Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film: 1978-1986.(Book Review)

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film: 1978-1986. Adam Rockoff. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2002.

The slasher film is not taken very seriously among film historians; film critics and even many horror film fans hold it in disdain. Considered the bastard child of the horror film, no other type of film has the bad reputation that the slasher film does. Despite such a reputation, the slasher movie has proved its economic worth at the box office, and its place in popular culture and film history is secure.

The slasher had its genesis in Halloween (1978), directed by John Carpenter. Rockoff rightly devotes a whole chapter to this movie and its influence. Even film critics like Roger Ebert gave this movie a positive review while panning nearly all of Halloween's offspring. The author devotes much attention to lesser-known films as well. While some complain that slasher films all have the same sort of plot, Rockoff points out that although all the films feature a killer, the plot, the filming technique, and the atmosphere are quite different from film to film.

Films said to have no redeeming value are re-examined and studied in more detail. A prime example is William Lustig's Maniac (1981), considered one of the most violent and graphic films ever made. On its release, there was so much controversy that the Los Angeles Times refused to advertise Maniac. However, this censorship backfired as the producers used this to their advantage by advertising on posters: Maniac, the film the Los Angeles Times refuses to advertise. Despite the controversy and vilification of Maniac, the author's rational assessment finds that this film is "well-crafted and visually striking ..." (104).

The slasher film enjoyed much popularity throughout the 1980s because of franchises such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Boogiemen like Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers became American popular icons for teenagers. However, these characters, while horror icons, are so beyond the realm of reality that they are almost comical. In the 1990s, the slasher reinvented itself through more creative movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Halloween H2O, and ...