actually like. 2. Adam and Ian host the episode as co-hosts, and their long-running friendship shapes the way they argue about Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Scream. 3. The episode asks which slasher franchises matter most as personal favorites, not which ones are the most important by critical standards. 4. Adam starts by separating slasher films from other horror types such as alien stories, body horror, possession movies, and monster movies. 5. Ian uses Alien, Late Night with the Devil, Cuckoo, and The Substance to show how modern horror often crosses genre lines. 6. The hosts also talk through classic horror titles like Dracula, The Mummy, Freaks, and Universal monsters while comparing them to newer movies. 7. Adam and Ian both describe torture porn as a separate category, using Hostel, Saw, Pet Sematary, and Evil Dead to explain the difference. 8. The discussion turns to defining a slasher through stalking, methodical kills, and a villain who carries a signature weapon like Jason’s machete. 9. Adam names Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Scream as his five franchise picks. 10. Ian pushes for other candidates such as Candyman, Sleepaway Camp, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Child’s Play. 11. Adam says Halloween is the “Cadillac of slashers,” and he treats the original Halloween as the clearest version of the genre. 12. The hosts revisit Friday the 13th Part 2, Part 3, and the 2009 remake, especially the shift from Pamela to sackhead Jason to the hockey mask. 13. Ian calls Friday the 13th Part 2 and Part 3 a strong pair, while Adam praises the remake for making Jason scary again. 14. The episode repeatedly returns to camp, with Jason X, Freddy versus Jason, and later Friday sequels showing how far the franchise can lean into humor. 15. Adam and Ian also discuss how the Halloween franchise and the Friday the 13th franchise both have more misses than hits in their sequels. 16. Ian mentions Bloody Axe Wound, 30 Days of Night, The Strangers, and Black Phone as examples that complicate simple slasher labeling. 17. The tone stays conversational and argumentative, with both hosts talking over each other and landing jokes while they sort out their lists. 18. The format is loose and discussion-driven, with examples, side tangents, and franchise comparisons replacing any formal structure. 19. Listeners who like horror taxonomy and franchise debates. 20. Listeners who want a tightly edited, spoiler-free review roundtable.

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