This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)

The original 1974 Black Christmas is considered the first authentic slasher.

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 (often wearing a mask) who stalks and graphically murders a series of victims in a random, unprovoked fashion, killing many within a single day. 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 and Friday the 13th helped popularize and revolutionize the genre in the 1980s. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links Black_christmas_movie_poster. ... Image File history File links Black_christmas_movie_poster. ... Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian horror film, directed by Bob Clark. ... A genre is any of the traditional divisions of art forms from a single field of activity into various kinds according to criteria particular to that form. ... “Horror Movie” redirects here. ... Psychopathy is currently defined in psychiatry and clinical psychology as a condition characterized by lack of empathy [1] [2] or conscience, and poor impulse control [3] [4] or manipulative behaviors. ... For other uses, see Mask (disambiguation). ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Psycho is a 1960 suspense/horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano about a psychotic killer. ... Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian horror film, directed by Bob Clark. ... Halloween (film) redirects here. ... Friday the 13th is a 1980 independent slasher film directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor Miller. ...

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. 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. Not to be confused with Empathy, Sympathy, or Compassion. ... Look up understanding in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Fear (disambiguation). ... Silent Night, Deadly Night is a slasher film that was released in 1984 and starred Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Britt Leach and Leo Geter. ... Slaughter High is a 1985 horror movie starring Carolyn Munro and Simon Scuddamore. ... The Funhouse is a 1981 slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper. ... Castle Freak is a film directed by Stuart Gordon, roughly based upon the short-story The Outsider by H.P. Lovecraft. ... Creep (2004) is a British slasher film directed by Christopher Smith, starring the German actress Franka Potente. ... Hatchet is a 2007 slasher film from Ariescope Pictures [1]. Set in the Louisiana bayou, it is the story of the legend of Victor Crowley. ... Offerings is a Horror/Independent Film /Slasher/Mystery/Splatter that emulated such classics as Halloween and Friday the 13th // John Radleys childhood wasnt a particular nice one; dad gone, mom abusive, bullied by neighborhood kids and his pets had a tendency to die on him. ... Midnight Ride was a 1990 horror/thriller/action movie, with elements of a slasher 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. 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. Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), mainly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... For the video game, see Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None. ... A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... Final Girl is a horror film conceit that specifically refers to the last person alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. ...

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) is sometimes described as the mother of all slasher films. Although there are only two murders in the story, 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.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. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Psycho is a 1960 suspense/horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano about a psychotic killer. ... Psychosis is a psychiatric classification for a mental state in which the perception of reality is distorted. ... Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, 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 Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award winning American film director, producer, and screenwriter. ... Dementia 13 is a horror thriller released in 1963 by American International Pictures, starring William Campbell, Patrick Magee, and Luana Anders. ... Herschell Gordon Lewis (born 15 June 1926, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) is a film-maker best known for creating the splatter film subgenre of horror. ... Blood Feast, a 1963 film directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, is an American exploitation film often considered the first gore or splatter film. ... Mario Bava (July 31, 1914-April 27, 1980) was an Italian director and cinematographer remembered as one of the greatest names from the golden age of Italian horror movies. ... Blood and Black Lace is a 1964 Italian horror film directed by Mario Bava. ... Twitch of the Death Nerve (Italian title: Ecologia del delitto) is a 1971 horror thriller directed by Mario Bava. ... Tobe Hooper (born Tobias Paul Hooper on January 25, 1943) is an American television and film director best known for his work in the horror film genre, including Lifeforce, Poltergeist, Toolbox Murders and the cult classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). ... The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1973 American horror film, written, directed and produced by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel, who had writing credits. ... Benjamin Bob Clark (August 5, 1941[1] – April 4, 2007) was an American director known for the 1982 hit film Porkys and its sequel Porkys II: The Next Day. ... Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian horror film, directed by Bob Clark. ...

