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{{short description|Film subgenre that involves a killer murdering people using blades}}
[[File:Psycho (1960) theatrical poster (retouched).jpg|thumb|[[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' (1960) was a huge success on release, and a critical influence on the slasher genre.]]
{{Use mdy dates|cs1-dates=ly|date=August 2021}}
A '''slasher film''' is a subgenre of [[horror film]]s involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, often by use of bladed or sharp tools.<ref name="Clayton-2015">{{Cite book|title=Style and form in the Hollywood slasher film |date=2015|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|last=Clayton|first=Wickham |isbn=9781137496478|___location=Basingstoke|oclc=927961472}}</ref> Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as [[monster movie]]s, splatter films, [[Supernatural horror film|supernatural]] and [[psychological horror]] films.<ref name=":0">Petridis, Sotiris (2014). "[http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/fint/2014/00000012/00000001/art00007 A Historical Approach to the Slasher Film]". [[Film International]] 12 (1): 76–84.</ref>
Critics cite psychological horror films such as ''[[Peeping Tom (1960 film)|Peeping Tom]]'' (1960) and ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' (1960) and the Italian ''[[giallo]]'' films as early influences.<ref name="Golden">{{cite news |title=The 30 Most Influential Slasher Movies of All Time |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-slasher-horror-movies.html#:~:text=Dubbed%20the%20Golden%20Age%20of,itself%20time%20and%20time%20again. |access-date=2 September 2023 |work=Vulture}}</ref><ref name="www.top10films.co.uk-2016">{{Cite web |url=https://www.top10films.co.uk/38817-celebrating-impact-influence-michael-powells-peeping-tom/|title=Celebrating The Impact & Influence Of Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom" – Top 10 Films |website=www.top10films.co.uk |date=December 18, 2016 |access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":1">Mark D. Eckel (2014). "When the Lights Go Down". p. 167. WestBow Press.</ref> The genre hit its peak between 1978 and 1984 in an era referred to as the "Golden Age" of slasher films.<ref name="Golden"/> Notable slasher films include ''[[Black Christmas (1974 film)|Black Christmas]]'' (1974), ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]'' (1974), ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' (1978), ''[[Friday the 13th (1980 film)|Friday the 13th]]'' (1980), ''[[My Bloody Valentine (film)|My Bloody Valentine]]'' (1981), ''[[Sleepaway Camp]]'' (1983), ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' (1984), ''[[Child's Play (1988 film)|Child's Play]]'' (1988), ''[[Candyman (1992 film)|Candyman]]'' (1992), ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996), ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer]]'' (1997), ''[[Urban Legend (film)|Urban Legend]]'' (1998) and ''[[Terrifier]]'' (2016). Many slasher films released decades ago continue to attract [[cult following]]s.<ref name="Film School Rejects-2017">{{Cite news|url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/history-horrors-cult-following/|title=The History of Horror's Cult Following |date=October 24, 2017|work=Film School Rejects|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> The slasher canon can be divided into three eras: the classical (1974–1993), the self-referential (1994–2000) and the neoslasher cycle (2000–2013).<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=Petridis |first1=Sotiris |title=Anatomy of the Slasher Film: A Theoretical Analysis |date=2019 |publisher=McFarland |___location=North Carolina |isbn=978-1476674315 |url=https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/anatomy-of-the-slasher-film/}}</ref>
==Definition==
Slasher films typically adhere to a specific formula: a past wrongful action causes severe trauma that is reinforced by a commemoration or anniversary that reactivates or re-inspires the killer.<ref name="Clover-1987">{{Cite journal|last=Clover|first=Carol J.|date=Fall 1987|title=Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film|url=http://users.clas.ufl.edu/burt/paranoid70scinema/HerBodyHimself.pdf|journal=Representations|issue=20|pages=187–228|doi=10.2307/2928507|jstor=2928507}}</ref><ref name="Grant-2009">{{Cite web|url=https://filmstudiesforfree.blogspot.com/2009/05/final-girl-studies.html|title=Film Studies For Free: 'Final Girl' Studies|last=Grant|first=Catherine|date=May 20, 2009|website=Film Studies For Free|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> Built around stalk-and-murder sequences, the films draw upon the audience's feelings of [[catharsis]], [[recreation]], and [[Displacement (psychology)|displacement]], as related to sexual pleasure.<ref name="Vera Dika">{{cite book|title=Games of Terror: Halloween, Friday the 13th and the Films of the Stalker Cycle|author=Vera Dika|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press|year=1990|isbn=978-0-8386-3364-9}}</ref> [[Paste (magazine)|''Paste'' magazine]]'s definition notes that, "slasher villains are human beings, or were human beings at some point ... Slasher villains are human killers whose actions are objectively evil, because they’re meant to be bound by human morality. That’s part of the fear that the genre is meant to prey upon, the idea that killers walk among us."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-20 |title=What Truly Was the First "Slasher Film"? A Paste Investigation |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/horror-movies/first-slasher-movie-horror-halloween-psycho/ |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=pastemagazine.com |language=en}}</ref> Films with similar structures that have non-human antagonists lacking a conscience, such as [[Alien (film)|''Alien'']] or ''[[The Terminator]]'', are not traditionally considered slasher films (though many slasher antagonists are superhuman, have supernatural traits, or possess slightly warped or abstract anthropomorphic forms both physically and metaphysically).<ref>{{Cite web |last=on |first=Brent Dunham |date=2019-10-31 |title=The Best Slasher Movies (That Aren't Slasher Movies) |url=https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/best-unintentional-slasher-movies/ |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=StudioBinder |language=en-US}}</ref>
===Common tropes===
The [[final girl]] [[Trope (literature)|trope]] is discussed in [[film studies]] as being a young woman (occasionally a young man) left alone to face the killer's advances in the movie's end.<ref name="Clover-1987" /> [[Laurie Strode]] ([[Jamie Lee Curtis]]), the heroine in ''Halloween'', is an example of a typical final girl.<ref name="Grant-2009" /> Final girls are often, like Laurie Strode, virgins among sexually active teens.<ref name="Harper04">{{cite book |title=Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies|author=Jim Harper|publisher=Critical Vision|year=2004|isbn=9781900486392|page=34|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kAxPsnCDPWgC&q=laurie+strode+final+girl+slasher|access-date=August 25, 2015}}</ref> Others have called the trope "self-mythologising" based on a handful of especially high-profile examples, asserting that its prominence has been overstated – particularly the innocent, virginal qualities ascribed to putative final girls – and that, in the 21st century, the trope has been filtered through the lens of parody, subversion, and self-aware humour rather than deployed sincerely.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sweetman |first=Simon |title=In Praise of the "Final Girl" Trope |url=https://offthetracks.co.nz/in-praise-of-the-final-girl-trope |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618193953/https://offthetracks.co.nz/in-praise-of-the-final-girl-trope/ |archive-date=June 18, 2023 |website=Off the Tracks}}</ref>
When slasher films become franchises, they typically take on villain protagonist characteristics, with the series following the continued efforts of their antagonists, rather than any of the killer's disposable victims, including any individual entry's heroes or final survivor(s) (who, in so far as they continue to appear within the series, are often killed off immediately after their next on-screen appearance, which has become its own trope). Examples of antiheroes around whom the respective series have become centered include [[Michael Myers (Halloween)|Michael Myers]], [[Freddy Krueger]], [[Jason Voorhees]], [[Chucky (Child's Play)|Chucky]] and [[Leatherface]].{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p=161}} The antagonist is envisioned and embedded into the public psyche as the main and most marketable/recognisable character, even if his screentime is dwarfed in any specific film by the nominal protagonists. The [[Scream (franchise)|''Scream'' film series]] is a rarity that follows its heroine [[Sidney Prescott]] ([[Neve Campbell]]) rather than masked killer [[Ghostface (identity)|Ghostface]], whose identity changes from film to film, and is only revealed in each entry's finale.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sidney Prescott: More than a Final Girl|url=http://www.cinefilles.ca/2015/10/23/sidney-prescott|website=Cinefilles|access-date=May 14, 2018|archive-date=2017-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901195727/http://www.cinefilles.ca/2015/10/23/sidney-prescott/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Another alleged trope frequently associated with slasher discourse – and horror more broadly – is that of the "black character(s) dying first" (often formulated as "''always'' dying first"). Actual analyses of the films, such as a 2013 investigative piece in [[Complex (magazine)|Complex]], have found that the trope is largely self-mythologising as opposed to being a statistical reality (per Complex, in only 10% of the fifty analysed movies, all containing one or more speaking black characters, did any of them die first).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/10/black-characters-horror-movies | title=Fact Check: Do Black Characters Always die First in Horror Movies? | website=[[Complex Networks]] }}</ref>
==Origins==
[[File:Grand-Guignol-Scène-1937 (2).jpg|thumb|right|A scene from the [[Grand Guignol]], a format some critics have cited as an influence on the slasher film]]
The appeal of watching people inflict violence upon each other dates back thousands of years to [[Gladiator|Ancient Rome]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.livescience.com/53615-horrors-of-the-colosseum.html|title=Could You Stomach the Horrors of 'Halftime' in Ancient Rome?|work=Live Science|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> The seventeenth century fairy tale, ''[[Bluebeard]]'', "can be seen as one of the slasher film’s progenitors."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Warner |first1=Marina |title=From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers |date=1994 |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |___location=New York |pages=270}}</ref> So too can the late 19th century horror plays produced at the [[Grand Guignol]]; [[Maurice Tourneur]]'s ''The Lunatics'' (1912) used visceral violence to attract the Guignol's audience.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/penny-dreadful/235946/penny-dreadful-how-the-grand-guignol-gave-birth-to-horror|title=Penny Dreadful: How The Grand Guignol Gave Birth to Horror|work=Den of Geek|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> In the United States, public outcry over films like this eventually led to the passage of the [[Hays Code]] in 1930.<ref name="NPR.org">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93301189|title=Remembering Hollywood's Hays Code, 40 Years On|work=NPR.org|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> The Hays Code is one of the entertainment industry's earliest set of guidelines restricting sexuality and violence deemed unacceptable.<ref name="NPR.org" /><ref name="Brooks2005">{{cite book|author=Marla Brooks|title=The American Family on Television: A Chronology of 121 Shows, 1948–2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vREzBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA75|date=March 30, 2005|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-2074-2|pages=75–}}</ref>
Crime writer [[Mary Roberts Rinehart]] influenced horror literature with her novel ''[[The Circular Staircase]]'' (1908),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://americanliterature.com/author/mary-roberts-rinehart |title=Mary Roberts Rinehart |website=americanliterature.com|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> adapted into the silent film ''[[The Bat (1926 film)|The Bat]]'' (1926), about guests in a remote mansion menaced by a killer in a grotesque mask.<ref name="Movies Silently-2015">{{Cite news|title=The Bat (1926) A Silent Film Review |url=http://moviessilently.com/2015/03/18/the-bat-1926-a-silent-film-review/|date=March 18, 2015 |work=Movies Silently|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> Its success led to a series of "old dark house" films including ''[[The Cat and the Canary (1927 film)|The Cat and the Canary]]'' (1927), based on [[John Willard (playwright)|John Willard]]'s [[The Cat and the Canary (play)|1922 stage play]], and [[Universal Pictures]]' ''[[The Old Dark House (1932 film)|The Old Dark House]]'' (1932), based on the novel by [[J.B. Priestley]].<ref name="Movies Silently-2015" /> In both films, the town dwellers are pitted against strange country folk, a recurring theme in later horror films. Along with the "madman on the loose" plotline, these films employed several influences upon the slasher genre, such as lengthy [[point of view shot]]s and a "sins of the father" catalyst to propel the plot's mayhem.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=20–21}}
===Early film influences===
[[File:The-Spiral-Staircase.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Dorothy McGuire]] in ''[[The Spiral Staircase (1946 film)|The Spiral Staircase]]'' (1946)]]
[[George Archainbaud]]'s ''[[Thirteen Women]]'' (1932) tells the story of a [[Fraternities and sororities|sorority]] whose former members are set against one another by a vengeful peer who crosses out their yearbook photos, a device used in subsequent films ''[[Prom Night (1980 film)|Prom Night]]'' (1980) and ''[[Graduation Day (film)|Graduation Day]]'' (1981).<ref>{{Cite news |title=Thirteen Women (1932): The Slasher that Started it All |url=http://www.horrorhomeroom.com/thirteen-women/|author=Dawn Keetley |date=August 12, 2016|work=Horror Homeroom |access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> Early examples include a maniac seeking revenge in ''[[The Terror (1928 film)|The Terror]]'' (1928), based on the play by [[Edgar Wallace]].
