Slasher Lore Is Way Deeper Than You Think | Monstrum

[@janeyrevanescence12]

Actually, John Carpenter spoke out against the whole "sex gets you killed" in Halloween during an interview he gave. What got the victims killed isn't that they were having sex or doing drugs or drinking. It's that they weren't paying attention to their surroundings. Laurie survived because she was babysitting, a job where you are required to pay attention to what's going on in case you need to get your young charges out of danger. However, other directors took it and ran with it.

[@seanmcdougall9497]

Well we need to give Debra Hill props for that since she was the one who babysat in her youth.

[@TheFemSpec]

I don’t think it’s an intentional choice. I think it’s more like, “OK I want these kids to be distracted by something they shouldn’t really be doing when they ought to be paying attention; what shouldn’t they be doing? Oh yeah, having sex, drinking, swearing, partying etc.” It’s a matter of whatever our social norms are in that time. Directors and screenwriters aren’t often conscious of why they hit upon a certain inspiration, the ideas just come because that’s the culture they’re living in. It’s what they know. And what their audience will recognize.

[@LuxuryPossum]

@@seanmcdougall9497 I always image Debra Hill's contribution to the script was all the realistic Teen girl dialogue, Halloween's secret sauce! Without it, we would just be left with John Carpenter's pulp tough guy dialogue, which works great for Assault on Precinct 13, but would sound much less natural coming from High School girl characters.

[@paulvoorhies8821]

They were making love while…..

[@gwendalynnwatkins1296]

​@@TheFemSpecKind of like if it was made today, the babysitter would be scrolling Instagram and sending snaps instead of paying attention to the kid they're supposed to be watching

[@youremakingprogress144]

I love the costume changes that reflect the changes in era.

[@pbsstoried]

Thank you! You know I always go extra on the wardrobe 🖤-*Dr.Z*

[@NatasKrad]

Bottom line... "Horror films are like boot camp for the psyche. In real life, human beings are packaged in the flimsiest of packages, threatened by real and sometimes horrifying dangers, events like Columbine... but the narrative form puts these fears into a manageable series of events. It gives us a way of thinking rationally about our fears." - Wes Craven

[@panteralaz1]

Did I go see this on the PBS App when I first learned about it? Yes. Am I absolutely thrilled to see it again on You tube? Also, Yes. Super fun and well done. :D

[@pbsstoried]

Glad you enjoyed it! We had a lot of fun making it.-*Dr. Z*

[@christianvincentcostanilla8428]

Try make a video : 1980s was the golden age of horror movies 80s when the slashers and monsters and Stephen King ruled the box office

[@mrb3405]

I'm not a big fan of slashers, but I am a big fan of great scholarship. Your videos never fail to meet that benchmark.

[@pendragon2012]

I always remember the Ghost Whisperer episode when a ghost likes to scare people with their worst fears re-enacted through movie scenes. He figures out Melinda hates slasher movies and says to her, "Those movies are usually about abandonment. Who abandoned you, Melinda? Who left you alone in the dark?' Great video as always, Dr. Z, even if it's not the usual monster lore! 🙂

[@sapphirejade5029]

Wait wait wait! You said Ghost Whisperer?! OMG! I'm not the only one who watched that series, right?! I loved that series. Got to watch the reruns when I was a teen.

[@pendragon2012]

@@sapphirejade5029 I enjoyed it for the most part. Kind of wish they'd kept it going.

[@willhuey]

@@sapphirejade5029 oh yeah an episode that was really creepy was the episode where Melinda saw the spirit of a child with her mouth sewn shut

[@miguelmaia4320]

I love that you mentioned Ghost Whisperer. Not only it stars JLove Hewitt aka Julie James but it's also such a feel good show, despite of its central theme of death and fear. This episode in particular is a lovely homage to these slasher films. I love when people recall this show because I miss it so much and think that they should totally reboot it. There's also a large community of people that hope for it to come back. I found people showing love on facebook and on tiktok. i'm from Brazil and a huge fan.

