In September, let’s celebrate the slasher with a film challenge.
In August, I focused a bit on anthologies, and I decided to continue with a theme for September — slashers. The slasher is one of my favorite subgenres; I love when the stories get creative or graphic with the kills. The tropes, like having a final girl, are fun. The cast of slasher films are typically attractive, so there’s plenty of eye candy to go around. And it’s enjoyable trying to uncover the mystery of the killer. Even bad slashers can be a good time, delivering unintentional laughs.
So for September, I’ll be playing a game. The rules for the game are simple.
THE RULES
- You can watch a slasher movie you’ve seen before, but not if you’ve watched it in the last six months.
- You cannot do the same task more than 2x in a row. Otherwise, repeat tasks as often as you like!
- A movie can only count for one task.
- Words in the title like “The” “A” and “An” don’t count. Unless you’re REALLY stuck…
- You can watch as many or as little movies as you want. The point is to enjoy some slashers, hopefully ones you’ve never seen before!
- All films must be “slashers”, unless the task says otherwise (e.g., any movie from the Slasher wikipedia page).
As for the tasks, I came up with 20 of them. I created a decision wheel for the challenge – spin the wheel and do whatever task it lands on. Or, go through the list in whatever way you prefer (as long as you follow rule #2!)
THE TASKS
- A movie released in the year you were born. If there’s no slasher that year, pick the next closest year.
- A movie that starts with the same letter as your first name. If there’s no slasher for that letter, go onto the next letter.
- A foreign movie/set in a different country from where you live.
- The highest rated slasher you can find on streaming.
- The lowest rated slasher you can find on streaming.
- A movie that a friend recommends.
- A slasher from the classical era (1974–1993).
- A slasher from the self-referential era (1994–2000).
- A slasher from the neoslasher cycle (2000–2013).
- Any movie (even if not a slasher) mentioned in the Slasher film wikipedia entry.
- Any movie listed in the American slasher film wikipedia entry.
- A movie from a subgenre that influenced slasher films: Giallo.
- A movie from a subgenre that influenced slasher films: Splatter.
- An SOV (shot on video) slasher.
- A remake or a reboot, or a movie that was later remade/rebooted.
- A slasher that doesn’t have a sequel.
- A movie that begins with a letter from the word SLASHER.
- A movie from the 70s.
- A movie from the 80s.
- A movie that takes place in the woods.
On Letterboxd?
I made a Letterboxd list for the challenge. If you’re on Letterboxd, please consider making a list, and tag it Slasher September so we can find each other. Leave a comment on my list with a link to yours, and I’ll include it in mine.
If you’re not on Letterboxd, that’s okay. I’ll be tweeting too, using the hashtag #SlasherSeptember.
Since this is my first Letterboxd challenge, I don’t really expect anyone to join me, but I figured I’d try!
Wheel Link: https://shar.es/abY9U6 | Letterboxd List: https://letterboxd.com/rachelbea/list/slasher-september/