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Come the next sequel, it will be revealed that the killer was actually [[Not Quite Dead]].
 
A subset of the [[Horror]] genre, although the schlockier examples replace suspense almost entirely with gore. They are often considered [[B -Movie|B-movies]]. Early examples of the genre were heavily influenced by the ''[[Giallo]]'' films of Italian directors like [[Dario Argento]], [[Lucio Fulci]], and Mario Bava. The genre first became popular in the late '70s and early '80s, with the release of the three most iconic slasher flicks: ''[[Halloween (Film)|Halloween]]'', ''[[Friday the 13 th13th (Film)|Friday the 13th]]'', and ''[[A Nightmare On Elm Street (Film)|A Nightmare On Elm Street]]''. The genre would burn itself out in the late '80s, as the established franchises grew stale and the ripoffs grew more desperate. The slasher genre was revived in the mid-late '90s, when Wes Craven's ''[[Scream (Film)|Scream]]'' [[Sliding Scale of Comedy and Horror|satirized the genre]] and became a hit. Once again, studios sought to [[Follow the Leader|cash in on the film's success]], releasing their own [[Post Modernism|post-modern]], teen-focused slasher flicks. Today, the slasher genre may be entering a third wave, with the remakes of ''Halloween'', ''My Bloody Valentine'', and ''Friday the 13th'' all being hits, a remake of ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' just arrived, and the backlash against the [[Gorn|gore-driven "torture porn"]] that dominated horror in [[Turn of the Millennium|this decade]].
 
Keep in mind that, while every slasher movie features a serial killer or a spree killer, not every serial killer or spree killer movie is a slasher movie. Also note that a slasher film is quite different from a [[Psychological Thriller]], which tends to emphasize the [[Sympathy for The Devil]] part using a [[Freudian Excuse]] or two (and possibly a few [[Pet the Dog]] moments in the killer's favor), and de-emphasize the [[Final Girl]], often [[Kill 'Em All|killing off all characters]].
 
