Pat Lucey Com 329

o The Slasher genre is defined as being a subgenre of horror and thriller films. o The origins of the genre date back to the French Grand Guignol theater plays of the late 19th Century o In Hollywood, the year 1960 is credited by most as the time Slasher films were born The Beginnings

o Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, The film centers on the encounter between a secretary, who ends up at a secluded motel, and the motel's disturbed owner-manager, Norman Bates and its aftermath o Hugh critical and commercial success o Pushed the envelope on what was acceptable in screen violence and sexuality. o Played a big part in showing studios low-budget horror films can become big hits o Considered by many the first American “Slasher” film Psycho (1960)

After the success of Psycho, Hollywood studios looked to cashing in on its success throughout the 1960s Films such as “Homicidal” (1961), “Dementia 13” (1963), “Corruption” (1968) all attempted to recreate the success Psycho had, but nothing in the next decade came even close It wasn’t until 1974 that saw the next big thing in the Slasher genre Aftermath of “Psycho”

o The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on a road trip in Texas o Filmed on a budget of approximately $300,000, the film ended up making over 30 million at the box office o Known for its innovating marketing techniques, citing the film as “based on a true story” o “Leatherface”, one of the antagonists in the film, became the first bonafide icon in the slasher genre o Spawned 6 sequels/reboots/remakes o Trailer: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

o An escaped mental patient stalks unsuspecting teen on Halloween night. o Like “Texas”, production costs were approximately $300,000. Wound up making over 70 million at the box office. o Michael Myers, the film’s main antagonist, also become an iconic figure in the slasher genre for years to come o Known for it’s use of POV shots, as seen from the killer’s eyes. Many slasher films from there on copied this technique o Also known as the first slasher to feature “sex-crazed” teens who ended up getting killed, while “the virgin” survived, a technique again copied by most slasher films later o Spawned 9 sequels/remakes/reboots o Trailer: Halloween (1978)

o Follows a group of teenagers who are murdered one by one while attempting to re-open an abandoned campground. o Known as one of the most popular films/franchises in the slasher genre o Jason Voorhees, while not in the first film, became one of the most well known icons in the slasher genre, with his trademark hockey mask and machete becoming iconic symbols. o Known as the first in the slasher genre to push the envelope with violence, gore and sex in its films o Spawned 11 different sequels/remakes/reboots, one of the most successful franchises in cinematic history o Trailer: Friday the 13 th (1980)

o Revolves around several teenagers who are stalked and killed in their dreams (and thus killed in reality) by Freddy Krueger. o Revolutionized the slasher genre with its mix of fantasy elements o Freddy Kruger, with his trademark red and green sweater and a gloved with sharp razors attached to it, also become one of the most iconic figures in the slasher genre o Spawned 8 sequels/remakes/reboots o Trailer: Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

o By the mid 1980s, The slasher genre took a hit in its popularity o The home video revolution, fueled by the popularity of VHS, provided new outlets for low budget filmmaking, which condemned most slasher films to straight-to-video production o The 1980s also saw many sequels to popular slasher hits, such as Friday the 13 th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Texas Chainsaw o While these sequels were successful in their own right, none of them ever became as popular as the originals Decline of Slasher films

o Scream follows high school students who becomes the target of a mysterious killer known as Ghostface o Scream was credited with revitalizing the slasher genre in the 1990s o The film had an innovative script that both mocked and embraced the conventions of horror/slasher which had become considered clichéd o The Ghostface costume worn by the killers in the film became an iconic figure in the genre in the late 90s o Made on a budget of 15 million dollars, it went on to gross over 170 million at the box office o Trailer: Scream (1996)

o Killer: Typically a male, who’s strong, and and his identity is often concealed either by a mask or by creative lighting and camerawork. Also uses sharp objects to usually kill his victims with o Sex: Usually there are a group of young, beautiful teenagers in the films who commit sexual acts throughout it, and the same teens often end up as the victims of the killer chasing them. o Violence: The deaths in the film are often gory and graphic, and films often try to show originality in the methods and tools used that kill the victims. Typically a slasher film is rated R by the MMPA o Heroine: Most often there is a strong female lead in the films, who often becomes “the final girl” at the end of the film who faces off with the killer, and usually succeeds in defeating them. Trademarks of Slasher films

o Since the early 2000s, Slashers has since become a faded trend in the film industry, though far from dead. o Many straight to video slasher films have been made over the last decade, while not entirely popular, has seen success o Slashers has since been parodied by many films, most notably the “Scary Movie” franchise. o Most of the popular Slasher franchses from the 70s and 80s are in the middle of the remake/reboot phrase, with films like Texas Chainsaw and Friday the 13 th getting remade or prequels. o Slashers in the television industry has since become popular. Shows such as “Hannibal”, “Bates Motel” and “How to Get Away with Murder” Future of the Slasher Genre

o film film o movies.ca/2012/02/the-evolution-of- the-slasher-movie/ movies.ca/2012/02/the-evolution-of- the-slasher-movie/ o viesubgenres/a/slashers.htm viesubgenres/a/slashers.htm More Information