[[B movie|B-movie]] mogul [[Val Lewton]] produced ''[[The Leopard Man]]'' (1943), about a murderer framing his crimes against women on an escaped show [[leopard]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/448|title=The Leopard Man|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> [[Basil Rathbone]]'s ''[[The Scarlet Claw]]'' (1944) sees [[Sherlock Holmes]] investigate murders committed with a five-pronged garden weeder that the killer would raise in the air and bring down on the victim repeatedly, an [[Film editing|editing technique]] that became familiar in the genre.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} [[Robert Siodmak]]'s ''[[The Spiral Staircase (1946 film)|The Spiral Staircase]]'' (1946), based on [[Ethel White]]'s novel ''Some Must Watch'', stars [[Ethel Barrymore]] as a sympathetic woman trying to survive black-gloved killers. ''The Spiral Staircase'' also features an early use of [[jump scare]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Spiral Staircase (1946) |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/345408/the-spiral-staircase#articles-reviews |website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref>
British writer [[Agatha Christie]]'s particularly influential 1939 novel ''[[Ten Little Indians (novel)|Ten Little Indians]]'' (adapted in 1945 as ''[[And Then There Were None (1945 film)|And Then There Were None]]''), centers on a group of people with secret pasts who are killed one-by-one on an isolated island. Each of the murders mirrors a verse from a [[Ten Little Indians|nursery rhyme]], merging the themes of childhood innocence and vengeful murder.<ref>{{Cite news|title=The Birth and Evolution of the Slasher Film |url=https://classicfilmhaven.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/the-birth-and-evolution-of-the-slasher-film/ |date=November 1, 2013|work=Classic Film Haven|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.horrorhomeroom.com/and-then-there-were-none-agatha-christie-revival/|title=And Then There Were None: The Agatha Christie Revival |author=Dawn Keetley|date=July 11, 2016|work=Horror Homeroom |access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref>{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=23–25}} ''[[House of Wax (1953 film)|House of Wax]]'' (1953), ''[[The Bad Seed (1956 film)|The Bad Seed]]'' (1956), ''[[Screaming Mimi (film)|Screaming Mimi]]'' (1958), ''[[Jack the Ripper (1959 film)|Jack the Ripper]]'' (1959), and ''[[Cover Girl Killer]]'' (1959) all incorporated Christie's literary themes.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=25–28}}
===1960s horror-thrillers===
[[File:Janet Leigh Psycho Promotional Still.jpg|thumb|upright|Janet Leigh in a promotional still for ''Psycho'']]
[[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' (1960) used visuals that had been deemed unacceptable by movie studios, including scenes of violence, sexuality, and the shot of a toilet flushing. The film featured an iconic score by [[Bernard Herrmann]] that has been frequently imitated in slasher and horror films.<ref name="14 Crazy Facts About Psycho-2015">{{Cite news|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/68248/14-crazy-facts-about-psycho|title=14 Crazy Facts About ''Psycho''|date=September 7, 2015|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> That same year, [[Michael Powell]] released ''[[Peeping Tom (1960 film)|Peeping Tom]]'', showing the killer's perspective as he murders women to photograph their dying expressions.<ref name="www.top10films.co.uk-2016" />{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=28–29}}
''Psycho'' was nominated for four Academy Awards, including [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] for [[Janet Leigh]] and [[Anthony Perkins]] garnering universal acclaim for his role as [[Norman Bates]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-oscars-top-10-greatest-best-picture-snubs-of-all-time/7/|title=The Oscars: Top 10 greatest best picture snubs of all time|date=March 2, 2018|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref><ref name="14 Crazy Facts About Psycho-2015" /> This notice drew bankable movie stars to horror films.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://ew.com/article/2009/08/04/psycho-the-horror-movie-that-changed-the-genre/|title='Psycho': The horror movie that changed the genre|work=EW.com|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> [[Joan Crawford]] starred in [[William Castle]]'s ''[[Strait-Jacket]]'' (1964)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/179094|title=Strait-Jacket |website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> and in [[Jim O'Connolly]]'s ''[[Berserk!]]'' (1967),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.joancrawfordbest.com/filmsberserk.htm|title=Berserk |website=www.joancrawfordbest.com|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> while [[Albert Finney]] starred in [[MGM]]'s ''[[Night Must Fall (1964 film)|Night Must Fall]]'' (1964) (a remake of the [[Night Must Fall (1937 film)|1937 British film]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.warnerbros.com/night-must-fall-1964|title=Night Must Fall (1964)|website=www.warnerbros.com|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> and [[Peter Cushing]] starred in ''[[Corruption (1968 film)|Corruption]]'' (1968).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Corruption |url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/314054|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref>
[[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer Studios]], a London-based company, followed ''Psycho''<nowiki/>'s success with ''[[Taste of Fear]]'' (1961), ''[[Maniac (1963 film)|Maniac]]'' (1963), ''[[Paranoiac (film)|Paranoiac]]'' (1963), ''[[Nightmare (1964 film)|Nightmare]]'' (1964), ''[[Fanatic (film)|Fanatic]]'' (1965), ''[[The Nanny (1965 film)|The Nanny]]'' (1965), and ''[[Hysteria (1965 film)|Hysteria]]'' (1965).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hammerfilms.com/about-hammer/ |title=About Hammer|work=Hammer Films|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://prezi.com/jjjvyrw_uv_v/the-history-of-hammer-studios/|title=THE HISTORY OF HAMMER STUDIOS |website=prezi.com|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> Hammer's rival [[Amicus Productions|Amicus]] had [[Robert Bloch]], author of 1959 [[Psycho (novel)|''Psycho'' novel]], write the script for ''[[Psychopath (1968 film)|Psychopath]]'' (1968).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rue-morgue.com/hammer-who-severins-the-amicus-collection-is-simply-smashing/|title=HAMMER WHO?: SEVERIN'S "THE AMICUS COLLECTION" IS SIMPLY SMASHING |website=Rue Morgue|date=February 8, 2018 |access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref>
[[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s debut, ''[[Dementia 13]]'' (1963), takes place in an Irish castle where relatives gather to commemorate a family death but are murdered one by one.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} [[William Castle]]'s ''[[Homicidal (film)|Homicidal]]'' (1961) features gore in its murder scenes, something both ''Psycho'' and ''Peeping'' ''Tom'' had edited out.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p=33}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Homicidal |url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/179093|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=May 15, 2018}}</ref> Richard Hillard's ''[[Violent Midnight]]'' (1963) showed a black-gloved killer's point of view as they pull down a branch to watch a victim and also featured a [[Nude swimming|skinny-dipping]] scene.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.amc.com/talk/2008/05/violent-midnigh|title=Violent Midnight Lets You Watch From the Killer's Point of View|work=AMC|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-date=2018-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515190031/http://www.amc.com/talk/2008/05/violent-midnigh|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Crown International Pictures|Crown International]]'s ''Terrified'' (1963) features a masked killer.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p=34}} Spain's ''[[The House That Screamed (1969 film)|The House That Screamed]]'' (1969) features violent murders and preempted later campus-based slashers.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=33–36}}
===Splatter, Krimi and giallo films===
{{See also|Splatter film|Krimi|Giallo|}}
[[File:Reazione a catena.jpg|thumb|left|A scene from [[Mario Bava]]'s ''[[A Bay of Blood]]'' (1971), which was notably imitated in ''[[Friday the 13th Part 2]]'' (1981)]]
Subgenres that influenced slasher films include [[splatter film]]s, ''[[Krimi]]'' films, and ''[[giallo]]'' films.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}<ref name="Troy-2015">{{Cite book|title=So deadly, so perverse: 50 years of Italian giallo films|last=Troy|first=Howarth|year=2015|___location=Baltimore |publisher=Midnight Marquee Press|isbn=9781936168507|oclc=923061416}}</ref>
Splatter films focus on gratuitous gore. [[Herschell Gordon Lewis]]'s ''[[Blood Feast]]'' (1963) was a hit at [[drive-in theater]]s and is often considered the first splatter film.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Happy birthday, "Blood Feast": digging into the guts of the very first "splatter" film |website=RogerEbert.com |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/blood-feast-digging-into-the-guts-of-the-very-first-splatter-film|last=Abrams|first=Simon |access-date=May 15, 2018}}</ref> Lewis followed with gory films ''[[Two Thousand Maniacs!|Two-Thousand Maniacs!]]'' (1964), ''[[Color Me Blood Red]]'' (1965), ''[[The Gruesome Twosome (1967 film)|The Gruesome Twosome]]'' (1967) and ''[[The Wizard of Gore]]'' (1970). This grotesque style translated to [[Andy Milligan]]'s ''The Ghastly Ones'' (1969), ''[[Twisted Nerve]]'' (1968), ''Night After Night After Night'' (1969) as well as ''[[The Haunted House of Horror]]'' (1969).{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=34–36}}
Post-World War II Germany adapted British writer [[Edgar Wallace]]'s crime novels into a subgenre of their own called ''Krimi'' films.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2015/10/11/a-genre-between-genres-the-shadow-world-of-german-krimi-films|title=A Genre Between Genres: The Shadow World Of German Krimi Films|author=Phil Nobile Jr.|date=October 11, 2015|work=Birth.Movies.Death.|access-date=May 15, 2018}}</ref> The ''Krimi'' films were released in the late 1950s through the early 1970s and featured villains in bold costumes accompanied by jazz scores from composers such as [[Martin Böttcher]] and [[Peter Thomas (composer)|Peter Thomas]].{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Crime fiction in german : Der Krimi|last=Katharina|first=Hall|isbn=9781783168187 |___location=Cardiff|oclc=944186492|date=March 3, 2016}}</ref> ''[[Der Frosch mit der Maske|Fellowship of the Frog]]'' (1959), about a murderer terrorizing London, was successful in America, leading to similar adaptations like ''[[The Green Archer (1961 film)|The Green Archer]]'' (1961) and ''[[Dead Eyes of London]]'' (1961). The [[Rialto Film|Rialto Studio]] produced 32 ''Krimi'' films between 1959 and 1970.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=38–43}}
[[File:Torso (1973) screenshot.png|right|thumb|A scene from [[Sergio Martino]]'s film, ''[[Torso (1973 film)|Torso]]'' (1973)]]
Italy's ''giallo'' thrillers are [[Police procedural|crime procedurals]] or [[murder mystery|murder mysteries]] interlaced with [[eroticism]] and psychological horror.<ref name="Troy-2015"/> ''Giallo'' films feature unidentified killers murdering in grand fashions.<ref name="Troy-2015" /> Unlike most American slasher films the protagonists of ''gialli'' are frequently (but not always) jet-setting adults sporting the most stylish [[Fashion in Milan|Milan fashions]].{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} These protagonists are often outsiders reluctantly brought into the mystery through extenuating circumstances, like witnessing a murder or being suspected of the crimes themselves.<ref>{{Cite web|title=No Place Like Home: The Late-Modern World of the Italian giallo Film|author=Alexia Kannas|website=Senses of Cinema |url=http://sensesofcinema.com/2013/uncategorized/no-place-like-home-the-late-modern-world-of-the-italian-giallo-film/ |access-date=May 15, 2018|date=July 2013}}</ref> Much like ''Krimi'' films, ''gialli'' plots tended to be outlandish and improbable, occasionally employing [[supernatural]] elements.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}<ref name="Troy-2015" /> [[Mario Bava]]'s ''[[A Bay of Blood]]'' (1971) is a [[whodunit]] featuring a subplot depicting creative death sequences on a secluded lakeside setting, which greatly inspired ''[[Friday the 13th (1980 film)|Friday the 13th]]'' (1980), [[Friday the 13th Part 2|its 1981 sequel]] and subsequent slashers.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=51–54}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://chicagoreader.com/film/twitch-of-the-death-nerve/ | title=Twitch of the Death Nerve |date= January 24, 2003|last=Jones| first=J. R.|newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]]}}</ref> [[Sergio Martino]]'s ''[[Torso (1973 film)|Torso]]'' (1973) featured a masked killer preying upon beautiful and promiscuous young women in retribution for a past misdeed. ''Torso''<nowiki/>'s edge-of-your-seat climax finds a sensible "final girl"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.longlivethevoid.com/news/firstslashmd | title=Will The Real First Slasher Please Stand Up?|date= August 1, 2018|last=Doubt| first=Mark|website=Beyond The Void Horror Podcast}}</ref> facing off with the killer in an isolated villa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gialloscore.com/giallo.aspx?type=score&id=25|title=Torso|website=GialloScore|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-date=2019-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113045102/http://gialloscore.com/giallo.aspx?id=25&type=score|url-status=usurped}}</ref>{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=49–51}} [[Umberto Lenzi]]'s ''[[Eyeball (film)|Eyeball]]'' (1975), which unfolds in an Agatha Christie manner, is noted by some as a slasher precursor, as American tourists are targeted by a killer wearing a red raincoat.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://eurocultav.com/2020/05/21/eyeball-88-films-blu-ray-review/ | title=Eyeball (88 Films) Blu-ray Review |date= May 21, 2020|last=Miller| first=Tyler|access-date=August 6, 2023| website=Euro Cult AV}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/e-h/eyeball75blu.htm | title= Eyeball (1975) Blu-ray/DVD combo Director: Umberto Lenzi|access-date= August 6, 2023|last=Cotenas| first=Eric|website=DVD Drive-in}}</ref>
