Conventions of the slasher genre

1. Conventions of the slasher
genre By Jamie Dawson

2. Final Girl
The final girl is probably the most recognisable convention within the slasher genre. Throughout a
narrative, there is an individual in the group who is the ‘normal’ one compared to the others. She will be
smart and will be mentally strong as she battles with the villain throughout the film. She is the main
character throughout the plot and usually has an in depth psychological relationship with the killer
through the tournant he has caused her whilst watching all of her friends die. As previously mentioned,
she is considered the normal individual within the group - she is not a slut, nerd or bitch. She is innocent
and conventionally has brown hair and does not wear revealing clothes. The final girl is always the one
who survives the killer - until the next film. The final girl will usually wear light clothes throughout the
film as it connotes innocence, however her costume may change throughout the film as she has to
become more strategic to escape her killer.

3. First Girl
The first girl is another very recognisable convention within the slasher genre, she is typically referred to
as the slut as she is very interested and experienced with boys. She wears revealing clothes and tries to
show off to the boys around her to gain their attention. Throughout the film, she will experience the most
brutal of deaths and will die first out of her friends. This is the case as it sets a example of how you should
act - which would not be like her character. The first girl is usually wearing lots of makeup and is wearing
clothes that are red, as this connotes danger. Her death is used at the beginning of the film to set the tone
and make an example of her. This character is usually blonde as it is seen as attractive by the males in the
film.

4. Costume of the villain
The costume within the slasher genre is another common convention that is used to make the villain
scary. The costume is conventionally large and dark - to make the villain seem larger and more
mysterious. Masks are also worn to cover their face and protect their identity whilst killing their victims,
this creates suspense within the audience as they want to know who is behind the mask and more about
their background. Although it is conventional for villains to wear dark clothes, there are exceptions to
this. For example in the series dexter he wears a white costume. I think this is still scary as you are able to
see bloodstains on the costume and anything else that might catch.

5. Props
The types of props that are used throughout a slasher film follows the same conventions. In each film, a
signature weapon is used by the villain, he uses this to slaughter his victims. This is part of his costume
essentially and creates an identity for him that is used to scare the audience throughout the film. Other
props like fake blood is also a very common convention that is used in all slasher films. The fake blood is
used to make the killings seem more gruesome and make the killings seem more realistic, this helps the
audience remain scared throughout the film as it does not look fake.

6. Mass Killings
Mass killings are another very common and well known convention of the slasher genre in horror. The
killings that take place are in no order other than first and last and are used to crate fear, panic and
entertainment for the audience. It is popular for the killings to attract the audience and give them
something to talk about, and so make the film attract others. The mass killings feature the weapon of the
killers choice and create a link between each death. The mass killings also kills time throughout the film
and gives them a chance to jump scare the audience - which is what they are paying for. Suspense is
created through this as we are watching how the final girl is reacting and the link she is beginning to pick
up with the killer as her friends are being slaughtered.

7. Location
The location throughout the films is another common convention of the slasher genre. Typically, they
take place in large isolated spaces with few people that we could come across frequently in everyday life
- creating a fear for the audience. These films take place in the suburbs of a town, trapping the victims
within an area they can not escape the killer as he takes their lives one by one, the killer will remove their
ways of escape from the town by conventionally slashing the tyres of their car and trapping them in areas
where he has the advantage. Due to the time of these events, there are very few people around and so
creates an atmosphere for the audience.