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

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. 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. Nevertheless, the film Black Christmas (1974), released four years earlier, influenced all that followed, including Halloween. Directed by Bob Clark, the film practically invented modern slasher convention. Many elements from the film, such as point-of-view shots from the killer's perspective and threatening phone calls made from inside the victim's house, would be reused by later filmmakers for decades to come. Michael Myers from the Halloween series of films File links The following pages link to this file: Halloween (movie) Slasher film Michael Myers (Halloween) ... Michael Myers from the Halloween series of films File links The following pages link to this file: Halloween (movie) Slasher film Michael Myers (Halloween) ... Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween film series. ... Halloween (film) redirects here. ... John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, film score composer and occasional actor. ... Halloween (film) redirects here. ... Sean S. Cunningham is a writer, producer and director of films born on December 31st 1941. ... Friday the 13th is a 1980 independent slasher film directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor Miller. ... Wesley Earl Craven (born August 2, 1939 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American film director and writer best known as the creator of many horror films, including the famed Nightmare on Elm Street series featuring the redoubtable Freddy Krueger character. ... A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror film directed by Wes Craven about several teenagers being terrorized in their nightmares by a mysterious man named Freddy Krueger in the fictional Midwest town of Springwood, Ohio. ... Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian horror film, directed by Bob Clark. ...

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, 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). 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 well as increasingly graphic and realistic special effects (Some of the most effective were The Prowler and Maniac). 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. 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. 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. My Bloody Valentine is a low-budget Canadian horror film released in the wake of the rise of the slasher genre that had overtaken the 1980s, considered an example of the low-budget copycat films attempting to rake in money off the success of Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th... Happy Birthday to Me is a 1980 horror film directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by John C.W. Saxton. ... Aprils Fools Day is a 1986 horror film released by Paramount Pictures. ... Prom Night is a 1980 Canadian horror film starring Leslie Nielsen and Jamie Lee Curtis, directed by Paul Lynch. ... Mothers Day is a 1980 horror film, directed by Charles Kaufman, the brother of Troma Entertainment co-founer Lloyd Kaufman, who served as an associate producer on the film. ... Silent Night, Deadly Night is a slasher film that was released in 1984 and starred Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Britt Leach and Leo Geter. ... Bloody Birthday is a 1981 horror film directed by Ed Hunt. ... The Glenbrook North High School hazing incident concerned many people worldwide Hazing is often ritualistic harrasment, abuse or humiliation with requirements to perform meaningless tasks; sometimes as a way of initiation into a social group. ... Terror Train is a 1980 horror film directed by Roger Spottiswoode. ... For the record label, see Visiting Hours Records Visiting Hours (also known as Get Well Soon and The Fright) is a 1982 horror film starring Michael Ironside, Lee Grant, Linda Purl, William Shatner and Michael J. Reynolds. ... Mortuary (also known as Embalmed in the UK and Hall of Death in West Germany) was a 1983 slasher film/horror movie which starred Bill Paxton, Mary Beth McDonough, David Wallace, Lynda Day George, with Michael Berryman (in an uncredited cameo) and Christopher George in one of his final roles. ... Night Warning was one of the films labeled a video nasty. ... Special effects (also called SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to realize scenes that cannot be achieved by live action or normal means. ... The Prowler is an American slasher movie, made in 1981, directed by Joseph Zito. ... Maniac is an American slasher film, about a disturbed and traumatized serial killer who scalps his victims. ... A Nightmare On Elm Street was the first in a series of horror films that were exceptionally popular in the 1980s. ... For other uses, see Childs Play (disambiguation). ... Psycho is a 1960 suspense/horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano about a psychotic killer. ... The Texas Chainsaw Massacre may refer to: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (film series) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the 1974 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, the 1986 film Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, the 1990 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, the 1994 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...

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. 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. 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. In literature and film, an anti-hero is a central or supporting character that has some of the personality flaws and ultimate fortune traditionally assigned to villains but nonetheless also have enough heroic qualities or intentions to gain the sympathy of readers or viewers. ... For the Wikipedia policy regarding controversial issues in articles, see Wikipedia:Guidelines for controversial articles. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... A film that is released direct-to-video (also straight-to-video) is one which has been released to the public on home video formats first rather than first being released in movie theaters. ...

