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For the scrub-clearing implement, see Slasher (tool). A slasher is an implement with a long sharp blade used to clear scrub.

The slasher film (sometimes referred to as bodycount films and dead teenager movies) is a sub-genre of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer (sometimes wearing a mask) who stalks and graphically murders a series of adolescent victims in a typically random, unprovoked fashion, killing many within a single day. A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Psychopathy ( is a psychological construct that describes chronic immoral and Antisocial behavior A mask is an artefact normally worn on the face typically for protection concealment performance or amusement

Contents

Overview

The victims are usually photogenic teenagers or young adults who are away from mainstream civilization or far away from help and often involved in sexual activities or illegal-drug use or both. These films typically begin with the murder of a young woman and typically end with a lone female survivor who manages to subdue the killer, only to discover that the problem has not been completely solved. Although Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho provided early inspiration, the first authentic slasher film was Black Christmas, though the success of Halloween, Friday the 13th, The Shining and A Nightmare on Elm Street helped popularize and revolutionize the genre in the 1980s. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Psycho is a suspense / Horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock, from the Screenplay by Joseph Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian Horror film, directed by Bob Clark, which has a very large Cult following Halloween is a 1978 American independent Horror film set in the fictional midwestern town of Haddonfield, The Shining is a 1980 horror Film directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Stephen King 's novel of the same name A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American Horror film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first

In a slasher film, the killer almost always uses unconventional weapons, such as blades, chainsaws, cleavers, and blunt objects; rarely, if ever, does the killer use guns. There is often a backstory that explains how the killer developed his (the killer is usually, though not always, male) violent mental state, and why he focuses primarily on a particular type of victim or a particular location. Often, the killer is able to withstand most or all of his victims' attempts to defend themselves, sometimes because of either explicit or implied supernatural abilities. Thus, even after being shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, electrocuted, burned, or drowned, he is able to continue stalking his victims. Typically, in sequels the killer returns from the dead and is defined more as an undead, inhuman "pure evil" rather than as a psychopathic killer. There are some movies among all of the categories however which show the killer to be pitiable, or at the very least understood, and not just feared. Pity implies tender or sometimes slightly contemptuous sorrow for one in misery or distress Understanding (also called intellection) is a psychological Process related to an abstract or physical object such as Person, situation or Fear is an Emotional response to Threats and Danger. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific Stimulus, such as Notable among these movies is Silent Night, Deadly Night; others such as Slaughter High, The Funhouse, Castle Freak, Creep, Hatchet, Offerings and Midnight Ride can be described this way. Silent Night Deadly Night is a 1984 Slasher film directed by Charles E Slaughter High is a 1986 Slasher film written and directed by George Dugdale, Mark Ezra, and Peter Litten. The Funhouse is a 1981 Slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Larry Block. Castle Freak is a 1995 film directed by Stuart Gordon, roughly based upon the short-story The Outsider by H Creep ( 2004) is a British Horror film about a woman locked in overnight on the London Underground who finds herself being stalked Hatchet is a 2007 Slasher film from Ariescope Pictures and directed by Adam Green. Offerings is a Horror / Independent Film / Slasher / Mystery / Splatter that Emulated such Classics as Midnight Ride is a 1990 action / thriller (with Slasher elements film

Origins

Agatha Christie's famous mystery novel (and subsequently play) And Then There Were None, set in an isolated location with a psychopathic killer grisly murdering the hapless victims, can be seen as an early precursor to the genre. Agatha Mary Clarissa Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 &ndash 12 January 1976 commonly known as Agatha Christie, was an English And Then There Were None is a work of Detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club Christie's play adaptation even expands the concept, with the revised stage ending featuring the female protagonist having a showdown with the killer in the classic "final girl" fashion. The Protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story. The final girl is a Horror film (particularly Slasher film) trope that specifically refers to the last woman or girl alive to confront the killer ostensibly

