history of the slasher genre
Post on 17-Jul-2015
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What is a Slasher movie?
A Slasher film is defined as a
film in which a psychopathic
killer stalks and kills a
sequence of victims in a
graphically violent manner.
Great examples of the most
popular Slasher films include:
Friday the 13th (1980), A
Nightmare on Elm Street
(1984) and Child’s Play
(1984).
Earliest influences?
Slasher films have had
influences from many earlier
film like, for example, The
Spiral Staircase (1945) which
featured POV shots and jump
scares; things commonplace in
slasher films. There are
various other influences that
helped shape the genre
throughout the early 20th
century.
The first Slasher film?
Many people would say the
Psycho, directed by the great
Alfred Hitchcock is the first
slasher film; the ‘Mother of all
Slashers’. However, the film
Peeping Tom (1960) was
released 3 months before
and has many of the same
conventions and codes
associated with that of a
Slasher film.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(1973)
The low-budget hit by director Tobe Hooper is the first film in one of the leading franchises in the horror genre itself, let alone the Slasher genre. Released in 1973 it is considered one of the greatest and most controversial horror films ever made. Empire magazine has described it as "the most purely horrifying horror movie ever made“.
Black Christmas (1974)
One of my personal favourite slasher films Black Christmas, directed and produced by Bob Clarke sparked the start of holiday-themed slasher films. It embodies many of the classic Slasher tropes: A mysterious unknown caller, a sorority house, brutal murders and intrigue as it leaves you thinking who really was the murderer?
The Golden age of slasher
films.
Now we enter what is known as the Golden age
of slasher films, a time in which the genre really
flourished. Great classics were being crafted like
Child’s Play, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on
Elm Street.
Halloween (1978)
Directed by John Carpenter
Halloween became one of the
most successful independnt
horror films ever made
grossing $47 million
(equivalent to $250 million as
of 2014) and paved the way for
many other Slasher films in the
future.
Friday the 13th (1980)
Directed by Sean S. Cunningham Friday the 13th
became one of the best known films within the golden age of Slashers, it succeeded in what it set out to accomplish which was to frighten the audience. Funnily enough, Jason, one of the most recognisable killers was not actually in the film until the last scene.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
(1984)
Directed by Wes Craven A Nightmare on Elm Street was released in 1984 and became an instant commercial success. It successfully played on people’s fear of being out of control, as the victims were in their dreams which were ultimately controlled by Freddy. A Nightmare on Elm Street has spawned multiple sequels and even a remake in 2010.
A Rough Patch
After that the genre slowed down incredibly as less original and unique ideas were being put out in favour of more of the same. More sequels of some of the already established franchises like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Friday the 13th. With the new-found popularity of VHS many low-budget Slasher films were allowed to pop up, it was the home video revolution.
A Brand new franchise
In 1988 a brand new
franchise was created;
Child’s play. Child’s play,
directed by Tom Holland
has become a cult hit
despite gaining only
moderate success in the
box office. Chucky, the
main villain has now
become one of the icons of
the slasher genre.
An Honourable Mention:
Candyman (1992)
During the 90’s the Slasher genre saw a new icon with Bernard Rose’s Candyman, which showcased the first black Slasher killer icon. The narrative, based on a novel by the horror master Clive Barker borrows elements from Urban Legends like Bloody Mary; if you say her name in the mirror a few times she will appear.
A Revival: SCREAM (1996)
Directed by Wes Craven, who also directed A Nightmare on Elm Street, SCREAM saw a revival to the Slasher genre. The genre seemed like a fad of the 80’s that didn’t carry on into the 90’s yet SCREAM successfully brought it back. Adding characters that were aware of the tropes and conventions of Slasher films.
Return of the Sequels
As with many of the other main Slasher franchises we can expect there to be sequels. The sequel to the cult-hit, SCREAM 2 gained $101 million in the box office. It was the highest grossing R-rated film of the time. Other sequels to major franchises like Halloween and Child’s play also were released.
Remakes, Reboots and
Throwbacks.By 2002 the Slasher genre had nearly all disappeared from modern cinema and since it had been a long time since there had been any real new ideas film-makers chose to make remakes; to bank on people’s nostalgia in hopes of creating a faithful modern adaptation of such timeless classics. Some examples of modern remakes include The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and House of Wax (2005).
Late 2000’s to early 2010’s
And that brings us to where we are today, there have only really been few new IPs that have really stood out from the crowd. There have been remakes and sequels to some of the bigger Slasher franchises though like Friday the 13th
(2009) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). A notable sequel to be released though is Curse of Chucky (2013) which bypassed cinemas entirely and went for, instead, a straight-to-DVD release.
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