Revival

The slasher genre resurfaced into the mainstream in the mid 1990s, after being successfully deconstructed in Wes Craven's Scream (1996). 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. Scream is a 1996 horror film, directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. ... Keenen Ivory Wayans (born June 8, 1958 in New York City, New York) is an American actor, comedian, director and writer best known as the host and creator of the FOX sketch comedy series In Living Color, which also starred Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, his brother Damon Wayans, David Alan... This article is about a horror parody movie. ...

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). This style continued for the duration of the 1990s with competing series such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and Urban Legend. Scream is a 1996 horror film, directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. ... I Know What You Did Last Summer is an Award-winning 1997 horror film. ... Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film starring Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Robert Englund, Tara Reid, Joshua Jackson, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Michael Rosenbaum, Danielle Harris, John Neville, and Loretta Devine. ...

In 1998, the Halloween series was revived, playing off the success of the Scream franchise. 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. 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. Chucky of the Child's Play series also returned to the screen, first in Bride of Chucky and later with Seed of Chucky. 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. Halloween: H20 (or Halloween H20: 20 Years Later) is the seventh movie in the Halloween horror movie series created by John Carpenter. ... For other uses, see Halloween II (disambiguation). ... Psycho is a 1998 film remake of the Alfred Hitchcock 1960 version produced and directed by Gus Van Sant for Universal Pictures. ... Bride of Chucky (also known as Childs Play 4: Bride of Chucky) (1998) is the fourth entry in the Childs Play series. ... Seed of Chucky (also known as Childs Play 5: Seed of Chucky) is a 2004 film and the fifth entry in the popular Childs Play series. ... Freddy vs. ...

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 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 Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 2003 film, a re-imagining of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. ... The Hills Have Eyes may refer to: The Hills Have Eyes Series The Hills Have Eyes (1977 film), a 1977 film by Wes Craven The Hills Have Eyes Part II, the 1985 sequel The Hills Have Eyes III, the 1995 sequel, also known as The Outpost and Mindripper The Hills... The Hills Have Eyes series of horror films began in 1977 with The Hills Have Eyes by Wes Craven; that film spawned two sequels and a remake, which had its own sequel in 2007. ... Black Christmas (1974) is a Canadian horror film, directed by Bob Clark. ... For the episode of The Mighty Boosh, see Hitcher. ... In film, a remake is a newer version of a previously released film or a newer version of the source (play, novel, story, etc. ... Halloween is a reimagining of the 1978 film of the same name. ... Friday the 13th is an upcoming slasher film remake of the first three to four Friday the 13th films. ...

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. 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...in order to survive; however, Saw, Turistas, Captivity, See No Evil, Wolf Creek, Dead Silence 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" (which may have begun with Strangeland). 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. The latter has been described as an old-school throwback to the 80's classics. For the song of the same name, see House of 1000 Corpses (song) House of 1000 Corpses is a 2003 horror film written and directed by Rob Zombie, and is his directoral debut as a filmmaker. ... The Devils Rejects is a 2005 horror film written and directed by Rob Zombie. ... The Saw film series is a popular horror/thriller film franchise created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell, beginning in 2004 and continuing to the present. ... This article is about the 2004 horror film, Saw. ... Turistas (translates as Tourists in English) is a 2006 horror film, directed by John Stockwell. ... Captivity is a 2007 thriller film directed by Roland Joffe. ... See No Evil is a 2006 horror film directed by Gregory Dark, written by Dan Madigan, produced by Joel Simon, and starring professional wrestler Kane (Glen Jacobs). ... Wolf Creek is a 2005 Australian horror film, written, produced and directed by Greg McLean and starring Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, John Jarratt and Nathan Phillips. ... Dead Silence (originally titled Shhhh. ... Hostel (2005) is Eli Roths second feature film as a writer and director. ... Poster art for Blood Feast (1963) A splatter film or gore film is a type of horror film that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. ... Strangeland is a American horror film released in 1998. ... Hatchet is a 2007 slasher film from Ariescope Pictures [1]. Set in the Louisiana bayou, it is the story of the legend of Victor Crowley. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ...

