A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools such as knives, chainsaws, scalpels, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as monster movies, splatter films, supernatural and psychological horror films.
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor and director, best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. Classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Englund began his career as a stage actor in regional theatre, and made his film debut in Buster and Billie in 1974. After supporting roles in films in the 1970s such as Stay Hungry, A Star Is Born, and Big Wednesday, Englund had his breakthrough as the resistance fighter Willie in the miniseries V in 1983. Following his performance in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, he became closely associated with the horror film genre, and is widely-regarded as one of its iconic actors.
Heather Elizabeth Langenkamp is an American actress, writer, director, disc jockey, and producer. Although she has acted in many film genres, she is primarily known for her work in horror films, in addition to her work on television sitcoms. Langenkamp has been referred to as a scream queen and was inducted into the Fangoria Chainsaw Hall of Fame in 1995.
Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that comprises twelve slasher films, a television series, novels, comic books, video games, and tie‑in merchandise. The franchise mainly focuses on the fictional character Jason Voorhees, who was thought to have drowned as a boy at Camp Crystal Lake due to the negligence of the camp staff. Decades later, the lake is rumored to be "cursed" and is the setting for a series of mass murders. Jason is featured in all of the films, as either the killer or the motivation for the killings. The original film, created to cash in on the success of Halloween (1978), was written by Victor Miller and was produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham. The films have grossed over $468 million at the box-office worldwide.
Jodelle Micah Ferland is a Canadian actress. She debuted as a child actress at the age of four in the television film Mermaid (2000) for which she won a Young Artist Award and received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, making her the youngest nominee in Emmy history. Her career progressed with roles in the television film Carrie (2002), the horror films They (2002), Tideland (2005), Silent Hill (2006) and Case 39 (2009), and the comedy film Good Luck Chuck (2007). She also led the television series Kingdom Hospital (2004).
Across the Universe is a 2007 American jukebox musical romantic drama film directed by Julie Taymor, centered on songs by the Beatles. The script is based on an original story credited to Taymor, Dick Clement, and Ian La Frenais, and based on the song of the same name by Lennon–McCartney. It incorporates 34 compositions originally written by members of the Beatles. The film stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson and T.V. Carpio, and introduces Dana Fuchs and Martin Luther McCoy as actors. Cameo appearances are made by Bono, Eddie Izzard, Joe Cocker, and Salma Hayek, among others.
James Anthony Sturgess is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His first major role was as Jude in the musical romance drama film Across the Universe (2007). He played the male lead role of Ben Campbell in 21 (2008), Gavin Kossef in Crossing Over (2009), The Way Back (2010), and co-starred in the epic science fiction film Cloud Atlas (2012).
Lucy Walker is an English film director. She has directed the documentaries Devil's Playground (2002), Blindsight (2006), Waste Land (2010), Countdown to Zero (2010), and The Crash Reel (2013). She has also directed the short films The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (2011) and The Lion's Mouth Opens (2014).
David Aldrin Slade is a British film and television director and actor. His works include the films Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Slade is also a director for television, directing episodes for Breaking Bad, Awake, Hannibal, Crossbones, Powers, American Gods and Black Mirror. Before he was a film director, Slade was a director of commercials and music videos.
Lucy Boynton is a British and American actress. Raised in London, she made her professional debut as the young Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter (2006). She starred in television productions Ballet Shoes (2007), Sense and Sensibility (2008) and Mo (2010), making guest appearances on Lewis, Borgia, Endeavour, and Law & Order: UK. Boynton portrayed writer Angelica Garnett on Life in Squares, which aired on BBC. She appeared as an isolated popular girl in The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) and starred as a bold aspiring model in Sing Street (2016), which was met with critical acclaim. She appeared in horror films I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016) and Don't Knock Twice (2016), receiving praise for her performance in the latter.
Kirsten Prout Zien is a Canadian actress. She is known for her lead roles in the ABC Family television shows, portraying Amanda Bloom in Kyle XY and Char Chamberlin in The Lying Game. Her first sizable break in film came in 2005, when she was cast as Abby Miller, a lead role opposite Jennifer Garner in Elektra. In 2007, Prout was nominated for Best Performance in a TV Series by the Young Artists Awards for Kyle XY. In 2010, Prout portrayed the vampire "Lucy" in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. She has guest starred in notable series including NCIS, Psych, Devious Maids,Ties That Bind and Dear White People. Prout is also known for her lead roles in the horror genre, as Alex Bell in the MTV film series My Super Psycho Sweet 16, Jewel McCaul in Joy Ride 3: Roadkill, and Sloane in the 2015 horror indie Even Lambs Have Teeth.
Radu Jude is a Romanian film director and screenwriter.
Taylor Russell McKenzie is a Canadian actress. After playing a number of minor roles, Russell received recognition for starring in the Netflix science fiction series Lost in Space (2018–2021). She rose to prominence for appearing in the drama film Waves (2019), and the horror film Escape Room (2019) and its 2021 sequel. For starring in the road film Bones and All (2022), she won the Marcello Mastroianni Award among other accolades. She made her stage debut with the play The Effect (2023).
Saniyya Sidney is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for three Black Reel Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, an NAACP Image Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Sofia Rosinsky is an American actress, who began her career as a child actress.
Into the Dark is an American horror anthology television series produced for Hulu, with each stand-alone episodic installment based around a different holiday. The first season premiered on October 5, 2018, and consists of twelve feature-length episodes of television films. Into the Dark was renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 4, 2019, and also consists of twelve episodes.
Nikyatu Jusu is an American independent writer, director, producer, editor and assistant professor in film and video at George Mason University. Jusu's works center on the complexities of Black female characters and in particular, displaced, immigrant women in the United States. Her work includes African Booty Scratcher (2007), Flowers (2015), Suicide By Sunlight (2019), and Nanny, which received the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
The Last Man, also known as El último hombre, is a 2019 Argentine-Canadian science fiction film co-written and directed by Rodrigo H. Vila and starring Hayden Christensen, Harvey Keitel, Marco Leonardi, Liz Solari and Rafael Spregelburd.
Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen. It examines the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, the second installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, and the life of the film's lead actor, Mark Patton. In particular, Freddy's Revenge has garnered a reputation for its homoerotic themes and subject material, which affected Patton, who was closeted at the time of the film's production.
Grizzly II: Revenge is a 1983 American action thriller horror film that was not properly released until 2020. It was directed by André Szöts and is a sequel to the 1976 film Grizzly that was directed by William Girdler and David Sheldon. The film is about a giant grizzly named Tawanda, who seeks revenge after her cub was killed by poachers. It stars Steve Inwood, Louise Fletcher, John Rhys-Davies, Deborah Raffin and Deborah Foreman; actors George Clooney, Laura Dern, and Charlie Sheen, who were all relatively unknown at the time, all had small roles in the film.
