If I had to pick a horror subgenre I could watch over and over again, it would be slasher movies. They're basically whodunnits with high body counts and really fun action set pieces. Over the years, slasher movies have evolved, and it's been pretty interesting to track them. Today, I want to go through that evolution and see what we can learn. Let's dive in. The First Slasher MoviesThere's a pretty bug divide in the slasher community about what came first. I am on the side that Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho or Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom should be considered as the first slashers. But there are a lot of people who don't think they fit the perfect mold, so they start the genre with 1974's Black Christmas and then 1978's Halloween. Whatever side you're on, you can see that the genre has been around for a while. And over the years, it's had some main characteristics stand out. Characteristics of Slasher Films I've been watching slasher films for as long as I can remember because they're like mysteries on steroids. You have victims and usually you're trying to figure out the killer. Although in some instances you know the killer and you're just trying to get their backstory or a way to defeat them. Let's dig into some other things that define the genre. Core Characteristics: The Killer: A central, often masked or disfigured, antagonist who is the driving force of the violence. Often possesses a personalized weapon (knives, machetes, etc.). May...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - 3 days ago