Slasher films are a sub-genre of horror films which typically involve a violent psychopath murdering several victims. These villains often wield bladed tools. Although the term "slasher" is sometimes used colloquially as a generic term for any horror movie
involving murder, analysts of the genre cite an established set of characteristics which allegedly set "slasher" films apart from other horror sub-genres, such as splatter films and psychological horror films. Some critics cite Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) as an early influential "slasher" film, and most believe that the genre's peak occurred in American films released during the 1970s and 1980s
. These classic slasher films include Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), John Carpenter's Halloween (1978), Victor Miller and Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th (1980), Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Clive Barker's Hell raiser (1987) and also Don Mancini and Tom Holland's Child's Play (1988).
Craven's satirical Scream (1996) revived public interest in the genre, and several of the original slasher franchises were rebooted in the years following the release of Scream.
Early Influences For The Sub-Genre
- George Archainbaud's Thirteen Women (1932) - Prom Night (1980) - Graduation Day (1981) - Terror Train (1980) -Many Many More
The Golden Age Of The Slashers
The time period when the slasher was at its height is often credited as the Golden Age of Slasher Films, a time-span between 1978 and 1984. The film that jumpstarted the Golden Age was John Carpenter's Halloween. That film's enormous success, and the subsequent success of Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th in the spring of 1980 launched a slew of imitators, rip-offs, and riffs on the same theme. The prolific period until 1984 is considered the greatest for the slasher film, with over 100 films released. Despite initial negative reviews, which often compared the films to seminal works such as Psycho (1960), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and Halloween, many of these films have gone on to achieve their own cult followings.