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Screams rend the night, and splashes of blood, guts, and other grisly substances fly through the twilight air. Faces loom out of the shadows; masked, disfigured, and sometimes terribly alluring. Innocent (and not so innocent) teenagers are torn limb from limb, sliced and diced. Horror washes over the faces of those who watch in awe, the silent spectators that have paid to see the show.

From time immemorial, humans have gathered in macabre masses to watch as people are put to death in the most horrific ways. Families would picnic at the gallows while scores of men were hung; public stonings were attended in throngs. There's something about placing yourself within reach of death that many of us can't seem to resist. It's almost a primal urge.

With that in mind, it is no surprise that slasher movies are such a popular staple in the world. In the United States alone, there are thousands of the films. Movies like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" are not only still revered as classic slashers, but are still spinning of sequels. The "Fred Krueger," "Michael Meyers" and "Jason Voorhees" characters are other examples of the longevity that the genre has sustained.

Looking at the slasher films of today, it is altogether apparent that the industry has changed. Gone for the most part are the ignorant teenagers who run up the stairs instead of out the door. People have gotten so used to the old archetype that writers have to be much more clever when it comes to the capture and butchering of their stars.

"Scream" was one of the first movies in years to truly surprise the audience. Hearkening back to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," "Scream" made a point of showing that no character was safe by killing off a huge film star right off the bat. It is that "anything goes" mentality that is keeping the genre fresh and exciting.

The "Saw" franchise is another example of the industry's attempt to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. Not only is no one safe in the series, but absolutely anything can happen. The scenes are filled with requisite gore and violence, but the plot does a brilliant job of keeping the viewer engrossed when the blood is absent.

What is it about these films that keep bringing us back with the hope of being terrified? Simply that: being terrified.

In this age, as in so many before, there are times in our lives when we are truly scared by reality. Serial killers haunt our streets; incurable diseases threaten our health; global war sits at our doorstep waiting to be let in. These are things we have little to no control over. Death is out there, biding it's time, and it could come at a moment's notice.

Slasher films let us view these horrors, and unimaginable others, from a safe distance. At any time we can get up and leave the theater, or turn the TV off and walk away. These movies present us with mortality in such a way that we are allowed to feel the fear that surrounds us every day, and then leave it behind us. We experience our own mortality in the eyes of the young woman being ravaged by beasts, from the perspective of the killer who holds her life in his hands, yet we are the ones in control.

As it was eons ago, placing yourself face to face with the mortality of others gives us a sense of relief. This time, it's not us; this time, it's not real. Revel in it while we can, because someday in the not-too-distant future, Death will come calling for each of us. (Hopefully though, it won't come with a chainsaw or any torture devices.)

Learn more about this author, Kristina Grace Gordon.
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