By Brad Sampson

SLASHER HORROR SUBGENRE.

HISTORY OF THE GENRE.

• The Slasher horror genre came around about 40-50 years ago, with a new wave of

massively influential films in the early 60s onwards. Films such as psycho (1960), the

Texas chainsaw massacre (1974) and Halloween (1978) are just a few examples of early

Slasher horror films.

• To this day these films act as inspiration to modern Slasher horror films. This is evident

through the remakes and sequels/prequels to films like Texas chainsaw massacre and

Halloween.

• The genre first introduced the world of cinema to relentless gore and violence, opposed to

the sensitive horror films before that which did not want to upset the audience.

• Psycho was one of the first films to challenge horror in early cinema, with the plot and

visuals aiming to unnerve the audience by playing on everyday life. A monumental scene

in horror is the scene from psycho where the woman is stabbed to death in the shower. At

the time this was new to the audience, making it devastatingly intimidating.

TARGET AUDIENCE OF SLASHER HORROR.

• The general target audience of a Slasher horror is the wide audience of horror, Slasher films are aimed at anyone who likes the horror genre and likes to be scared by fiction.

• Although this is the case, because Slasher horrors are a subgenre of horror they share their own target audience along with conventions.

• Over the years as the Slasher horror subgenre has developed and gained popularity, it has been most popular with adolescents and young people. Modern Slasher horrors have a young target audience.

• It is evident that Slasher horrors have a young audience by how they advertise, market and produce the films.

• Slasher films often have a young cast, examples: Scream, I know what you did last summer, sorority row, Friday the 13th and many more.

• At the Centre of the narrative there is almost always young people, doing what they shouldn’t and falling victim to an antagonist in Slasher horror.

• The age of the actors and the plot then appeals to a young audience because they can connect and identify with the film. An elderly woman is generally not going to be interested in a film about a group of teens at a hot tub party who end up getting their limbs cut off for no reason.

• The passive aggressive nature of Slasher horror films make it more accessible to a young audience, as their inner desires are gratified. Two major conventions of Slasher horrors are violence and nudity. This is known as the psychoanalytical theory.

CONVENTIONS OF SLASHER HORROR.

• Good vs. evil – Innocent people come up against an evil character who is often intent on killing them or torturing them.

• Nudity/sex scenes – A lot of Slasher horror films feature these as the film contains a young set of actors and by doing so this appeals to the target audience. Also it adds to the graphic nature of Slasher horrors visually and mentally.

• Killer – Slasher horror films often feature a popular killer who become cult icons for the horror genre. E.g. – Jason, Freddy Krueger, Scream etc. These killers all have in common that they hide their identity via a mask or costume. This is another convention of Slasher horrors. Identities are often hidden to be revealed at the end of the film.

• Violence – Slasher horrors are known to be extremely violent, with the protagonists battling it out with the antagonist/antagonists with a number of weapons that range from baseball bats to chainsaws. The antagonists usually have an arsenal of weapons at their disposal making them stronger than the protagonists in conflict.

• Gore – The visual nature of Slasher horrors is that they are disturbing to watch. People are often cut open, killed, tortured and a lot of blood is on show throughout the film. This can be seen as where the term ‘Slasher’ horror came around.

LIST OF SUCCESSFUL SLASHER HORROR FILMS.

• Halloween – (1978)

• A nightmare on elm street – (1984)

• Psycho (1960)

• Friday the 13th part 1 2 & 3 (1980, 1982, 1983)

• I know what you did last summer (1997)

• My bloody valentine (2009)

• The last house on the left (1972)

• Scream 1-4 (1996-2011)

• Sorority Row – classic and modern (1983, 2009)