The slasher movie is one of the most successful and prolific subgenres to swamp the horror movie world. There is no strict definition of a slasher but they often share a number of plot devices that allow a movie to fit into this category. The typical slasher involves a number of rebellious teenagers either unintentionally trapped or intentionally trespassing in an isolated setting while being creatively murdered by an unknown psychopath. The psycho will usually have a defined method of murder and gimmick such as a mask or preferred weapon. Often the reason for the killers instability is the result of a traumatic past event and the victims are usually connected to this event in various degrees of vagueness. A final surviving heroine is a common plot device (the final girl). There is often one final scare to remind us that it might not all be over and leave open the possibility of a sequel.
The origins of the slasher will constantly be disputed. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was a turning point in horror history and began to define the "rules" of a slasher although these concepts had been used before. The golden age of the slasher was the late seventies to the early eighties spawning a number of anti-heroes resulting in huge franchises; Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Michael Myers from Halloween and Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th are now all household names of murderous villains. The nineties saw a slasher revival resulting in numerous ridiculous, fairly light hearted but still often quite shock filled and extremely gory horror films.
The slasher subgenre has been greatly influenced by other subgenres such as Italian giallo, splatter films and exploitation films and has gone on to influence other areas of horror inspiring filmmakers worldwide.
Belial is one of the many names for The Devil. The meaning of the word in Hebrew is "worthless" and this could quite accurately describe the motivations for the anger-fuelled murder spree of Belial and his brother Duane in Henenlotter's first feature length horror movie. This also begs the question "What kind of parents call one member of a Siamese... Click to read more "Basket Case"
The Funhouse is the second of Tobe Hooper's films to make it to the UK video nasty list (the first being Eaten Alive - the film about the crocodile, not the Umberto Lenzi one about cannibals). It is unclear why this tale of carnival jollity made it on to a list of notorious horror movies that "tend to deprave or corrupt persons" as it is a slasher ... Click to read more "The Funhouse"
The Burning is a slasher movie from 1981 that managed to get itself banished to the video nasty list. It fortified the genre but, unfortunately, didn't have the impact it should have for a number of reasons. It is often compared to Friday the 13th and quite rightly so; a group of hormonally charged teenagers at summer camp get stalked by a disfigur... Click to read more "The Burning"
Small Town Folk is an odd mixture of styles which shouldn't work and, well... it doesn't really. The ambience is befitting of a made for TV mini-series for all the family, probably shown around supper time in the build up towards Christmas and probably featuring wizards, goblins, annoying know-it-all tweenies and wardrobes or something. This nausea... Click to read more "Small Town Folk"
Jeffrey Mandel's Elves is a little shit... but, it's an endearing little shit that cannot fail to get some love from fans of crappy movies. It's not so bad that it's good, it's so bad that it has to be seen to be believed and, as the true scale of the convoluted story is unravelled, it is destined to amaze due to the childlike charm it emits. Not t... Click to read more "Elves"
Frederick Charles Krueger (Freddy to his friends) is one of horror's most recognised villains from his humble beginnings in 1984 through the decades since. What has he become? Has his celebrity status gone to his head? Has he forgotten his beginnings and strayed from the path of scaring teens to try and pursue a career on the comedy circuit? Is he ... Click to read more "The Deterioration of Freddy Krueger"
It's nearly that time of year again when the population's jolliness levels increase dramatically and the Christmas movie selection becomes a ditch of heart-warming and emotionally touching pap. Well not at Horror Extreme. Here we prefer the jolly sound of a Santa armed to the teeth and flaying his victims. So for any like-minded horror aficionados ... Click to read more "Christmas Slashers"
Scream Queen is a term used to describe an actress famous for her roles in horror movies, either as a regular victim, the heroine or the disturbed killer. These seductive young ladies are most commonly found in the slasher movie genre and when allowed to outlive the bloodthirsty protagonist of such movies they are commonly known as the final girl, ... Click to read more "Scream Queens"
