A Slasher film is a subgenre of horror film and at times thriller . Slasher films include a mysterious psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims who are young weak and vulnerable . Although the term slasher maybe used as a generic term for any horror movie involving graphic acts of murder.

Origins and Influences on slasher films

The earliest slasher film is Thirteen Women ( 1932) .

John Carpenters Halloween ( 1978) and Sean S. Cunningham's , Friday the 13th (1980) both of which had remakes of there films .

Halloween was the first film to reinforce the idea of a masked killing machine and the first for the killer being seemingly indestructible evil force . Halloween is considered to be the film responsible for the influences and proliferation of the slasher trend. Also popularizing what became key elements in the genre.

Friday the 13th is known to be the first slasher film with pure graphic violence to achieve mainstream popularity and to also bring together the idea of murder characters with the sequential murder countdown.

Typical Character conventions and stereotypes

The Hero – Also known as a protagonist. Whenever one of their friends goes missing they are always the first to notice and take action first. The hero is usually aware of the killer while the other friends are busy having too much fun . Its typical of the hero to fight of the killer because the last two or three friends near the end of the film are already dead . However not all slasher films lets the hero win

The killer – The killer in the slasher film is usually a male . His identity if often but not always unknown or hid away by a mask , however his identity can be concealed for a while with the use of shots , example Halloween in the middle of the film mid-shots are used to conceal the identity of the killer . The killer is very strong and his background includes a childhood trauma which links to why he behaves in such manner. Throughout t most Slasher film franchises the killers are usually kept the same , Michael Myers , Freddy Krueger ,Jason Voorhees and chucky are notable examples , the killer is rarely a women .

The victim tends to be young attractive in high school or college , sometimes even adolescent . Violence often takes place during or after sexual activity . The victims are always females , the last remaining female is known ad the final girl .

Slasher films in the 1970s were largely influenced by the emergence in the previous decade of the psychological horror films and became very popular as the years went on

1960- Peeping Tom and Psycho

Known to be two great films which were released by

amazing filmmakers that can equally be credited with

the birth of the slasher genre . Both Michael Powell's –

Peeping Tom and Alfred Hitchcock's were the three

people who created the instrumental that creates great

tension and style in slasher horror films , these

instruments are well known and used today frequently

1996- Scream .Wes craven the man who created A

Nightmare On Elm Street and other horror films has

rejuvenated the slasher genre . Scream is a very good

and unique horror /slasher movie which pays homage to

slasher movies but also it includes characters talking

about them and getting inspiration and motivation from

them .

Slasher films being created today are

parts of endless sequels of already

released slasher/ horror films for example

like Saw or are a remake . The slasher

genre has been very creative which has

given it a wide audience world wide .

Every single slasher film released has its

own originality that people can relate to

and enjoy .