Peeping Tom is the First Slasher Horror Movie Brought to the Big Screen
While I was thinking about Companion, a horror Sci — Fi movie that reminded me of a slasher, I started to wonder when the first slasher horror movie was released. I decided to search it up online, and I freaked out when I saw this particular slasher was available on Tubi to watch for free.
The film is called Peeping Tom, and was released in 1960. The film is about a man named Mark Lewis, who is a serial killer. He works in a film studio, and uses his skills to create a documentary based on the fear of his victims. He kills women throughout the film, using his love of filmmaking to his advantage, to lure his victims, and to film their deaths.
He meets a woman named Helen, a kind neighbor who he becomes quite close with. The clock starts to tick as his hidden persona is slowly leading to his downfall, due to the bond he forms with the innocent Helen.
I think this story is a brilliant way to begin the generation of slasher films.
Mark is a terrifying slasher, but you also can’t help but sympathize with him, because he was made into a killer. His father was the reason behind his obsession of filming with his camera, and he continued to film Mark throughout his whole life. I felt so bad for Helen's character, because it really looked like she was starting to fall for Mark in her own way.
I think she would have wanted a life with him too.
She understood him in ways no other person did, and she had so much patience
when it came to the sneak peeks of his dark side. Mark eventually gives in to showing his killer
persona to Helen. I was honestly so scared during this part of the film, wondering if Mark was actually
going to go through with her murder. He then makes the decision to end his own life, to spare the
woman he cared for.
I watched in utter sadness as Helen clung to Mark’s body, before the police arrived at the scene,
ending the film.
Can you believe this film is the reason why we have so many iconic horror franchises
and standalone slasher films?
Whoever thought that a man who uses a camera to record his murders would lead to such
success within the slasher horror genre? It's also so cool that the film decided to take on a
psychological feel with our main character. Following a killer as the main character can be a tough
point of view to pull off, and while some horror films do struggle with this kind of viewpoint,
this film does a damn good job of portraying a killer as our protagonist.
I loved how we got to see both sides of his character, and it made me feel all kinds of emotions
as I watched this film. From the good side we see of Mark, it made me feel sad, knowing that he
could have been a good man who would have had a possible future with Helen. It's a great and
well-executed psychological film that has the audience follow Mark as our main character, a
protagonist that many audiences wouldn't expect to watch as the main lead.
This film reminded me so much of another horror film called Maniac.
I'm planning to talk about that movie one day in the future.
It was released in the year 1980, and released a lot of controversy for the scary deaths that occur
throughout the film.
Peeping Tom is the reason why we now have so many
similar films that lean toward this particular point of view!
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