The influence of Hitchcock's ''Psycho'' extended also to ''gialli'', with films such as ''[[The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh]]'' (1971),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/The_Strange_Vice_of_Mrs_Wardh/Review |title= The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh/Review| website=Grindhouse Cinema Database |access-date=August 5, 2023| author=Peter Roberts}}</ref> ''[[The Case of the Scorpion's Tail]]'' (1971)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/The%20Case%20of%20the%20Scorpion%27s%20Tail.pdf |title=Re-Evaluating The Case Of The Scorpion's Tail: Sergio Martino's Hitchcockian Giallo|access-date=August 4, 2023|author=Rachael Nisbet}}</ref> and ''[[Sette scialli di seta gialla|The Crimes of the Black Cat]]'' (1972)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.genregrinder.com/post/crimes-of-the-black-cat-blu-ray-review |title= Crimes of the Black Cat Blu-ray Review| website=Genre Grinder |access-date=August 4, 2023|date= January 24, 2022| author=Gabe Powers}}</ref> paying homage to Hitchcock's film. ''Gialli'' were popular in American cinemas and [[drive-in theater]]s. Thriller ''[[Assault (film)|Assault]]'' (1971) and Spanish mystery ''A Dragonfly for Each Corpse'' (1974) share many traits with Italian ''gialli''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gialloscore.com/giallo.aspx?id=33|title=A Dragonfly for Each Corpse|website=GialloScore|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-date=2018-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730081133/http://www.gialloscore.com/giallo.aspx?id=33|url-status=usurped}}</ref> ''[[Death Steps in the Dark]]'' (1977) spoofed the familiar conventions found in ''giallo'' films.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://files.blogspot.com/2014/04/death-steps-in-dark.html|title=The Giallo Files: Death Steps in the Dark|website=The Giallo Files|access-date=May 15, 2018}}</ref> Despite successes from ''[[Deep Red]]'' (1975) and ''[[The Bloodstained Shadow|The Blood-Stained Shadow]]'' (1978), ''giallo'' films gradually fell out of fashion by the mid-1970s as diminishing returns forced budget cuts.<ref name="Troy-2015"/> Films such as ''Play Motel'' (1979) and ''[[Giallo a Venezia]]'' (1979) exploited their low-budgets with shocking [[Pornographic|hardcore pornography]].{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=54–55}}
===Exploitation films===
{{main|Exploitation film}}
The early 1970s saw an increase in exploitation films that lured audiences to [[grindhouse]]s and drive-ins by advertising of sex and violence. [[Robert Fuest]]'s ''[[And Soon the Darkness (1970 film)|And Soon the Darkness]]'' (1970) set off the '70s exploitation wave by maximizing its small budget and taking place in daylight. ''[[The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio]]'' (1971) follows an insane killer who stalks and murders victims at a nursing academy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/the-jekyll-and-hyde-portfolio-a-clockwork-blue-ltd |title=The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio / A Clockwork Blue |publisher=[[Vinegar Syndrome (company)|Vinegar Syndrome]]|access-date=January 9, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Stine|first=Scott Aaron|year=2001 |title=The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1960s and 1970s|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |page=154|isbn=978-0786409242}}</ref> ''[[Hands of the Ripper]]'' (1971) depicts the psychological trauma suffered by [[Jack the Ripper]]'s daughter, who continues the murderous reign of her father.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Proto-Slashers: A Brief History |website=Genre Grinders |url=https://www.genregrinder.com/post/proto-slashers-a-brief-history|last=Powers|first=Gabe|date=April 8, 2019 |access-date=Oct 14, 2022}}</ref> ''[[Fright (film)|Fright]]'' (1971) is based on the "[[The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs|babysitter and the man upstairs]]" [[urban legend]] while ''[[Tower of Evil]]'' (1972) features careless partying teens murdered in a remote island lighthouse.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=56–60}} [[Pete Walker (director)|Pete Walker]] broke taboos by advertising his films' negative reviews to attract viewers looking for the depraved, using a "no press is bad press" mantra with ''[[The Flesh and Blood Show]]'' (1972), ''[[Frightmare (1974 film)|Frightmare]]'' (1974), ''[[House of Mortal Sin]]'' (1976), ''[[Schizo (1976 film)|Schizo]]'' (1976) and ''[[The Comeback (1978 film)|The Comeback]]'' (1978).{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=57–58}} Other filmmakers followed Walker's lead, as posters dubbed ''[[Blood and Lace]]'' (1971) as "sickest PG-rated movie ever made!", while ''[[Scream Bloody Murder]]'' (1973) called itself "gore-nography."{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=59–64}}
By 1974 the exploitation film battled changing audience tastes and their popularity waned, and while films like ''The Love Butcher'' (1975) and ''[[The Redeemer: Son of Satan]]'' (1976) were accused of promoting bigotry, the low-budget independent film ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]'' (1974) became a major hit and the most commercially successful horror film since ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]''. The story concerns a violent clash of cultures and ideals between the [[counter-culture]] and traditional conservative values, with the film's squealing antagonist [[Leatherface]] carrying a chainsaw and wearing the faces of victims he and his family eat. ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' spawned imitators and its false "based on a true story" advertisements gave way to reenactments of [[true crime]]. ''[[The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976 film)|The Town That Dreaded Sundown]]'' (1976), based on the [[Texarkana Moonlight Murders|Phantom Killer]] case, and ''Another Son of Sam'' (1977), based on the [[David Berkowitz|Son of Sam]] slayings, cashed-in on headlines and public fascination. [[Wes Craven]] modernized the [[Sawney Bean]] legend in ''[[The Hills Have Eyes (1977 film)|The Hills Have Eyes]]'' (1977) by building upon themes presented in ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre''. ''The Hills Have Eyes'' was another huge financial success, relaunching Craven's career after it had been damaged by controversy surrounding his previous film, ''[[The Last House on the Left (1972 film)|The Last House on the Left]]'' (1972).{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=66–68}}
Following holiday-themed exploitation films ''[[Home for the Holidays (1972 film)|Home for the Holidays]]'' (1972), ''[[Tales from the Crypt (film)|All Through the House]]'' (1972) and ''[[Silent Night, Bloody Night]]'' (1973), [[Christmas horror]] film ''[[Black Christmas (1974 film)|Black Christmas]]'' (1974) uses horror as a board to debate social topics of its time, including [[feminism]], abortion, and alcoholism. Using the [[The babysitter and the man upstairs|"killer calling from inside the house]]" [[gimmick]], ''Black Christmas'' is visually and thematically a precursor to [[John Carpenter]]'s ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' (1978), as young women are terrorized in a previously safe environment during an iconic holiday. Like ''Halloween'', Clark's film opens with a lengthy [[Point-of-view shot|point-of-view]], but it differs in the treatment of the killer's identity. Despite making $4,053,000 on a $620,000 budget, ''Black Christmas'' was initially criticized, with ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' complaining that it was a "bloody, senseless kill-for-kicks" flick that exploited unnecessary violence. Despite its modest initial box office run, the film has garnered critical reappraisal, with film historians noting its importance in the horror film genre and some even citing it as the original slasher film.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=60–61}}
==1978–1984: Golden Age==
Jumpstarted by the massive success of [[John Carpenter]]'s ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' (1978), the era commonly cited as the Golden Age of slasher films is 1978–1984, with some scholars citing over 100 similar films released over the six-year period.<ref name="Golden"/><ref name="Vera Dika" />{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Despite most films receiving negative reviews, many Golden Age slasher films were extremely profitable and have established [[cult following]]s.<ref name="Film School Rejects-2017" /> Many films reused ''Halloween''<nowiki/>'s template of a murderous figure stalking teens, though they escalated the gore and nudity from Carpenter's restrained film. Golden Age slasher films exploited dangers lurking in American institutions such as high schools, colleges, summer camps, and hospitals.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=70–71}}
===1978===
Cashing in on the [[drive-in]] success of ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974), ''[[The Toolbox Murders]]'' was quickly and cheaply shot but did not generate the interest of the former films. Exploitative ''Killer's Delight'' is a San Francisco-set serial killer story claiming to take inspiration from [[Ted Bundy]] and the [[Zodiac Killer]].{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p=80}} Leading up to ''Halloween''<nowiki/>'s October release were August's ''gialli''-inspired ''[[Eyes of Laura Mars]]'' (written by John Carpenter) and September's "[[The babysitter and the man upstairs|babysitter in peril]]" TV Movie ''[[Are You in the House Alone?]]'' Of them, ''The'' ''Eyes of Laura Mars'' grossed $20 million against a $7 million budget.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=eyesoflauramars.htm|title=Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref>
Influenced by the [[French New Wave]]'s ''[[Eyes Without a Face (film)|Eyes Without a Face]]'' (1960), science fiction thriller ''[[Westworld (film)|Westworld]]'' (1973) and ''[[Black Christmas (1974 film)|Black Christmas]]'' (1974), ''Halloween'' was directed, composed and co-written by Carpenter, and produced and co-written by [[Debra Hill]] on a budget of $300,000 provided by Syrian-American producer [[Moustapha Akkad]]. To minimize costs, locations were reduced and time took place over a brief period.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=72–80}} [[Jamie Lee Curtis]], daughter of [[Janet Leigh]], was cast as the heroine [[Laurie Strode]] while veteran actor [[Donald Pleasence]] was cast as [[Samuel Loomis|Dr. Sam Loomis]], an homage to [[John Gavin]]'s character in ''Psycho''.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=72–80}} ''Halloween''<nowiki/>'s opening tracks a six-year-old's point-of-view as he kills his older sister, a scene emulated in numerous films such as ''[[Blow Out]]'' (1981) and ''[[The Funhouse]]'' (1981). Carpenter and Hill deny writing sexually active teens to be victims in favor of a virginal "[[final girl]]" survivor, though subsequent filmmakers copied what appeared to be a "sex-equals-death" mantra.<ref name="E">{{cite web |last1=Hosney |first1=Jim |title=Writer-Producer Debra Hill on Jamie Lee, Body Counts and Horror in Suburbia |url=http://www.eonline.com/Features/Live/Filmschool/Notes/Halloween/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040308021741/http://www.eonline.com/Features/Live/Filmschool/Notes/Halloween/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2004-03-08 |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=Film School: Horror 101 |publisher=E Online}}</ref>
When shown an early cut of ''Halloween'' without a musical score, all major American studios declined to distribute it, one executive even remarking that it was not scary. Carpenter added music himself, and the film was distributed locally in four Kansas City theaters through Akkad's [[Compass International Pictures]] in October 1978. [[Word-of-mouth marketing|Word-of-mouth]] made the movie a [[sleeper hit]] that was selected to screen at the November 1978 Chicago Film Festival, where the country's major critics acclaimed it. ''Halloween'' grew into a major box office success, grossing over $70 million worldwide and selling over 20 million tickets in North America, becoming the most profitable independent film until being surpassed by [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 film)|''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'']] (1990).{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=72–80}}
===1979===
Though the [[Psychokinesis|telekinesis]]-themed slasher ''[[Tourist Trap (film)|Tourist Trap]]'' was initially unsuccessful, it has undergone a reappraisal by fans. 1979's most successful slasher was [[Fred Walton (director)|Fred Walton]]'s ''[[When a Stranger Calls (1979 film)|When a Stranger Calls]]'', which sold 8.5 million tickets in North America. Its success has largely been credited to its opening scene, in which a babysitter ([[Carol Kane]]) is taunted by a caller who repeatedly asks, "Have you checked the children?"{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=82–83}} Less successful were [[Ray Dennis Steckler]]'s [[burlesque]] slasher ''The Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher'' and [[Abel Ferrara]]'s ''[[The Driller Killer]]'', both of which featured gratuitous on-screen violence against vagrant people.