Want to write your own slasher flick? We have [[So You Want To/Write a Slasher Horror Story|a handy writer's guide]] for anybody looking to do just that.
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== Tropes applicable to the genre: ==
* [[Adults Are Useless]]: Parents, teachers, or any kind of authority figure are either blissfully unaware of what's happening or being obstructive and denying it. In the case of the ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' series, they're almost villains themselves.
** [[Police Are Useless]]: The cops, the guys we normally expect to be able to deal with the problem, are especially useless in these kinds of movies. As always, [[ItsIt's Up to You|it's up to the]] [[Final Girl]] to actually stop the killer.
* [[Asshole Victim]]
* [[Barrier Busting Blow]]
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* [[Just Here for Godzilla]]: A lot fans honestly watch to see the killer doing his thing and really don't care much about the actual story.
* [[Mask Power]]
* [[Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane]]: Slashers tend to blur the line between fantasy and reality. Even if the killer is an explicitly normal human, his seemingly superhuman speed, strength, and stamina will rarely be given an explanation.
* [[Menacing Stroll]]
* [[Men Are the Expendable Gender]]: Male deaths are usually sudden and without struggle; it's incredibly rare to have a chase scene with a male character being chased. And in 99% of slasher movies, being male is practically a death certificate, because no matter how [[Too Dumb to Live]] the [[Final Girl]] is, she ''will'' live despite being a complete moron (examples are {{spoiler|''[[Friday the 13 th]] Part 3'', ''[[The Strangers]]'', ''Mother's Day (2011)''}}).
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* ''[[Cornered (Film)|Cornered]]'' -- No corner store is safe with a murderous gimp running loose in [[Los Angeles|LA]].
* ''[[Creep (Film)|Creep]]'' -- British film about a career woman being stalked by a monstrous man in [[The London Underground]].
* ''[[The Dead Pit (Film)|The Dead Pit]]'' -- [[Deadly Doctor]] returns from the other side to harass an amnesiac woman. His [[EverythingsEverything's Deader With Zombies|zombie cronies]] soon follow.
* ''[[Death On Demand (Film)|Death On Demand]]'' -- Contestants of a Halloween reality show are butchered by a mountain climber's ghost.
* ''[[Don't Go in The Woods (Film)|Don't Go in The Woods]]'' -- Because there is a killer in there.
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* ''[[Evil Laugh (Film)|Evil Laugh]]'' -- Med-students are killed in an ex-orphanage.
* ''[[The Final Terror (Film)|The Final Terror]]''
* ''[[Friday the 13 th13th (Film)|Friday the 13 th]]'' -- One of the movies often named as the [[Trope Codifier]]. The first movie had more in common with the Italian ''giallos'', with the identity of the killer kept a secret until the end, then later installments took the genre into straight-out fantasy. Created the second of the big slasher icons: Jason Voorhees.
* ''[[The Funhouse (Film)|The Funhouse]]'' -- A carnival darkride takes a turn to deadly when teens witness a murder.
* ''[[Halloween (Film)|Halloween]]'' -- The original movie that [[Trope Codifier|popularized the genre in the US]]. Created the first of the Big Three slasher icons: Michael Myers (no, not the guy who played [[Austin Powers]]). Often credited as the [[Trope Codifier]], alongside ''Friday the 13th''.
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* ''[[Pieces (Film)|Pieces]]'' -- Little boy murders his mother when she freaks out after finding his [[Porn Stash]]. 40 years later, killer with a chainsaw emerges to terrorize a college campus.
* ''[[The Pool (Film)|The Pool]]'' -- Graduation party at a swimming hall goes awry.
* ''[[Prom Night (Film)|Prom Night]]'' -- Little girl dies accidentally. Cut to several years later, when murder, mayhem and [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|disco dancing]] [[Hilarity Ensues|ensues]].
* ''[[The Prowler (Film)|The Prowler]]'' -- Soldier returning from WWII isn't happy about the "Dear John" letter he got. 35 years later, he is still not happy.
* ''[[Psycho Cop (Film)|Psycho Cop]]'' -- [[Hollywood Satanism|Satan worshiping]] fake cop kills hapless teens. In the sequel, he terrorizes office workers having a bachelor party.
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* ''[[Cry Wolf (Film)|Cry Wolf]]'' is worthy of mention here for being a "faux-slasher". {{spoiler|Only two people die in the entire movie. I'm not saying who.}}
** And {{spoiler|neither of them really dies in a particularly brutal fashion}} as has become accustom to the genre.
* ''[[Hunter: The Vigil (Tabletop Game)|Hunter: The Vigil]]'' has... [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|Slashers]], who are people influenced by the supernatural into becoming perfect [[Serial Killer|Serial Killers]]. They range from Rippers, who have abnormal, but still theoretically possible abilities, to Scourges, who are obviously supernatural. The types are: [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|Avengers]] & [[Urban Legend|Legends]], [[Implacable Man|Brutes]] & [[The Juggernaut|Masks]], [[Manipulative Bastard|Charmers]] & [[Talkative Loon|Psychos]], [[Red Right Hand|Freaks]] & [[Mutants]], and [[Diabolical Mastermind|Geniuses]] & [[The Chessmaster|Maniacs]]. It is possible, though difficult, to play one as a Type IV or V [[Anti -Hero]], targeting people, or supernatural beings, who deserve it.
* ''[[Tucker and Dale vs. Evil]]'' parodies the 'degenerate hillbilly' variation on this genre by flipping it; the two main characters are a pair of sweet-natured but not very bright hillbillies who, through a [[Contrived Coincidence|bunch of misunderstandings]], are mistaken for psycho killers by a group of college students camping in the woods. [[Hilarity Ensues|Very Gory Hilarity Ensues]].
* ''[[Clock Tower (Video Game)|Clock Tower]]'', released in 1995, while a game, is very similar to a slasher movie. You've got your near-indestructible slasher villain who murders young women off-screen. A movie in and out of [[Development Hell]] is being made.
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* ''[[Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (Film)|Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth]]'', which also heavily parodied ''Scream'' and ''I Know What You Did Last Summer''.
* ''[[Stan Helsing]]'' features various [[Captain Ersatz|Captain Ersatzes]] of various horror icons, including from Slasher movies.
* ''Unmasked Part 25'' is an existential British satire of the ''[[Friday the 13 th13th (Film)|Friday the 13 th]]'' series, in which a deformed slasher named Jackson tries to leave his life of meaningless slaughter for his love of a beautiful blind woman. It's somewhat reminiscent of ''[[The Toxic Avenger]].''
* The comedy film ''[[Psycho Beach Party]]'' is a homage to the old slasher movies and beach movies from the 60s.
* The music video for E-Type's "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe4D3FFzX1k&feature=related Angels Crying]" is based around slasher movie tropes.
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