History SoYouWantTo / WriteASlasherHorrorStory

* Many slasher movies tend to be [[HorrorDoesntSettleForSimpleTuesday set around a 'themed' or notable calendar holiday]] (for example Christmas, New Year's and, of course, [[AllHallowsEve Halloween]] and [[ThirteenIsUnlucky Friday the 13th]]). This obviously enables the movie to present a subverted or darkened twist on 'safe' holiday trappings -- for example, a slasher killer might decide to dress up as Santa Claus if committing their crimes during the Christmas season. This is such a common motif, however, that it lends itself easily to a potential for subversion -- a movie in which the killer decides to strike on days which have no particular calendar significance (except, maybe, for the killer and victims).

* Is your killer human, like ''Franchise/{{Scream}}'''s killers, or is he or she something more supernatural, such as [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]], [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]] or [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} The Shape]]? In the case of the more famous slasher horror franchises, it is not uncommon for a killer to start off more or less human, but to become supernatural as the series goes on, if only to explain how he or she [[JokerImmunity keeps coming back]] [[NotQuiteDead for the sequels]].

* Most slasher movies tend to have one killer who is doing all the hunting - what if there's more than one? An original and a [[JackTheRipoff copycat]], or [[BigBadDuumvirate two working in tandem]], like in Franchise/{{Scream}}'s famous twist? What if the [[TheKillerInMe protagonist is]] [[SplitPersonality the killer?]] One new variant is to tell the story from the killer's point of view, showing their StartOfDarkness and making them at least a slightly sympathetic figure. Usually, the "protagonist" slot switches to the final girl before the killer is killed.

* As a genre, {{slasher movie}} are heavily susceptible to falling on the wrong end of SturgeonsLaw. They are a popular choice of film for aspiring student or indie filmmakers, thanks to the fact that a cheap-'n'-dirty slasher flick can easily be made on practically {{no budget}} -- all you need is [[KensingtonGore fake blood and gore]] (which can easily be made with common household and cooking materials), cast and crew (recruit from your friends and family), and an assortment of killing implements (hello, Walmart). Unfortunately, in the cluttered world of the slasher genre, it takes a lot to stand out, and most of these amateur efforts wind up paling in comparison.

* ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'' is probably the most famous film to come from the post-''Scream'' wave of slasher flicks. While a decent enough movie, it is perhaps most famous for having Jennifer Love Hewitt [[{{Fanservice}} running around in a tight tank top]] for the last third of the film, and for killing [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]. It had two sequels, the second of which went DirectToVideo.

* What is your killer's motive? Does he kill [[ForTheEvulz for the sake of killing]]? Or does he [[BloodKnight take pleasure in bloodshed]] or [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunting humans]]? Is he a KnightTemplar VigilanteMan trying to lynch a group of petty thieves? Or is he merely a creature need of [[OurVampiresAreDifferent blood]] or [[ToServeMan human]] [[IAmAHumanitarian meat]] [[NonMaliciousMonster just to stay alive]]? Or is he secretly trying to appease an EldritchAbomination to [[WellIntentionedExtremist stop it from obliterating the Earth]] by offering it a HumanSacrifice? Is he [[AliensAreBastards even human]]? Or, is he secretly an EldritchAbomination with [[BlueAndOrangeMorality a motive that is just too plain weird for humans to understand]]?

* What is your killer's motive? Does he kill [[ForTheEvulz for the sake of killing]]? Or does he [[BloodKnight take pleasure in bloodshed]] or [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunting humans]]? Is he a KnightTemplar VigilanteMan trying to lynch a group of petty thieves? Or is he merely a creature need of [[OurVampiresAreDifferent blood]] or [[ToServeMan human]] [[IAmAHumanitarian meat]] [[NonMaliciousMonster just to stay alive]]? Or is he secretly trying to appease an EldritchAbomination to [[WellIntentionedExtremist stop it from obliterating the Earth]] by offering it a HumanSacrifice? Is he [[AliensAreBastards even a human]]? Or, is he secretly an EldritchAbomination with [[BlueAndOrangeMorality a motive being just plain weird for human to understand]]?

