Violence is Entertainment
Most people who think of the slasher film, think of terrible acting, terrible plots, with terrible characters, that are made for consumption by gullible teenagers. In fact, these films, often referred to by the derogatory term, slasher flicks, are never taken quite seriously. There are only two reviews on Roger Ebert’s website for Friday the 13th. From a total of 12 films released in the franchise, featuring mass murdering shenanigans, he reviews two of them. He even states, at the end of his abysmal half star review of Friday the 13th Part 2 , “This review will suffice for the Friday the 13th film of your choice.” He effectively states that these films were not worth his time. Benard Dick, in his book Anatomy …show more content…
The very beginning is a prologue of Michael Myers, who is 6, which utilizes the subjective camera to show a masked Michael Myers moving around the house and eventually killing a woman in his point of view. The subjective camera, being the point of view of the killer, is used to give the audience a sense of voyeurism. For a brief moment the audience is in the shoes of the killer as they look upon their helpless victims, who are completely ignorant of the machete wielding madman in the house, or outside of their cabin. Slasher films also utilize these camera angles to make the audience relate to the victim. It puts the audience in a vulnerable position. They are no longer spectators to the horror; they are now in the shoes of the victim, forced to ride this roller coaster of terror. No scene exemplifies this technique of placing the audience in the victim's shoes better than the closet scene in Halloween. Laurie Strode, as the victim, locks herself in a closet, while the killer, Michael Myers, searches for her. This scene provides a low angle shot upwards to the closet door from Laurie’s vantage point on the floor in the back corner of the closet. The audience then collectively holds their breath as Michael’s shadow passes in front of the closet. The audience is not witnessing this event anymore; they are now trapped inside the closet with Laurie, and praying that the killer will simply pass by without checking. Roger Ebert in his review of this film states, “Halloween is a visceral experience -- we aren't seeing the movie, we're having it happen to us.” This is the essence of the slasher. The audience is on a roller coaster ride, and just like real roller coasters the best slasher films strike the perfect balance of its peaks, valleys, and pacing. They build tension, with dark, creepy settings, adding a musical score that enhances the heart
Most people who think of the slasher film, think of terrible acting, terrible plots, with terrible characters, that are made for consumption by gullible teenagers. In fact, these films, often referred to by the derogatory term, slasher flicks, are never taken quite seriously. There are only two reviews on Roger Ebert’s website for Friday the 13th. From a total of 12 films released in the franchise, featuring mass murdering shenanigans, he reviews two of them. He even states, at the end of his abysmal half star review of Friday the 13th Part 2 , “This review will suffice for the Friday the 13th film of your choice.” He effectively states that these films were not worth his time. Benard Dick, in his book Anatomy …show more content…
The very beginning is a prologue of Michael Myers, who is 6, which utilizes the subjective camera to show a masked Michael Myers moving around the house and eventually killing a woman in his point of view. The subjective camera, being the point of view of the killer, is used to give the audience a sense of voyeurism. For a brief moment the audience is in the shoes of the killer as they look upon their helpless victims, who are completely ignorant of the machete wielding madman in the house, or outside of their cabin. Slasher films also utilize these camera angles to make the audience relate to the victim. It puts the audience in a vulnerable position. They are no longer spectators to the horror; they are now in the shoes of the victim, forced to ride this roller coaster of terror. No scene exemplifies this technique of placing the audience in the victim's shoes better than the closet scene in Halloween. Laurie Strode, as the victim, locks herself in a closet, while the killer, Michael Myers, searches for her. This scene provides a low angle shot upwards to the closet door from Laurie’s vantage point on the floor in the back corner of the closet. The audience then collectively holds their breath as Michael’s shadow passes in front of the closet. The audience is not witnessing this event anymore; they are now trapped inside the closet with Laurie, and praying that the killer will simply pass by without checking. Roger Ebert in his review of this film states, “Halloween is a visceral experience -- we aren't seeing the movie, we're having it happen to us.” This is the essence of the slasher. The audience is on a roller coaster ride, and just like real roller coasters the best slasher films strike the perfect balance of its peaks, valleys, and pacing. They build tension, with dark, creepy settings, adding a musical score that enhances the heart