slasher

American  

[slash-er] / ˈslæʃ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that slashes. slash.

2. a person who criminally attacks others with a knife, razor, or the like.

3. a horror film depicting such a criminal and featuring gory special effects.

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slasher British  

/ ˈslæʃə /

noun

1. a person or thing that slashes

2. a wooden-handled cutting tool or tractor-drawn machine used for cutting scrub or undergrowth in the bush

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Etymology

Origin of slasher

First recorded in 1550–60; slash ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

But like all slasher movies, the killer isn’t dead yet.

From The Wall Street Journal

The more scholarly aspects of “1000 Women in Horror” often pair up with an indignation about how life in slasher films, just as an example, reflects life for women in general.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Scream 7," the latest installment in the 30-year-old slasher series featuring yet another Ghostface killer, held strong in second place at $17.3 million in the United States and Canada, according to Exhibitor Relations.

From Barron's

For three decades, the meta-horror franchise “Scream” has outmaneuvered its fandom with so many convoluted murder motives that the only shocker left would be a straightforward, sincere slasher.

From Los Angeles Times

What better way to show the world a new side of yourself than to play the equally wicked fictional brother of one of modern literature’s most notorious slashers?

From Salon