===1980===
The election of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States drew in a new age of conservatism that ushered concern of rising violence on film.<ref name="Clayton-2015"/>{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} The slasher film, at the height of its commercial power, also became the center of a political and cultural maelstrom. [[Sean S. Cunningham]]'s sleeper hit ''[[Friday the 13th (1980 film)|Friday the 13th]]'' was the year's most commercially successful slasher film, grossing more than $59.7 million and selling nearly 15 million tickets in North America.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Friday the 13th (1980) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=friday13th.htm |website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> Despite a financial success, distributor [[Paramount Pictures]] was criticized for "lowering" itself to release a violent exploitation film, with [[Gene Siskel]] and [[Roger Ebert]] famously despising the film.<ref>[https://siskelebert.org/?p=6650 Extreme Violence Directed at Women, 1980 - Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews]</ref> Siskel, in his ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' review, revealed the identity and fate of the film's killer in an attempt to hurt its box office, and provided the address of the chairman of Paramount Pictures for viewers to complain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fridaythe13thfranchise.com/2012/06/gene-siskels-original-friday-13th-mini.html |title=Gene Siskel's Original Friday The 13th Mini Review For The Chicago Tribune|access-date=June 15, 2014}}</ref> The [[Motion Picture Association of America|MPAA]] was criticized for allowing ''Friday the 13th'' an R rating, but its violence would inspire gorier films to follow, as it set a new bar for acceptable levels of on-screen violence. The criticisms that began with ''Friday the 13th'' would lead to the genre's eventual decline in subsequent years.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=89–90}}
The small-budget thrillers ''[[Silent Scream (1979 film)|Silent Scream]]'' and ''[[Prom Night (1980 film)|Prom Night]]'' were box office hits with 3.2 and 5.5 million admissions, respectively.{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Jamie Lee Curtis starred in the independent ''Prom Night'', as well studio films ''[[Terror Train]]'' and ''[[The Fog]]'' to earn her "scream queen" title.<ref name="Grant-2009" /> [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]]'s the ''Halloween''-clone ''[[He Knows You're Alone]]'' sold nearly 2 million tickets, though [[Paramount Pictures]] [[John Huston]]-directed ''[[Phobia (1980 film)|Phobia]]'' only sold an estimated 22,000 tickets.{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Two high-profile slasher-thrillers were met with protest, [[William Friedkin]]'s ''[[Cruising (film)|Cruising]]'' and [[Gordon Willis]]' ''[[Windows (film)|Windows]]'', both of which equate homosexuality with [[psychosis]]. ''Cruising'' drew protests from gay rights groups, and though it pre-dates the [[AIDS pandemic|AIDS crisis]], the film's portrayal of the gay community fueled subsequent backlash once the virus became an epidemic.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}<ref>{{Cite web |author=Chelsea McCracken|date=April 14, 2017 |title=The Controversy of CRUISING |website=Cinematheque |url=http://cinema.wisc.edu/blog/2017/04/14/controversy-cruising |access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref>
Low budget exploitative films ''[[New Year's Evil (film)|New Year's Evil]]'', ''[[Don't Go in the House]]'' and ''[[Don't Answer the Phone!]]'' were called-out for [[misogyny]] that dwelled on the suffering of females exclusively.<ref name="Clover-1987" /> Acclaimed filmmaker [[Brian De Palma]]'s ''Psycho''-homage ''[[Dressed to Kill (1980 film)|Dressed to Kill]]'' drew a wave of protest from the [[National Organization for Women]] (NOW), who picketed the film's screening on the University of Iowa campus.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=87–88, 93}} The year's most controversial slasher was [[William Lustig]]'s ''[[Maniac (1980 film)|Maniac]]'', about a schizophrenic serial killer in New York. ''Maniac'' was maligned by critics. [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' said that watching the film was like "watching someone else throw up."<ref>{{Cite news|title=HOMICIDAL MANIAC|last=Canby|first=Vincent |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 31, 1981 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/31/movies/homicidal-maniac.html|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> Lustig released the film unrated on American screens, sidestepping the [[MPAA]] to still sell 2.2 million tickets at the box office.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p=100}}{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}
Alfred Hitchcock's ''Psycho''<nowiki/>'s influence was felt two decades later in ''[[Cries in the Night]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://crypticrock.com/whats-in-the-basement-funeral-home-30-years-later/ |title=What's In The Basement – Funeral Home 30 Years Later|website=Cryptic Rock|access-date=May 14, 2018|author=Jon Wamsley|date=December 9, 2015}}</ref> and [[The Unseen (1980 film)|''The Unseen'']].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56713|title=The Unseen (1981) |website=AFI Catalog|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> [[Joe D'Amato]]'s gruesome Italian horror film ''[[Antropophagus]]'' and the Australian slasher ''[[Nightmares (1980 film)|Nightmares]]'' showed that the genre was spreading internationally.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=86–100}}
===1981===
Slasher films reached a saturation point in 1981, as heavily promoted movies like ''[[My Bloody Valentine (film)|My Bloody Valentine]]'' and ''[[The Burning (1981 film)|The Burning]]'' were box office failures.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}<ref name="Vera Dika" />{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} After the success of ''Friday the 13th'', [[Paramount Pictures]] picked up ''[[My Bloody Valentine (film)|My Bloody Valentine]]'' with hopes to achieve similar success. The film became the subject of intense scrutiny in the wake of [[murder of John Lennon|John Lennon's murder]], and was released heavily edited; lacking the draw of gore, ''My Bloody Valentine'' barely sold 2 million tickets in North America, much less than the 15 million sold by ''Friday the 13th'' the year beforehand.{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Thematically similar to ''My Bloody Valentine'', ''[[The Prowler (1981 film)|The Prowler]]'' hoped to lure an audience with gore effects by ''Friday the 13th''<nowiki/>'s [[Tom Savini]] but large [[Motion Picture Association|MPAA]] edits contributed to its failure to find a nationwide distributor.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Suffering similar censorship was ''The Burning'', which also employed Savini's special effects, though it does mark the feature film debuts of [[Brad Grey]], [[Holly Hunter]], [[Jason Alexander]], [[Fisher Stevens]], [[Bob Weinstein]] and [[Harvey Weinstein]].
Profits of ''Halloween'' and ''Friday the 13th'' drew studio interest, to varying success. [[Warner Bros.]]'s ''[[Eyes of a Stranger (1981 film)|Eyes of a Stranger]]'' (402,386 admissions)<ref>{{cite web |title=Eyes of a Stranger |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0082352/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> and ''[[Night School (1981 film)|Night School]]'' (420,818 admission),<ref>{{cite web |title=Night School |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0082812/?ref_=bo_se_r_2 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>[[Paramount Pictures]]' '' [[The Fan (1981 film)|The Fan]]'' (1.1 million admissions),<ref>{{cite web |title=The Fan |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0082362/?ref_=bo_se_r_2 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> [[Universal Pictures]] ''[[The Funhouse]]'' (2.8 million admissions),<ref>{{cite web |title=The Funhouse |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0082427/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> and [[Columbia Pictures]] ''[[Happy Birthday to Me (film)|Happy Birthday to Me]]'' (3.8 million admissions).{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} [[CBS]]' TV movie, ''[[Dark Night of the Scarecrow]]'' brought the genre to the small screen.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Two sequels had bigger body counts and more gore than their predecessors, but not higher box office intakes. ''[[Friday the 13th Part 2]]'' sold 7.8 million tickets and ''[[Halloween II (1981 film)|Halloween II]]'' sold 9.2 million. Both sequels sold under half of their original film's tickets, though they were still very popular (''Halloween II'' was the second highest-grossing horror film of the year behind ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'').{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}
Independent companies churned out slasher films ''[[Final Exam (1981 film)|Final Exam]]'', ''[[Bloody Birthday]]'', ''[[Hell Night]]'', ''[[Don't Go in the Woods (1981 film)|Don't Go in the Woods... Alone!]]'', [[Wes Craven]]'s ''[[Deadly Blessing]]'' and ''[[Graduation Day (film)|Graduation Day]]''.{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Fantasy and sci-fi genres continued to blend with the slasher film in ''[[Strange Behavior]]'', ''[[Ghostkeeper]]'' and ''[[Evilspeak]]''. The international market found Italy's ''[[Absurd (film)|Absurd]]'' and ''[[Madhouse (1981 film)|Madhouse]]'' and Germany's ''[[Bloody Moon]]''.
===1982===
[[Straight-to-video]] productions cut costs to maximize profit. The independent horror film ''[[Madman (1982 film)|Madman]]'' opened in New York City's top 10, according to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]],'' but soon fell out of theaters for a much healthier life on home video.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} ''[[The Dorm That Dripped Blood]]'' and ''Honeymoon Horror'', each made for between $50–90,000, became successful in the early days of [[VHS]].{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Because of this change, independent productions began having difficulties finding theatrical distribution. ''[[Girls Nite Out (1982 film)|Girls Nite Out]]'' had a very limited release in 1982 but was re-released in 1983 in more theaters until finally finding a home on VHS. [[Paul Lynch (director)|Paul Lynch]]'s ''[[Humongous (1982 film)|Humongous]]'' was released through [[AVCO Embassy Pictures]], but a change in management severely limited the film's theatrical release. Films such as ''[[Hospital Massacre]]'' and ''[[Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker|Night Warning]]'' enjoyed strong home rentals from video stores, though ''[[Dark Sanity]]'', ''[[The Forest (1982 film)|The Forest]]'', ''[[Unhinged (1982 film)|Unhinged]]'', ''[[Trick or Treats (1982 film)|Trick or Treats]]'', and ''Island of Blood'' fell into obscurity with little theatrical releases and only sub-par video transfers.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=118–130}}
Supernatural slasher films continued to build in popularity with ''[[The Slayer (film)|The Slayer]]'', ''[[The Incubus (film)|The Incubus]]'', ''[[Blood Song]]'', ''[[Don't Go to Sleep]]'' and ''[[Superstition (1980s film)|Superstition]]'' (the supernatural-themed ''[[Halloween III: Season of the Witch]]'', though part of the [[Halloween (franchise)|''Halloween'' franchise]], does not adhere to the slasher film formula). ''[[Alone in the Dark (1982 film)|Alone in the Dark]]'' was [[New Line Cinema]]'s first feature film, released to little revenue and initially dismissed by critics, though the film has gained critical reappraisal. Director [[Amy Holden Jones]] and writer [[Rita Mae Brown]] gender-swapped to showcase exploitative violence against men in ''[[The Slumber Party Massacre]],''{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=118–130}} while ''[[Visiting Hours (film)|Visiting Hours]]'' pitted liberal feminism against macho right-wing bigotry with exploitative results.
