Codes and Conventions Of Slasher Horror

Slasher Horror -  is a sub genre that revolves around a psychopathic killer is at times considered a thriller film as it typically involves a mysterious psychopathic killer stalking and killer a group of victims. The theory of Todrov Propp is that there is a range of stock characters in Slasher Horror films. This is a typical convention seen in these slasher horror films. For example My Bloody Valentine.

These characters include:
The Monster/Killer
The Group Of Friends
The Sexually Active Female
The Final Girl 
The Benefactor 


The Final Girl- is a character that is used mostly in mainstream films such as Sidney in Scream. The Final girl is the sole survivor of a group of victims and they are usually the main protagonist.

Conventions Of A Final Girl-
They are usually sensible and are seen as 'innocent' at first as they don't participate in illegal activities but their confidence starts building up as she defeats the monster/killer in the end and is the sole survivor out of her group of friends. The costume the final girl typically wears is plain/boring clothing however she is usually associated with the popular crowd. 

The Monster/Killer- The killer is usually masked until the final scene of the film and so their identity is often unknown. For example Scream's antagonist.

Conventions Of A Killer:
The killer is usually a man and the victim's are usually linked to the killer and these aren't just random killings. The usually carry hand held weapons such as a knife or a chainsaw. They are usually masked and they aren't revealed until the end. The killer sometimes has an accomplice that helps them with the killings. 



There are other frequently used characters in the film such as the jock. the cheerleader and the token black guy. The popular kids are usually the first to get slaughtered. The group of friends are usually young, attractive and are still in high school. 

The Sexually Active Girl:
This is usually the first female to be slaughtered and they tend to be killed during sexual acts and they tend to be blond, 'attractive' and are usually associated with the popular crowd in school. 

The Benefactor: 
They tend to be an adult who helps the final girl and they usually are a man. 

Location: Slasher horror are usually located in the woods or a suburban area as both locations are very quiet. Also the target audience for their films tend to live in suburban area which creates fear for the audience because they believed that their area was safe before.