An analysis of the cinematic techniques used in American slasher horror films

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the various cinematic techniques used in the American slasher genre, a genre that often gets a bad reputation and is commonly disregarded as being only a ‘gorefest’. While gore is indeed a prevalent theme of the slasher, the genre effectively makes use of techniques that heighten the levels of fear and anxiety of the audience. This dissertation will seek these techniques from the two aspects of film – the sound and the visual side. The analysis will mainly feature three films (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Halloween (1978) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)) which mark the early formation of the genre, its creation and its peak before an unfortunate downfall.