Conventions of a slasher film

2. WHAT IS A SLASHER FILM?
A SLASHER IS A SUBGENRE OF HORROR. THESE FILMS TYPICALLY CONSIST OF A MURDERER WHO GOES ON
A KILLING SPREE USING A KNIFE/BLADE OR A SHARP WEAPON, HENCE THE NAME, ‘SLASHER’.

3. PLOTLINE
MOST SLASHER FILMS FOLLOW THE SAME NARRATIVE. A GROUP OF TEENAGERS WILL ONE BY ONE BE KILLED
BY A PSYCHOPATHIC MURDERER. THEY GENERALLY HAVE SOME SORT OF CONNECTION TO THE KILLERS PAST,
E.G. LAURIE FROM ‘HALLOWEEN’ REMINDS MICHAEL MYERS OF HIS SISTER WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG BEFORE
HE KILLS HER. THE MURDERER IS USUALLY MASKED TO COVER THEIR IDENTITY HOWEVER THIS IS NOT
ALWAYS THE CASE. THE FILM WILL ALMOST ALWAYS HAVE A FINAL GIRL WHO IS THE INNOCENT, WELL
BEHAVED GIRL AMONGST THE GROUP OF TEENAGERS. LAURIE IS ‘HALLOWEEN’S FINAL GIRL WHO IN THE END
FACES DIRECT COMBAT WITH MYERS BUT FAILS TO KILL HIM.

7. OTHERS
• BENEFACTOR: THIS IS THE OLDER FRIENDLY PERSON IN THE FILM
THAT INITIALLY MAY COME OFF AS CREEPY AND UNTRUSTWORTHY
BUT PROVES TO BE HELPFUL AND OFFER SOME SORT OF WARNING
OR ADVICE TO THE TEENAGERS/FINAL GIRL.
• INEFFECTIVE AUTHORITATIVE FIGURE: THIS IS AN OLDER PERSON
SUCH AS A PARENT, TEACHER OR POLICE OFFICER WHO ALTHOUGH
HAS POWER, DOES NOT USE IT AND THEREFORE IS INEFFECTIVE.
THIS CHARACTER IS USUALLY THE ONLYAUTHORATIVE FIGURE IN
THE FILM AS THEY ARE USUALLY ABSENT OF A PARENTAL
INDIVIDUAL.
• GROUP OF FRIENDS: THIS IS THE GROUP OF TEENAGERS WHO GET
KILLED ONE BY ONE BY THE VILLAIN.

8. LOCATION
SLASHERS ARE GENERALLY SET OUTDOORS IN FORESTS, SUBURBAN
NEIGHBOURHOODS AND ABANDONED LOCATIONS. HOWEVER MORE
RECENTLY, SLASHER FILMS ARE SET IN PLACES SUCH AS SCHOOLS
(PROM NIGHT), BY HAVING THE FILM SET IN A PLACE THAT THE
VICTIMS ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH AS OPPOSED TO THE WOODS,
IT MAKES THE FILM ALL THE MORE INTERESTING AS THERE IS NO
INITIAL EERIE FEELING ABOUT THE LOCATION AS IT IS CONSIDERED A
SAFE PLACE BY SOCIETY.

9. WEAPONS
SLASHER FILM KILLERS ARE ARMED WITH HANDHELD BLADED TOOLS
SUCH AS KNIVES, SWORDS, AXES AND MACHETES. THE WEAPONS ARE
PENETRATIVE TO THE BODY AND THEREFORE REPRESENTED AS PHALLIC
SYMBOLS. THIS ADDS TO THE MASCULINITY OF THE KILLER. AS THE
WEAPON IS HANDHELD, IT IS MORE PRIMITIVE THAN USING FIREARMS,
ONCE AGAIN HEIGHTENING THE IDEA OF A MASCULINE MURDERER. THIS
REQUIRES FOR MORE STRENGTH AND HANDS ON WHEREAS A GUN MEANS
THE PREY CAN BE TAKEN DOWN FROM AFAR. IN HALLOWEEN, MYERS USES
A KITCHEN KNIFE. IN THE END OF THE FILM DURING THE PHYSICAL
CONFRONTATION BETWEEN HIMSELF AND LAURIE, LAURIE IS ABLE TO
TAKE THE KNIFE AWAY FROM MYERS POSSESSION. THEORIST SIGMUND
FREUD STATES THAT THIS A METAPHORICAL REPRESENTATION OF
CASTRATION.

