Ah, the slasher film. Probably no subgenre of horror has become so synonymous with all of horror as much as the simple, fun, and oftentimes formulaic slasher film. But the straightforward tale of a killer stalking others can lead to a lot of innovative storytelling, and ultimately has a lot of diverse stories and films dating back a very long time.
Crime writer Mary Roberts Rinehart is credited as having an early example of slasher literature in The Circular Staircase (1908). That book would later turn into a film, which coincides with other films such as George Archainbaud’s Thirteen Women (1932) and eventually Psycho (1960). With many examples along the way. By the time we get to the 1970s and 80s, we arguably have a renaissance of the subgenre that maybe never stopped.
Cody Meirick on November 2, 2023