‘Eli Roth’s History of Horror’ Recap: ‘Slashers, Part 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Over the course of the past few days, we’ve explored a great deal of fascinating tidbits about the horror genre. Because Eli Roth’s History of Horror has simply done a phenomenal job of putting everything that makes this genre tick on full display, and that’s allowed for us to come to understand exactly how horror is tied to the zeitgeist of the times and our own fears as well. Which is quite frankly, what has allowed for these stories to evolve and thrive as the years roll along since they are keen to pick up on something relevant in our world and analyze it in horrifying and fascinating detail. But while this has made for some powerful and unique insight for certain, the next chapter in this fascinating documentary offered up quite the unexpected twist in regard to another reason as to why these stories are eager to evolve. 

Because ‘Slashers, Part 2’ took the time to reveal to the viewer, that horror is a genre of filmmaking that is also completely self-aware of what it is doing and where it is at with audiences. Which is an aberration since movies (and most forms of entertainment) just roll with the box office results until audiences are outright bored with a particular genre or franchise. But scary movies see the trends and react accordingly and for proof, then look no further than the renaissance of the slasher. Because despite all the accomplishments that were revealed in ‘Slashers, Part 1’, this particular sub-genre was beginning to see diminished returns at the box office, which is a giant red flag that audiences were starting to get bored with the product on the screen and that meant the time had come to revitalize and reinvent the slasher and the best way to do that… was to inject a little fantasy into the mix.

Enter Wes Craven and his horrifying vision of a killer that stalks people in their dreams. Because A Nightmare on Elm Street took the genre to new heights by providing us with a killer that wasn’t bound by the rules of the mortal world, and was able to strike at people in their most vulnerable moments. Which is downright terrifying for certain, and it clearly resonated with audiences since Freddy Krueger quickly became an 80s icon, and the wonder of using the fantastical to assemble a horror story didn’t end with him. Because Candyman is another story that found a way to prey upon the darkest recesses of our imagination by bringing an urban legend to life in a realistic and terrifying manner and the sheer fact that this story offers up a little commentary on race relations in America, only adds to its depth and wonder and it only helped to make the slasher something more for the audience. 

In fact, commentary is something that continued to help the slasher stay relevant in the 1990s and beyond, something that was handled in a supremely unique manner by 1996’s Scream. For this particular film, took the time to reinvigorate everyone’s love affair with the slasher, by pointedly reminding us of what makes this sub-genre so great in the first place. All by deconstructing the slasher and celebrating its finest elements. Plus, the early slashers of the 21st Century were quick to denounce big business and the divide growing within our society from a class standpoint by way of the Saw films and even the violently dubbed ‘torture porn’ of the early aughts found a way to speak to our ailing world. Since those post 9/11 features provided catharsis to audiences everywhere since they were all about punishing bad people, something that resonated with a nation that wanted justice for its dead.

If anything, this particular exploration of the slasher was nothing short of fascinating. Because it really did help us to not only understand how horror evolves with the times and the tastes of its audience, but it really put on display how vital these films are to our mental health. Which may be an odd thing to say, but it is outright true. Since the slasher offers us a fun escape, one that allows for us to enjoy a high-octane and gory experience where we can work out fears and frustrations before returning safely to our everyday lives. And to top it all off, this exploration and analysis proves without a doubt, that the slasher can be a hyper intelligent genre. One that has plenty to say about our world and now that our journey through this sub-genre is complete, we can dive into another way in which the horror genre examines the terror that comes with losing control of one’s self. Until next time.

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