[@erikfinkel2717]

I love Jennifer Love Hewitt, but I've never seen it. Too busy getting into mischief during my high school week in shenanigans

[@chadestioco]

I can't tell when you transition from actual movie clips to your custom-made slasher excerpts. Props to the production team! :)

[@PhantomBugler]

Dr. Zarka rockin' the Laurie Strode cosplay. 👌

[@pbsstoried]

Yay! You noticed!-*Dr.Z*

[@TheSlasherJunkie]

Here I thought it was Ash Williams

[@christianvincentcostanilla8428]

Try horror movies 1980s : 80s it's when the slashers and monsters and Stephen King ruled the box office

[@christianvincentcostanilla8428]

The first horror movie 1896 a haunted castle

[@TheFallenAdonael]

I highly recommend the book “final girl support group” by Grady Hendrix. It’s entire premise begins and centers around survivors PTSD and how they cope. The survivors are final girls themselves, with references to pop culture slashers.

[@skollrum]

Outfits were great, but the audio shift during 70s narration was perfection.

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

The fact that in the 80's slashers featured teens without adult supervision, mirrored most Gen-Xers' lived experience. We laughed at the Brady Bunch as completely unrealistic.

[@TheFemSpec]

This^

[@paulvoorhies8821]

Why do you think we were watching these films at age 12 or 13?? Do you think WE were being supervised??

[@xerothedarkstar]

​@@paulvoorhies882112 or 13? You must've had strict parents lol. I'd seen "Heavy Metal", Ralph Bakshi's "The Wizards", "Night of the Living Dead" and "Hellraiser" before I could read. I enjoyed being raised feral.

[@paulvoorhies8821]

@@xerothedarkstar I watched a lot of movies on HBO and video. That was my first R-rated theater. I did see Jaws when I was 6, but that was PG.

[@ericthompson3982]

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Most affirming slasher movie ever.

[@andrewshaughnessy5828]

One of my all-time faves!

[@ericthompson3982]

@@andrewshaughnessy5828 Likewise!

[@arirenzi-surprenant]

As a huge horror fan and nerd I appreciated Dr. Z dressing up like Lorie from Halloween, which while it isn’t the first slasher, it has cemented so many tropes into pop culture, and gave us a kick ass final girl.

[@Dickie72002]

This series is criminally under appreciated!

[@sapphirejade5029]

Love Monstrum! The series has been helping me for a long time with my art and writing.

[@seanmcdougall9497]

This might be a stretch for Monstrum; but I would love to see you tackle the subject of the "apocalypse". You could go the Science Fiction rout (The Omega Man, Threads, Children of Men), the Biblical rout (The Prophecy, The Omen, Hereditary), or even both like the original Ghostbusters. Great work as always, nice to see PBS producing something "hip".

[@tytesseract]

Threads was genuinely horrifically chilling when it was released - given the current global geopolitical situation everyone who hasn't seen it should watch it imho

[@aedes947]

"Threads" wasn't really science fiction like The Omega Man. More like a speculation to raise awareness of what would be the aftermath of a nuclear war. It's a depressing film

[@Sarcasticron]

Try Frank Peretti books (pre-Left Behind). A lot of kids were brought up in churches where they believed - or at least told the children - that these stories were real. Doing yoga would invite demons into you. People were doing seances to invite demons to attack your church. You could catch demons from thrift store clothing. And the media and the evil government were conspiring with the devil and the apocalypse was coming soon. For real. Many people still believe all of this is literally true.

[@erikfinkel2717]

One my favorite scenes in all of Cinematic History is when Ghostbusters Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore talk religion and the end of the world. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3yZmXxqZ5iamdk

[@mgriego8713]

Dr. Emily Zarka's expert analysis on the 10 Unspoken Rules of Slasher Movies is a masterclass! Her insightful breakdown delivers a fascinating blend of horror history, cultural context, and cinematic insight that's essential viewing for genre enthusiasts.

[@pbsstoried]

Thank you so much!-*Dr. Z*

[@theobrominator]

Just watch “The Cabin in the Woods”. It’s practically a slasher primer as the genre tropes are part of the plot.

[@trevinbeattie4888]

That’s a Lovecraftian horror film; I wouldn’t put it in the slasher category.

