Global InformationSlasher film information
A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools.[1] Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as monster movies, splatter films, supernatural and psychological horror films.[2]
Critics cite the Italian giallo films and psychological horror films such as Peeping Tom (1960) and Psycho (1960) as early influences.[3][4][5] The genre hit its peak between 1978 and 1984 in an era referred to as the "Golden Age" of slasher films.[3] Notable slasher films include The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Black Christmas (1974), Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Child's Play (1988), Scream (1996), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), and Valentine (2001). Many slasher films released decades ago continue to attract cult followings.[6] The slasher canon can be divided into three eras: the classical (1974–1993), the self-referential (1994–2000) and the neoslasher cycle (2000–2013).[7]
- ^ Clayton, Wickham (2015). Style and form in the Hollywood slasher film. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137496478. OCLC 927961472.
- ^ Petridis, Sotiris (2014). "A Historical Approach to the Slasher Film". Film International 12 (1): 76–84.
- ^ a b "The 30 Most Influential Slasher Movies of All Time". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ "Celebrating The Impact & Influence Of Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom" – Top 10 Films". www.top10films.co.uk. December 18, 2016. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
- ^ Mark D. Eckel (2014). "When the Lights Go Down". p. 167. WestBow Press.
- ^ "The History of Horror's Cult Following". Film School Rejects. October 24, 2017. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
- ^ Petridis, Sotiris (2019). Anatomy of the Slasher Film: A Theoretical Analysis. North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-1476674315.