Post by bruce on Mar 29, 2011 12:37:45 GMT -5
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a chainsaw or scythe. The slasher as a genre has its own set of characteristics which set it apart from related genres like the splatter film. One of the most important influence upon the sub-genre is Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960). The film's plot centers around a man who kills women while using a portable movie camera to record their dying expressions. The film was immensely controversial when first released, critics called it misogynistic (similar to the slasher films of the golden age). Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), released three months after Peeping Tom, is described as 'the mother of all slasher films' and is the first true slasher film, even though the body count was only two, its 'whodunit' plot structure, the knife wielding and mentally disturbed killer, twist ending, and 'stalking' camera technique, it provided a basis for many films in the sub-genre. It's important to reiterate that all of these cliche's appeared in Peeping Tom first. Another early pioneer of the sub-genre is director Francis Ford Coppola's controversial 1963 film Dementia 13, which was rushed into production following Psycho's success at the box office.
This stands in contrast to films such as Blood Feast which is a Splatter film. Created by the self-proclaimed "guru of gore, Herschell Gordon Lewis. Made quickly and cheaply but differed from its genre contemporaries in that it featured the stalking and mutilation of beautiful women.
Another influence for the slasher sub-genre was the Italian Giallo genre. This film genre was made up of films done by various Italian directors, most notably Dario Argento and Mario Bava. These films were known for extended, graphic murder sequences and bizarre story lines. Probably the most notable are Bava's Blood and Black Lace (1963) and Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971). Several critics have noted that the films had profound impact on the development of slasher film sub-genre.
Important to the development of the slasher sub-genre were rape and revenge films, notably, Wes Craven's film Last House on the Left (1972), one of the first of its kind. 1970'S Exploitation films also had an influence of Slasher films.
Black Christmas (1974 film) is widely considered the first proper slasher film. Directed by Bob Clark (later the director of A Christmas Story) Black Christmas was noted as one of the earliest films to present some of the sub-genre's characteristics that the slasher film would come to be known for: a mysterious stalker, a set of adolescent victims, a secluded location cut off from adult supervision, point-of-view shots showing the "killer's perspective", and graphic depictions of violence and murder.[11] The film was remade in 2006 by Dimension Films. Other films that helped to kick-start the slasher genre were Savage Weekend, Scream Bloody Murder, Silent Night, Bloody Night, The Toolbox Murders, Drive-In Massacre, and The Driller Killer.
It was not until the huge box office success of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th (1980), both of which spawned numerous sequels and remakes and countless imitators, that the slasher genre began to gain widespread popularity. Halloween, though not the first film of its kind, was the first to introduce the concept of the killer being 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. A long succession of slasher films started to be produced, though Halloween actually has far less graphic violence than the slasher genre has become known for.
Following a trend set by Black Christmas, Halloween, and Friday the 13th, many films of the era focused on holidays or special occasions, such as My Bloody Valentine, New Year's Evil, Happy Birthday to Me, April Fool's Day, Prom Night, Christmas Evil, Mother's Day.
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 Burning, The Prowler, and Maniac). Some series, such as A 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. Some fans however only begrudgingly considered the former to be "true" Slashers.
The slasher genre resurfaced into the mainstream in the mid 1990s, after being deconstructed in Wes Craven's Scream (1996), which was a parody of Halloween which had a similar effect on the movie industry. The film was both a critical and commercial success, which attracted a new generation to the genre, while simultaneously pissing true Slasher fans off. A self-aware satire of the slasher genre, whereby the characters realize they were in a horror film and did not make all the usual "mistakes" (i.e. saying "I'll be right back"). Critics lauded Scream for its fiendishly clever storyline and three-dimensional characters, with more of a focus on suspense than gore, another factor which in the view of some fans casts considerable suspicion on Scream's legitimacy as a Slasher film.
Many new directors paying homage to their old favorites have come into the light such as Rob Zombie with his films House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005). Another new director popular for paying homage is Eli Roth, with his film Cabin Fever (2002). Notable non-US slashers are Cut from Australia, Anatomy from Germany and the French titles Haute Tension (2003) directed by Alexandre Aja and Them (2006) directed by David Moreau.
From
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_film
This stands in contrast to films such as Blood Feast which is a Splatter film. Created by the self-proclaimed "guru of gore, Herschell Gordon Lewis. Made quickly and cheaply but differed from its genre contemporaries in that it featured the stalking and mutilation of beautiful women.
Another influence for the slasher sub-genre was the Italian Giallo genre. This film genre was made up of films done by various Italian directors, most notably Dario Argento and Mario Bava. These films were known for extended, graphic murder sequences and bizarre story lines. Probably the most notable are Bava's Blood and Black Lace (1963) and Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971). Several critics have noted that the films had profound impact on the development of slasher film sub-genre.
Important to the development of the slasher sub-genre were rape and revenge films, notably, Wes Craven's film Last House on the Left (1972), one of the first of its kind. 1970'S Exploitation films also had an influence of Slasher films.
Black Christmas (1974 film) is widely considered the first proper slasher film. Directed by Bob Clark (later the director of A Christmas Story) Black Christmas was noted as one of the earliest films to present some of the sub-genre's characteristics that the slasher film would come to be known for: a mysterious stalker, a set of adolescent victims, a secluded location cut off from adult supervision, point-of-view shots showing the "killer's perspective", and graphic depictions of violence and murder.[11] The film was remade in 2006 by Dimension Films. Other films that helped to kick-start the slasher genre were Savage Weekend, Scream Bloody Murder, Silent Night, Bloody Night, The Toolbox Murders, Drive-In Massacre, and The Driller Killer.
It was not until the huge box office success of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th (1980), both of which spawned numerous sequels and remakes and countless imitators, that the slasher genre began to gain widespread popularity. Halloween, though not the first film of its kind, was the first to introduce the concept of the killer being 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. A long succession of slasher films started to be produced, though Halloween actually has far less graphic violence than the slasher genre has become known for.
Following a trend set by Black Christmas, Halloween, and Friday the 13th, many films of the era focused on holidays or special occasions, such as My Bloody Valentine, New Year's Evil, Happy Birthday to Me, April Fool's Day, Prom Night, Christmas Evil, Mother's Day.
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 Burning, The Prowler, and Maniac). Some series, such as A 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. Some fans however only begrudgingly considered the former to be "true" Slashers.
The slasher genre resurfaced into the mainstream in the mid 1990s, after being deconstructed in Wes Craven's Scream (1996), which was a parody of Halloween which had a similar effect on the movie industry. The film was both a critical and commercial success, which attracted a new generation to the genre, while simultaneously pissing true Slasher fans off. A self-aware satire of the slasher genre, whereby the characters realize they were in a horror film and did not make all the usual "mistakes" (i.e. saying "I'll be right back"). Critics lauded Scream for its fiendishly clever storyline and three-dimensional characters, with more of a focus on suspense than gore, another factor which in the view of some fans casts considerable suspicion on Scream's legitimacy as a Slasher film.
Many new directors paying homage to their old favorites have come into the light such as Rob Zombie with his films House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005). Another new director popular for paying homage is Eli Roth, with his film Cabin Fever (2002). Notable non-US slashers are Cut from Australia, Anatomy from Germany and the French titles Haute Tension (2003) directed by Alexandre Aja and Them (2006) directed by David Moreau.
From
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_film