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) is sometimes described as the mother of all slasher films. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Psycho is a suspense / Horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock, from the Screenplay by Joseph Although there are only two murders in the film, the idea of a disguised and insane killer came to prominence with this film. However, unlike other slasher films inspired by it, the characters in the film are well developed and revolve around a far more complex storyline. Indeed, the murderer's insanity is also clearly explained, in comparison to other slasher film villains. In Psycho, the killer is arguably psychotic, rather than clearly psychopathic: he has obvious and bizarre delusions, such as the belief that his dead mother is still alive. Psychosis (from the Greek ψυχή "psyche" for mind or soul and -οσις "-osis" for abnormal condition with adjective psychotic Psychopathy ( is a psychological construct that describes chronic immoral and Antisocial behavior Psycho was so influential that many critics see it as a turning point in cinema history. It marked the transition from the Gothic horror of vampires, were-wolves and monsters to modern issues and fears. The famous "shower murder" with its screeching violin soundtrack is perhaps the most famous scene in horror-film history. However, although it directly inspired the subsequent slasher genre, Psycho is more accurately categorized as a psychological horror/thriller. "Psychological horror" is a subgenre of Horror fiction that relies on character fears guilt beliefs and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot The thriller is a broad Genre of Literature, Film, Gaming and Television.

Early examples of the slasher genre include Francis Ford Coppola's Dementia 13, Herschell Gordon Lewis' Blood Feast (1963), Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace (1964) and Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971) (the latter known by over a dozen titles, including Bay of Blood and Carnage), Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974). Francis Ford "Frank" Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award -winning American Film director, Dementia 13 is a 1963 horror thriller released by American International Pictures, starring William Campbell, Herschell Gordon Lewis (born 15 June 1929, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, U Blood Feast ( 1963, also known as Egyptian Blood Feast and Feast of Flesh) is an American Horror film directed Mario Bava ( July 31 1914 – April 25 1980) was an Italian director, Screenwriter, and Cinematographer Blood and Black Lace ( Italian title Sei donne per l'assassino) is a 1964 Italian horror thriller Twitch of the Death Nerve ( Italian title Ecologia del delitto) is a 1971 Italian horror thriller film Tobe Hooper (born January 25, 1943) is an American director and Screenwriter, best known for his work in the Horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent Benjamin "Bob" Clark ( August 5 1939 After attending Catawba College majoring in philosophy Clark won a football scholarship to Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian Horror film, directed by Bob Clark, which has a very large Cult following

Golden age

Michael Myers, masked serial killer from Halloween (1978), whose success inspired countless slasher films well into the 2000s and has become one of the most notable entries in the genre
Michael Myers, masked serial killer from Halloween (1978), whose success inspired countless slasher films well into the 2000s and has become one of the most notable entries in the genre

The three films most often charged with igniting the slasher film "craze" of the 1980s are John Carpenter's Halloween (1978), Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th (1980) and Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), all of which spawned numerous sequels and countless imitators that endlessly recycled their predecessors' character archetypes and plot. Appearances Michael Myers is the primary antagonist in all of the Halloween films with the exception of Halloween III Season of the Witch, as that Halloween is a 1978 American independent Horror film set in the fictional midwestern town of Haddonfield, John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American Film director, Screenwriter, producer, film score Halloween is a 1978 American independent Horror film set in the fictional midwestern town of Haddonfield, Sean Sexton Cunningham (born December 31, 1941 in New York City) is an American Film director, producer and writer Wesley Earl Craven (born August 2, 1939) is an American Film director and writer, perhaps best known as the creator of many Horror A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American Horror film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first Halloween, though not the first film of its kind, was the first to introduce the concept of the slasher as an indestructible evil force and is often considered the film responsible for the rise of the slasher trend, popularizing many of what would become key elements in the genre. Black Christmas (1974), released four years earlier, had introduced many of the elements that were used in the higher-profile Halloween and many subsequent films. Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian Horror film, directed by Bob Clark, which has a very large Cult following Directed by Bob Clark, the film featured point-of-view shots from the killer's perspective and threatening phone calls made from inside the victim's house, which would be reused by later filmmakers for decades to come.

