What does slasher mean?
A slasher is most commonly a horror-film killer who murders victims with a knife or similar weapon, especially in a recurring or seemingly unstoppable slasher film. In such films, the danger is often heightened by the killer’s obscured identity, pursuit of victims, and repeated acts of bloody violence. The word can also stand for the film itself, as in “a slasher movie,” and more narrowly for a person or fictional character who cuts or mutilates others. Less commonly, it denotes a tool or machine designed to make slashes in material. In general conversation, “slasher” is strongly associated with popular horror entertainment and carries the sinister implication of a predatory killer. Although the term may occasionally be used outside discussions of films, it is not a general synonym for murderer: a slasher is distinguished by the use or association of cutting weapons and by the horror-film context in which the word is most familiar.
nounA horror film, especially one in which a killer commits a series of grisly murders with a knife or similar weapon. The term can also refer to such a killer or to a tool or machine designed for making slashes.
- A horror film centered on a killer who commits a series of bloody murders, typically with a knife or similar weapon.
- A person, especially a fictional villain, who cuts or mutilates victims with a knife or other sharp weapon.
- A tool or machine used for making slashes or cutting material.
"The mystery unfolds around a masked slasher terrorizing the resort town."
"The slasher stalks the teenagers while police struggle to identify the killer."
"The grower used a mechanical slasher to prepare the stalks for processing."
Plural is used for multiple killers, films in the genre, or multiple tools of the same kind.
"Two masked slashers terrorize different towns in the same film."
A “slasher” began as a practical name for a cutting tool before fictional killers and the blood-soaked movies that bear their name took over the word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does slasher come from?
The word is an English derivation of “slash” and the agent-forming suffix “-er.” Its earlier applications referred to a person or implement that cuts or makes slits. The modern sense associated with a murderous knife-wielding villain developed from the verb “slash,” and the related sense for horror films followed the genre’s popular use of the term.
How slasher is actually used
As a standalone noun, “slasher” often denotes the killer rather than the film, though it is also used for the genre, especially in phrases such as “slasher film.” It is not a neutral general term for a film containing violence and is more specifically associated with horror cinema.