[@jinxcrafter]

​@@trevinbeattie4888 I would argue it falls into /both/ categories

[@theobrominator]

@@trevinbeattie4888 they’re not mutually exclusive. Genre blending is much more common than we realize.

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

As a budding cosmic horror fan who "doesn't like slasher movies", I really appreciate this recommendation in the comments! I was never sure what this movie was "about". Gonna go check it out tonight ✌

[@lamecasuelas2]

Dr. Emily might no be last girl, but she's definetelly Best girl

[@-Thauma-]

She is! ❤️😍

[@gregoryvn3]

Accurate

[@nikoteardrop4904]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn't gorey by any reasonable definition. There's more blood in Psycho. It's just that damn good putting the viewer into the situation.

[@Myself-yf5do]

Dreams in mythology would be a good topic for Fate and Fabled. Now that they've done trees, the sun, cats, music, and tricksters, they should do dreams.

[@darlenefraser3022]

Great idea!

[@Beryllahawk]

Oneiroi please!

[@jamesmarshall6619]

Watching a slasher with the right audience also enhances the experience. I remember watching Nightmare On Elm Street 4 and 5 in the theaters and how excited the crowd was when Freddy hit the screen. I was probably way too young to be seeing those movies but I loved it. Of course the opposite is watching a slasher movie with an audience who is not as enthralled like when I went to see In A Violent Nature. There were only 9 of us in the theater and there were three kills where I laughed....and realized I was the only one laughing and thought to myself "Wow, I really am a deranged person."

[@TheBlueEyeBoy]

Dead ass watching terrified 3 in theaters on opening day was one of the best movie watching experiences I’ve ever had, along with an anniversary screening of the original Scream

[@CaitlinSmith-s1j]

I love that you showed the book, :the final girl support group" book. I love it so much

[@blue_champignon5738]

I'd love an analysis of camp in horror movies for next year's Halloween special! Like all the B-Movie monsters, all the weird low budget movies out there, and how communities form around these "bad" movies

[@tytesseract]

100% second this suggestion, it would be a huge project though ...

[@teresaellis7062]

I noticed and appreciated the costume changes to denote the decade the different eras were in. It helps that I lived through the time periods and so recognize the clothing styles. 😁😁

[@richewilson6394]

The story behind nightmare on elm Street is actually based on true story. That a bunch of immigrants from Cambodia Hannah that had just suffered immense trauma escaping from genocide in the area in which they came from had suffered massive heart attacks through having night terrors related to something from their culture of a creature of a woman that attacks them. I can't remember what. But definitely something to look into is called bedtime stories is where I saw it here on KZbin that talked about it.

[@janeyrevanescence12]

It was Cambodia. The immigrants were survivors of Pol Pot's Cambodian genocide and developed PTSD so severe they were having nightmares every night. These nightmares were so bad that they refused to sleep and they ended up having cardiac arrests and even dying.

[@jso6790]

Oh wow, Doctor Zarka! You had so much fun doing this and I had fun watching it, especially the costume (clothes) change reenactments (and obviously the content, too, as always!)

[@pbsstoried]

Thank you! We truly had a blast. The clothes swap was my idea 🥰-*Dr.Z*

[@Fire_Score_Maximum]

Since you did Slender-man and Sirenhead, I’m curious to see your take on mascot horror especially the Five Nights At Freddy’s franchise.

[@grzegorzlewandowski3859]

Mascot horror as a trend could ba an incredible topic

[@marinafernandez8934]

I love to see PBS is still making amazing media ❤

[@kimberlywolfenheart4275]

Being educated by Dr. Z is such a joy.

[@sapphirejade5029]

SO true! It's exciting!!😊

[@lecygne]

As a huge horror fan, the outfits made me cheer out loud multiple times.

[@pbsstoried]

I’m so glad you noticed!!!-*Dr.Z*

[@lecygne]

​@pbsstoried Come on, you can't start with Laurie and expect that to be missed! Love the entire show. I'm out of academia, but appreciate the love you and the entire team show for monsters and the serious examination of the culture and history of Horror. Happy Halloween!

