Slasher Movies and Body Horror

Gore in the 80s-information from horrorfilmhistory.com

A little bit of history

The blood and gore-filled horror movies of the 1980s were born from the minds of horror fans and directors; advancements in the field of special FX meant that even the most grotesque imaginings could be depicted in all their gory glory.

A little bit of history

Vast improvements in “animatronics, and liquid and foam latex meant that the human frame could be distorted to an entirely new dimension, onscreen, in realistic close up”.

A little bit of history

Western society in the 80s was focussed on material wealth – not just having stuff but making sure others knew that you had it. Demand for big and flashy products was high as consumers sought conformation of their own worth. The new improved and fantastic special effects could be seen as corresponding with this ‘showy’ 80s ethos.

A little bit of history

Now that special effects were good enough to show close up grizzly action, audiences were able to see more; more gore, more violence and more monsters.However, it soon becomes apparent that these monsters were, in fact, the same evil foes that had been seen in horror films for over 3 decades…

The monsters

Creatures with a supernatural origin (ghosts, Freddy, Jason et al.)

Creatures with human origins(vampires, werewolves, zombies etc.)

Creatures with unknown origins (slimy and alien-like beings).

A little bit of history

Horror films in the 80s were all a bit gross; the technical advancements in effects meant filmmakers could do more, so they did, and this accounted for scene after scene of blood and gore.Because of the ‘in your face horror’, some of the films of the 80s are not seen as being as scary as those released previously. The mystery and fear from what wasn’t shown was missing.

‘Body horror’

During the 80s, horror audiences became obsessed with the human body. A fascination emerged with ‘what was inside’ and a stream of films were released during the 80s where the main focus was the maiming, mutilation and modification of the human form.

‘Body horror’

The horror films of the 80s provided audiences with an array of fiends that threatened human life; beasts, ghosts and brilliant and/or mad scientists, along with their ‘creations’, all made an appearance. Another familiar foe to rear its head was the zombie; Dawn of the Dead heralded a comeback for the zombie film, these included Night of the Creeps and Evil Dead II.

The ‘slasher’ film

Slasher films are sometimes linked with ‘splatter films’, (first coined by Romero when he released Dawn of the Dead) but there is a distinct difference between the two:‘Splatter film’ refers to a particularly messy movie with bucket loads of blood and violent scenes, whereas a slasher movie, which can also be very messy, comes with its own unique set of characters and conventions.

The ‘slasher’ film

Slasher films function within a tight set of conventions which usually include psychopathic killers that stalk teenagers whilst wielding large sharp weapons such as axes and machetes. A vast number of slasher films were released in the 80s and the popularity of these films has resulted in multiple sequels and remakes.

The postmodern parody

The popularity of the 80s slasher film didn’t just result in sequels and remakes; when horror seemed stale in the 1990s because ‘it had all been done before’, Wes Craven “decided to adopt a self-reflexive approach”.Craven, who directed the original Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, released New Nightmare in 1994 and Scream in 1996.

The postmodern parody

New Nightmare (1994) is set during the making of a new ‘Freddy’ movie. Wes Craven, who plays himself in the film, is the director of the film in the film.Scream (1996) is about a masked menace terrorising a group of friends, all of whom seem to be horror movie buffs. The film plays on horror conventions and references to ‘what should happen next’ are frequent.

Body horror texts

Alien (Scott, 1979)Scanners (Cronenberg, 1981)An American Werewolf in London (Landis, 1981)The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)Videodrome (Cronenberg, 1983)Re-Animator (Gordon, 1985)From Beyond (Gordon, 1986)The Fly (Cronenberg, 1986)

Slasher texts

Halloween (Carpenter, 1978)Friday 13th (Cunningham, 1980)Prom Night (Lynch, 1980)The Prowler (Zito, 1981)My Bloody Valentine (Mihalka, 1981)Sleepaway Camp (Hiltzik, 1983)Silent Night, Deadly Night (Sellier, 1984)April Fool’s Day (Walton, 1986)