10. TODOROV’S THEORY
TZVETAN TODOROV’S NARRATIVE THEORY PROPOSES THAT ALL FILMS FOLLOW THE SAME NARRATIVE AND IT CONSISTS OF 5 STEPS.
1. EQUILIBRIUM – THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM WHICH SHOWS THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN THEIR NATURAL STATE. IT
DISPLAYS THE WORLD THAT THEY LIVE IN BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES.
2. DISRUPTION – A PROBLEM SURFACES WHICH DISRUPTS THE INITIAL PEACE IN THE DIEGESIS.
3. RECOGNITION – THE ISSUE FROM THE SECOND STAGE HAS BECOME WIDELY RECOGNIZED BY THE STORY’S CHARACTERS AND A
SOLUTION IS SEARCHED FOR.
4. REPAIR – AN ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM HAS FAILED, ADDITIONAL ATTEMPTS ARE MADE.
5. NEW EQUILIBRIUM – CHARACTERS ARE NOW BACK TO THEIR NORMAL LIVES HOWEVER THINGS HAVE SOMEWHAT CHANGED.
IT CAN BE ARGUED THAT SLASHER FILMS FOLLOW THIS NARRATIVE AS DISPLAYED IN FILMS SUCH AS HALLOWEEN,. THIS THEORY IS
SIMILAR TO NOEL CARROLL’S THEORY WHICH CONSISTS OF THE ‘ONSET PHASE’, ‘DISCOVERY PHASE’ AND ‘DISRUPTION PHASE’.

11. PROPP’S THEORY
VLADMIR PROPP’S THEORY IS ABOUT 7 CHARACTERS WHICH HE BELIEVES ARE PRESENT IN EVERY STORY, AFTER ANALYSING 100
DIFFERENT TALES.
• THE VILLAIN (KILLER)
• THE HERO
• THE BENEFACTOR
• THE HELPER (USUALLY FINAL GIRLS FIRENDS)
• THE PRINCESS – OR PRIZE
• THE DISPATCHER
• THE FALSE HERO (USUALLY JOCK IN SLASHERS)

12. WATERGATE SCANDAL
THE WATERGATE SCANDAL IN THE 1970’S INFLUENCED THE CHARACTER TROPE OF THE INEFFECTIVE
AUTHORITATIVE FIGURE. THE RESIGNATION OF NIXON FROM PRESIDENCY WAS CAUSED BY THE SERIES OF
POLITICAL SCANDALS THAT AROSE, CREATING A SENSE OF DISHONESTY AND LACK OF TRUST BETWEEN THE
COUNTRY’S CITIZENS AND ITS GOVERNMENT. AS IN EVERY COUNTRY, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD STAND FOR
JUSTICE AND TRUST AND THIS WAS NOT PRESENT IN AMERICA AT THE TIME. THIS INEVITABLY MEANT THAT
CITIZENS HAD BROKEN BONDS WITH THE POLICE AND OTHER AUTHORITATIVE FIGURES WHICH IS
REFLECTED IN THE SLASHER GENRE.

13. OTHER CONVENTIONS
• SLASHER FILMS, LIKE OTHER HORROR FILMS, OFTEN HAVE A BLUE OR GREEN TINT WHICH OVERALL GIVES THE FILM A
GLOOMIER FEEL. THERE AREN’T MANY BRIGHT COLOURS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE EQUILIBRIUM AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE FILM WHERE EVERYTHING IS NORMAL BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES. THIS USAGE OF COLOUR HIGHLIGHTS THE BINARY
OPPOSITE IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE FILMS NARRATIVE. MOST OF THE LIGHTING POSITIONS ARE SET TO CREATE A LOT
OF SHADOWS TO CREATE A MYSTERIOUS ATMOSPHERE.
• THE CUTS IN SLASHER FILMS ARE VERY QUICK AND SHARP DURING TIMES OF ACTION. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE KILLER IS
ABOUT TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE, THE AUDIENCE KNOWS AS THEY WILL HEAR THE MUSICAL MOTIF OR SOME SORT OF
SYMBOL TO HINT THE EVENTS TO COME. IN HALLOWEEN, THE THEME SONG FOR THE FRANCHISE PLAYS BEFORE SOMETHING
SIGNIFICANT HAPPENS. THIS BUILDS TENSION AND THE VIEW EXPECTS IT, YET THE QUICK EDITS AND ABRUPT LOUD JOLTING
NOISE TOGETHER WILL FORM A JUMP SCARE, THUS AIMING TO STARTLE THE AUDIENCE.