Whats the original slasher?

[pizowell]

Now I'd say that slash as we all know and love it began with Texas Chainsaw Massacre. However many might say that Hitchcock's Psycho was the first. What do you think? Slash on!

[ilovemovies]

Well, considering how Psych was first, I would say that. Although, I'm not sure why. It is not a slasher flick. Personally, I think the movie is so-so at best as a thriller/horror type movie. The reason I like the movie a lot is for the Norman Bates character. He is a very interesting and twisted character and Anthony Perkins delivers one of the best performances of all time from anybody as Perkins.

[pizowell]

Is Psycho a slasher? I don't really think so. TCM I feel introduced the slasher genre as we all know it today. You know masked guy with an instrument of death.

[countchocula]

I wouldn't consider Psycho a slasher. I guess it depends on your definition of the term. If you're thinking slasher in terms of screaming teenagers, then I'd say either Black Christmas or TCM. Some call Torso the first slasher.

[ilovemovies]

what I was saying is that Psycho is considered to be the original slasher, even I do not think it is a slasher movie. Even Roger Ebert I remember hearing or reading something in which he said it was Psycho, not Halloween or Texas Chainsaw that started the slasher genre.

[MICHAELvoorhees]

Psycho is a slasher. Why doesnt anyone else think it is?

[CriticalBill6966]

I feel Psycho is a slasher, but with a mentel disorder and no one has ever delt with that intill that movie that is where it all started.

[JasonSlasher]

Black Christmas. From now on I'm going to have to mention this at every BEST thread. Last night I had some of my freinds over and we watched Halloween, Fiday the 13th, Scream, and Black Christmas. After Halloween I gave up at actually trying to watch the movie and just yelled along with my freinds at what they should do (and don't). Well, when i finally put in Black Christmas, they just kind of sat there silent for nearly the whole movie, cringing at the creepy phone calls, and gawking at the off-beat ending.

It's an original, creepy movie that never got boring, and features my favorite horror movie murder where the director cuts to the singing carolers outside of the sorority and back to girl being murdered, the music playing hauntingly in the backround. I felt it could have ended there and I would've been happy.

[pizowell]

Good call on Black Christmas! Psycho isn't a slasher that we grew up on. I'm talking about Friday the 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street, Halloween, and TCM. Psycho is more a psychological thriller. And Ebert doesn't know anything about horror people.

[Antonio Del Lago]

PSYCHO. No explanation necessary.

[The Rob]

Halloween???????

[pizowell]

I think Halloween introduced the slasher flick to the world on a wider scale and started the craze of the 80's.

[ilovemovies]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by pizowell:
I think Halloween introduced the slasher flick to the world on a wider scale and started the craze of the 80's.</font>

That is true, but the topic is the ORIGINAL slasher and truth be told Halloween would not have happened if it weren't for Psycho.

[pizowell]

I disagree. How do you figure that ilovemovies?

[Carl Zittrer]

PSYCHO (1960) doesn't have the tone of a slasher flick. It's more along the lines of a character-driven suspense/drama with a couple of abrupt kill scenes.

BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) is arguably the first film to use all of the later-cliched slasher elements (nubile teenagers; disguised killer stalking the area; P.O.V. shots; multiple victims) to maximum effect. To my knowledge, the gimmick "the calls are coming from the house!" originated with BLACK CHRISTMAS, even though several previous films had already used the telephone as a pivotal suspense device (SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (1948); I SAW WHAT YOU DID (1965); FRIGHT (1971); WHEN MICHAEL CALLS (TV, 1971); VICTIM (TV, 1972) among others).

Mario Bava may actually be the original progenitor of the slasher subgenre with pictures like BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964), and BAY OF BLOOD (TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE)(1970). Both films are very clearly products of the slasher template, and more than likely even invented it, but neither picture has a harmony and mastery of the components like BLACK CHRISTMAS or HALLOWEEN.


By the way, Antonio, what happened to you as moderator? You were doing a great job.

[izombie]

Carl those are some excellant flicks another unoticed movie would be Torso (1973) directed by Sergio Martino

A masked killer who stalks, strangles and cuts up coeds at a college in Italy.

But as far as the original, I'd say Psycho.

[cereal killer]

Psycho had some of the key elements of a slasher I belive it was the first slasher and if you disagree the first slasher has to be Black Christmas.

[pizowell]

Black Christmas had introduced alot of elements copied by future slash flicks. The killer POV shot and the whole thing about the phone calls coming from inside the home. Both ideas copies and cashed in by other movies.

[teenkiller]

As far as I know its Black Christmas (I dont consider Psycho a "slasher"). Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[Candyman'sBitch]

If there was no Jason there would be no Freddy..Psycho was a thriller, Halloween was a thriller lacking gore...I say Jason or his mother ( Friday 1) was the first slasher.

[Candyman'sBitch]

Then again I saw Black Christmas so I tie Jason and the unknown killer

[skweemkween]

I'm confused, are the ones disagreeing with Psycho as the first slasher doing so because they felt it was a BETTER film than the Halloweens, the Friday the 13th, etc???

So then, is it NOT a slasher because, as a movie, it is deeper, has better acting, and is more of a character study than the more contemporary ones?? That's confusing.

So, in your minds "slashers" are only slashers if they are kind of b-grade and exploitive in nature( teens, nudity, gore)??
I'm sorry guys but, isn't that kind of nitpicking?

You asked us, "what was the first slasher" and Psycho clearly is the one that started the ball rolling. A knife was used, a graphic murder scene ensued, a "psycho", "schizo" killer was behind it, where's the difference??????

[Jason13thh]

First I don't consider Psycho as a slasher movie, more a thriller.
Here is my list of the first slashers :

A Bay Of Blood ( 1971, Mario Bava )
Silent Night Bloody Night ( 1972 or something , a must - see film, too bad for the editing )
Halloween ( 1978, Carpenter )

[AlienClown]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Candyman'sBitch:
If there was no Jason there would be no Freddy..Psycho was a thriller, Halloween was a thriller lacking gore...I say Jason or his mother ( Friday 1) was the first slasher.</font>
Psycho is horror, so is Halloween, I think its absolutely ridiculous to say Halloween is a "thriller lacking gore". And anyway you cut it, FT13 is definitely NOT the first slasher. I'd say Psycho was the pioneer.

[skweemkween]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by AlienClown:
Originally posted by Candyman'sBitch:
If there was no Jason there would be no Freddy..Psycho was a thriller, Halloween was a thriller lacking gore...I say Jason or his mother ( Friday 1) was the first slasher.</font>
Psycho is horror, so is Halloween, I think its absolutely ridiculous to say Halloween is a "thriller lacking gore". And anyway you cut it, FT13 is definitely NOT the first slasher. I'd say Psycho was the pioneer.


Thank you . Finally we agree.
And to rub it in I got my Psycho Janet Leigh T-shirt from rotton cotton. http://www.joblo.com/ubb/tongue.gif