[@XRaym]

Tucker & Dale VS evil and The Cabin in the Wood would have been nice exemple of post-modern / subverting expetations / self-conscious slashers :P

[@nicolejimenez4525]

Thank you Dr. Z for this analysis of the slasher genre! My horror heart appreciates it a lot! Well, I have always been watching PBS, specially Storied since I'm studying my Masters in English Education but this? This is for my pleasure 😎❤️

[@EazySCT]

Happy Halloween, Dr Z. Thanks for all your work on the channel over the years. Cheers to many more!

[@ojmcclanahan689]

There are people in the horror fandom that are in outright denial that Freddy Krueger was pervert and a pedophile before the parents of Springwood burned him to death. There's all sorts of innuendo and subtext through the entire Elm Street franchise that clearly indicates that killing those kids wasn't the only thing he done to them. Some people just won't accept it though.

[@KMRobertson]

I realize this is probably just a bit trivial, but I was surprised you didn't mention that the actress who plays the main victim in Halloween is the daughter of the actress who played the main victim in Psycho.

[@wesleybush8646]

Jamie Lee Curtis, her father, and her mother are such major cultural figures of the twentieth century that it was too obvious. Anyone alive in that period would instantly know. It's like mentioning that Jamie Lynn Spears has a sister who had success in music.

[@bretscofield]

This was amazing and great. I've never been a fan of the genre, but I love the academic deep dive still.

[@imperialbeautee]

I really enjoyed the film Escape Room because not only did it have two final people but a male and a black female which is quite rare in most well known slasher/horror films. Although it seems to be changing little by little.

[@TomFJC]

Great video. Thank you to all involved.

[@pbsstoried]

You’re very welcome! We had a lot of fun making it.-*Dr. Z*

[@younghan3573]

Financially speaking, Hollywood loves a good horror franchise. It's relatively cheaper than your multi hundred million dollar tent pole film to make, and makes a profit.

[@Artretha]

I love how your outfits change throughout the video to reflect the fashion of each era, Emily. Good move! 💖

[@TheInvisibleMan-06]

Wow, that edit at the end was phenomenal! Great job guys. Also, I’d like to know who does the art for these videos, particularly because I want a full piece of The Invisible Man in that style, your video about the Universal Monsters stuck with me and I loved the art style of those monsters, and I really want to see a full piece for The Invisible Man, and pieces for each of the other monsters too

[@toca-thatonecrazyaunt4102]

Seeing Dr. Z in her very own ‘slasher movie’ ?!?!?! 🧡🖤 Made my Halloween complete in a way I did not realize I needed! You keep going to next level awesome, Dr. Z! Thank you!

[@mustardsfire22]

Black Christmas is such an underrated film. Really glad to see it included so much here. Bob Clark was one of the underrated greats at horror direction and so creative too. It's wild that he went on to have his most famous movie be A Christmas Story.

[@jevinday]

I'm so glad you mentioned Behind the Mask: the Rise of Leslie Vernon, i thought that movie was awesome! I loved how it existed in the same world as freddy, jason, and all those killers. He says in the movie that they're like his inspiration, i thought it was a unique take on a slasher film

[@shaider1982]

Can't wait the pitch meeting and Honest trailer for this.

[@pbsstoried]

Analyzing the tropes of the horror subgenres genre is TIGHT!

[@Democlis]

And watching this video for research will be easy, barelly an invonveniance.

[@shaider1982]

​@@pbsstoried wowowow👍🏻🤣

[@teasorceryr3633]

Bravo, this was fantastic! I was 14 when Halloween came out and slashers are part of my adolescent DNA! Note also that when VHS appeared in the mid 80s, most of what was available to rent were horror films, so even if it wasn’t your thing. (I’m a 60 yo woman)

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

So I wasn't imagining it when we went to Blockbuster! Soooooooooo many slasher and horror movies (that I was, as a millenial kid, not allowed to watch, lmao)

[@austintrousdale2397]

Rule 11: Usually tied to a specific date, holiday or event/occasion. The timing of the slasher’s spree or prominent in his origin story. But overall, nice work 👍👏 🙏✌️

[@Jfleshman1209]

I saw A Nightmare on Elm Street when it came out in 84. I didn't sleep good for at least a week.