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. The history of the slasher was also explored by Mikita Brottman in her book Offensive Films: Toward an Anthropology of Cinema Vomitif. Like most horror films, slashers 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 (i.e., 'Mommy didn't love me enough')". Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ... Carol J. Clover, born in 1940, [1] is a professor of film, rhetoric, and Scandinavian at the University of California, Berkeley. ... Final Girl is a horror film conceit that specifically refers to the last person alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. ...

Notable slasher films

Most of the following are followed by numerous sequels.

Film poster for Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

• Psycho (1960) - Though not technically a slasher film per se, Psycho helped create the archetype of the disguised, mentally deranged killer who preys on innocent (if sexually indiscreet) young women, and would directly influence many later films. As the slasher craze took off in the 1980s, Psycho was resurrected in the form of three bloodier, less subtle sequels. The film was also remade in 1998.

• Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971) - A Giallo by Mario Bava, this atmospheric film truly borrows from (or aids giving birth to) the slasher genre. Halloween, Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th Part II, and others that followed stole an amount of kills for the formula. A gory whodunit, with sleaze and shock that makes it stand out proud among the large horror section.

• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - The film most often credited with establishing the "staples" of the slasher genre, including young people poking around in places where they don't belong (and harm consequently befalling them), the lone female survivor (or Final Girl), the lumbering masked killer who never speaks, etc. The film was followed by three sequels, a remake, and a prequel to said remake. Over twenty years later Wrong Turn was released. This film was influenced by such films as the above and others like Just Before Dawn & The Prey. Wrong Turn was followed by a sequel, which went straight to DVD.

• Black Christmas (1974) - One of the first films to combine the elements of a murder mystery with the slasher genre. Notable for use of long tracking shots from the point of view of the film's killer, an element that would later be cemented by Halloween as a staple of the genre. Later remade by Dimension Films.

• Halloween (1978) - Popularized the "classic" slasher formula and, together with Friday the 13th, helped kick the slasher film craze of the '80s into high gear. Also established the tropes of the innocent, virtuous "Final Girl" (as opposed to her more free-spirited, promiscuous friends), the long tracking shot representing the point of view of the villain (often accompanied by ominous breathing), and the unstoppable, seemingly immortal masked killer. Halloween was followed by seven sequels, and a remake. Certain slasher movies afterwards (such as Offerings & Sorority House Massacre) emulated heavily from this motion picture.

• Friday the 13th (1980) - The first in one of the longest and most well known slasher series. Notable for the increased level of gore when compared to earlier genre entries, and increasingly elaborate or unique death scenes. Followed by ten sequels. It has also been emulated by 1981&2 video nastys Madman and The Burning. The latter being one of the more controversal slashers that introduced the movie industry to Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander and Fisher Stevens whilst provoking considerable outrage from censors in the antagonist's weapon of choice. (distinguished for a notorious scene where five victims are killed at once while on a boat combined with a difference in ideology; since two of the more questionable cast not only both survive but execute the killer).

• The Funhouse (1981) - Paying homage to his previous work along with psycho and Halloween Tobe Hooper portrayed the killer as a less human more monsterous character but this movie is also noted for being one of the first slashers that displayed a general feeling of sympathy towards Gunther Straker (the deformed killer in question) and made the audience take pity on him (Dean Koontz wrote a novelization based on the screenplay that gave a backstory behind the events of this film).

• My Bloody Valentine (1981) - One of the most heavily butchered slashers, by the MPAA, even though it has 9 min. of gore cut out, it still has received a small cult staus. My Bloody Valentine is one of the most well executed slasher films of the golden age, though little gore, still creates good suspense and jumps. Paramount Pictures has still yet to release a uncut version of the film.

• Sleepaway Camp (1983) - A classic slasher film with one of the creepiest atmospheres in the entire genre. Its characters, drama, and various methods of murder gave it a cult following on VHS. The film is best remembered for its disturbing climax, which has been hailed as one of the scariest movie scenes ever. It was followed by two campy sequels, an unfinished sequel, and another sequel is expected in the future.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - First in the series that gave slashers a supernatural twist. Unlike some of its darkly lit, shadowy predecessors, Nightmare on Elm Street films used make-up, special effects and post-production techniques to create startlingly realistic horror images. Followed by seven sequels, and a television spinoff

• Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) - Most notable for the amount of controversy surrounding it during its release: the film was condemned by critics such as Siskel and Ebert, and was protested by various parents and religious groups for its depiction of Santa Claus as a murderer (but it should be noted in that its differed from other slashers as this concentrated solely/focused on the killer in question and showed/displayed in great detail how he became a psychotic slasher). Followed by four sequels, with a remake currently planned.

