Thanks to Tara Carpenter's love of elevated horror movies, Jenna Ortega's Scream (2022) character started a debate about the purpose of scary films. For some people, horror should always be smart, sophisticated, and meaningful. In their eyes, movies like Hereditary, Get Out, Midsommar, The Lighthouse, and The Babadook are the best that the genre has to offer as they tell horrifying stories that are about something real. For others, fun slashers like Friday the 13th, the Halloween series, and of course, the Scream franchise, are better.
Of course, there's no clear winner here and fans will always have their own opinions. But when it comes to the slasher genre in particular, do all of these films need to be elevated? It's definitely an interesting question.
When horror fans think about the best and most famous slasher films of the past couple of decades, Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), Scream (1996), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), and X (2022) stand out. There are so many fun and entertaining movies in this subgenre, from slasher movies that deconstruct the genre like The Cabin in the Woods (2011) and comedies like Happy Death Day (2017). This is a beloved and celebrated genre that isn't going anywhere anytime soon, especially since there are remakes and reboots all the time, from Netflix's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) to the Halloween trilogy.
What defines a slasher movie? A villain/killer uses a weapon to murder people, sometimes people they know, sometimes people they don't. There are often groups of friends and there is always a final girl. By this definition, it doesn't feel like these types of movies need to be elevated. Slashers are meant to be fun, sometimes campy, and always wildly entertaining. These are the films that fans turn to when they want to really enjoy themselves. These movies feel somewhat relatable, as it's easy for audiences to put themselves in the main characters' shoes, and they are truly terrifying as it's unnerving to imagine being in these situations.
Many of A24's horror movies are elevated, and there's definitely a need for these, as these films are important. But even the cheesiest slashers have well-crafted characters and moments that make audiences think, even if they are stories that are meant to be purely fun. Friday the 13th doesn't have a continual final girl, but Jason Voorhees is one of the most sympathetic horror villains because of the brutal bullying that he faced. A Nightmare On Elm Street features characters who are coming of age and trying to show strength, smarts, and independence while trying not to die in their dreams.
Ti West's 2022 film X might be the best example of a slasher film that is wildly fun and not trying to be elevated but still one of the most meaningful contemporary movies. There are many horror tropes here, like abandoned houses in the countryside, a strong final girl, a character getting locked in a basement, and characters who split up and are in grave danger. It all adds up to an entertaining and excellent movie with surprises and a lot to talk about.
Horror fans all want the same thing: to be entertained, to be shocked, and to find new storytelling devices, strong characters, and twists that they can discuss with their friends who are just as obsessed with the genre as they are. At the end of the day, there will always be an audience ready for new slasher releases, and if some deal with themes like elevated horror films, that's great. And if some are simply scary and exciting to watch, that's cool, too.
In an interview with Film Companion, Hereditary and Midsommar director Ari Aster shared that he's not a fan of calling something "elevated horror." Aster said, "there are so many bad horror films that I think are made pretty cynically. You know when something is personal and when something is made by a committee or because someone thinks they can make a fast buck. So there are a lot of horror films that feel cheap." Aster continued, "Horror movies are art movies" and "a good horror film can employ all of the cinematic tools in a way that almost no other film can."
Chances are, fans of slasher movies, whether classic flicks or more recent ones, are also fans of stories that people would call elevated horror. There is room for everything, as long as filmmakers are telling compelling stories and delivering a proper moviegoing experience. Slasher movies should include the same elements as films that would be considered elevated: well-written characters, a clear beginning and solid ending that wraps everything up (while leaving some mystery if that's part of the story), and most of all, a unique and new story.