Jason Voorhees, one of the most iconic killers in horror history, who debuted in Friday the 13th part 2
Jason Voorhees, one of the most iconic killers in horror history, who debuted in Friday the 13th part 2

Following a trend set by Black Christmas, Halloween, and Friday the 13th, many films of the era focused on holidays or specific dates, such as My Bloody Valentine, New Year's Evil, Happy Birthday to Me, April Fool's Day, Prom Night, Mother's Day, and Silent Night, Deadly Night (followed by such others as Bloody Birthday, Hell Night, Terror Train, Visiting Hours, Mortuary, and Night Warning). Appearances My Bloody Valentine is a low-budget Canadian Slasher film released in 1981 in the wake of the popularity of the slasher genre that had overtaken New Year's Evil is a 1980 American Horror film starring Roz Kelly and Kip Niven directed by Emmett Alston Happy Birthday to Me is a 1981 Canadian Slasher film directed by J April Fool's Day is a 1986 horror / Comedy film released by Paramount Pictures. Prom Night is a 1980 Canadian Horror film starring Leslie Nielsen and Jamie Lee Curtis, directed by Paul Lynch. Mother's Day is a 1980 Horror film, directed by Charles Kaufman a brother of Troma Entertainment co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, who Silent Night Deadly Night is a 1984 Slasher film directed by Charles E Bloody Birthday is a 1981 Horror film directed by Ed Hunt. It was the first film to be produced by Gerald Olson. Hell Night is a 1981 American independent Horror film (with elements of Creature Features) Terror Train is a 1980 Canadian -made Horror film starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Ben Johnson, directed by Roger For the record label see Visiting Hours Records Visiting Hours (also known as Get Well Soon and The Fright) is Mortuary (also known as Embalmed in the UK and Hall of Death in West Germany) was Night Warning, a 1983 film directed by William Asher, was one of the films labeled a Video nasty. During the height of the genre's popularity, despite a strict formula developing within the genre, audience interest was maintained by developing new, increasingly "novel" ways for victims to be killed (as the 'Friday the 13th" series is best known for), as well as increasingly graphic and realistic special effects (Some of the most effective were The Burning, The Prowler, and Maniac). The illusions used in the Film, Television, Theater, or Entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called The Prowler is an American Slasher movie released made in 1981, directed by Joseph Zito. Maniac is a 1980 American Slasher film (though considered more of a Splatter film) about a disturbed and traumatized Some series, such as Nightmare on Elm Street and later Child's Play, added supernatural twists to the slasher formula, as well as comedic elements as the respective series progressed. A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American Horror film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first Child's Play is a 1988 Horror film written by Don Mancini and directed by Tom Holland. Earlier films, such as Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, were also revived and given a series of increasingly gory sequels in attempts to compete with other franchises. Psycho is a suspense / Horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock, from the Screenplay by Joseph The genre arguably peaked in 1983, a year in which, according to the book Crystal Lake Memories, nearly 60% of all box-office takings that year were for slasher movies.

Long-running franchises in the genre tended to focus more and more on the returning villain than on surviving victims, effectively transforming characters once viewed as frightening monsters into anti-heroes who would be cheered on by audiences. Nevertheless, by the end of the 1980s audiences were tiring of "unstoppable" masked killers and predictable plots. The profitability of the slasher genre began to dwindle, and controversy over the subject matter would eventually persuade some studios to stop producing and distributing slasher films. A controversy or dispute is a commencement of a conflict between statements of accepted fact and a new or unaccepted proposal that disagrees with argues against Sequels to the most popular slasher series, as well as new series such as Leprechaun, would continue to be released in theaters or direct-to-video throughout the early to mid-1990s. Leprechaun is a 1992 Horror film directed by Mark Jones. It features one of the first roles played by a young Jennifer Aniston, before However, few gained the success of the genre's earlier productions, and even entries in popular series, such as the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, became less frequent.

