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The success of HALLOWEEN (1978) was a formative moment for the modern slasher movie. Between 1978 and 1984, over 100 slasher movies were produced, many by major Hollywood studios, ushering in the slashers’ Golden Age.
By the end of 1984, audiences were fatigued with the genre, and the televised trailer for SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT was the final nail in the slasher coffin. The grizzly commercial depicted a man dressed as Santa going on a killing spree, and parents turned out in droves to protest the movie, eventually forcing the studio to pull the film from theaters.
The critical reception of SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT had a chilling effect on most major studios’ appetite for slasher films; but the rise of VHS brought life back to the genre. 1984 to 1994 became the slashers’ Silver Age, defined by gory low-fi masterpieces not suitable for public consumption.
This summer, Spectacle invites you to experience six underrated movies over two months from the Golden and Silver Age of Slasher. These films are tailor-made for horror superfans who find themselves intrigued by art that inspires opposition and public outrage.