[@Tob1Kadach1]

Slashers are my favourite subgenre of Horror films. Great video and just in time for Nos Galan Gaeaf too 🎃

[@thomaswilson1016]

Horror evolves every decade to reinforce and contextualize our most basic fears. We can learn from the horror genre lessons about confront the chaos and darkness around and inside of us. Knowing is half the battle. And thank you Dr. Zarka and your guests. You have really great taste in cosplay.

[@warrenbradford2597]

The history behind slasher lore is fascinating. The slasher genre just keeps becoming more and more popular.

[@Jeremy-se2de]

Costume work and acting in this one is amazing. You all really leaned into this so hard. Dr. Zarka: Final Girl!

[@EryxUK]

As much as I enjoy horror movies, I've never really enjoyed the Slasher genre, outside of the original Halloween. Something about them never makes sense in my head. Great video as always though.

[@N33k5]

I love that Happy Death Day got some love even if it was brief, I feel like it is horribly underrated and maybe the reason I feel that is, because, it dropped around my birthday but, it is still super cool.

[@badbabybear1]

Great video. As a PBS and horror fan, this was a pleasant surprise. Love Behind the Mask finally getting some attention! Clever and unique slasher.

[@roxasxley]

This video is amazing to me because the more recent stuff explains a turn I hadn't realized since the late '90s.

[@bretts7072]

Such an awesome episode! I recently marathoned all the Scream movies and love the meta commentary on Slashers!

[@mirahxo_]

30:51 OMG I gasped when I saw witch creek road mentioned!!!

[@mystiquedarkholm3818]

SAME!!!!!A

[@Queen1001N]

It’s interesting how Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None fits a lot of these rules. 1. The book uses more of the third person narration, though we do get the killer’s explanation at the end. 2. In the book, ten people are lured to a house on a small island. 3. The killer is human. 4. I think the killing spree is pretty self-explanatory from the title. 5. Mr. Owen does stalk his victims, but admittedly, most of this was done before the guests arrive. He knows where one of his victims spent her holiday two years ago. 6. The guests aren’t young adults, but they are not a random assortment either. They all have something terrible lurking in their past… 7. This one isn’t true in a literal sense, but the killer does wear a metaphorical mask. Surprisingly, this is also true of some of the guests. As the bodies pile up, the mask of decorum slips away and they become almost animalistic. 8. The killer doesn’t use many slashing weapons (except for one) so it’s not much of a slasher. 9. (Spoiler) There is a final girl. 10. It’s not very gory compared to modern movies, but that doesn’t mean the deaths are described pleasantly. Only one victim can be described as having a peaceful end.

[@renecorrea892]

I would like all these chapters to be in the future seasons of Monstrum. *Sea Serpents *Leviathan *The Headless Horseman ✅ *Phantom Vehicles *Boogeyman *Ghosts *Possessed Dolls ✅ *Shadow People *Undead *Goblins *Bigfoot ✅ *Man-Eating Plants ✅ *Creepy Clowns ✅ *Killer Robots *Swamp Monsters *The Mummy ✅️ *Living Scarecrows *The Invisible Man *Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde *Merfolk *Demons *Skeletons *Stingy Jack *Gnomes *Sea Monsters that attacked Submarines *Alien Abductions ✅ *Ogres *Ghouls *Lich *Cyborgs ✅ *Witches *Cthulhu ✅ *The Rake *Revenants *Vampires *Dagon *Ogopogo *Colossal Claude *Spectral Carriages *Kappa *Flatwoods Monster *The Flying Dutchman *El Charro Negro *La Santa Compaña *Davy Jones & the Undead Pirates *Mutants *Beast People of Dr. Moreau *The Picture of Dorian Gray *Haunted Houses *Jiangshi ✅ *Ahuizotl *Gremlins

[@Imperiused]

I love the little slasher scenes you filmed!

[@daymanAAAAHHHH]

OMG I love the scenes made with Emily!