Revival

The slasher genre resurfaced into the mainstream in the mid 1990s, after being successfully deconstructed in Wes Craven's Scream (1996). Scream is a 1996 film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. The film was both a critical and commercial success, which attracted a new generation to the genre. Two sequels followed, and the series was even parodied in Keenen Ivory Wayans' Scary Movie (2000), which began its own series, parodying the entire horror-film genre. Keenen Ivory Wayans (born June 8, 1958) is an American Actor, Comedian, director and writer known as the Scary Movie is a 2000 film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. It is an American Dark comedy which parodies the horror and mystery genres

Scream kicked off a new slasher cycle that still followed the basic conventions of the 1980s films, but managed to draw in a more demographically varied audience with improved production values, reduced levels of on-screen gore, increased self-referential humor, more character development, and better-known actors and actresses (often from popular television shows). Scream is a 1996 film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. This style continued for the duration of the 1990s with competing series such as I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend, Final Destination, Valentine and Cherry Falls

In 1998, the Halloween series was revived, playing off the success of the Scream franchise. I Know What You Did Last Summer is a Thriller / Horror film released in 1997. Urban Legend is a 1998 Horror film starring Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Robert Englund, The Final Destination series is a series of fictonal Horror films created by James Wong and Glen Morgan, based on an unused X-Files Valentine is a 2001 Horror film directed by Jamie Blanks, director of Urban Legend. Cherry Falls is a 2000 horror / thriller film written by Ken Selden and directed by Geoffrey Wright. The new film, Halloween: H20, was conceived as a direct sequel to 1981's Halloween II, and would lead to one further sequel, Halloween: Resurrection. Halloween H20 Twenty Years Later (or Halloween H20) is the seventh film in the Halloween film series Halloween II is a 1981 Horror film set in the fictional Midwest town of Haddonfield Illinois, on Halloween night 1978 Halloween Resurrection is a 2002 Horror film and the eighth installment in the Halloween film series Shortly after, other "classic" slasher faces would also be revived: A nearly scene-for-scene remake of Psycho was released a few months later, in December of 1998. Psycho is a 1998 film Remake of the Alfred Hitchcock 1960 version produced and directed by Gus Van Sant for Universal Chucky of the Child's Play series also returned to the screen, first in Bride of Chucky and later with Seed of Chucky. Bride of Chucky (also known as Child's Play 4 Bride of Chucky or BOC) is a 1998 horror - Romantic comedy Seed of Chucky (also known as Child's Play 5 Seed of Chucky) is a 2004 Horror film which is both the fifth entry and second spin-off In 2003, two of the largest slasher series, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, were combined by New Line Cinema in the film Freddy vs. Jason. Freddy vs Jason is a 2003 American Slasher film directed by Ronny Yu.

Another revival attempt came in 2003 when a remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released. It was financially successful, and a prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, was released in 2006. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning is a 2006 horror film and a Prequel to the remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chain The success of TCM would soon lead to a slew of other slasher remakes, including The Hills Have Eyes and its sequel, Black Christmas, The Hitcher, the "reimagining" of John Carpenter's Halloween, and the upcoming Friday the 13th remake. The Hills Have Eyes series of films began in 1977 with The Hills Have Eyes by Wes Craven. The Hitcher is a 1986 horror / thriller Film, directed by Robert Harmon and written by Eric Red. A " remake' " is a term used to described something that has been done again sometimes with better Quality, and usually with more features Halloween is a 2007 remake of the 1978 slasher film of the same name. Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that consists of eleven Slasher films a television show, Novels