''[[Friday the 13th Part III]]'', the first slasher trilogy, was an enormous success, selling 12 million tickets and dethroning ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial]]'' from the top of the box office.{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} The film's iconic [[hockey mask]] has grown to [[Popular culture|pop-culture]] [[iconography]]. [[Universal Pictures]] had a tiny release for ''[[Death Valley (1982 film)|Death Valley]]'', while [[Columbia Pictures]] found modest success with ''[[Silent Rage]]''. Independent distributor [[Embassy Pictures]] released ''[[The Seduction (film)|The Seduction]]'' to a surprising 3.9 million admissions, making a hit erotic slasher-thriller that predates [[blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbusters]] ''[[Fatal Attraction]]'' (1987) and ''[[Basic Instinct]]'' (1992) by several years.{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}
Internationally, Australia released ''[[Next of Kin (1982 film)|Next of Kin]]'' while Puerto Rico's ''[[Pieces (film)|Pieces]]'' was filmed in [[Boston]] and [[Madrid]] by an Italian-American producer with a Spanish director. Italian ''gialli'' saw slasher film influences in their releases for [[Sergio Martino]]'s ''[[The Scorpion with Two Tails]]'', [[Lucio Fulci]]'s ''[[The New York Ripper]]'' and [[Dario Argento]]'s ''[[Tenebrae (film)|Tenebrae]]''.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=118–130}}
===1983===
Traditional slasher films saw less frequent output. ''[[The House on Sorority Row]]'' followed the same general plot as ''Prom Night'' (1980) with guilty teens stalked and punished for a terrible secret. ''[[The Final Terror]]'' borrows visual and thematic elements from ''[[Just Before Dawn (1981 film)|Just Before Dawn]]'' (1981), as ''[[Sweet Sixteen (1983 film)|Sweet Sixteen]]'' borrows from ''[[Happy Birthday to Me (film)|Happy Birthday to Me]]'' (1981). The most successful slasher of the year was ''[[Psycho II (film)|Psycho II]]'', which sold over 11 million theatrical admissions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Psycho II |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0086154/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> The film also reunited original ''Psycho'' (1960) cast members [[Anthony Perkins]] and [[Vera Miles]].{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=132–144}} ''[[10 to Midnight]],'' inspired by the real-life crimes of [[Richard Speck]], promoted star [[Charles Bronson]]'s justice-for-all character above its horror themes.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=132–144}} [[Robert Hiltzik]]'s ''[[Sleepaway Camp]]'' was a home video hit, being unique for its [[Puberty|pubescent]] victims and themes of [[paedophilia]] and [[transvestism]]. ''Sleepaway Camp'' featured homosexual scenes, which were taboo at the time.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=132–144}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thenewbev.com/blog/2017/02/the-sexual-politics-of-sleepaway-camp/|title=The Sexual Politics of Sleepaway Camp|last=Seibold|first=Witney|date=Feb 13, 2017|website=New Beverly Cinema|access-date=May 14, 2018|archive-date=2018-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515112230/http://thenewbev.com/blog/2017/02/the-sexual-politics-of-sleepaway-camp/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In Canada, [[whodunit]] ''[[Curtains (1983 film)|Curtains]]'' had a brief theatrical life before finding new life on VHS, while criticism toward ''[[American Nightmare (film)|American Nightmare]]'''s portrayal of prostitutes, drug addicts, and [[Pornography addiction|pornography addicts]] hurt its video rentals.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=132–144}} ''[[Sledgehammer (film)|Sledgehammer]]'' was shot-on-video for just $40,000, with a gender-reversal climax showing ''[[Playgirl]]'' model [[Ted Prior (actor)|Ted Prior]] as a "final guy."{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Other home video slashers from the year include ''[[Bloodbeat|Blood Beat]],'' ''[[Double Exposure (1982 film)|Double Exposure]]'', and ''[[Scalps (1983 film)|Scalps]]'', the latter claiming to be one of the most censored films in history.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=132–144}} Releases began to distance from the genre. The poster for ''[[Mortuary (1983 American film)|Mortuary]]'' features a hand bursting from the grave, though the undead have nothing to do with the film. Distributors were aware of fading box office profits, and they were attempting to hoodwink audiences into thinking long-shelved releases like ''Mortuary'' were different.
===1984===
The public had largely lost interest in theatrically released slashers, drawing a close to the Golden Age.<ref name="Clayton-2015"/><ref name="Harper04"/> Production rates plummeted and major studios all but abandoned the genre that, only a few years earlier, had been very profitable. Many 1984 slasher films with brief theatrical runs found varying degrees of success on home video, such as ''[[Splatter University]]'', ''[[Satan's Blade]]'', ''[[Blood Theatre]]'', ''[[Rocktober Blood]]'' and ''[[Fatal Games]]''. Movies like ''[[The Prey (1984 film)|The Prey]]'' and ''Evil Judgement'' were filmed years prior and finally were given small theatrical releases. ''[[Silent Madness]]'' used [[3D film|3D]] to ride the success of ''[[Friday the 13th Part III]]'' (1982), though the effect did not translate to the [[VHS]] format.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}
''[[Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter]]'' brought the saga of [[Jason Voorhees]] to a close, with his demise the main marketing tool. It worked, with ''The Final Chapter'' selling 10 million tickets in North America, hinting the series would continue even if Jason's demise marked a shift in the genre.{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}
This shift was emphasized by the controversy from ''[[Silent Night, Deadly Night]]'' (1984): Unlike the recent appearance of other [[Christmas horror]] films, including the same year's ''[[Don't Open till Christmas]]'', promotional material for ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' pictured a killer Santa with the tagline: "He knows when you've been naughty!" According to ''[[Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film]]'', a 2006 documentary, the movie "became the flashpoint, igniting protests across the nation".<ref>{{cite AV media |url= |title=[[Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film]] |date=2006 |type= |language= |publisher= |trans-title= |___location= |time=49:54 |access-date= |format= |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |people=}}</ref> Protesters picketed theaters playing the film with placards reading, "Deck the hall with holly – not bodies!"{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=142–152}}{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} Released in November 1984 by [[TriStar Pictures]], persistent [[Caroling|carol]]-singers forced one [[Bronx, New York|Bronx]] cinema to pull ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' a week into its run. The widespread outrage led to the film's removal, with only 741,500 tickets sold.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=142–152}}{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}
As interest in the Golden Age slasher waned, [[Wes Craven]]'s ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' revitalized the genre by mixing fantasy and the supernatural in a cost-effective way. Craven had toyed with slasher films before in ''[[Deadly Blessing]]'' (1981), though he was frustrated that the genre he had helped create with ''[[The Last House on the Left (1972 film)|The Last House on the Left]]'' (1972) and ''[[The Hills Have Eyes (1977 film)|The Hills Have Eyes]]'' (1977) had not benefited him financially. Developing ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' since 1981, Craven recognized time running out due to declining revenues from theatrical slasher film releases.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tribecafilm.com/stories/wes-craven-obituary-tribute-last-house-on-left-nightmare-on-elm-street-scream|title=Master Class: How Wes Craven Reinvented the Horror Genre Three Decades in a Row|work=Tribeca|access-date=May 14, 2018|archive-date=2016-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314060038/https://tribecafilm.com/stories/wes-craven-obituary-tribute-last-house-on-left-nightmare-on-elm-street-scream|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' and especially its villain [[Freddy Krueger]] ([[Robert Englund]]) became cultural phenomenons.<ref name="Rolling Stone-2014">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/making-of-nightmare-on-elm-street-10-best-scenes-20141030|title=Behind the 10 Most Shocking 'Nightmare on Elm Street' Scenes|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=May 14, 2018|date=October 30, 2014}}</ref> On a budget of just $1.8 million, the film was a commercial success, grossing more than $25.5 million (7.6 million admissions) in North America and launched one of the most successful film series in history.{{sfn|Nowell|2011|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}}<ref name="Rolling Stone-2014" /> ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' provided the success that [[New Line Cinema]] needed to become a major Hollywood company. To this day, New Line is referred to as "The House That Freddy Built".<ref>{{Cite news|title=How New Line Cinema Is Making a Killing in Horror|work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-new-line-cinema-is-912458|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> The final slasher film released during the Golden Age, ''[[The Initiation (film)|The Initiation]]'', was greatly overshadowed by ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (though both films feature dreams as plot points and a horribly burned "nightmare man").{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p={{page needed|date=October 2021}}}} The success of ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' welcomed in a new wave of horror films that relied on special effects, almost completely silencing the smaller low-budget Golden Age features.<ref name="Clayton-2015"/>{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=150–152}}
==1984–1995: Direct-to-video films and franchises==
Despite ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]''<nowiki/>'s success, fatigue hit the slasher genre, and its popularity had declined substantially. The home video revolution, fueled by the popularity of [[VHS]], provided a new outlet for [[low-budget film]]making. Without [[major studios|major studio]] backing for theatrical release, slasher films became second only to pornography in the home video market. The drop in budgets to accommodate a more economic approach was usually met with a decline in quality. Holdovers filmed during the Golden Age such as ''[[Too Scared to Scream]]'' (filmed in 1981, released in 1985), ''[[The Mutilator]]'' (filmed in 1984, released in 1985), ''[[Blood Rage]]'' (filmed in 1983, released in 1987), ''[[Killer Party]]'' (filmed in 1984, released in 1986) and ''[[Mountaintop Motel Massacre]]'' (filmed in 1983, released in 1986) found video distribution.
Mirroring the [[punk rock]] movement, novice filmmakers proved anyone could make a movie on home video, resulting in shot-on-video slashers ''[[Blood Cult]]'' (1985), ''The Ripper'' (1985), ''Spine'' (1986), ''[[Truth or Dare? (film)|Truth or Dare?]]'' (1986), ''[[Killer Workout]]'' (1987), and ''[[Death Spa]]'' (1989).{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=156–157}} Lesser-known horror properties ''[[Sleepaway Camp (film series)|Sleepaway Camp]]'', ''[[Massacre (film series)|The Slumber Party Massacre]]'' and ''[[Silent Night, Deadly Night (franchise)|Silent Night, Deadly Night]]'' became series on home video. ''[[The Hills Have Eyes Part 2]]'' (1985) and ''[[Friday the 13th: A New Beginning]]'' (1985) were theatrically released but neither film was embraced by fans or critics and took steep box office declines from their predecessors; still, ''Friday the 13th: A New Beginning'' was a modest hit opening at the top of the box office and finishing its run with 6.2 million admissions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Friday the 13th: A New Beginning |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0089173/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Rushed into production, ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge]]'' (1985) became the highest grossing horror film of 1985. The success of the first two ''Elm Street'' films inspired a wave of "dream" slashers that included ''Dreamaniac'' (1986), ''[[Bad Dreams (film)|Bad Dreams]]'' (1988), ''[[Deadly Dreams]]'' (1988), and ''[[Dream Demon]]'' (1988). Of those films, ''Bad Dreams'' was a minor hit with 2.4 million admissions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bad Dreams |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0094701/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
[[Paramount Pictures]] released the parody ''[[April Fool's Day (1986 film)|April Fool's Day]]'' (1986) with hopes to start a sister series to its ''Friday the 13th'' property, though the film's modest 3.5 million admissions never led to a series.<ref>{{Cite web |title=April Fool's Day |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0090655/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Three other [[Parody science|spoofs]], ''[[Evil Laugh]]'' (1986), ''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2]]'' (1986) and ''[[Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives]]'' (1986), were box office disappointments; ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'' sold just 2 million tickets while ''Jason Lives'' sold 5.2 million, both significantly down from their predecessors.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=158–159}} The [[home video]] market saw the output of low-budget, tongue-in-cheek slashers like ''[[Stripped to Kill]]'' (1987), ''[[Return to Horror High]]'' (1987), and ''[[Killer Workout]]'' (1987), and previous franchises forgoing theaters for [[direct-to-video]] [[self-parody]] sequels in ''[[Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II]]'' (1987), ''[[Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2]]'' (1987), ''[[Slumber Party Massacre II]]'' (1987), ''[[Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers]]'' (1988), and ''[[Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland]]'' (1989).
Trying to cater the public of adult action thrillers that were popular in the 1980s, [[Sylvester Stallone]]'s cop-thriller ''[[Cobra (1986 film)|Cobra]]'' (1986) is a thinly veiled slasher film advertised as an action movie, and sold 13.2 million tickets. The home video market made stars out of [[character actor]]s such as [[Terry O'Quinn]] and [[Bruce Campbell]], whose respective independent horror-thrillers ''[[The Stepfather (1987 film)|The Stepfather]]'' (1987) and ''[[Maniac Cop]]'' (1988) found more support on home video than in theaters. Quinn returned for ''[[Stepfather II]]'' (1989) but chose not to reprise his role in ''[[Stepfather III]]'' (1992), ''[[Destroyer (1988 film)|Destroyer]]'' (1988), while Campbell followed a similar route with a cameo in ''[[Maniac Cop 2]]'' (1990) and no participation in ''[[Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence]]'' (1993).
The ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' series dominated the late 1980s horror wave, with ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors]]'' (1987) selling 11.5 million tickets in North America, and ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master]]'' (1988) following another 12 million tickets. By comparison, ''[[Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood]]'' (1988) and ''[[Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers]]'' (1988) sold approximately 4.5 million tickets each, less than half of the ''Elm Street'' films. The personality-driven appeal of [[Freddy Krueger]] was not lost on filmmakers, as characters like [[Chucky (Child's Play)|Chucky]] and Candyman were given ample dialogue and placed in urban settings that had largely been ignored by the Golden Age. Chucky's ''[[Child's Play (1988 film)|Child's Play]]'' (1988) and [[Child's Play 2|its 1990 sequel]] sold over 14.7 million tickets combined, while ''[[Candyman (1992 film)|Candyman]]'' (1992) sold a healthy 6.2 million. Both series fell out rather quickly, when ''[[Child's Play 3]]'' (1991) selling only 3.5 million tickets in North America and ''[[Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh]]'' (1995) selling only 3.2 million.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=159–161}}
Internationally, the slasher film remained profitable. Mexico released ''[[Zombie Apocalypse]]'' (1985), ''Don't Panic'' (1988), ''[[Grave Robbers (film)|Grave Robbers]]'' (1990) and ''Hell's Trap'' (1990). Europe saw releases from Sweden's ''Blood Tracks'' (1985), The United Kingdom's ''Lucifer'' (1987), Spain's ''[[Anguish (1987 film)|Anguish]]'' (1987), Italy's ''[[Stage Fright (1987 film)|StageFright]]'' (1987), ''[[Body Count (1987 film)|BodyCount]]'' (1987) and Dutch slasher [[Amsterdamned]] (1988). In the Pacific, Australia released ''Symphony of Evil'' (1987), ''[[Houseboat Horror]]'' (1989), and ''[[Bloodmoon (1990 film)|Bloodmoon]]'' (1990), while Japan released ''[[Evil Dead Trap]]'' (1988).{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|pages=166–168}}
By 1989 the major series had faded from public interest, resulting in box office failures from ''[[Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan]]'', ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child]],'' and ''[[Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers]]''.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p=161}} ''The Dream Child''<nowiki/>'s 5.6 million tickets were a sharp decline, while ''Jason Takes Manhattan'' and ''The Revenge of Michael Myers'' each sold roughly 3 million tickets. Due to the declining ticket sales, rights to the ''Friday the 13th'' and ''Halloween'' series were sold to [[New Line Cinema]] and [[Miramax|Miramax Films]], respectively. Now owning both the [[Jason Voorhees]] and [[Freddy Krueger]] characters, New Line would look into a series-crossover event film. ''[[Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare]]'' (1991) and ''[[Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday]]'' (1993) began this crossover series, but profit losses from both films stalled the project for a decade. ''[[Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers]]'' (1995) was released under Miramax's [[Dimension Films]] banner to negative fan reaction and a weak box office, forcing its producers to reboot the franchise with the next entry.{{sfn|Kerswell|2012|p=165}}
==1996–2002: Genre revival==
[[Wes Craven]]'s ''[[Wes Craven's New Nightmare|New Nightmare]]'' (1994) used characters from [[A Nightmare on Elm Street|his original ''Elm Street'' film]] in self-referential and ironic ways, as the actors played versions of their true personas targeted by a movie-inspired demon. Despite solid critical reviews, ''New Nightmare'' failed to attract moviegoers and sold only 2.3 million tickets the North American box office, the lowest of any ''Elm Street'' film.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1994-10-14 |title=Wes Craven's New Nightmare {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wes_cravens_new_nightmare |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New Nightmare |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0111686/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> The slasher genre's surprising meta-resurgence came in the form of Craven's [[sleeper hit]] ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996).{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Directed by Craven and written by [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]], ''Scream'' juggled postmodern humor with visceral horror. The film played on nostalgia for the golden age of slasher films, but appealed to a younger audience with contemporary stars and popular music. Williamson, a self-confessed fan of slasher films, wrote the characters as well-versed in horror film lore and knowing all the [[cliché]]s that the audience were aware of.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} With 23.3 million admissions, ''Scream'' became both the highest grossing slasher film of all time and the first of the genre to cross $100 million at the domestic box office, {{failed verification span|text=making it the most successful horror film since ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'' (1991).|date=March 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0117571/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> The marketing for ''Scream'' distanced itself from the slasher genre as it passed itself as a "new thriller" that showcased the celebrity of its stars [[Drew Barrymore]], [[Courteney Cox]] and [[Neve Campbell]] over its horror elements.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
Williamson's follow-up, ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer]]'' (1997), was inspired by ''[[Prom Night (1980 film)|Prom Night]]'' (1980) and ''[[The House on Sorority Row]]'' (1983).{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Released less than a year after ''Scream'' to "critic proof" success, the film sold nearly 16 million tickets at the North American box office. Two months later [[Dimension Films]] released ''[[Scream 2]]'' (1997) {{failed verification span|text=to the highest grossing opening weekend of any R-rated film at the time|date=March 2024}}; the sequel sold 22 million tickets and was a critical hit.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream 2 |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120082/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Taking note of the marketing success of ''Scream'', the promotional materials for ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' and ''Scream 2'' relied heavily on the recognizability of cast-members [[Portia de Rossi]], [[Rebecca Gayheart]], [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]], [[Heather Graham]], [[Jennifer Love Hewitt]], [[Joshua Jackson]], [[Laurie Metcalf]], [[Jerry O'Connell]], [[Ryan Phillippe]], [[Jada Pinkett Smith|Jada Pinkett]], [[Freddie Prinze Jr.]] and [[Liev Schreiber]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
The two ''Scream'' films and ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' were also popular in international markets. In Asia, Hong Kong released ''[[The Deadly Camp]]'' (1999) and South Korea released ''[[Bloody Beach]]'' (2000), ''The Record'' (2001), and ''[[Nightmare (2000 film)|Nightmare]]'' (2000).{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Australia's postmodern slasher ''[[Cut (2000 film)|Cut]]'' (2000) cast American actress [[Molly Ringwald]] as its heroine.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Britain released ''[[Lighthouse (1999 film)|Lighthouse]]'' (1999) and the Netherlands had two teen slashers, ''School's Out'' (1999) and ''[[Swimming Pool (2001 film)|The Pool]]'' (2001).{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} [[Bollywood]] produced two unofficial remakes of'' I Know What You Did Last Summer'': the first was a musical-slasher hybrid called ''[[Kucch To Hai]]'' (2003), while the second was a more straightforward slasher called ''[[Dhund: The Fog]]'' (2003).{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
''Scream 2'' marked a high-point of public interest in the 1990s slasher revival with a massive marketing campaign and a cultural [[zeitgeist]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} This anticipation [[Greenlight|greenlit]] the production of several other slasher films to be released the following year.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} ''[[Urban Legend (film)|Urban Legend]]'' (1998) was a reasonable hit, selling 8 million tickets, though its decline from the ''Scream'' films and ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' showed that slasher film sales were already starting to decline.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Three 1998 sequels were each significant successes at the domestic box office; ''[[Halloween H20: 20 Years Later]]'' had 11.7 million admissions, ''[[Bride of Chucky]]'' had 6.9 million admissions, and ''[[I Still Know What You Did Last Summer]]'' had 8.9 million admissions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Halloween H20: 20 Years Later |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120694/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bride of Chucky |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0144120/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=I Still Know What You Did Last Summer |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0130018/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Again, the marketing for these sequels relied on the appeal their casts, which included [[Adam Arkin]], [[Jack Black]], [[LL Cool J]], [[Jamie Lee Curtis]], [[Joseph Gordon-Levitt]], [[Josh Hartnett]], [[Katherine Heigl]], [[Brandy Norwood]], [[Jodi Lyn O'Keefe|Jodi Lynn O'Keefe]], [[Mekhi Phifer]], [[John Ritter]], [[Jennifer Tilly]], and [[Michelle Williams (actress)|Michelle Williams]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Low-budget slasher films ''[[The Clown at Midnight]]'' (1998) and ''[[Cherry Falls]]'' (2000) had trouble competing with big-budget horror films that could afford bankable actors.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
''[[Scream 3]]'' (2000), the first entry in the [[Scream (series)|''Scream'' series]] not written by Kevin Williamson, was another huge success with 16.5 million tickets sold, {{failed verification span|text=though poor [[Word-of-mouth marketing|word-of-mouth]] prevented it from reaching the heights of the first two ''Scream'' films.|date=March 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream 3 |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0134084/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2000-02-04 |title=Scream 3 {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scream_3 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Urban Legends: Final Cut]]'' (2000) sold a meager 4 million tickets, {{failed verification span|text=less than half of what its predecessor had sold just two years earlier.|date=March 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Urban Legends: Final Cut |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0192731/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> The third films in the ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer (film series)|I Know What You Did Last Summer]]'' and ''[[Urban Legend (film series)|Urban Legend]]'' sequels were relegated to the [[direct-to-video]] market with a lack of bankable stars.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
After the turn of the millennium, the post-''Scream'' wave of slasher films were both critically and financially disappointing, leading to the genre's sharp decline.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} These films include 2001's ''[[Valentine (film)|Valentine]]'' (11% Rotten Tomatoes, 3.5 million admissions) and ''[[Jason X]]'' (19% Rotten Tomatoes, 2.3 million admissions), and 2002's ''[[Halloween: Resurrection]]'' (10% Rotten Tomatoes, 5.2 million admissions).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-04-26 |title=Jason X {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jason_x |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Valentine |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0242998/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-02-02 |title=Valentine {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/valentine |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jason X |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0211443/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-07-12 |title=Halloween: Resurrection {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/halloween_resurrection |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Halloween: Resurrection |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0220506/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> In development for 17 years with 17 different writers attached to at different points, [[New Line Cinema]]'s ''[[Freddy vs. Jason]]'' (2003) took note from the ''Scream'' films and mixed nostalgia and self-aware humor with recognizable actors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McNeill |first=Dustin |title=Slash of the Titans: The Road to Freddy vs. Jason |date=March 20, 2017 |publisher=Harker Press |isbn=978-0692033494 |___location=USA}}</ref> It sold a massive 14 million tickets at the domestic box office and beat ''Scream 2''<nowiki/>'s record opening weekend {{failed verification span|text=for a slasher film|date=March 2024}} with a gross of $36.4 million over three days.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freddy vs. Jason |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0329101/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
== 2003–Present: Post modern slashers ==
Successful horror films including ''[[Final Destination (film)|Final Destination]]'' (2000), ''[[Jeepers Creepers (2001 film)|Jeepers Creepers]]'' (2001) and ''[[American Psycho (film)|American Psycho]]'' (2000) used slasher tropes but deviated from the standard formula set forth by movies such as ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' (1978), ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' (1984) and ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996).{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} The filmmakers behind ''Make a Wish'' (2002) and ''[[Hellbent (film)|HellBent]]'' (2004) diversified their films to appeal to [[LGBT]] audiences.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} [[African Americans|African American]] filmmakers with largely black casts in ''[[Killjoy (2000 film)|Killjoy]]'' (2000), ''Holla If I Kill You'' (2003), ''Holla'' (2006), and ''[[Somebody Help Me (film)|Somebody Help Me]]'' (2007).{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
