SLASHER

noun (Lifestyle and Leisure) (People and Society) Used attributively (in slasher film, slasher movie, etc.) of horror films or videos which depict vicious or violent behaviour. Etymology: So named because the attacker is shown slashing the victims with a knife or carrying out similarly violent attacks. History and Usage: Slasher was first used as the name for a violent horror film in the mid seventies; however, the genre really became established in the mid eighties, with ever more gory horror films being released for rental through video clubs. Slasher films came in for a good deal of criticism in the mid eighties, as people started to make a connection between the fashion for them and rising levels of violent crime. Paramount's low-budget slasher film Friday the 13th Part 3 in 'super 3-D' was roundly thrashed by critics ('Trash', said Newsweek). Forbes 27 Sept. 1982, p. 176 Instead of the breakdance and slasher movies aimed at the teen market, you have more thought-provoking films like Rain Man and Dangerous Liaisons. Sunday Telegraph 19 Mar. 1989, p. 11