My Scream IV Poster The Xavierite
With Halloween approaching, I find myself hating on slasher movies once again. The classics are hard to beat, and new slasher films are not only repetitive, but expected.
The classic horror films Scream, Halloween, and Friday the 13th have paved the way for the genre of slasher films to be made, admired by audiences, and turning into trilogies that are still ongoing today.
When these movies were first made, the material was new and fresh. The gore was disgusting and gruesome to audiences because at the time, movies didn’t have bloody kill scenes like they do today.
The plot lines and twists were anticipating to watch and solve because it wasn’t a recognizable pattern yet. But, as time has passed, these things have become old and repetitive. Slasher movies haven’t evolved with time. They aren’t as exciting to watch since they all follow the same formula and pattern. Far too many movies have incorporated gore, and it has desensitized viewers to how terrorizing it once was.
Directors would have to get really creative with their scenes so people wouldn’t see it coming and actually feel the need to look away. However, we are getting to a point where everything has already been done before.
The gore factor is hard to incorporate, especially once trilogies like “Final Destination” and “Terrifier” have touched base on all creative ways to kill somebody. Slasher movies would be reusing what’s already been done.
Slasher movies usually follow the same pattern of a “final” girl, a masked killer, and the killer’s goal to kill a group of people. We usually find out the killer was someone we knew all along.
The first time it’s shocking, but after the 100th unmasking of the killer, it’s not as surprising anymore. This repetition kills the suspense and makes it so easy to guess the entire movie’s plot. It makes it pointless to watch.
The point of these films is to make us feel scared, sick to our stomachs, and clueless to what might happen next. If the film isn’t able to accomplish that, then to me, it’s not doing its job.
I’m tired of watching the main character always be a young girl that has to escape the killer. I don’t think writers put effort into changing the main character’s stereotypical qualities. I’m waiting for something to catch me off guard.
I’m yearning for unexpected characters that don’t follow the stereotypical horror movie tropes. I want to watch characters that have realistic characteristics and feel like real people.
I have yet to come across a slasher film that has made me root for the main character or feel devastated when a death happens. I’ve yet to come across a movie that left me jaw dropped.
When the reboot of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” came out in theaters, I purchased tickets to watch it with my sisters. I couldn’t help but guess how similar it would be to previous slasher movies.
Sure enough, it followed the story of a group of friends that ended up getting killed one by one throughout the whole film. Low and behold, the killer was someone in the friend group. I was not amused and knew that was going to be the plot twist.
This genre of film hasn’t improved over the years, it’s recycled much of its plot twists. What once scared audiences now feels outdated. People have new fears, new phobias that can be used but aren’t.
In modern times the new loved scary films are mainly psychological horror. These movies don’t follow a formula, and have a lot of room to be unique. They are with modern times and what could scare the people right now.
Slasher movies need to think deeper into what the audiences currently fear and what makes them feel most vulnerable. This could make them more enjoyable, but for the time being I don’t see it happening.
Most of these movies stick to killing and gore, not actually making you feel scared of what’s to come. I am tired of seeing movies that wouldn’t scare my 13 year old sister that are listed as “horror”.
Slasher movies have the chance to improve by diving into new fears, better twists, and maybe aim to involve psychological horror in them as well.
However, for the time being they are being overdone and need new material. Slasher movies need to find something new to give them a sharper edge.