Chainsaws and bombshells: Brutality and victim sexualization in slasher films,1960–2019

Abstract

This study examines the evolution of slasher films from the 1960s to the present, focusing on their portrayal of violence, brutality, and the sexualization of female victims in relation to shifting societal attitudes toward victimization. By conducting a data-driven content analysis of violence and sexualization trends through the decades, the research fills a gap in the literature on the intersection of cinema, victimology, and culture. The findings reveal that films from the 2000s and 2010s exhibit the highest levels of brutality, while 1980s slasher films are marked by the most explicit sexualization of female victims. These trends are analyzed through the lens of victimology, demonstrating how depictions of female victimization reflect and reinforce societal attitudes toward crime, serial killing, rape culture, and gender dynamics. The study highlights the reciprocal relationship between slasher films and cultural movements, illustrating how filmmakers both shape and are shaped by public perceptions of victimhood. Ultimately, the research argues that slasher films serve as a cultural mirror, revealing shifting views on gender, power, and crime, and offering insights into broader societal concerns about the victimization of women and changing notions of justice and empowerment.