[@winterlighthome]

GenX here. I have always hated horror movies and slashers. I didn't even watch them in my teen years in the late 80s and early 90s when all of my classmates flocked to them. HOWEVER, there are 2 exceptions I stumbled across in adulthood: The Cabin in the Woods and Shaun of the Dead. I gave Cabin a chance when I could watch it for free because I'm into Bradley Whitford and heard it "wasn't really a horror movie". The Cabin in the Woods is brilliant and hilarious. Genius movie! Whitford and Chris Hemsworh's characters are esp. great. And, I 100% agree with the final decision. It's the most ridiculous nonslasher slasher movie. So hilarious. It's a trope busting must watch. Shaun of the Dead? I mean, come on. Finest Brit comedy. It's a comedy with a side of gore. Clever comedy with likeable, silly characters and some zombies.

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

As a millenial who is also not a fan of slashers or zombie movies, I gotta agree that Shaun of the Dead was WAY too much fun. Also Zombieland. I'll have to give Cabin in the Woods a shot too, now, thank you! It would be nice to add an answer to slasher movies like how Shaun and Zombieland answer zombie movies.

[@Saimeren]

Another fantastic video Doc. I loved the set and the outfit changes too.

[@MrAlman8]

A great performance Dr Z! Both in your research & the slasher sketch. I can definitely envision more changes for the future of the Slasher genre. Resulting in new creative ways to tell such tales. Happy Halloween!

[@Seanix9867]

Love the longer video style, would be awesome to see more deep dives into genres like this

[@pbsstoried]

I’m with you! We love these longer format videos.-*Dr.Z*

[@amancalleddanger]

I would like to see a follow up to this video discussing the rise of Slasher novels in the market today. Examples being Stephen Graham Jones (I Was A Teenage Slasher) and Oyinkan Braithwaite (My Sister The Serial Killer). They're diversifying everything from a diverse group of people, and the stories are relatable and awesome.

[@xxGothrd]

And why *FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S IS SO AWESOMELY SUCCESSFUL!!* My new favorite slasher definitely Purple Guy aka William Afton!!! Has a weapon, wears a mask, countless victims, creative kills, is adorable hehe 😍💜🐇

[@SoulstrikerV]

And then The Cabin in the Woods poked fun at the established horror checklist, dealing the ultimate punishment to the characters for not following said checklist. 😂

[@WelcometoMovieHell]

These Halloween specials are always so great!

[@ThePhantomSafetyPin]

"And the worst part is, Dr. Z, you taught KZbin viewers about Slashers, and you still let me get you into a dark alley... alone." Fantastic work and a great retrospective.

[@michaelboucher1023]

Excellent work as always!!! There’s a wonderful boardgame franchise titled Final Girl where you play one of several Final Girls against different killers and settings inspired by slasher films.

[@robertearhart4316]

Another great video, thanks! I've never really been into much horror, but I can definitely appreciate the draw for people and the enjoyment derived from this genre of film and storytelling.

[@ollieno971]

Omg black Christmas and Texas chainsaw massacre are my two favorite horror movies!! I knew they both came out in 1974 but I didn’t know they came out the same day!! That’s awesome!

[@damianhbk1]

I absolutely love your Laurie Strode look! Well done! 💯

[@stoney-51999]

This video was AMAZING. So hoping you guys make more content like this. Instant subscribe!!

[@baroquer]

I still vividly remember the appearance of HALLOWEEN in 1987, when I was an 8th grader A horror epic masterpiece. I was totally BLOWN AWAY on many levels (esp. the music!), something unseen before, back then. It still holds a special place in my heart and memory THANK YOU, Mr. Carpenter

[@elizabethsullivan7176]

In my hometown, London, Ontario, we have an annual "horrorfest" called Shock Stock. Thanks to this, since it's inception in 2011, I've had a chance to meet many horror movie stars. I've met Jason (Kane Hodder), Candyman (Tony Todd), Ed Neal (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Russel Streiner (Night of the Living Dead), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tony Moran (one of several actors who played Michael Myers in 1978's Halloween), and Mitch Pileggi (Horace Pinker, Shocker) In real life they are the sweetest and friendliest of people. I can hardly wait to find out who comes here next year.

