Conventions of Chosen Sub-Genre

1. Conventions of Chosen Sub-
Genre
SLASHER

2. The subgenre of horror that is Slasher is perhaps the most easily recognisable and widely
popular of all, as every film contains very similar, clear-cut and distinguishable conventions
that crop up in almost every film within the sub-genre. There is a clear guideline for Slasher
horrors that are clear to audiences, and are proven to be very effective in producing this fear
factor.
There are a few easily recognised conventions that crop up again and again in every Slasher
that have stood the test of time, and are still being used by filmmakers today. First of all this
concerns the costume; the use of the killer always wearing a mask is constantly used, to both
conceal the true identity of the killer and to create a sense of mystery, drawing on this deep-
set fear of the unknown. This allows both the characters and the audience to experience the
same feelings of panic and confusion, feeling in the dark as to who the killer is.
Stereotypically, the mask is white in colour, but is often dirtied up using makeup as to give it a
grimy feel, either with sfx blood or theatrical makeup. The colour white contrasts greatly with
the dark, black colours of the costume, as well as holding connotations within horror of the
supernatural, white conventionally holds connotations of purity and innocence, morality, which
could link to the usual ‘moral message’ held at the base of Slasher horrors; the killer usually
kills for a moral reason, because the teen victims have committed immoral behaviour or been
‘sinful’. This is why the Final Girl is left alive at the end, because she is the most moral and
innocent. The killer’s costume is very dark, usually black, again to hide them from view so that
the killer can creep up on their victims, as well as the colour black holding key connotations
within horror as a genre; black draws on these feelings of fear of the unknown- it is associated
with death and mystery, power and evil. The costume usually shrouds the killer’s figure as to
create even more mystery surrounding their true identity.

3. The use of the bladed weapon is also a key convention
employed in every Slasher film. Whilst many other
horrors of other subgenres may use weapons as a
source of fear for the victims and audience, Slasher
killers always have a bladed weapon, for instance a
knife, as seen prominently in the Scream franchise, a
machete like Jason Voorhees wields in Friday the 13th,
a chainsaw like in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or
even bladed razors on a glove like the A Nightmare on
Elm Street killer Freddy Krueger has. Bladed weapons
hold connotations of much blood and gore, are very
violent and harsh, and can cause much pain to a
victim, letting them bleed out slowly without killing them
quickly. Whereas, a gun for instance would not
produce such a fear factor as if a victim is shot in a
film, they die almost instantly- there is not this drawn
out suffering.

4. Another crucial aspect of Slasher horrors that distinguish this subgenre from any other
is the characters. Conventionally in Slasher films the cast almost always consists of all
teenagers or young adults. They’re usually a group of friends in high school or college,
and each embodies a stereotype; the First Girl (the popular ‘whore’), the jock/boyfriend
of the First Girl, the nerd, the stoner/’dumb’ one, and the Final Girl/innocent, good girl.
Many Slashers show these characters subtly, but some more obvious examples are
The Cabin in the Woods, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and A Nightmare on
Elm Street. As within the narrative of Slasher horrors, almost all of the characters are
killed off, they have to have a specific order that follows conventions in which the
victims are killed; the popular girl is always killed first; she represents the dumb
blonde, the promiscuous mean girl who is the most sinful character of them all and
thus (following the underlying moral message Slasher killers follow) she is killed first,
which is why her trope is named the First Girl. Next is usually the jock/boyfriend of the
First Girl, as he is popular and embodied the brute, bully stereotype, stereotypically
athletic, arrogant, egotistical and generally sexually motivated- which is why he is an
unlikable character and therefore killed off early. Next is usually the stoner/’dumb guy’;
this character provides comic relief for the audience, and is more likable than the First
Girl or Jock. But, he partakes in hedonistic activities and is immoral, as well as too
unintelligent to survive the killer’s attacks, thus he is killed of next.

5. Then we come to the final two characters; the nerd and the Final Girl. The nerd is a very kind, likable character, and is
closest to the Final Girl- very intelligent and thinks logically about the events that are befalling the victims. He is always killed
off right at the end, leaving the Final Girl alone to face the killer. The Final Girl, by Clover, is perhaps one of the most widely
used and recognisable tropes within Slasher horrors; the innocent good girl who embodies everything girl, and is ultimately a
strong heroine. Great examples of First Girl’s throughout the history of Slashers are Laurie Strode in Halloween, Ginny Field
in Friday the 13th and Sally Hardesty in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. More modern interpretations would include Sidney
Prescott in the Scream franchise, Dana Polk in The Cabin in the Woods, and Max Cartwright in The Final Girls.

6. Overall, we will take into consideration these sub-genre specific conventions when creating our own horror promotional package. We
will use the conventional character types: first girl; final girl; jock; nerd and stoner. We will make these character types clear through the
use of conventional costume and character behaviours. Additionally, we will make it clear to the audience that the first girl and the jock
are in a stereotypical relationship. We will do this by using close proxemics and through body language. In addition, we will have a
scene of the couple together in a tent making out. This then links to the strong moral message conveyed throughout slashers as it is
conventional that teens partaking in immoral acts die. We will have a conventional killer that uses a single weapon to kill its victims.
The killer will be dressed in conventional dark costume to represent that they are evil. Furthermore, we will use a mask which, along
with the weapon, is horror iconography specific to the slasher sub-genre. To continue, we will use the conventional narrative of a group
of teens going away somewhere isolated to which they then meet their end in a one by one conventional killing style. It is important to
use these conventions to signify the genre to the audience and cater to their needs.