"Slasher" films are said to fall under the horror genre and are known for focus on a murderer (often known as a "psycho") going on a rampage of killings. Many films in this genre utilize lesser-known actors and are produced on relatively low budgets. According to Richard Nowell in Blood Money: A History of the First Teen Slasher Film Cycle, young males are often the target audience of "slasher" films; for young girls to enjoy these films would be uncommon in the words of Nowell, and would require a "radical" viewing perspective due to the violence and gore of "slashers". In terms of our film opening, challenging this traditional view on the intended audience of "slashers" by incorporating elements of other genres could prove beneficial; however, we must consider whether modifications of genre would widen or narrow our target audience.
Revenge is a common theme among "slasher" films, with many beginning with the story of how a character was wronged in order to set the stage for "payback". Especially as our film opening would cover the first two minutes of a film, we would likely want to reflect this genre convention. Dramatic irony plays an integral part in building suspense throughout these films, with many gut-wrenching moments coming from characters falling into danger the audience is made aware of or disobeying conventional wisdom.
Hush (2016)
Psycho (1960) was a leading film in this genre, with many later films attempting to recreate Alfred Hitchcock's creation of suspense; however, popular films to follow Psycho focused more heavily on blood and gore than Hitchcock's skillfully-shot "slasher". Some films known in this subgenre which display typical genre characteristics are Scream (1996), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), and Friday the 13th (1980). Respectively, these films are ranked the first, sixth, and seventh highest grossing films in the "slasher" genre.
Psycho (1960)
In Friday the 13th (1980) this revenge theme can clearly be seen. The film begins with a scene displaying camp counselors' lack of care toward campers and how this causes one camper's death; it is later revealed that the death of the camper was the motivation for a string of murders committed against camp counselors by the boy's mother.
Friday the 13th (1980)
I personally believe dramatic irony is the most important aspect of horror films and especially "slashers". As my group has discussed genre characteristics we enjoy and dislike within the "slasher" genre, we have come to an agreement to shy away from excessive gore and place more emphasis on building suspense. Additionally, rather than focus on fantastical or otherworldly elements such as in films like A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), we would like to display a more realistic story which only uses human characters. Scream (1996) is closest to the style we intend on portraying, with masterfully-created tension, frightening stalking scenes, and remote communication between the killer and victim particularly standing out to us as interesting.
Scream (1996)
In my next blog post I plan on exploring another genre which reflects more satirical approach to film.
Barone, M. (2017, October 25). The Best Slasher Movies. Retrieved March 03, 2018, from http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/best-slasher-movies-of-all-time/
Craven, W. (Director), Craven, W. (Writer), & Shaye, R. (Producer). (1984). A Nightmare on Elm Street. United States: New Line Cinema.
Dramatic Irony Examples. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from http://www.softschools.com/examples/grammar/dramatic_irony_examples/462/
[Friday The 13th (1980) Film Poster]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2018, from http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mgjlh8omytdhfudvs20kfpyz0yc.jpg
Highest Grossing Slasher Films. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=slasher.htm
[Hush (2016)]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2018, from http://www.sacredwall.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/hush-768x432.jpg
McKittrick, C. (2017, March 6). What Are the Highest Grossing Slasher Movies of All Time? Retrieved March 04, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/highest-grossing-slasher-movies-4088988
Nowell, R. (2011). Blood money: a history of the first teen slasher film cycle. New York: Continuum.
Psycho (1960). (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from http://www.filmsite.org/psyc.html
[Scream (1996)]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2018, from http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/22100000/Casey-Becker-Ghostface-scream-22178354-1274-485.jpg
Sean S. Cunningham (Director) (1980). Friday the 13th. United States: Paramount Pictures.
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