2003 saw a turning point and minor-revival of the slasher where filmmakers sought to return the genre to its grittier, exploitative roots.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Musician [[Rob Zombie]]'s directorial debut ''[[House of 1000 Corpses]]'' had a {{failed verification span|text=troubled production|date=March 2024}} and only sold approximately 2 million tickets at the domestic box office, {{failed verification span|text=but it quickly developed a cult following on the home video market which allowed Zombie to make a sequel, ''[[The Devil's Rejects]]'' (2005).|date=March 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of 1000 Corpses |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0251736/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> {{failed verification span|text=''The Devil's Rejects'' was better-received than ''House of 1000 Corpses''|date=March 2024}} and finished with 2.7 million admissions at the box office.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Devil's Rejects |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0395584/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> 2003 also saw the release of [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]]'s ''[[Wrong Turn (2003 film)|Wrong Turn]].'' Made on a $12.6 million budget, ''Wrong Turn'' {{failed verification span|text=continued ''Scream''<nowiki/>'s trend of starring popular actors like [[Eliza Dushku]] and [[Desmond Harrington]], but returned to the violent and exploitative approach of films like ''[[The Hills Have Eyes (1977 film)|The Hills Have Eyes]]'' (1977) and ''[[Just Before Dawn (1981 film)|Just Before Dawn]]'' (1981).|date=March 2024}} ''Wrong Turn'' sold 2.5 million admissions {{failed verification span|text=and launched a successful [[Wrong Turn (film series)|series of straight-to-video sequels]].|date=March 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wrong Turn |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0295700/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
===Remakes and reboots===
''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003 film)|The Texas Chainsaw Massacre]]'' (2003) became a [[sleeper hit]] by playing on public's familiarity of [[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre|the 1974 original]] but promising updated thrills and suspense.''The'' ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' remake sold over 13.5 million tickets in North America and was followed by ''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning]]'' (2006), which sold a respectable 6 million tickets, though it was still struck by diminishing returns.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
Riding on the success of the ''Chainsaw Massacre'' remake was ''[[House of Wax (2005 film)|House of Wax]]'' (2005), ''[[Black Christmas (2006 film)|Black Christmas]]'' (2006), ''[[April Fool's Day (2008 film)|April Fool's Day]]'' (2008), ''[[Train (2008 film)|Train]]'' (2008). Remakes of ''[[The Fog (2005 film)|The Fog]]'' (2005), ''[[When a Stranger Calls (2006 film)|When a Stranger Calls]]'' (2006) and ''[[Prom Night (2008 film)|Prom Night]]'' (2008) were watered down, and released with PG-13 ratings to pull in the largest teenage audience possible, though only ''Prom Night'' sold more tickets than its original counterpart.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} [[Rob Zombie]]'s ''[[Halloween (2007 film)|Halloween]]'' (2007) took the simplicity of [[Halloween (1978 film)|the original 1978 film]] but added an extreme vision that, according to critics, replaced everything that made the first film a success.{{failed verification|date=March 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-08-31 |title=Halloween {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/halloween_2007 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> Zombie's ''Halloween'' sold nearly 8.5 million tickets, {{failed verification span|text=but its negative reception hurt its sequel ''[[Halloween II (2009 film)|Halloween II]]'' (2009)|date=March 2024}}, which sold under 4.5 million tickets.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Halloween |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0373883/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Halloween II |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1311067/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> {{failed verification span|text=Extreme [[post-9/11]] violence hit its peak with ''[[The Hills Have Eyes (2006 film)|The Hills Have Eyes]]'' (2006) and its sequel ''[[The Hills Have Eyes 2]]'' (2007); the 2006 ''Hills Have Eyes'' was a financial success with 6.4 admissions,|date=March 2024}} while its 2007 sequel received less enthusiasm with only 3 million admissions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hills Have Eyes |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0454841/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hills Have Eyes 2 |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0800069/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
The remake-era peaked in 2009 with releases of ''[[My Bloody Valentine 3D|My Bloody Valentine]]'', ''[[Friday the 13th (2009 film)|Friday the 13th]]'', [[The Last House on the Left (2009 film)|''The Last House on the Left'']], ''[[Sorority Row]]'', ''[[The Stepfather (2009 film)|The Stepfather]]'' and ''Halloween II''. Of those, ''Friday the 13th'' was most successful selling 8.7 million tickets and ''Sorority Row'' was least successful with under 1.6 million tickets sold.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Friday the 13th |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0758746/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sorority Row |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1232783/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> The following year ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010 film)|A Nightmare on Elm Street remake]]'', like the ''Friday the 13th'' remake, had a large opening weekend but quickly fell off the box office charts after with 7.8 million admissions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Nightmare on Elm Street |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1179056/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Straight-to-video remakes ''[[Mother's Day (2010 film)|Mother's Day]]'' (2010), ''[[Silent Night (2012 film)|Silent Night]]'' (2012) and ''[[Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming]]'' (2013) were met with little reception or praise.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-05-04 |title=Mother's Day {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mothers_day_2012 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-11-30 |title=Silent Night {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silent_night_2010 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-22 |title=Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silent_night_bloody_night_the_homecoming |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> Released on [[3D film|3D format]], {{failed verification span|text=the reboot ''[[Texas Chainsaw 3D|Texas Chainsaw]]'' (2013) acts as a direct sequel to the [[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre|1974 original film]], but its lackluster box office profits (4.2 million admissions) led to its prequel ''[[Leatherface (2017 film)|Leatherface]]'' (2017) being a direct-to-download release (''Leatherface'' was filmed in 2015 but shelved for two years)|date=March 2024}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Texas Chainsaw |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1572315/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
{{failed verification span|text=Coming off the success of the ''[[Paranormal Activity (film series)|Paranormal Activity]]'' and ''[[Insidious (film series)|Insidious]]'' franchises, [[Jason Blum]] and his [[Blumhouse Productions]] began looking into rebooting popular slasher titles with "[[legacy sequel]]s" that largely ignored the proceeding films in favor of new chapters, though not strict remakes. Blumhouse teamed with popular television [[showrunner]] [[Ryan Murphy (producer)|Ryan Murphy]] to produce a [[metafiction]]al sequel to ''[[The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976 film)|The Town That Dreaded Sundown]]'' (1976)'','' though|date=March 2024}} [[The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014 film)|the newer film]] received mixed critical reviews and failed financially with an estimated $154,418 in [[Streaming media|streaming]] sales.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-16 |title=The Town That Dreaded Sundown {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_town_that_dreaded_sundown |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Town-That-Dreaded-Sundown-The-(2014) |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=The Numbers}}</ref> For their next slasher film, Blumhouse recruited director [[David Gordon Green]] and writer [[Danny McBride]] to reunite producer/composer [[John Carpenter]] and star [[Jamie Lee Curtis]] for ''[[Halloween (2018 film)|Halloween]]'' (2018).<ref>{{Cite news |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=April 25, 2018 |title='Halloween': Jamie Lee Curtis Unmasks First Trailer At CinemaCon |url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/halloween-movie-jamie-lee-curtis-first-trailer-revealed-cinemacon-1202376629/ |access-date=June 23, 2018 |work=Deadline}}</ref> As a direct sequel to [[Halloween (1978 film)|Carpenter's 1978 original film]] that ignored all other [[Halloween (franchise)|films in the franchise]], 2018's ''Halloween'' opened to record-breaking numbers, including the largest debut for a slasher film and the largest debut of a female-led horror film.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mendelson |first=Scott |title=All The Box Office Records 'Halloween' Broke In Its $76M Debut Weekend |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/10/22/box-office-records-halloween-jamie-lee-curtis-blumhouse-76m-debut/#250e86b6766b |access-date=October 24, 2018 |work=Forbes}}</ref> The film was a massive success and would go on to sell 17.4 million tickets at the domestic box office, second only to the 1978 original and the first two ''Scream'' films in terms of audience attendance for a slasher film.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Halloween |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1502407/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> The film's success spawned two sequels, ''[[Halloween Kills]]'' (2021) and ''[[Halloween Ends]]'' (2022), though they were struck with diminishing returns by selling a respective 9 million and 6.1 million tickets during their domestic runs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Halloween Kills |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt10665338/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Halloween Ends |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt10665342/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Blumhouse and [[Universal Pictures]] re-teamed to release a second remake of ''[[Black Christmas (2019 film)|Black Christmas]]'' in 2019, which was poorly received and bombed at the box office.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jeff Sneider |date=June 14, 2019 |title=Blumhouse to Remake Black Christmas with Director Sophia Takal |url=https://collider.com/blumhouse-black-christmas-remake-sophia-takal-imogen-poots/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614002737/http://collider.com/blumhouse-black-christmas-remake-sophia-takal-imogen-poots/ |archive-date=June 14, 2019 |access-date=June 15, 2019 |website=Collider}}</ref>
The enormous financial success of 2018's ''Halloween'' inspired other legacy sequels. In 2021, the [[Jordan Peele]] produced ''[[Candyman (2021 film)|Candyman]]'' (2021) sold approximately 6 million tickets {{failed verification span|text=and brought back original stars [[Vanessa Estelle Williams]] and [[Tony Todd]].|date=March 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Candyman |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt9347730/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> The directing team [[Radio Silence Productions|Radio Silence]] rebooted the [[Scream (franchise)|''Scream'' franchise]] in 2022 by {{failed verification span|text=uniting original actors [[Neve Campbell]], [[Courteney Cox]], and [[David Arquette]] with new stars including [[Melissa Barrera]] and [[Jenna Ortega]].|date=March 2024}} 2022's ''[[Scream (2022 film)|Scream]]'' became a sleeper hit with 8 million admissions, and the following year ''[[Scream VI]]'' sold an impressive 10.3 million tickets at the domestic box office.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt11245972/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream VI |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt17663992/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Like ''Halloween'', [[Netflix]]'s ''[[Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022 film)|Texas Chainsaw Massacre]]'' (2022) brought back its franchise's famous villain ([[Leatherface]]) to face off against its original [[final girl]] ([[Sally Hardesty]], played by [[Olwen Fouéré]] replacing the late [[Marilyn Burns]]).<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Adam Holmes |date=2019-09-20 |title=A Halloween-Style Texas Chainsaw Massacre Sequel Is Reportedly In The Works |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2480601/a-halloween-style-texas-chainsaw-massacre-sequel-is-reportedly-in-the-works |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=CINEMABLEND |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=2021-03-19 |title='Mandy' Actress Olwen Fouéré Playing Sally Hardesty in New 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Movie [Exclusive] |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3656702/mandy-actress-olwen-fouere-playing-sally-hardesty-new-texas-chainsaw-massacre-movie-exclusive/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' was marred by production difficulties and received negative critical reviews, though it still received high viewership.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=2020-08-24 |title='Texas Chainsaw Massacre' Bloodbath: Directors Chopped Along With Early Scenes As Pic Shuts One Week In And David Blue Garcia Takes Reins |url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/texas-chainsaw-massacre-sequel-bloodbath-directors-andy-and-ryan-tohill-replaced-david-blue-garcia-new-director-first-week-footage-scrapped-leatherface-back-1203021739/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=2022-06-22 |title=Netflix's 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'? Rumors Have Begun to Swirl…. |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3720263/netflixs-texas-chainsaw-massacre-2-rumors-have-begun-to-swirl/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-18 |title=Texas Chainsaw Massacre {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/texas_chainsaw_massacre_2022 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> Buddy Cooper, director of ''[[The Mutilator]]'' (1985), reunited with his film's original stars for ''Mutilator 2'', which was released onto VOD in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DiVincenzo |first=Alex |date=2025-08-04 |title=Meta Slasher Sequel ‘Mutilator 2’ Is Now on VOD |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3891390/meta-slasher-sequel-mutilator-2-is-now-on-vod/ |access-date=2025-08-04 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref>
===Television works===
In the early 2010s, the success of [[FX (TV channel)|FX]]'s ''[[American Horror Story]]'' and [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]]'s ''[[The Walking Dead (TV series)|The Walking Dead]]'' encouraged network television to develop horror franchises as series. Several networks structured or based their developing TV series on slasher films. [[A&E Networks|A&E]] produced ''[[Bates Motel (TV series)|Bates Motel]]'' as a contemporary prequel to [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s 1960s classic ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'', which depicted the lives of [[Norman Bates]] ([[Freddie Highmore]]) and his deranged mother [[Norma Bates (Psycho)|Norma]] ([[Vera Farmiga]]). The series remains A&E's longest-running scripted drama program, and particular praise was given to Highmore and Farmiga, with the latter receiving a Primetime Emmy nomination.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=2015-06-15 |title='Bates Motel' Renewed for Two More Seasons at A&E; 'Returned' Canceled |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/bates-motel-renewed-returned-canceled-801653/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Neumyer |first=Scott |date=2014-03-03 |title=Vera Farmiga Talks Bates Motel, Family & What She'd Be Doing If She Weren't Acting |url=https://parade.com/267807/scottneumyer/vera-farmiga-talks-bates-motel-family-what-shed-be-doing-if-she-werent-acting/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Parade |language=en}}</ref>
