‘Eli Roth’s History of Horror’ Recap: ‘Slashers, Part 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

If you were asked to name your favorite character from the horror genre, who would you choose? Would it be Dracula? Frankenstein? The Mummy? Because all of those characters are indeed iconic and are absolutely tied to the genre in a positive manner. But let’s be honest, while the classics have their merit, there’s a fair chance that the average person would evoke Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger or Ghostface’s name when asked that question. Because the slasher is an easy and accessible sub-genre of horror. One that people have seen en masse over the years and the popularity of these films and their outright staying power, is precisely why Eli Roth’s History of Horror felt the need to highlight them in the next episode of this magnificent documentary.

Because not only have these movies had an incredible impact upon pop culture over the years, they also happen to have quite the illustrious history, one that was brought to life by way of a true master of cinema in Alfred Hitchcock. For ‘Slashers, Part 1’ correctly points out that the 1960 film Psycho was the true genesis of the slasher film. Because this particular tale took the time to offer up everything that we see in these movies today, since it features a twisted and bloodthirsty killer that is eager to attack the vulnerable, whilst hiding behind a disguise. But while this movie did a fine job of establishing what a killer in these movies should look like, it also provided everyone with a blueprint on how to scare the audience in a simple fashion, all by making use of clever editing in regard to the movie's most famous scene.

But what matters more is that Hitchcock’s masterpiece inspired so many more to make movies in this vein and that’s why the 1970s were awash with horror movies that featured this iconic style of killer. But while a majority of these Psycho inspired slashers, were downright entertaining and chilling in their own right, they really didn't offer audiences anything new or exciting and truly, the slasher didn’t really evolve until John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper decided to take a crack at the genre by way of 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and 1978’s Halloween. Because Hooper’s Chainsaw wasted no time in examining the chaos of the world and how people will sometimes commit to bad things when they have nothing to lose, and the uncomfortable sense of realism present here was also found in Halloween.

For Jamie Lee Curtis’ performance in the film provided the audience with a relatable and familiar and dynamic character for a change, and she was wonderfully counterbalanced by Carpenter’s exploration of what drives a madman to kill and these movies led to quite the golden age for slashers. For what followed Halloween and Chainsaw was a smorgasbord of dynamic and fascinating slashers, the kind that began to explore the darkest recesses of our souls. Take Maniac for instance. Since this particular story put the depravity and instability of a killer on display and really this particular push to create a more realistic slasher only helped to improve the quality of these stories. For you’ll even find touches of humanity in the Friday the 13th films (thank you Kane Hodder), and in the end, all of these movies and their dynamic depth, helped to cement the slasher as a legitimate staple of horror, one that can connect with the masses.  

But as this genre is wont to do, it loves to explore the impossible and push the envelope in how it terrorizes us. Which allowed for the slasher to go to new and exciting places, the kind that we will explore in ‘Part 2’. But until we dive into that particular chapter, we can bask in one quality examination. Because once again, every horror legend present here had incredibly insightful things to say, and their commentary on their experiences while making these films and hearing about what they mean to these icons of horror on a personal level, just adds new depth and dimension to movies that we’ve likely binged a billion times. Which just serves to remind to us that this series really is something quite special, and it will be quite interesting to hear what Robert Englund and Tony Todd and others will have to say about their experiences in assembling fantastical and iconic slasher stories, in the next episode of this dynamic series. Until then.   

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