• Deliria (film) (1987) - Known for combining Giallo with elements of Halloween's "classic" slasher formula! It also delivered some rather clever symbolism (notably the killer's choice in mask). Whilst depicting, it's protaganist: Irving Wallace; The Night Owl as having a classical thespian past, displaying in his behavior and movements as being warped, but also (in a way almost) flamboyant artistic flair, who played deafening pieces of opera music inbetween his murder-spree only to later on proceed to position his slain victims in artistic & theatrical poses (later as did the character, Francis Dolarhyde: Irving even situates himself amongst their now (almost) lifelike corpses...as if struggling to be part of this group).

• Child's Play (1988) - Another notable series in the genre to combine traditional slasher elements with both humor and a supernatural twist. Followed by four sequels.

• Scream (1996) - This horror/dark comedy film added a satirical and tongue-in-cheek approach to the standard formula (teens being brutally killed off). The film contained many references and nods to previous films in the slasher genre. Scream began the 1990s slasher revival, and it was followed by two sequels. However, despite its many jabs both at previous slasher movies and itself for following film clichés, the series in fact broke the traditional mold by focusing on the surviving victims rather than a returning killer. A similar movie; Cherry Falls changed the ideologies further by having a killer targeting specifically virginal teenagers (plus also having a more compelling back-story that thus portrayed the killer in a more sympathetic light).

• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) - The most successful of the post-Scream cash-ins. The screenplay was written by Kevin Williamson, who also wrote Scream. Followed by two sequels.

• Freddy vs. Jason (2003) - Combined the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises, as the main killers from the two series' clash after crossing into each others' killing territory. The eleventh film in the Friday the 13th series, and the eighth in the Nightmare on Elm Street saga.

