Why We Watch Slasher Films

More than any other genre of film, horror is collectively defined in the public consciousness as one thing: the slasher film. The archetypes of the genre - the faceless killer, the survivor girl, the gore - come to mind in any discussion of horror. This is certainly an incorrect assessment of the horror genre, but there is a simple reason behind it. Whether we admit it or not, we are attracted to the slasher film.

The Unknown

Every day on the news, we are bombarded by details of crime. The events, the victims, and the depictions are real. But we sit through the grizzly details anyway. The news media believes them to be important, and we support that belief with viewership. There is no triumph in these reports unless the criminal is caught.

Slasher films force this reality upon a film audience. A killer goes on a murderous rampage against any person with no judgment of character. We are introduced to the victims, but the killer is who we focus on. Slasher films help demystify the criminal mindset in mainstream culture. We watch the crimes as they happen. We know what is causing them. We know how to avoid them. And, most importantly, we learn who did it. Slasher films leave no unsolved crimes in the mind of the audience. Unlike crime on the news, we know what really happened in slasher films. We see the victims, We see the crime. And we learn all we need to about the killer.

The slasher film takes the unknown element out of events that could happen in real life. Unsolved crimes leave us uneasy and angry. Slasher films may scare us, but they provide just enough evidence to let us know everything is right in the world.

The Forbidden

Murder is a crime. You can't just kill someone without facing due punishment in the end. Morally and legally, it is forbidden.

Slasher films let us all see this forbidden aspect of life. From the safety of a heavily padded seat, we get to watch the crime unfold. We feel the fear of the victim. We hear the imposing sound of the killer. We see the gory details of destroyed human flesh. We see the killer lose in the end. If the killer is not destroyed, at least one of the intended victims inevitably survives.