How The Slasher Genre Became A Pop Culture Gem
Known for Halloween classics like Friday the 13th (1980) and Scream (1996), slasher films are not only a subgenre of horror, but they are also Hollywood gems. Though popular throughout the 1970s and 80s, many people thought the genre had died out until recent years. But the genre, in fact, has been thriving with fan bases and has left a legacy in Hollywood.
The Evolution: The 1960s to the 1980s
Though the most popular slasher films dominated in the 1970s and 80s, there was a film that is now considered to be one of the foundations for the slasher genre. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror film Psycho is about Marion Crane and her terrifying but short visit to the Bates Motel. The film introduced audiences to the antagonist, serial killer Norman Bates, and his disturbing psychological thinking. The film has come to be recognized as a foundational film for the genre, but was not recognized as such until almost a decade later as it had introduced many elements that became staples of the slasher genre, such as a mysterious killer, graphic and sudden violence, the focus on a female victim, and psychologically disturbed antagonists. Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom helped introduce audiences to the “killer’s perspective.” The subgenre took these aspects and added to them to make some of the most famous aspects of horror, such as the final girl and the masks.
Slasher films took off in the 1970s and dominated the horror genre until the 1980s. In 1974, two films, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Black Christmas, were released and have inspired some of the most well–known slasher films in history. Widely regarded as the film that started the domination of the slasher genre, John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) launched the genre into mainstream popularity. The film followed a masked killer named Michael Myers, who escapes a mental health institution and returns to his hometown. Myers kills unsuspecting babysitters on Halloween night. The film was notable for its production, which had one of the lowest budgets for a slasher film. Halloween influenced numerous slasher films in the years following, some of which borrowed its stalker and killer formula. The horror film, along with the genre, exploded in the 1980s with the iconic film, Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th. The film solidified the popularity of the genre, introducing audiences to one of the most iconic settings in slasher film history, Camp Crystal Lake. Friday the 13th was unique because it did not feature the killer that is known as Jason Voorhees. The film created a new standard for slasher films’ violence and kill scenes. Audiences flocked to the theaters in the 1980s and were introduced to numerous unique slasher antagonists, including dream stalker Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and murderous doll, Chucky, in Child’s Play (1988).
A Horror Subgenre Gem: The 1990s to 2000s
The 1990s saw a decline in the slasher genre as audiences grew tired of the repetitive plots and annoying and bland teen characters, along with the repetition of killer motives. 1996 saw the genre being renovated with the delivery of Wes Craven’s Scream. Scream offered audiences twists and genuine scares while also having a self-aware script, which led to a multitude of similar films following in its path, embracing the more reflective approach to the genre. But the film was considered one of the last great slasher films before the short downfall of the genre. In 1997, another slasher gem was released, though highly underrated at the time. I Know What You Did Last Summer took the genre to another level. The film uniquely took a different approach to the plot of the group of friends terrorized by a stalker, who is killing them. This film introduced fans to the killer, the Fisherman.
The film used a psychological aspect of the character, the Fisherman, to scare viewers. The psychological aspect of the slasher character was that he knew that the teens had committed a crime and was coming after them.
But by the 2000s, filmmakers were exhausted making slasher films, moved on to more violent gore films and found footage films like Paranormal Activity (2007). The early 2000s saw a change in the genre with a mix of slasher remakes and narrative slasher films. Iconic slasher killers Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees were introduced to a younger generation of fans with the remakes of Halloween (2007) and Friday the 13th (2009). Modern horror filmmakers started incorporating slasher elements into unique horror films that explored psychological horror aspects as well, including Final Destination (2000), Saw (2004), and The Babadook (2014). The creations of Scream (1996) and Saw (2004) introduced fans to two new iconic horror movie villains: the mysterious scream masked killer, Ghostface, and trap mastermind, John Kramer, and his puppet, Billy.
The Legacy of Tropes and the 2010s-2020s
The genre introduced the notorious masks that are worn by slasher film killers such as Jason from Friday the 13th, Ghostface from Scream, and Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The introduction to these characters left a lasting legacy in the genre for years to come. The mask was used to conceal the killer’s identity and give a twist to the end of the film with a reveal. Slasher films used the idea of a masked killer to dehumanize the character and to transform them into a terrifying figure of fear. In the late 1970s, the genre introduced the trope of the final girl. John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) was the film that is recognized for starting the trope of the final girl with the quintessential final girl, Laurie Strode. The final girl trope would become a staple for slasher films and is still a trope that is used in recent films. The final girl is known for being the last woman standing who defeats or escapes the killer. The character used to be portrayed as a morally pure woman who is intelligent, but the pureness of the character has evolved in recent years due to the change in society to women who are not pure but also are dealing with life, such as relationship problems or family issues.
The 2010s saw a revival of the genre with more traditional characteristics of the slashers being used, and the films used a twist effect, which is an effect that is used to surprise viewers with a twist in storyline, and tropes from other horror subgenres. Christopher Landon’s Happy Death Day (2017) used slasher aspects like a masked killer and the final girl, and mixed the tropes with a “Groundhog Day” trope by having the victim relive the same day over and over again, only to relive the day that she was murdered. The Fear Street (2021-2025) films used aspects like summer camp killings to explain a curse in the town, while films like Ti West’s X (2022-2024) trilogy used the trope of the final girl to discuss the exploitation of women by one character achieving fame and one being jealous and killing due to her failures throughout the trilogy. The growth of the genre has allowed films like the recent release of Heart Eyes (2025) to allow for changes to be made and exponentially grow its legacy.
The Upcoming Slashers
Overall, slasher films have created a legacy in the horror genre and in Hollywood. The genre has expanded in recent years to create other memorable films. The slasher genre will continue rising with the aspects of masked killers and the final girl tropes. 2025 has seen some excellent slasher films, including Heart Eyes, Clown in a Cornfield, and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. This year, new slasher films to see in theaters include: the remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Thanksgiving 2, and The Strangers: Chapter 2.
Scream (2015) Official Miramax Trailer
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Author
Elke Simmons' writing portfolio includes contributions to The Laredo Morning Times, Walt Disney World Eyes and Ears, Extinction Rebellion (XR) News/Blog, and Dead Talk News.