[[MTV]] tried to ride off the success of ''Bates Motel'' by producing ''[[Scream (TV series)|Scream: The TV Series]]''. Being a completely different story from the film series and not featuring the iconic [[Ghostface (identity)|Ghostface]] villain, ''Scream: The TV Series'' ran for two seasons between 2015 and 2016. After the conclusion of its second season, a two-hour Halloween special aired in October 2016. A third season was released by [[VH1]] in 2019 titled ''Scream: Resurrection'', which used the Ghostface moniker, though was met with negative reviews and poor ratings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=2019-06-25 |title='Scream' Reboot Moves To VH1 For Season 3, Unveils July Premiere Date, Trailer |url=https://deadline.com/video/scream-season-3-vh1-premiere-date-trailer-paris-jackson/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Scream: Season 3 {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/scream/s03 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> A TV remake of ''[[The Bad Seed (1956 film)|The Bad Seed]]'' aired on [[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] in fall 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=December 15, 2017 |title=Rob Lowe Stars In 'The Bad Seed' Remake With A Gender Switch Eyed By Lifetime |url=https://deadline.com/2017/12/rob-lowe-star-direct-the-bad-seed-remake-lifetime-gender-switch-1202217662/ |access-date=June 23, 2018 |work=Deadline}}</ref> In October 2021, ''[[Child's Play (franchise)|Child's Play]]'' creator [[Don Mancini]] continued his flagship franchise by moving its story to the small screen with [[Syfy|Syfy Channel]]'s ''[[Chucky (TV series)|Chucky]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=June 23, 2018 |title='Child's Play' Series May Be Headed To TV After Creator Twitter Tease |url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/childs-play-series-may-be-headed-to-tv-after-creator-twitter-tease-1202416166/ |access-date=June 23, 2018 |work=Deadline}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title='Chucky' first look: Get a killer tease of horror icon's TV show |url=https://ew.com/tv/chucky-tv-show-trailer-first-look-photo/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> Starring ''Child's Play'' regulars [[Brad Dourif]], [[Jennifer Tilly]], [[Fiona Dourif]], and [[Alex Vincent (actor)|Alex Vincent]], ''Chucky'' has received critical acclaim and ran for three seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chucky: Season 1 {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/chucky/s01 |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chucky: Season 2 {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/chucky/s02 |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chucky: Season 3 {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/chucky/s03 |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> Also in 2021, Amazon released one season of ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer (TV series)|I Know What You Did Last Summer]]'', a modern adaptation of [[Lois Duncan]]'s [[I Know What You Did Last Summer (novel)|1973 novel]] and the [[I Know What You Did Last Summer|1997 slasher of the same title]]. Like [[Freeform (TV channel)|Freeform]]'s ''[[Pretty Little Liars (TV series)|Pretty Little Liars]]'' and [[The CW]]'s ''[[Riverdale (2017 TV series)|Riverdale]],'' the ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' series took more restrained approaches to the [[Young adult fiction|young adult]] demographic and toned down the slasher violence. [[Bryan Fuller]] is currently writing a ''[[Friday the 13th (franchise)|Friday the 13th]]'' television series titled ''Crystal Lake'' for [[A24]] and [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-28 |title='Friday the 13th' star Adrienne King kicks off work on Peacock's 'Crystal Lake' |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/adrienne-king-starts-work-on-peacocks-crystal-lake |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=SYFY Official Site |language=en-US}}</ref>
Slasher [[Anthology|anthologies]] allowed filmmakers to explore new settings and mysteries every season. In 2015, [[Ryan Murphy (producer)|Ryan Murphy]], the creator of ''American Horror Story'', produced the comedy-slasher series ''[[Scream Queens (2015 TV series)|Scream Queens]]'' for [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Littleton |first=Cynthia |date=2014-10-20 |title=Fox Gives Series Order to 'Scream Queens' From 'Glee' Creators |url=https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/fox-gives-series-order-to-scream-queens-from-glee-creators-1201334448/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Starring [[Jamie Lee Curtis]], [[Emma Roberts]], [[Keke Palmer]], [[Niecy Nash]], [[Billie Lourd]], and [[Abigail Breslin]], the series developed a devoted cult following but was cancelled after two seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-08 |title=Ryan Murphy Says He's Now Working On Scream Queens Season 3 |url=https://wegotthiscovered.com/tv/ryan-murphy-working-scream-queens-season-3/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=We Got This Covered |language=en-US}}</ref> Created by Aaron Martin, an anthology series simply titled ''[[Slasher (TV series)|Slasher]]'' premiered on the [[streaming platform]] [[Chiller (TV network)|Chiller]] in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hipes |first=Patrick |date=2015-05-05 |title=Chiller Unveils First Original Series 'Slasher', More New Movies |url=https://deadline.com/2015/05/chiller-original-series-slasher-2015-1201421018/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> The first season, subtitled ''The Executioner'', received positive reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Slasher: The Executioner {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/slasher_guilty_party/s01 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> ''Slasher'' moved to Netflix for its second and third seasons, titled ''Guilty Party'' and ''Solstice'', and then to Shudder for its fourth and fifth seasons, titled ''Flesh & Blood'' and ''Ripper''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pinto |first=Jordan |title=Slasher returns for a second season |url=https://playbackonline.ca/2017/05/09/slasher-returns-for-a-second-season/ |access-date=2024-03-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=2019-04-24 |title=Brand New Third Season "Slasher: Solstice" is Coming to Netflix in May! |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3557695/brand-new-third-season-slasher-solstice-coming-netflix-may/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=2020-11-12 |title=Shudder Orders New Installment Of Horror Anthology 'Slasher', David Cronenberg Joins Cast |url=https://deadline.com/2020/11/slasher-shudder-david-cronenberg-1234613503/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, writer [[Ryan J. Brown]] debuted his comedy-horror series ''[[Wreck (TV series)|Wreck]]'' on [[BBC Three]] which takes inspiration from slasher and horror fiction.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/wreck-cast-plot-and-everything-we-know | title=Wreck — release date, trailer, cast, plot, episode guide, first looks, interviews, and all about the cruise ship comedy horror | date=October 9, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/bbc-three-comedy-horror-series-wrecked-1234940633/ | title=BBC Orders Comedy Horror Series 'Wrecked' from 'The Sister' Producer Euston Films (EXCLUSIVE) | date=March 30, 2021 }}</ref>
=== Recent works ===
{{failed verification span|text=[[Adam Wingard]] directed two films that put postmodern spins on the slasher genre: ''[[You're Next]]'' (2011) and ''[[The Guest (2014 American film)|The Guest]]'' (2014),|date=March 2024}} both of which were critical successes with 80% and 93% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-08-23 |title=You're Next {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/youre_next_2011 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-09-17 |title=The Guest {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guest_2014 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> {{failed verification span|text=The home invasion slasher|date=March 2024}} ''[[Don't Breathe]]'' (2016) was a commercial success with 10.3 million admissions and an 88% critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Don't Breathe |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt4160708/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-26 |title=Don't Breathe {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dont_breathe_2016 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> {{failed verification span|text=More traditional slasher movies|date=March 2024}} like ''[[The Strangers: Prey at Night]]'' (2018), ''[[Hell Fest]]'' (2018), ''[[Haunt (2019 film)|Haunt]]'' (2019) and ''[[There's Someone Inside Your House (film)|There's Someone Inside Your House]]'' (2021) found success on [[Streaming media|streaming services]] such as [[Shudder (streaming service)|Shudder]] and [[Netflix]], while [[Eli Roth]]'s long-awaited ''[[Thanksgiving (2023 film)|Thanksgiving]]'' (2023) was a minor hit at the box office with 3.5 million admissions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thanksgiving |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1448754/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref>
A series of original, low-budget slasher franchises began to emerge in the early 2020s. [[Damien Leone]]'s ''[[Terrifier]]'' (2016) drew attention for its villain [[Art the Clown]] ([[David Howard Thornton]]) and its inventive [[practical effect]]s, {{failed verification span|text=but its perceived as [[Misogyny|misogynistic]] violence became controversial and the film failed to catch on with the general public.|date=March 2024}} Leone's {{failed verification span|text=[[kickstarter]]-funded sequel ''[[Terrifier 2]]'' (2022)|date=March 2024}} received much more attention and positive reviews (86% on Rotten Tomatoes) with many reviewers commenting on the development of its final girl (played by [[Lauren LaVera]]). Released by [[Bloody Disgusting]], ''Terrifier 2'' became a box office success with over one million domestic admissions.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> ''[[Terrifier 3]]'' was released in 2024 with Leone, Thornton, and LaVera returning.<ref name=":2" /> The film became the highest-grossing unrated film of all time, raking in over $50 million in box office. Also working on low-budgets for independent distributor [[A24]], director [[Ti West]] delivered a trilogy of slashers that received critical acclaim. West's first film, the 1970s-set ''[[X (2022 film)|X]]'' (2022), starred [[Mia Goth]], [[Kid Cudi|Scott Mescudi]], [[Brittany Snow]], and [[Jenna Ortega]] and scored 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and sold over a million tickets.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-18 |title=X {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_2022 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=X |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt13560574/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> West reunited with Goth for ''X''<nowiki/>'s 1920s-set prequel ''[[Pearl (2022 film)|Pearl]]'' (2022), which scored even higher at 93% and sold just under a million tickets.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-16 |title=Pearl {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pearl_2022 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pearl |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt18925334/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Both ''X'' and ''Pearl'' were successful on streaming downloads. ''X''<nowiki/>'s 1980s-set sequel ''[[MaXXXine]]'', the final film in the trilogy, also stars Goth and was released in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=2024-03-05 |title='MaXXXine', Third A24 Ti West & Mia Goth Horror Franchise Film, To Strut Stuff This Summer – Watch The Retro Teaser |url=https://deadline.com/video/maxxxine-ti-west-mia-goth-release-date/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[Blumhouse Productions]] released ''[[Happy Death Day]]'' (2017) and ''[[Truth or Dare (2018 film)|Truth or Dare]]'' (2018).{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Pitched as ''[[Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day]]'' (1993) meets ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996), ''Happy Death Day'' was a sleeper hit, selling 6.2 million tickets at the box office.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Happy Death Day |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl729712129/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> It was followed by ''[[Happy Death Day 2U]]'' in 2019, which only had half its predecessor's admissions with 3 million tickets sold.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Happy Death Day 2U |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8155288/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> ''Happy Death Day''<nowiki/>'s director, [[Christopher Landon (filmmaker)|Christopher Landon]], returned for ''[[Freaky (film)|Freaky]]'' (2020), which mixed ''[[Freaky Friday (2003 film)|Freaky Friday]]'' (2003) with ''[[Friday the 13th (1980 film)|Friday the 13th]]'' (1980). Starring [[Kathryn Newton]] and [[Vince Vaughn]], ''Freaky'' was released during the COVID-19 Pandemic, becoming a hit on streaming services and received favorable critical reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-13 |title=Freaky {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freaky |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> The success of ''Happy Death Day'' and ''Freaky'' inspired a wave of high-concept slasher comedies, including ''[[Totally Killer]]'' and ''[[It's a Wonderful Knife]]'' (both 2023).{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
==See also==
* [[
* [[
* [[
* [[Social thriller]]
* [[Video nasty]]
* [[Vulgar auteurism]]
=== Lists ===
* [[List of horror films set in academic institutions]]
* [[List of horror film villains]]
==References==
{{Reflist|24em}}
==Works cited==
* {{cite book|editor-last=DiMarie|editor-first=Philip C.|year=2011|title=Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia |volume=1|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn= 978-1-598-84296-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=Kerswell|first1=J.A.|title=The Slasher Movie Book|date=2012|publisher=Chicago Review Press|___location=Chicago, Ill.|isbn=978-1556520105|oclc=761851819}}
* {{Cite book|last=Nowell|first=Richard|year=2011|title=Blood money: a history of the first teen slasher film cycle|___location=New York|publisher=Continuum|isbn=9781441188502|oclc=701057235}}
==External links==
* [https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=slasher&ref_=kw_ref_typ&sort=num_votes,desc&mode=detail&page=1&title_type=movie Slasher films] on [[Internet Movie Database]]
{{Horror film}}
{{Exploitation film}}
{{Film genres}}
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[[Category:Slasher films| ]]
[[Category:Film genres]]
[[Category:Horror films by genre]]
[[Category:Thriller genres]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in film]]
[[Category:Thrillers]]
[[Category:1980s fads and trends]]
[[Category:1970s in film]]
[[Category:1980s in film]]
[[Category:1990s in film]]
[[Category:2000s in film]]
[[Category:2010s in film]]
[[Category:2020s in film]]
[[Category:Postmodern art]]
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