* ''Film/{{Scream 1996}}'', made by ''Nightmare'' director Creator/WesCraven, takes the GenreSavvy approach to slasher horror, with plenty of LampshadeHanging, and turns several of the more common tropes on their heads, as well as featuring ''two'' killers rather than just one. It is actually quite genuinely scary at times, particularly in the opening scene. Its success wound up [[PopularityPolynomial reviving the slasher genre]] after years of being viewed as [[DeaderThanDisco trite and cliche]], as well as starting a [[PostModernism Post Modernist]] wave in horror. For tropers, the sheer quantity of horror tropes that get lampshaded, subverted and otherwise played with is by itself reason to see this film. It has had three sequels.

* The original ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' is frequently regarded as one of the two {{Trope Codifier}}s for most modern slasher movies. Be warned when watching it; not only is it less gory and visceral than most slasher movies which have followed it, including its own sequels (like ''TCM'', it relies more on suspense than gore -- the killer doesn't even kill very many people throughout), the fact that most of the tropes it popularised were later shamelessly ripped off may result in SeinfeldIsUnfunny syndrome. Its killer, Michael Myers, is the first of the "Big Three" slasher killers. Was [[Film/{{Halloween 2007}} remade]] by Music/RobZombie in 2007, with [[Film/HalloweenII2009 a sequel]] (also made by Zombie) following two years later; his vision of the film falls very squarely into LoveItOrHateIt territory.

* What is your killer's motive? Does he kill [[ForTheEvulz for the sake of killing]]? Or does he [[BloodKnight take pleasure in bloodshed]] or [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunting humans]]? Is he a KnightTemplar VigilanteMan trying to lynch a group of petty thieves? Or is he merely a creature need of [[OurVampiresAreDifferent blood]] or [[ToServeMan human]] [[IAmAHumanitarian meat]] [[NonMaliciousMonster just to stay alive]]? Or is he secretly trying to appease an EldritchAbomination to [[WellIntentionedExtremist stop it from obliterating the Earth]] by offering it a HumanSacrifice? Or, is he an [[AliensAreBastards alien]] or EldritchAbomination with [[BlueAndOrangeMorality a moral standard which is just plain weird for human to understand]]?

* What is your killer's motive? Does he kill [[ForTheEvulz for the sake of killing]]? Or does he [[BloodKnight take pleasure in bloodshed]] or [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunting humans]]? Is he a KnightTemplar VigilanteMan trying to lynch a group of petty thieves? Or is he merely a creature need of [[OurVampiresAreDifferent blood]] or [[ToServeMan human]] [[IAmAHumanitarian meat]] [[NonMaliciousMonster just to stay alive]]? Or is he secretly trying to appease an EldritchAbomination to [[WellIntentionedExtremist stop it from obliterating the Earth]] by offering it a HumanSacrifice? Or, is he an [[AliensAreBastarda alien creation]] or EldritchAbomination with [[BlueAndOrangeMorality a motivation too alien and just plain weird for human standard]]?

* What is your killer's motive? Does he kill [[ForTheEvulz for the sake of killing]]? Or does he [[BloodKnight take pleasure in bloodshed]] or [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunting humans]]? Is he a KnightTemplar VigilanteMan trying to lynch a group of petty thieves? Or is he merely a creature need of [[OurVampiresAreDifferent blood]] or [[ToServeMan human]] [[IAmAHumanitarian meat]] [[NonMaliciousMonster just to stay alive]]? Or is he secretly trying to appease an EldritchAbomination to [[WellIntentionedExtremist stop it from obliterating the Earth]] by offering it a HumanSacrifice? Or, is he an [[AliensAreBastard alien]] or EldritchAbomination with a BlueAndOrgangeMorality?

* What is your killer's motive? Does he kill [[ForTheEvulz for the sake of killing]]? Or does he [[BloodKnight take pleasure in bloodshed]] or [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunting humans]]? Is he a KnightTemplar VigilanteMan trying to lynch a group of petty thieves? Or is he merely a creature need of [[OurVampiresAreDifferent blood]] or [[ToServeMan human]] [[IAmAHumanitarian meat]] [[NonMaliciousMonster just to stay alive]]? Or, is he secretly trying to appease an EldritchAbomination to [[WellIntentionedExtremist stop it from obliterating the Earth]] by offering it a HumanSacrifice?