Freddy Vs. ... Freddy Vs. ... Psycho is a 1960 suspense/horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano about a psychotic killer. ... Psycho is a 1998 film remake of the Alfred Hitchcock 1960 version produced and directed by Gus Van Sant for Universal Pictures. ... Twitch of the Death Nerve (Italian title: Ecologia del delitto) is a 1971 horror thriller directed by Mario Bava. ... S.S. Van Dines The Benson Murder Case, the first giallo ever published (1929). ... The Texas Chainsaw Massacre may refer to: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (film series) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the 1974 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, the 1986 film Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, the 1990 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, the 1994 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre... Final Girl is a horror film conceit that specifically refers to the last person alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. ... The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 2003 film, a re-imagining of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. ... Wrong Turn is a 2003 horror film, directed by Rob Schmidt and written by Alan B. McElroy. ... Five campers arrive in the mountains to examine some property they have bought, but are warned by the forest ranger Roy McLean that a huge machete-wielding maniac has been terrorising the area. ... The Prey is a 1984 American horror film, directed and written by Edwin Brown, and starring Debbie Thureson, Steve Bond, Lori Lethin and Jackie Coogan. ... Wrong Turn 2 (a. ... Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian horror film, directed by Bob Clark. ... Black Christmas is a 2006 remake of the 1974 film of the same name written, produced & directed by James Wong and Glen Morgan, the makers of the Final Destination series, and includes some of the same elements. ... Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. ... Halloween (film) redirects here. ... Final Girl is a horror film conceit that specifically refers to the last person alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. ... Halloween is a reimagining of the 1978 film of the same name. ... Offerings is a Horror/Independent Film /Slasher/Mystery/Splatter that emulated such classics as Halloween and Friday the 13th // John Radleys childhood wasnt a particular nice one; dad gone, mom abusive, bullied by neighborhood kids and his pets had a tendency to die on him. ... Sorority House Massacre is a 1987 Horror film that is criticized for being too similar to Halloween (movie). ... This article is about emulation in computer science. ... Friday the 13th is a 1980 independent slasher film directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor Miller. ... This article is about emulation in computer science. ... Video nasty was a term coined in the United Kingdom in the 1980s that originally applied to a number of films distributed on video cassette that were criticised for their violent content by elements in the press and commentators such as Mary Whitehouse. ... Madman (also known as Madman Marz and The Legend Lives) is a 1982 horror film similar in style and feel to Friday the 13th. ... // The Burning is a 1981 slasher film directed by Tony Maylam, with music by Rick Wakeman. ... Holly Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Jason Alexander (born Jason Scott Greenspan on September 23, 1959) is a Jewish American television, cinema and musical theatre actor, best known for his role as George Costanza on the hit television series Seinfeld. ... Fisher Stevens, born Steven Fisher, (November 27, 1963) in Chicago, Illinois is an American actor, living in New York City. ... This article is about the ancient Roman political office. ... The Funhouse is a 1981 slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper. ... Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945 in Everett, Pennsylvania), also known under a number of pseudonyms, including Leigh Nichols, is an American writer. ... The Funhouse is a novel by the best-selling author Dean Koontz, released in 1980. ... My Bloody Valentine is a low-budget Canadian horror film released in the wake of the rise of the slasher genre that had overtaken the 1980s, considered an example of the low-budget copycat films attempting to rake in money off the success of Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th... Summer camp ‎Sleepaway Camp was a 1983 horror movie written and directed by Robert Hiltzik—who also served as executive producer—about murders at a summer camp. ... A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror film directed by Wes Craven about several teenagers being terrorized in their nightmares by a mysterious man named Freddy Krueger in the fictional Midwest town of Springwood, Ohio. ... Freddys Nightmares (also known as: A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddys Nightmares The Series) was a late-night television anthology series, which premiered in October 1988 and ran until March 1990. ... Silent Night, Deadly Night is a slasher film that was released in 1984 and starred Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Britt Leach and Leo Geter. ... At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper is a movie review television program featuring film critic Roger Ebert and columnist Richard Roeper, both of the Chicago Sun-Times. ... Deliria is a 1987 Italian horror film. ... S.S. Van Dines The Benson Murder Case, the first giallo ever published (1929). ... The protagonist is the central figure of a story, and is often referred to as a storys main character. ... Italic textItalic text Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Classic {{wikti == Headline text ==#REDIRECT Insert text Superscript textSubscript textSubscript textSubscript textSubscript textSubscript textSubscript textSmall Text Block quote Block quote {| class=wikitable |- ! header 1 ! header 2 ! header 3 |- | row 1, cell 1 | row 1, cell 2 | row 1... Thespian may refer to: A citizen of the ancient Greek city of Thespiae An actor; this usage is derived from Thespis of Icaria, the legendary first actor. ... Warped is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 1995 album One Hot Minute. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... A spree killer, also known as a rampage killer, is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on his victims in a short time in multiple locations. ... The Mona Lisa Although today the word art usually refers to the visual arts, the concept of what art is has continuously changed over centuries. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212... Poses is Rufus Wainwrights second album, released by DreamWorks in 2002. ... Francis Dolarhyde is a fictional character featured in Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon. ... For other uses, see Childs Play (disambiguation). ... Scream is a 1996 horror film, directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. ... Cherry Falls is a 2000 horror/thriller film written by Ken Selden and directed by Geoffrey Wright. ... I Know What You Did Last Summer is an Award-winning 1997 horror film. ... Kevin Williamson at the Century City premiere of Columbias Vertical Limit. ... Freddy vs. ...

See also

• Final girl
• Giallo
• Thriller film
• Horror film
• Splatter film
• German underground horror

Final Girl is a horror film conceit that specifically refers to the last person alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. ... S.S. Van Dines The Benson Murder Case, the first giallo ever published (1929). ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ... “Horror Movie” redirects here. ... Poster art for Blood Feast (1963) 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. ...

External links

• Essay: Is the Final Girl in Slasher Films an Excuse?
• Examining the early years of the subgenre
• Deconstructing Scary: a series of essays on the slasher and modern horror genres