Slasher Movies

Slasher movies are a subgenre of horror that revolve around a killer—often masked or mysterious—who stalks and murders a group of people, typically using bladed weapons. These films are known for their suspenseful pacing, creative kills, and a high body count, with victims often eliminated one by one in increasingly gruesome fashion. At the heart of many slashers is a “final girl”—a lone survivor who outwits the killer and often becomes the heroine.

The slasher genre exploded in popularity in the late 1970s and 1980s. Halloween (1978), directed by John Carpenter, is widely credited with popularizing the formula: a silent, unstoppable killer (Michael Myers), a suburban setting, and a resourceful final girl (Laurie Strode). This was followed by Friday the 13th (1980), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and many others that became long-running franchises.

Slasher movies often mix suspense with shock, using jump scares, eerie music, and first-person camera angles to build tension. They’re frequently set in isolated or confined locations—campgrounds, high schools, abandoned buildings—where characters are trapped with the killer. Many slashers also follow a moral code, with characters who engage in risky or reckless behavior (especially involving sex or drugs) more likely to be killed.

While early slashers were criticized for being formulaic or exploitative, modern entries like Scream (1996), Happy Death Day (2017), and Freaky (2020) reinvent the genre with meta-commentary, humor, and fresh twists on the classic tropes.

Slasher films remain popular because they offer pure cinematic adrenaline—fear, excitement, and catharsis all in one. At their best, they’re not just about blood and gore, but about survival, fear of the unknown, and the thrill of facing danger head-on. Whether terrifying or self-aware, slashers continue to slice through horror history with chilling precision.