Slash and Grab: Horror of the 1980s

by Adam Jortner, The Great Courses

We can learn a lot about American history and culture by looking at the horror films of the 1980s. The horror boom that began in 1978 coincided with an era of global nuclear fears, urban decay, and recession as well as the collapse of the Hollywood studio system and the decline of censorship laws that had held sway for nearly 50 years. This volatile mix of circumstances gave rise to the gory, violent, over-the-top—and very successful—genre of horror that we now know as the “slasher” or “splatter” film.

In the 10 lectures of Slash and Horror of the 1980s, you’ll follow Professor Adam Jortner as he examines how these films were created, why they were made, and what kind of reaction they sparked in American audiences. You’ll explore movies that have become classics of the genre, including A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween, as well as the lesser-known productions such as The House on Sorority Row and The Stuff. Along the way, you’ll consider how culture shaped the films, as well as how the films shaped the culture in everything from their subtle subversion of gender expectations to the role they played in stoking the era’s so-called “Satanic panic.”

While the slasher film may have been at its most popular in the 1980s, that doesn’t mean the genre has been laid to rest. Changes in American culture, technology, and filmmaking have transformed horror movies to reflect the anxieties of a different generation. However, much like the killers that made the splatter movies of the 1980s so distinctive, the power of horror to reveal our deepest fears never truly dies.

Audible Audio

Published October 2, 2025

About the author

Adam Jortner studies the transformation of religious and political life in the early United States. His book, The Gods of Prophetstown: The Battle of Tippecanoe and the Holy War for the American Frontier, examines the rise of the Shawnee Prophet Tenskwatawa and his new religion on the Indiana frontier in the 1800s. Jortner argues that Tenskwatawa’s religious vision created a new definition of community and power that ultimately coalesced into a viable political alternative for Native Americans in the Old Northwest. The book follows the creation of this movement and its fraught relationship with the new United States and Indiana’s ambitious territorial governor, William Henry Harrison. The relationship between the two men ultimately shaped the War of 1812 and the fate of the American frontier. Gods won the 2013 James Broussard Best First Book Prize from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR).

His current research interests include new religions in the early republic, deism, witchcraft, the decline of magic, and Native American prophets; he currently teaches classes on American religion, politics, and the Age of Jefferson. He is working on a manuscript on the politics of miracles in the early republic.

Dr. Jortner has received fellowships from the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Kentucky Historical Society, and the Redd Center for Western Studies.

Reviews

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and well narrated Great Course for October - talks about the trends and big movies of the 80's and gets into some side things like Siskel and Ebert. Free right on Audible Plus.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and highly recommend!
I barely saw these actual movies (too many to list), heard of all the movies (I think) and didn't know much of the trivia or commentary about the genre; like how the genre developed, the movie rating system establishment, and so much more. Heavy on the pop psychology of movies from culture, religion, gender, sexuality, and race.

Best of all observation, these films did well before the widespread use of cellphones and the internet. Market started flooding with horror movies in 1978, and the genre dried up by 1992. Then the 2000's and an onslaught (pun intended) of parody movies started..


Lecture 1 - Fun & Fear in the 80s horror. all about the tropes, breakdown of the genre. The final girl, abandoned locations, no authority/parents, death by sex, etc...and all low budget with bad special effects.
Lecture 2 - Freaks, Psychos and Grindhouses.1934's establishment of the Hollywood movie rules of decency & censorship, tropes, genre, and how it became mainstream. From the first Frankenstein movie making people puke to Halloween & Friday the 13th set it off again!

"Hollywood movies didn't show us as a more innocent time, it showed a censored slice of life reported to be an innocent time"

Because of the 1934 Decency code, movies between 1934-1967 were made in accordance to these strict guidelines, so movies are a projected illusion of life based on the code

After the 30's code went into effect, "the exploitation circuit" emerged aka grindhouses.

80s horror films are less about 'who done it' but 'why was it done'

Lecture 3 - the Goriest Decade. Collapse of the film code in 1968 ushered in the gore & violence of the 70's & 80's. The Godfather, Night of the Living Dead, Leatherface and Texas chainsaws, of course
Lecture 4 - The Golden Age of the Slashers.Establishing the tropes; teens coming of age in middle class America only to be killed...Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street...and the start of movies series (I, II, IV) and blockbusters and FINAL GIRL.
Lecture 5 - Making America Safe from Slashers.Hollywood, religion, and politics of making movies, and when the "rules" relaxed. Establishment of movie rating system: PG13, NC-17, R and X ratings.
Lecture 6 - Sex, Gender, and the Final Girl.Pop psychology of the horror movies
Lecture 7 - Rubber Reality.The point of view is always the killer who gets into our dreams - Freddy Krueger. New level of horror unlocked, reality is rubber. And weirdness - Demon Seed, a computer that tries to impregnate a woman.
Lecture 8 - Satanic Panic. A decade of American paranoia that helped keep horror & slasher movies in business
Lecture 9 - It Came from the Video Store.How VCRs, videos, and Blockbuster helped the business of horror and slashers. And when a slasher won an Oscar, "Silence of the Lambs"
Lecture 10 - Slicker Slasher about the revival of slashers in the 2000's but of the parody of slashers aka Scream franchise

[Robert Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often fascinating history of the slasher film in American history. sometimes the lecturer will make attempts at humor in his lessons and they don't always work. It could have used some time devoted to the giallo films that were being made in Italy at the time too that did sex and horror just as graphically as their American counterparts.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was free on Audible, and I am a horror girl, so i wanted to give it a shot.

I liked it! Really interesting to learn how horror evolved throughout the years - and loved the throwback to movie stores (I basically lived at Family Video as a child).

3.5 rounding down.

[Georgiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm never going to watch any of the movies mentioned (I think I've seen a grand total of one). Having grown up in the 80s, though, it's fascinating to hear what they say about that time without having to!

[Nicole Geub · Rating 5 out of 5]

very insightful

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and educational on a genre that I am middling familiar with.

D

[Cora Wildflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️