[@monicaenns9967]

Tucker and Dale vs Evil was a fun subverted slasher movie still with a final girl. They're just 2 hick guys working on their (cheap cause no wants the murder) cabin with some heavy machinery that you should be careful with (you could loose a limb). And some college kids that think they know everything

[@ahr355]

Great video and great timing. Time for a Halloween horror movie fest with friends now! 👻

[@daniellozano8812]

Loved this episode ! I've enjoyed Slashers since I was young boy . I really never thought rules slashers explained ever, This was a great insight of Slashers, I will at them differently now. Still will enjoy the crap of them, Your Born to be " A Star " And I still think Jason is the King of Slashers

[@marklaurenzi1609]

Great video, Dr. Z!

[@jonathanray4987]

Glad I’m catching this !!!!

[@sarahbray9722]

I am loving the outfit changes coinciding with the different decades

[@KevinHorecka]

My wife and I were discussing tonight the topic of pregnancy and horror tropes. Would love a video on that topic! Not sure how to request topics. Love y'all's videos!

[@anthonyfrench3169]

I really enjoyed seeing everyone have fun with this one!!

[@mwangangimaina1445]

This was very well done!

[@misuteri8373]

hey Doctor Z, did you like your own Slasher scenes? It seems like you had fun there

[@pbsstoried]

We truly had the best time!-*Dr.Z*

[@marinasergeeva144]

Absolutely love your videos! Your thoughtful insights are so deep and go beyond classic explanations of all sorts of scary things. Btw could you do one on strigoi? They are a quintessential vampire-type monsters and have a millennia-long history. Thanks in advance)

[@choryferguson2196]

Dr. Z as Final Girl is *cheffs kiss*

[@treehouse318]

one of the best I've seen during the spooky season, thank you!💀💙🎃

[@prowolf633]

I long to see more diverse final girls in slashers! Girls of Color, different body types, possible lgbtq+ identities, disabilities, anything (same applies for final guys as well!)

[@ishotmyboss]

Terrifier 2 has a girl with wings.

[@TheFemSpec]

Slowly coming 🤞

[@borislugosi54]

Considering horror films are and have been made internationally from all different countries and cultures, there are

[@yahikokurotama4351]

There are especially in you add in tv shows and media outside of your country. A final girl that’s different from the Halloween goody type and the newer tries too hard to be badass is all that’s needed her being gay and Samoan should just be a thing not her whole identity

[@FelixIakhos]

As alluded to before this is probably because of the target audience. The films intend to have you feel the fear of the character by identifying with them as much as possible. This is why American slasher films primarily feature regular white people, why Indian slasher films feature Indian people, and so on. You probably only watch films from within your own sphere which creates the perception that that is all which exists. What you really mean to say is american-made films featuring black, Asian , Indian people as and so on as protagonists. I personally don't particularly see the added value of making these characters LGBTQIA+ unless it is of significance in the plot, but then you could be dealing with tokenism. In many of these films the characters could be queer without changing anything. A disability is a different case, that could make for some really interesting storytelling and tense situations which would have been trivial otherwise.

[@LeeChapman]

Excellent video! Keep ‘em coming, please.

[@tryingtothrive157]

Well done😃😚 Reminds me why I only watch supernatural horror and scifi horror. I actively avoid serial killer, murder types coz it's too close to being real (true crime shows have neverending content).

[@krayzee1227]

Nothing about saw or terrifier? Great video but those are the most popular current slashers. Mentioning the way that ghostface from scream killed drew barrymore for not answering correctly, reminds me of jigsaw, wonder if that's where they got the idea

[@prudentsage]

we should have more climactic endings for video essays like this. It feels so awesome! Feel like rewatching it again for that payoff 🔥

[@Pwn2win]

Dr. Z dished out a golden chainsaw worthy kill with that fan!

[@windlessoriginals1150]

Dr. Z is so great. Thank you.

[@goblin3359]

Academic analysis of Slasher films just in time for Halloween? Yes please! 🎃

[@Pinkranger87]

I like that you’re celebrating the horror movie especially slashers