The Teenage Slasher Movie Book

by J. A. Kerswell

“Whether you’re an old-school fright fanatic looking to relive the grindhouse glory or a horror newbie . . . [this book] is a magnificent read.” —Fangoria The slasher movie is the most reviled but successful of horror’s subgenres. Taking its cue from Hitchcock, grindhouse movies, and the gory Italian giallo thrillers of the 1970s, slasher movies brought a new high in cinematic violence and suspense to mainstream cinema. For six bloody years (1978-1984)—the golden age of slashers—cinema screens and video stores were stalked by homicidal maniacs with murder and mayhem on their minds.  The Teenage Slasher Movie Book  details the subgenre’s surprising beginnings, revels in its g(l)ory days, and discusses its recent resurgence. Packed with reviews of the best (and worst) slasher movies and illustrated with an extensive collection of distinctive and often graphic color poster artwork from around the world, this book also looks at the political, cultural, and social influences on the slasher movie and its own effect on other film genres. “The ultimate treatise of terror.” — StarTribune / Artcetera “The definitive book on the slasher genre.” — Little White Lies  magazine  “Brilliant read . . . 10/10 butcher knives.” — Smash or Trash Indie Filmmaking  “Exhaustive and lively.” — Complex

Genres: Horror, Film

388 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2018

Reviews

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

For fans of slasher movies, this book is for you. If you like the gore, and the history of the genre, you're going to learn some new facts and trivia. If you're expecting a Wes Craven level analysis of the genre, you may be disappointed. Much of the book is devoted to the history of the genre, which, while enjoyable to read, doesn't exactly give you a Scream level breakdown of the genre (unless, of course, you're looking for quotes from the movie, and in which case, this book has plenty). It's a bit stilted, and massive amounts of pictures, movie posters, and stills from the movies discussed are the only reason the book is as long as it is. It's a bit of a dry read, and I was hoping for something as juicy and blood filled as the corpse of a summer camper, with enough depth to really delve into the genre. The best way to describe this is, I think, a "summer read nonfiction" - you're not going to need a whole lot of brainpower to get through it, and if it gets a bit of beach sand in it in the process, you're really not going to mind.

[DonJohn80 · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a primer than an in depth look. The author seemed quite enamoured with box office numbers, but his interpretation of these numbers is occasionally coloured by his own opinions so a movie making fifteen million is a sign of greatness, but movies making sixty million are terrible and everyone secretly hated them and it’s a sign the genre is in decline. At points he’s obviously just quickly checking the wiki page for slashers to get some titles that are never elaborated on. There’s not really much of a thread here beyond a mostly chronological listing of movies and the information presented is more suited to a set of Topps trading cards. It does have a great gallery of foreign posters, so it’s not a total waste.

[Andy Pearson · Rating 1 out of 5]

While there are some cool things here, the writing isn’t that interesting and the content is quite shallow. More often than not this book reads as a list of one slasher movie after another followed by some cliched phrase before finally stating the box office gross. Worth a cursory look if you can grab it from your library, but not worth a purchase.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up a copy of this at Deadtime Stories in REO Town last October on a shopping spree. It’s not a scholarly treatment of the genre (like Bill Paul’s sublime “Laughing, Screaming, which is shamefully not cited in the bibliography**), but it’s a fine walk through a dark and gory memory lane, amply and garishly illustrated as it should be. The international perspective on films that influenced the genre is a great addition.

**As an undergraduate research assistant, I did fact-checking and indexing on this sublime book. It’s also the single most cited item on my Google Scholar alerts, so go read it.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the trip out of state to my new apartment. It was full of so many movies I have heard of but never knew the story of, and how it shaped that era. Great find :)

[Maryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the slasher genre, you will enjoy this one.

[Matthew Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

He knows his stuff! Some excellent recommendations here too that I can't wait to check out!

[BluMoon Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly informative book on the horror movie classics in cinema. Movie buffs will love this one. Spans from 1920s until today.