Slasher Movies 101 Slashers are among the most prevalent types of horror movies, especially on video, and they’re a particular favorite of modern horror fans. The definition of a slasher film varies depending on who you ask, but in general, it contains several specific traits that feed into the subgenre’s formula.
The Killer
Every slasher has a killer. He’s usually male, and his identity is often concealed either by a mask or by creative lighting and camerawork. Even if his identity is known, as in the case of Halloween’s Michael Myers, he still tends to mask his face. This, combined with the fact that he’s usually mute and seemingly unstoppable, heightens his ominous, threatening nature. His back story often includes a childhood trauma (atomic wedgies and the like) that turned him into the homicidal maniac he
Remake of Slasher is today, thus creating a level of sympathy in the viewer. After all, the real star of a slasher is the killer, not the hero. Throughout a franchise like Friday the 13th, heroes come and go, but the killer is constant: the iconic antihero valued for speaking softly and carrying a big machete.
The Victims
What’s a killer without victims? In slashers, the victims tend to be young, attractive and often nude. They’re typically high school- or college-aged adolescents who engage in vice-ridden activities: sex, alcohol, drugs, crime, football. Rarely does the killer pick these kids explicitly because of their misdeeds, but there is an unwritten moral code in these films that punishes bad behavior. As nihilistic as they might seem, slasher fans like to know that the people who die somehow “deserve” it.
The Heroine
Although slashers are often criticized for being misogynistic, they’re one of the few film genres that primarily feature strong, independent female leads. The heroine is almost always a peer of the victims, but unlike her cohorts, she’s virtuous. She doesn’t go along with all of the sexual hijinks and drug usage, and if she doesn’t outright stop her pals from bullying the geeky outcast who may someday grow into a homicidal killing machine, she at least feels really bad about it. The heroine is also known as the “final girl” because by the end of the movie, all of her friends are dead, and she’s left alone to deal with the killer.
The Violence
One thing that separates slashers from thrillers and murder mysteries is the level of violence. Slashers shift the focus of the film from such trivialities as “plot” and “character development” and instead concentrate on the killing. Storylines are basically constructed around giving the killer reason and opportunity to do what he does best: murder and mayhem. The deaths are violent and graphic, and the more originality shown in the methods and tools used, the better.
The Killer
The Victims
A CAT AND MOUSE CHASE GAME Horror is a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience’s primal fears. Inspired by literature from authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley, horror films have existed for more than a century. The macabre and the supernatural are frequent themes, and may overlap with the fantasy, supernatural fiction and thriller genres. Horror films often deal with viewers’ nightmares, fears, revulsions and terror of the unknown. Plots within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage into the everyday world. Prevalent elements include ghosts, extraterrestrials, vampires, werewolves, demons, gore, torture, vicious animals, evil witches, monsters, zombies, cannibals, psychopaths, and serial killers. Slasher films are a subgenre of horror films, typically involving a serial killer murdering several victims, usually with bladed tools in somewhat a game of cat and mouse. Although the term “slasher” is sometimes used informally as a generic term for any horror movie involving murder, analysts of the genre cite an established set of characteristics which allegedly set these films apart from other horror subgenres, such as splatter films and psychological horror films.
The Heroine The Violence
Classic Slasher from the Past Psycho 1960 Psycho is a 1960 American psychological horror thriller directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, and written by Joseph Stefano, and was based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The film centers on the encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane (Leigh), who ends up at a secluded motel after stealing money from her employer, and the motel’s disturbed owner-manager, Norman Bates (Perkins), and its aftermath.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American horror film, directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. Although it was marketed as a true story to attract a wider audience and as a subtle commentary on the era’s political climate, its plot is entirely fictional; however, the character of Leatherface and minor plot details were inspired by the crimes of real-life murderer Ed Gein.
By 2002, the slasher film had all-but disappeared from mainstream Hollywood cinema, largely due to budgetary declines and more popular, diverse subject matter. Make a Wish (2002) distinguished itself as the first lesbiancentered slasher film. Because the genre typically aimed to lure men with the promise of female nudity, horror and homosexuality appeared to have no connection, however the genre’s queer fan base is possibly its largest. Whereas it once steeped in allegory, Make a Wish was one of a number of horror films that emerged primarily for the gay audience in the early 2000s. Although the slasher film had seemingly died by 2002, it was once again jumpstarted by the success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), a loose remake of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Produced by Michael Bay, the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a surprise sleeper hit, grossing over $100 million and signaling a significant change from the days of franchise sequels of the 80s and self-aware 90s slasher films. It was the success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake that launched a string for remakes, reboots, and re-imaginings of classic horror that attempted to lure audiences in through familiarity. Like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, these films added more slasher movie trappings to the retelling of the original film and only brought back key ingredients of their original counterparts, such as the lead villain being
first film a success. Despite these criticisms, Zombie’s remake was a financial success, pulling in $58 million and warranting a sequel. Halloween II (2009) featured more of the same ultra violence only now with surreal imagery. The negative reaction to the 2007 remake carried over to its sequel, as the film made less than half of what its predecessor made at the box office. In contrast, Alexandre Aja used modernized violence to enhance The Hills Have Eyes (2006), an update of Wes Craven’s 1977 film. It followed the original’s premise closely, adding a few sequences of violence and assault that would not have passed censors in the 1970s. The
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prominently featured or, in some cases, just the title and very basic premise. The margin of profit behind producing relatively inexpensive remakes that already had a built-in audience ensured that the trend would be long-lasting. On the opposite end of the spectrum, several remakes exploited their original counterpart’s notoriety, pushing ultra violence. Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007) took the simplicity of John Carpenter’s 1978 film and added an extreme vision that, according to critics, systematically replaced everything that made the
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film was a hit, generating more than $44 million at the box office and getting its own sequel the following year. The Hills Have Eyes II (2007), much like Halloween II, was less fortunate than its predecessor, being a box office disappointment. The sequel upped the violence, gore, and sexual assault, yet was met with harsh reaction from fans who found its gratuitous violence to be too overthe-top, to the point of absurdity. The remake craze stretched into 2009, when several updates were released, with varying degrees of success. From Lionsgate, the company responsible for the Saw franchise, came My Bloody Valentine (2009), a remake of the 1981 cult classic. The movie did not stick close to the original in terms of plot, but it had plenty of homages to it. To add to the roller-coaster, carnival feel of the film, it has impressive special 3D effects. A month after the release of My Bloody Valentine came Friday the 13th (2009), made by the same team behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. A reboot of the first three films of the franchise, this remake exploited the slasher film’s fame for gruesome death scenes, oblivious partying, and gratuitous sex, all with a self-aware wink. However, the reboot of Friday the 13th was poorly received by critics and fans who complained it brought nothing new or fresh to the franchise, arguably defeating the point of a reboot in the first place. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), a remake of Wes
Craven’s 1984 film. The film returned the story to its darker, scarier roots, however it lacked the novelty and surprises that made the original so riveting. Despite its financial success, the movie was almost universally panned by fans and critics alike, with talks of a sequel quickly fading. Because of the negative reaction to films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween, the popularity of the slasher remakes faded, as talks of further sequels and remakes were put on indefinite hold.