* The original ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' is frequently regarded as one of the two {{Trope Codifier}}s for most modern slasher movies. Be warned when watching it; not only is it less gory and visceral than most slasher movies which have followed it, including its own sequels (like ''TCM'', it relies more on suspense than gore -- the killer doesn't even kill very many people throughout), the fact that most of the tropes it popularised were later shamelessly ripped off may result in SeinfeldIsUnfunny syndrome. Its killer, Michael Myers, is the first of the "Big Three" slasher killers. Was [[Film/{{Halloween 2007}} remade]] by RobZombie in 2007, with [[Film/HalloweenII2009 a sequel]] (also made by Zombie) following two years later; his vision of the film falls very squarely into LoveItOrHateIt territory.

!'''Extra Credit'''

A discussion of the differences between Slasher Horror and Survival Horror can be found here. [[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2012/12/slasher-horror-vs-survival-horror.html "Slasher Horror vs. Survival Horror."]] from Blog/TheUnitedFederationOfCharles.

How to achieve immersion in a horror novel is also analyzed here. [[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2012/09/immersion-and-horror.html "Immersion and Horror."]] from Blog/TheUnitedFederationOfCharles.

* Is it necessary for the slasher to be human? In some cases, it can be brought by [[CosmicHorrorReveal supernatural causes]], ''TheCarbinInTheWoods'' is an example of CosmicHorrorStory disguised as a slasher film.

* What is your killer's ''modus operandi''? Try to make it tie into their backstory in some way, even if only thematically. Notwithstanding the name "slasher movies", there are a lot of potential variations on the way to kill the victims. The killer might drown the victims... sometimes in impossible situations like in the middle of a parking lot to stress the "inescapable death" vibe... or in simple yet unique ways. For example, if the killer were to always slash his victims to death, he might cut numbers on them (counting up or down) or cut off appendages to [[LivingDollCollector create a doll out of the victims.]]

* Is there really a serial killer? It might just be a normal (albeit murderous) person running a bloody ScoobyDooHoax to kill enemies without getting incriminated, or to distract from another evil plan. This can be double subverted by revealing there [[RealAfterAll really]] ''[[RealAfterAll is]]'' a monster/killer acting independently of the hoaxers.

* Most slasher movies tend to have one killer who is doing all the hunting - what if there's more than one? An original and a [[JackTheRipoff copycat]], or [[BigBadDuumvirate two working in tandem]]? What if the [[TheKillerInMe protagonist is]] [[SplitPersonality the killer?]] One new variant is to tell the story from the killer's point of view, showing their StartOfDarkness and making them at least a slightly sympathetic figure. Usually, the "protagonist" slot switches to the final girl before the killer is killed.

* Does the FinalGirl have to be a virginal and innocent young teenager girl? Perhaps she could be one of the more 'experienced' or 'naughty' girls instead. Or perhaps the survivor could be a guy. Or there could be more than one survivor...

* ''Film/TheTerminator'' shows the sheer versatility of this basic genre structure. Take away the convoluted StableTimeLoop, evil robots from AfterTheEnd nuclear war, and you have yourself a very chilling twist on the (literally) MadeOfIron ImplacableMan SerialKiller, methodically picking off his young female victims one by one off a phonebook. Notable as the only major SlasherFilm where the murderer primarily uses firearms.

* Most slasher killers are antagonists, with the FinalGirl being the protagonist. But some slashers, particularly those focused on revenge, have the killer as the ''protagonist'' instead, hunting down each of the people who wronged him or her in RoaringRampageOfRevenge fashion. It goes without saying that if you choose this route, the crime committed against the protagonist needs to be especially horrific in order to justify the protagonist's brutal retaliation.

* What is your killer's {{Backstory}}? Does he [[DiabolusExNihilo even have one]]? If so, are his reasons [[SympatheticMurderer understandable]] or is he just a CompleteMonster?

A discussion of the differences between Slasher Horror and Survival Horror can be found here. [[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2012/12/slasher-horror-vs-survival-horror.html "Slasher Horror vs. Survival Horror."]] from blog/TheUnitedFederationOfCharles.

A discussion of the differences between Slasher Horror and Survival Horror can be found here. [[http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2012/12/slasher-horror-vs-survival-horror.html "Slasher Horror vs. Survival Horror."]]

* ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'' is probably the most famous film to come from the post-''Scream'' wave of slasher flicks. While a decent enough movie, it is perhaps most famous for having Jennifer Love Hewitt [[{{Fanservice}} running around in a tight tank top]] for the last third of the film, and for killing [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]. It had two sequels, the second of which went {{Direct-to-Video}}.

* What is your killer's {{Backstory}}? Does he even have one? If so, are his reasons [[SympatheticMurderer understandable]] or is he just a CompleteMonster?
* What is your killer's ''modus operandi''? Try to make it tie into their backstory in some way, even if only thematically.
** Notwithstanding the name "slasher movies", there are a lot of potential variations on the way to kill the victims. The killer might drown the victims... sometimes in impossible situations like in the middle of a parking lot to stress the "inescapable death" vibe... or in simple yet unique ways. For example, if the killer were to always slash his victims to death, he might cut numbers on them (counting up or down) or cut off appendages to [[LivingDollCollector create a doll out of the victims.]]

* Potential victims: Is the primary cast generally likeable, or are they largely jerks who you cannot wait to see die?
* The amount of survivors: How many main characters will survive it to the end? This can vary from all of them plus the killer ending up dead to just one or two meeting their demise. Note that the survivors don't necessarily have to come out unharmed.

* When a killer has the theme of [[RubeGoldbergHatesYourGuts Rube Goldberg deathtraps]], or generally killing each victim in a unique way, they run the risk of breaking the audience's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief if it gets too cartoony or ridiculous. At least, this should be avoided if you want realism[[note]]in the "this could potentially happen to you" sense[[/note]], though a few films knowingly turn the above UpToEleven and draw audiences by promising creative kill showcases.
* Most slasher stories use the same old character archetypes from past stories: the AlphaBitch, the JerkJock, the TokenMinority (who is often [[BlackDudeDiesFirst one of the first to bite it]]), TheStoner, and of course, the FinalGirl. This makes it very obvious as to who is going to die and who is going to live. Try to make some new character archetypes, or expand off the old ones. Also, try to make at least some of the characters likeable, or you may have your readers RootingForTheEmpire.

* Most slasher movies tend to have one killer who is doing all the hunting - what if there's more than one? An original and a copycat, or two working in tandem? What if the [[TomatoInTheMirror protagonist is]] [[SplitPersonality the killer?]]
** One new variant is to tell the story from the killer's point of view, showing their StartOfDarkness and making them at least a slightly sympathetic figure. Usually, the "protagonist" slot switches to the final girl before the killer is killed.

* Is there really a serial killer? It might just be a normal (albeit murderous) person running a bloody ScoobyDooHoax to kill enemies without getting incriminated, or to distract from another evil plan.
** This can be double subverted by revealing there really ''is'' a monster/killer acting independently of the hoaxers.

* The killers in these movies are frequently depicted as being {{determinator}}s who, if they're not quite MadeOfIron, might as well be -- even if they aren't explicitly supernatural, they're usually curiously resilient, able to withstand a large amount of punishment and keep going. Later installments of a series in particular tend to stress the supernatural manner of the killer. Whereas earlier installments may have depicted the killer as being just a very insane guy going around killing people, later appearances usually tend to see the killer gradually developed into an explicitly supernatural creation, to the point where they're practically the right hand of {{Satan}} himself. This is usually something of a necessity in order to explain how a returning killer manages to perform so many NotQuiteDead moments and still retain some level of plausibility.

* While prior films (such as ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' and the works of DarioArgento) laid the groundwork for the genre, ''Film/TheTexasChainSawMassacre1974'' is often credited as being the first "real" slasher flick. While it holds up surprisingly well, nearly all of the actual violence is [[GoryDiscretionShot implied or offscreen]], which may disappoint modern audiences. Its sequels all [[BloodierAndGorier amped up the gore factor]], although some would argue that this came [[{{Sequelitis}} at the expense of quality]]. Its 2003 [[TheRemake remake]] is often held up as one of the few horror remakes that managed to live up to the original.

* Related to the above, the FinalGirl usually lives because she is a virgin, and seen as pure and innocent enough to live. Maybe you could have an obvious FinalGirl set up, [[SacrificialLamb only to kill her off]] while most of her more 'experienced' friends live.