I'm sure we’ve all seen a few slasher films, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Child’s Play, Scream, etc. They are often associated with horror, being viewed on Halloween, and are much beloved for their affinity for gore and screaming protagonists. However, this author would argue that they really aren't true horror, as there isn't really a true sense of horror or dread, just a bit of shock value. I would argue they are closer to action films than horror, and further on I shall explain what the difference comes down to.
To start, horror is generally defined as something that causes intense revulsion, disgust, shock, or anxiety. Though the term “shock” is in the definition, the kind of shock driven by a slasher film differs from a true horror film. Shock in a slasher film is more from a surprise as Jason Voorhees, the antagonist of Friday the 13th, stabs someone with a machete. It's in the moment and there isn't any real lingering effect, just a feeling of surprise followed by anticipation for what's next. A movie like, say, Coraline has a more lingering kind of shock, the shock of seeing the eyes change to buttons lingers consistently in the background, and is just made to unnerve the viewer.
In addition to differences in shock, non-slasher films appeal to a far more primal kind of fear, that which deals with the mind, while slasher films like to focus on a big bad villain who is always a physical presence coming after our heroes. Non-slasher films will often take a different and more creepy approach; to again use the example of Coraline, the movie’s villain, the Bedlam, disguises itself as Coraline’s “Other Mother” and is far less direct in coming after her, using treats and attention to draw her in and attempt to trap her in the other world. It provides a more disturbing plot as you have to figure out what's going on along with the character, playing on the primal thought of something just not being right.
Another example of this kind of idea is the TV show, Over the Garden Wall. The Beast we see stalking the children Wirt and Greg in the forest uses a kind of helpful mask to convince them that it is a friend while the audience remains suspicious. Finally, near the end of the show, when the boys are trying to escape the forest, The Beast is revealed in a scene where a lantern finally illuminates its true form: it is made of Edelwood, which forms from the souls of children the beast takes, and only with the help of an old woodsman is The Beast slain. The slow reveal of The Beast throughout the series is a good example of true horror, that creeping darkness designed to unnerve until revealed in a revolting fashion that leaves the audience reeling.
I have nothing against slasher-films like Nightmare on Elm Street, but I believe they really should be their own genre and not put next to films like Coraline, as they simply do not have the same kind of disturbing feeling that true horror gives.
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