Why is the Dog Barking? Who enjoys being scared? I know I do, whether it’s reading a scary ghost story, going through a haunted house, or watching a scary movie, I love the thrill that the genre horror gives me. Horror evokes painful and intense fear, dread, and dismay. However, there are many different sub genre within the horror genre. Horror can deal with slasher or killer, home invasion and survival, monsters and creatures, paranormal, and lastly psychological and thriller. One thing that they all have in common is that they all evoke an emotional reaction of fear. The slasher or killer sub genre of the horror fiction genre is one of the most prevalent among horror movies. It became popular in the 1980’s with Scream (1996), Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). There are specific traits that come with the sub genre slasher/ killer. The formula contains the killer, the victims, the heroine, and …show more content…
Without a victim the killer would not have anyone to kill. The killer is usually male, but there identity is almost always concealed by mask or hidden by creative mood lighting. In some cases the killer is known, like Michael Myers in Halloween, however, they tend to be masked. Another important trait of the killer is that they usually have a backstory of childhood drama, which leads them to revenge. One puzzling aspect of the killer, that is also important to note, is that they have the ability to appear and disappear, almost like magic (“Slasher Movie”). Not knowing when the killer will show up or where the killer is gives the audience that sense of fear and suspense. As for the victim, they tend to be young, attractive, and of high school or college aged adolescents. The victims also tend to be guilty of something or who engage in the following activities such as alcohol, drugs, crime, and sex. Eventually there will only one survivor left standing, the final