A Preview of ‘Slasher: Ripper’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

While the horror genre as a whole, is regarded as one of the most progressive and dynamic genres around, courtesy of the fact that it can easily adapt with the times and provide timely and relevant stories that wow audiences… not every corner of the genre is as adept in such matters. For instance, the killer doll subgenre tends to stick to formulas and tends to feature by the numbers characters or concepts. Plus, the same stale nature applies to haunted house stories since so many of them currently rely upon the same old story. Wherein new owners move into a home full of evil and are blissfully unaware of the nightmare that lurks behind the walls. 
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Not to mention, the slasher subgenre has dealt with its own sense of repetitiveness at times. Since it is hard to break away from the lather, rinse, repeat nature of those stories. But creatives are indeed trying to ensure that every aspect of horror meets the high expectations of its fans, as evidenced by the release of M3GAN, and the advent of the Chucky television series, since both stories worked to push the envelope of the killer doll subgenre, and even the slasher is starting to enjoy a renaissance. Courtesy of bolder slasher stories that are eager to try new things and challenge tropes and challenge the audience, and one particular slasher story that leads the way in such matters is the Shudder series, Slasher.

For this series offers up inventive and refreshing slasher stories that subvert expectations and surprise us every step of the way, and even feature wonderfully engaging commentary, and it just so happens… that a new season of this saga draws near. For Thursday will see the debut of Slasher: Ripper, on Shudder, and we here at NTG thought it would be worthwhile to preview why this season is worth your while, in a spoiler-free manner of course. Because spoilers this soon, would be rude. But what we will say for certain, is that one big reason you need to watch this new season, is because it features the show’s most ambitious plot to date. For Ripper is set in the past, the late 19th Century to be precise… where darkness has descended upon the city streets, courtesy of a violent and vicious killer that is seemingly tearing people to shreds for the sport of it. 

But there is of course… more behind the killings in this story and that is where this season shines. Because not only are we given a new setting and an old world to explore for the first time ever in this franchise but going back to the 19th Century allows for some unique storytelling to take place. The kind that uses the setting to offer up some powerful commentary on our modern world. A move that allows for explorations regarding class warfare to take place, and observations regarding the social battles playing out now regarding gender identity and sexuality. Giving rise to a smart slasher story, which is why this series stands out from the rest. For it is the rare slasher that consistently works to be as intelligent as can be and offer the best story possible and it absolutely provides us with that here.

However, while it is wonderful to know that once again, Slasher takes the time to elevate storytelling in this subgenre, this type of story is meaningless without great kills and great gore and a mysterious villain, and it delivers on those elements as well. For the kills are simply top-notch through and through and are inventive and gooey and the killer… is also quite intriguing since they like to toy with their prey and harbor some fascinating motivations for murder. All of which brings forth, the best season to date of this amazing series. For it elevates the subgenre further and challenges the audience through and through courtesy of its thought-provoking story, and the best news of all is that we are days away from being able to enjoy the smartest slasher around. For Slasher: Ripper makes its debut on Shudder on Thursday, April 6, 2023, with a two-episode premiere, and we cannot wait for you to experience the wonder of the gory and glorious new season of this revolutionary saga.

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