Slasher Horror Deconstruction

Characters

• One of the most important characters of a slasher films are the villains. In a slasher the villains are often conveyed as mentally deranged or physically deformed. They are normally traumatised from a young age and their victims have links with their past.  The killer is usually male, with the victim being female.  Their identity is often unknown or concealed with a mask to create an enigma.  Many slasher films have a killer that does not speak, is unstoppable and very strong, often making it impossible to kill them.
• The first person to get killed is normally the least innocent and most sexually active.
• Slasher horror films often include a final girl who is often the most innocent and a virgin. She is often the only survivor and is not very popular. Films such as Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Scream 4 all have a final girl.
• There is often a benefactor, who is an older aged person such as a doctor, and is there to help the final girl. A figure of authority, normally a police man, is often seen trying to help but is ineffective.
• Other characters in the film may include a group of friends who are often young and attractive. Many of them end up dying and leaving one survivor, the final girl.

Location

• The location can be used to solve more of the mystery of how the killer became who they are. The location is often part of the killers identity and may explain a significant event the killer was involved in or their traumatic childhood.
• Suburan locations are often used to film a slasher horror because most of the audience can relate to living in the suburbs.
• The woods may be used as they are dark and are normally hard to navigate.
• Other locations may include abandoned factories, asylums and deserts.

Props

• Knives
• Axes
• Chainsaws
• Blades
• Masks

Sound

• Non- diegetic sound is often used at a high pitch to convey a high level of tension.
• Diegetic sound is used when the killer and victims are fighting. This includes sounds such as screaming or items breaking when used to fight the killer.

Lighting

• Low and high key lighting is used depending on the atmosphere of the scene.
• Low key lighting is normally used to create shadows and to convey evil and mystery.