1. The Exorcist
The Exorcist adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name. The book, inspired by the 1949 exorcism of Roland Doe, deals with the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and her mother’s attempts to win back her child through an exorcism conducted by two priests.
2. Psycho
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Psycho is both one of the greatest thrillers of all time and one of the greatest entries in Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary resume. A true master of suspense and tension, Hitchcock crafted a memorable horror experience with a limited cast and even more limited budget.
After 3. Jaws
Alice, Sweet Alice 1976 Alice, Sweet Alice (originally known as Communion and also known as Holy Terror) is a 1976 American slasher film co-written and directed by Alfred Sole. The narrative focuses on a troubled adolescent girl who becomes a suspect in the brutal murder of her younger sister at her first communion.
Halloween 1978 Halloween is a 1978 American independent slasher film directed and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with producer Debra Hill. The plot is set in the fictional Midwestern town of Haddonfield, Illinois. On Halloween night in 1963, a six-year-old Michael Myers inexplicably murders his sister and is committed. Fifteen years later, he escapes and returns home to kill again, all the while eluding his psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis, who suspects Michael’s intentions, following him back to Haddonfield.
Friday the 13th 1980 Friday the 13th is a 1980 American slasher film directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor Miller. The film tells the story of a group of teenagers who are murdered one by one while attempting to re-open an abandoned campground. When originally released, the film received negative reviews from film critics. In the years that followed, the film has received much more positive retrospective reviews, and it has become a cult classic. It was also the first movie of its kind to secure distribution in the US by a major studio, Paramount Pictures.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven, and the first film of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Set in the fictional Midwestern town of Springwood, Ohio, the plot revolves around several teenagers who are stalked and killed in their dreams (and thus killed in reality) by Freddy Krueger. The teenagers are unaware of the cause of this strange phenomenon, but their parents hold a dark secret from long ago.
Child’s Play 1988 Child’s Play is a 1988 American supernatural slasher film directed and written by Tom Holland, Don Mancini. The film tells about a single widowed mother giving her son a doll, by “Good Guy doll’s” for his birthday, unaware that the doll is possessed by a serial killer’s soul. The film is the first in the Childs’s Play franchise, and is the first film to feature the killer doll Chucky. It was the only film in the series released by MGM/UA, as the rights to the series were sold to Universal Studios in 1990, right before production on Child’s Play 2 started.
Scream 1996 Scream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film combined comedy and “whodunit” mystery with the violence of the slasher genre to satirize the cliché of the horror genre popularized in films such as Halloween and Friday the 13th. The film was considered unique at the time of its release for featuring characters who were aware of real world horror films and openly discussed the cliché that Scream attempted to subvert.
Hatchet 2006 Hatchet is a 2006 American slasher horror film written and directed by Adam Green. When a group of tourists on a New Orleans haunted swamp tour find themselves stranded in the wilderness, their evening of fun and spooks turns into a horrific nightmare. In November 2008, Anchor Bay Entertainment released a teaser poster for a sequel, Hatchet II and Green returned to direct the film.
The first blockbuster ever and the scariest movie Spielberg’s ever made, Jaws is equal parts monster movie and character piece, centered on an island called Amity that’s preyed upon by something that leaves teeth the size of shot glasses in the hulls of boats and turns their owners into decapitated flotsam.
4. Alien
Alien movies are generally thought of as being planted in the science fiction realm. However, with the original at least, Alien was as much a horror film as a sci-fi one. With a small cast being hunted by a lone, terrifying creature, Alien was a long way removed from the Star Wars and Star Treks of Hollywood.
5. The Silence of the Lambs
Using a serial-killer cannibal with a doctorate to help catch another serial killer is as bare bones as you can get with this Best Picture Oscar winner. But the movie is much more than that. It’s the scariest movie ever made built around psychology and deduction, with both used as crime-solving tools and murder weapons. glasses in the hulls of boats and turns their owners into decapitated flotsam.
Citation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_film#Remakes.2C_reboots.2C_and_throwbacks http://horror.about.com/od/horrormoviesubgenres/a/slashers.htm http://www.horrorfilmhistory.com/ http://www.ign.com/articles/top-25-horror-movies-of-all-time?page=3