While figures from the "golden age" of the slasher genre continue to be revived, new franchises have also appeared. Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects introduced audiences to the murderous Firefly family, both films taking obvious inspiration from earlier works such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. For the song of the same name see House of 1000 Corpses (song House of 1000 Corpses is a 2003 exploitation The Devil's Rejects is a 2005 exploitation Horror film written and directed by Rob Zombie. In 2004, the first film in the Saw series was released into theaters, featuring much of the gore and sadism considered a staple of the 1980s slasher genre, but with a twist: the victims are now tricked into killing or harming themselves or others. The Saw series is a Horror film franchise created by director James Wan and Screenwriter Leigh Whannell. . . in order to survive (A notion similarly used in the upcoming, WΔZ); However, FeardotCom, Turistas, Captivity, See No Evil, Wolf Creek, Dead Silence, Untraceable, Pathology and the new Hostel film series is also considered part of a more modern movement in horror loosely referred to as "horror porn", "torture porn", or "gornography". WΔz (pronounced double-u delta zed) is a 2008 British thriller / horror FeardotCom is a 2002 Horror film directed by William Malone. Cast Stephen Dorff &ndash Detective Mike Turistas (translates as 'Tourists' in English) is a 2006 Horror film, directed by John Stockwell. Captivity is a 2007 Thriller film starring Elisha Cuthbert, and directed by Roland Joffé. See No Evil is a 2006 Horror film directed by Gregory Dark, written by Dan Madigan, produced by Joel Simon Dead Silence (originally titled Shhhh and Silence, with alternate title suggestions such as The Doll and Mary Shaw Untraceable is a 2008 film thriller starring Diane Lane, Joseph Cross, Billy Burke and Colin Hanks. Pathology is a 2008 thriller film directed by Marc Schoelermann and written by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor creators of Hostel is a 2005 Horror film written and directed by Eli Roth, starring Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Jennifer A splatter film or gore film is a type of Horror film that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and Graphic violence. As a whole, the genre has begun to return to a bloodier, more-shocking formula over Scream's trendier aspects. The slasher films Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and Hatchet aimed to return to the basic originality of the golden age in style and cinematography. Behind the Mask The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a 2006 Horror film / Mockumentary directed by Scott Glosserman Hatchet is a 2007 Slasher film from Ariescope Pictures and directed by Adam Green. See also Filmmaking Cinematography (from Greek: kinesis κινησις (movement and grapho γραφω (to record is the discipline The latter has been described as an old-school throwback to the 80's classics.

Critical analysis

Critic Roger Ebert has taken to referring to slasher films as "Dead Teenager Movies", and Carol J. Clover tackled the genre at some length in her book Men, Women and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, which defines the Final Girl archetype. Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter. Carol J Clover born in 1940 is a professor of film rhetoric and Scandinavian at the University of California Berkeley The final girl is a Horror film (particularly Slasher film) trope that specifically refers to the last woman or girl alive to confront the killer ostensibly The history of the slasher was also explored by Mikita Brottman in her book Offensive Films: Toward an Anthropology of Cinema Vomitif. Adam Rockwood also published book entitled Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher film, detailing the genre's history and themes. Often, slasher films have typically been ignored (if not derided) by the majority of serious mainstream critics. Suspense maestro J. T. Heslop famously voiced his hatred of the sub-genre, describing it as "trashy, formulaic and, in the case of its central antagonist, prone to idiotic pop-psychology (e. g. , 'Mommy didn't love me enough')".

Notable Slasher Films

Most of the following are followed by numerous sequels.

See also

External links

The final girl is a Horror film (particularly Slasher film) trope that specifically refers to the last woman or girl alive to confront the killer ostensibly Bloody Disgusting is a Website that covers horror movies with reviews interviews and news The thriller is a broad Genre of Literature, Film, Gaming and Television. Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers A splatter film or gore film is a type of Horror film that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and Graphic violence. German underground horror is a sub-genre of the Horror film, which has achieved cult popularity since first appearing in the mid-1980s
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