PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Hey, everyone! Welcome back to Global Transmission, your space for everyone to see that I’m a massive nerd. I know this episode isn’t very seasonal because Halloween has already passed, but there’s no time like the present! I was recommended to do an episode about horror movies by a good friend of mine. A slasher film is usually a vague term, but I see it as any horror film that isn’t very plot-driven. Instead, these films focus on gore and brutality most of the time. That being said, these movies still aren’t very scary by today’s standards, but their impact on horror is still seen today.
Notable films and franchises of the slasher genre include “Halloween,” “Friday the Thirteenth,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Child’s Play,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream.” These movies are generally thought of when the term ‘slasher’ is brought up. The first popular film that could be categorized as a slasher was Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” in 1960. This movie was extremely controversial at the time of its release because of the violence, but oddly enough, also the shot of a toilet flushing. There are a few defining tropes and stereotypes of a slasher movie. The ‘final girl’ dynamic is when the only surviving person is a girl, and typically she is more responsible throughout the film, leading to her being the only person left by the end. For some reason, slasher movies are usually pretty sexual. I’m not sure if it’s just to help the sales of the movie, or for more shock value. Either way, the sexuality of these movies has become an iconic part of them.
Like I said earlier, the first big slasher was in 1960. Similar films go back to the early 1930s, but “Psycho” is the first one to become mainstream. The next big hit was ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” which was released in 1974 to be shown at drive-in theaters and other smaller places. It turned out to be the biggest commercial-hit horror film at the time, surpassing “The Exorcist.” But the first true slasher film was John Carpenter’s 1978 hit “Halloween.” This movie began the era that is commonly referred to as “the golden age,” which lasted until 1984. These golden age movies became more gory and advanced, and most of the movies are extremely mainstream to this day, but others became cult classics.
Slasher movies are undoubtedly my favorite horror subgenre. I love some of these franchises to death, but it is pretty sad in my opinion to see the newer content decline in quality. The recent “Halloween” films were not good in most people’s eyes.”Friday the Thirteenth” hasn’t gotten a movie since 2009. There’s no call to action today, but I hope you all enjoyed this episode. I’m Connor Riley with the CHS Globe, and I’ll see you next time.
