I'm going to be honest with you, the Slasher genre is one of my least favorite subgenres of Horror. A lot of the older films tend to be sexist and exploitative, very much a product of its time. They don't really excite me, you know? I don't have a whole lot of fun watching them.
I did try to watch a bunch of slashers, besides the most popular films, to prepare for this post. I didn't really care for them. Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and Child's Play (1988) are fine. I understand their cultural significance. I honestly don't care for Scream (1996), I apologize. I get it, but I'm not a fan.
I could get down with a slasher film if it was really fun. American Psycho is pretty entertaining, Christian Bale is extremely fun to watch. It's not my favorite though! I would love to see a version of that film, but with a woman who's into BDSM or something. She's gorgeous, the top CEO, makes lots of money, but she also like to beat the fuck out of men and kill them. And she's like batshit crazy. That would be fun. "What about Pearl?". I did like that film! Granted, I didn't watch it all the way, lol. I keep catching the end. It's just not my personal favorite.
When it comes to certain horror genres, I like to suspend some of my logic and my beliefs. Just because we consume "problematic" media, doesn't mean it reflects our true morals. These "things" are happening in a fake world, in a fake movie, with fake people. Horror can be used a lot of ways, including shallow, exploitative, gorey films. And that's not everyone's bag, baby. I don't have an issue with blood and violence, I just want to see the playing field get equal. More female serial killers killing naked, sexy men with big tits and asses. Bimbo men running from psycho chicks. I'm not asking for much.
With that being said, if you had asked me this question last year, I would have said the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). I still like this film above every other classic slasher. A dude wearing a mask made out of human flesh, wielding a chainsaw to saw you into pieces? And his family is full of cannibals? And his name is fucking "Leatherface"? And sometimes, Leatherface likes to throw on a little rogue and a dress? That's badass, man.
However, I just watched Sleepaway Camp (1983) and it blew me away. It was really entertaining to me, I have to watch it again. It's campy, wacky, and slightly homoerotic. When I first saw Ronnie Angelo, the camp counselor, the first thing I noticed were his stems and jumbo tits. Good Lord! That dude had some jugs on him!! And some tiny shorts!! This is what I like to see.
 |
| In the yellow... |
Felissa Rose is pretty phenomenal as Angela, she has these big eyes that stare right through you. She just switches on and off so easily, going from expressionless to joyous. The practical and make-up effects were pretty gnarly as well! Kenny and Billy's corpses were fricking creepy, man. The bee infested corpse was crazy. And that bastard cook in the beginning had it coming.
I can understand some of the modern criticisms of this film, some I can't really comment on since I am not transgender. Some people argue that Angela isn't actually transgender, but a victim of circumstance, as she was forced to live as a girl due to her aunt. I did have an issue with how Angela's fathers were portrayed, like being gay was weird or disturbing? The film made it seem like Angela witnessing her fathers being intimate played a part in her murderous intent. I mean, seeing your parents, regardless of any sexual orientation, being intimate can scar any young child. I have to watch the film again!
However, I still enjoyed this film. I can view this film through the lens of someone who isn't transphobic or homophobic, because I am not either of those things. I'm not going to make any rash judgments about gay or transgender people because of this film. Anyways, seeing Angela standing buck naked with that crazy ass expression on her face unnerved me! I already knew of the film's plot twist, as I've seen plenty of horror film ranking lists on YouTube. So, as a result, the ending wasn't a surprise to me! It was still chilling to witness.
So far, Sleepaway Camp is my favorite slasher, with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre following right after! I should watch more films under the subgenre to broaden my mental library. I gotta see if there are more films with female slasher villains in them.
No comments:
Post a Comment