Baker County, U.S.A. (1982) 7/10

Hicksploitation Canuck-style in fun William Fruet-directed backwoods thriller starring Henry Silva. aka Trapped See also Outdoors Survival

Black Christmas (1974) 9/10

A mysterious killer stalks a sorority house in this highly effective, creepy and suspenseful Canadian horror movie that was a big influence on the slasher genre. See also Christmas Evil; Slashers

The Brood (1979) 10/10

Excellent early Cronenberg with great script, strong cast, horrific moments, and the director’s usual preoccupations with mental illness, bodily mutation, and sinister institutions. See also Body Horror

Cannibal Girls (1973) 4/10

Cheap, schlocky horror directed by a pre-Hollywood Ivan Reitman and filmed in a wintery Toronto; despite attempts at humour, pretty bad all around.

Class of 1984 (1982) 8/10

Classic 80s teensploiter with a great cast, Alice Cooper theme song, and all the nasty trimmings. See also Teensploitation

Curtains (1983) 7/10

Ambitious actresses auditioning for a film role are bumped off by a masked killer in Canadian slasher that seems to want to be a giallo, making for a classy outing, though it suffers from pacing issues. See also Slashers

Deadly Eyes (1982) 6/10

Dachshunds were dressed up as rats for this wintery Canadian adaptation of James Herbert's excellent novel The Rats; bad but enjoyable. aka The Rats See also Nature Runs Amok

Death Ship (1980) 3/10

Bad horror with liberal use of stock footage; at least George Kennedy seems to be having fun.

Death Weekend (1976) 6/10

William Fruet’s Canadian update on Last House on the Left is a solid rape and revenge flick – a bit shoddy, but with a resilient heroine that rises it to above average. aka The House by the Lake See also: Revengesploitation

Deathdream (1974) 8/10

A young soldier killed in Vietnam shows up at his family home one night in effective variation of The Monkey’s Paw that touches on different horror archetypes but still feels fresh, original and very dark. aka Dead of Night

Evil Judgment (1984) 4/10

Mystery thriller with slasher elements filmed in Montréal – it sat on the shelf for three years and you can see why, as there’s just not enough to maintain interest. See also Slashers

Funeral Home (1980) 5/10

This Canadian horror with secrets in the basement has sympathetic characters and is derivative of Psycho but lacks that film’s shocks and suspense. aka Cries in the Night

Happy Birthday to Me (1981) 7/10

Thanks to director J. Lee Thompson, this Canadian slasher is more competently made than its contemporaries, and despite an idiotic plot is pleasingly gory right through to the ghoulish finale. See also Slashers

Humongous (1982) 5/10

Teens are stalked on a remote island in pedestrian horror that needed more blood and guts. See also Slashers

Incubus (1981) 7/10

Nasty horror with too many red herrings that was savaged by the critics but has a lot to recommend it, especially the creepy performance by John Cassavetes. aka The Incubus See also Satansploitation

My Bloody Valentine (1981) 6/10

A small Canadian mining town is the setting for this holiday-themed slasher that was completely neutered by the MPAA; not particularly good even in uncut form despite its cult following. See also Slashers

Porky’s (1981) 7/10

Thoroughly entertaining guilty pleasure that was lambasted by the critics but still became the highest-grossing Canadian film of all time. See also Awesome 80s

Prom Night (1980) 5/10

Canada’s highest-earning horror film of 1980 provides a standard revenge plot and generic night of mayhem mostly made up of Jamie Lee Curtis on the dance floor. See also Slashers

The Pyx (1973) 7/10

A police detective uncovers a sinister cult in interesting Canadian horror starring Karen Black (playing a heroin-addicted hooker) – menacing, unsettling, and worthy of reappraisal. aka The Hooker Cult Murders See also Satansploitation

Rabid (1977) 7/10

Porn star Marilyn Chambers impresses in this sexually deviant David Cronenberg body horror that delivers the shocks but feels overlong for what it is. See also Body Horror

Rituals (1977) 8/10

Five doctors on a wilderness outing are stalked by a disfigured killer in underrated backwoods slasher that doesn’t offer all the answers, while providing an interesting war parable. aka The Creeper See also Outdoors Survival

Rolling Vengeance (1987) 6/10

Rednecks get their comeuppance via truck in Canadian vigilante flick which takes a while to get going, but then becomes formulaic, over-the-top fun. aka Monster Truck See also Vigilante

Scanners (1981) 7/10

Cronenberg classic about telepathy and the ills of modern society with famous splatter FX – rushed into production, it has a dark, brooding, stark atmosphere, but is not without its flaws. See also Body Horror

Shivers (1975) 8/10

David Cronenberg made an impressive feature debut with this daring and depraved commentary on consumer culture and modern living; despite the deliberate pace, it still packs a wallop. aka The Parasite Murders; They Came from Within See also Body Horror

Siege (1983) 7/10

Nifty vigilante flick – kind of a Canadian Assault on Precinct 13 – with plot holes galore but great characters (including queer ones) and an interesting setting (Halifax, Nova Scotia). aka Self Defense See also Vigilante

Spasms (1983) 4/10

Somehow Oliver Reed appeared in two snake movies in the 1980s – this time with a psychic link to a Satanic snake which emerges from hell every seven years; about as silly as it sounds. See also Fun Horror Flops

Sunday in the Country (1974) 6/10

Three bank robbers flee to farmer Ernest Borgnine’s home and get more than they bargained for – but revenge comes at a high price in this intelligent Canadian flick which is a little too subtle for its genre. aka Blood for Blood; Vengeance Is Mine See also Revengesploitation

Terror Train (1980) 5/10

Dumb disco slasher about a New Year’s Eve party aboard a moving train – Jamie Lee Curtis is good as always, David Copperfield performs a few tricks, and there are some fun moments. See also Slashers

Videodrome (1983) 10/10

Cronenberg’s masterpiece explores technology, the media and the human body, and though a flop on first release, it’s a bona fide classic that is still mind-blowing, shocking, and ahead of its time. See also Body Horror

Visiting Hours (1982) 6/10

Strong Canadian slasher with an effectively creepy Michael Ironside – but it’s all a bit joyless. See also Slashers

Zombie Nightmare (1987) 1/10

A mother calls in a voodoo practitioner to turn her dead son into a zombie in this unintentionally hilarious mess of a movie filmed in Montreal with Adam West appearance at the 45-minute mark. See also So Bad It’s Good