Your Opinions on the Slasher Genre - Page 2

Erick H. · 10-03-2008, 06:55 AM

I was growing up when the cycle was at it's high point and must confess,at the time I found a lot of them to be pretty thin,simply because the market was choked with them.These things always run in cycles,they start out straight,get into stranger,more extreme areas ,then get spoofy,then peter out.By the end of the 80's the slasher was fizzling,the ELM STREET's were still going but the genre as a whole was slipping and the studio censors were really neutering these pictures.In short they were becoming teen comedies with a bit o' gore.
The 90's slasher revival,the "ironic" slashers started off solidly but fizzled even faster than the original cycle did.Having characters be wise to the conventions of the slasher genre seemed clever at first but eventually you ended up with a bunch of films directed by guys who wanted to mock the conventions of slasher films without having any real fondness for the genre,this "I'm too cool for the room attitude" condecended to the fans and hastened the revivals demise.It also didn't help that all many producers could think to do was revive old 80's horror series and then add nothing to them but CGI and jokes.Not many made an effort to really expand slashers,they just milked existing properties.

Nowadays I look back on the best of the late seventies to late 80's slashers with a lot more affection.At their best they were tightly directed,stylishly lensed pictures that were a great training ground for a lot of up and coming talent.There's a reason films like the original HALLOWEEN,FRIDAY THE 13TH and BLACK CHRISTMAS have lasted.Even a lot of the second string entries are fun,cinematic junk food that are easy to enjoy with buttery popcorn and a big soda.Yeah there was plenty of crap, but age and nostalgia makes even some of the lame entries kind of fun.I'd probably still rather see a stupid old slasher than a stupid new drama.Guess I have a fondness for cheese.

old-boo-radley · 10-03-2008, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Relford

I love this genre. I grew up with some of those movies and it was an excellent intro to horror. The slasher movie took a nose-dive in the late 80's, but has recovered. Do some horror fans still consider this genre as a red headed stepchild of horror? There seems to be plenty of love for slashers these days.

I think it is the red headed stepchild quality wise, but the fans are incredibly devout. Sort of like Eurohorror.

Kim Bruun · 10-03-2008, 04:09 PM

It's my favourite subgenre. I love slashers for their chase scenes, suspense, and jolts. To me, slashers represent a distillation of scare tactics combined with something familiar and cosy - most slashers establish a comfortable environment before introducing a scary killer. I love most of the ones I've seen, with a few exceptions (Terror Train, Slumber Party Massacre, The Forest, Silent Madness, and most attempts from the 90's and beyond).

My favourite is probably Halloween II, which was my first - it still scares me to this day, and I'm a grown man.

HAEMORRHAGE · 10-03-2008, 05:15 PM

My favorite genre but I'm not sure which ones that I hate come to think of it. I never cared for the dude with the guitar/drill in Slumber Party Massacre III, that's just silly.

spawningblue · 10-03-2008, 05:49 PM

My favorite genre, with zombie flicks and Euro horror jsut slightly behind. Nothing more fun then ordering a pizza, grabbing some beers, and sitting down with your friends to watch a slasher flick or two. And I ma a big fan of the late 70's/ early 80's ones. They were a lot more fun then, and more creative with their kills. Slashers these days just try to be realistic and disturbing, which is just boring in my eyes. I'd rather see Jason cut someone in half, or put their face through a tree any day of the week, over someone getting tortured in a chair for an hour.

Body Boy · 10-23-2008, 12:59 AM

Slashers, to me, are silly fun, at times follow the same layout, but is still different among each film. I hate when people say that they are the same film remade over and over again, when the same can be said for any horror genre, in the sense. Slashers get a bad rap, and are often referred to as the mindless subgenre. It's funny, because zombie movies are often praised, when I usually find those films far more braindead.

Wow! Really, that was no pun intended. Coincidence. I swear.

10-03-2008, 05:15 PM	#19
HAEMORRHAGE If he dies, he dies Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: The Westcoast Amityville AKA Vegas Posts: 1,591	My favorite genre but I'm not sure which ones that I hate come to think of it. I never cared for the dude with the guitar/drill in Slumber Party Massacre III, that's just silly. __________________ Guttural Secrete / My DVD's

10-03-2008, 05:49 PM	#20
spawningblue Deadite Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,460	My favorite genre, with zombie flicks and Euro horror jsut slightly behind. Nothing more fun then ordering a pizza, grabbing some beers, and sitting down with your friends to watch a slasher flick or two. And I ma a big fan of the late 70's/ early 80's ones. They were a lot more fun then, and more creative with their kills. Slashers these days just try to be realistic and disturbing, which is just boring in my eyes. I'd rather see Jason cut someone in half, or put their face through a tree any day of the week, over someone getting tortured in a chair for an hour. __________________ "First you wanna kill me, now you wanna kiss me. Blow." My Movie Collection

10-23-2008, 12:59 AM	#21
Body Boy HackMaster Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia Posts: 1,464	Slashers, to me, are silly fun, at times follow the same layout, but is still different among each film. I hate when people say that they are the same film remade over and over again, when the same can be said for any horror genre, in the sense. Slashers get a bad rap, and are often referred to as the mindless subgenre. It's funny, because zombie movies are often praised, when I usually find those films far more braindead. Wow! Really, that was no pun intended. Coincidence. I swear. __________________ www.oh-the-horror.com... ...DVD Collection (most of it)

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10-03-2008, 06:55 AM	#16
Erick H. HackMaster Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 7,480	I was growing up when the cycle was at it's high point and must confess,at the time I found a lot of them to be pretty thin,simply because the market was choked with them.These things always run in cycles,they start out straight,get into stranger,more extreme areas ,then get spoofy,then peter out.By the end of the 80's the slasher was fizzling,the ELM STREET's were still going but the genre as a whole was slipping and the studio censors were really neutering these pictures.In short they were becoming teen comedies with a bit o' gore. The 90's slasher revival,the "ironic" slashers started off solidly but fizzled even faster than the original cycle did.Having characters be wise to the conventions of the slasher genre seemed clever at first but eventually you ended up with a bunch of films directed by guys who wanted to mock the conventions of slasher films without having any real fondness for the genre,this "I'm too cool for the room attitude" condecended to the fans and hastened the revivals demise.It also didn't help that all many producers could think to do was revive old 80's horror series and then add nothing to them but CGI and jokes.Not many made an effort to really expand slashers,they just milked existing properties. Nowadays I look back on the best of the late seventies to late 80's slashers with a lot more affection.At their best they were tightly directed,stylishly lensed pictures that were a great training ground for a lot of up and coming talent.There's a reason films like the original HALLOWEEN,FRIDAY THE 13TH and BLACK CHRISTMAS have lasted.Even a lot of the second string entries are fun,cinematic junk food that are easy to enjoy with buttery popcorn and a big soda.Yeah there was plenty of crap, but age and nostalgia makes even some of the lame entries kind of fun.I'd probably still rather see a stupid old slasher than a stupid new drama.Guess I have a fondness for cheese.

10-03-2008, 04:09 PM	#18
Kim Bruun Maniac Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Denmark Posts: 930	It's my favourite subgenre. I love slashers for their chase scenes, suspense, and jolts. To me, slashers represent a distillation of scare tactics combined with something familiar and cosy - most slashers establish a comfortable environment before introducing a scary killer. I love most of the ones I've seen, with a few exceptions (Terror Train, Slumber Party Massacre, The Forest, Silent Madness, and most attempts from the 90's and beyond). My favourite is probably Halloween II, which was my first - it still scares me to this day, and I'm a grown man.