What is the cultural function of slasher films - Essay Example

The societal issues tackled in slasher films can be quite varied indeed and the issues will project, criticize and open up for debate whatever it is that concerns society at the moment. Along this line, slasher films do serve a cultural purpose by expressing peoples fears and anxieties. Slasher films serve their cultural function of portraying the worst fears of the people such as those dealing with serial killers, sadistic murderers and incorrigible criminals. People go to theaters to see these films and expect some sort of poetic justice meted out to criminals that somehow vindicate the existence of slasher films.

The graphic portrayal of the slaying, usually accomplished with a torture tool like a knife, chainsaw, hammer or whatever that will prolong death and impose the most agony and pain to the victims are intended to satiate the audience cravings for the macabre, the violent, the suspense and to show the mentality of the psychopathic killer and the mindsets of the victims as shown on these films. Slasher films in a way allow people to question social norms and their own personal values as they see it.

The previous paragraphs introduced the rationale of why slasher films serve an aim in todays culture. A lot of people question why such “shallow” films are patronized by these moviegoers when there is already a hackneyed plot or storyline in these films, predictable to a degree but still people go and see them when they almost instinctively knew already what will happen in the film. The answer is that these “mad slasher” films are in the category of the so-called exploitation films which are considered money-makers despite having a poor storyline.

People want to be entertained and movie producers latched unto these genre of films because they are proven to make them money at the box office as these are low-budget films. It it not a surprising development