Usually, when people think of slashers, images of a man in the mask with a knife come to mind. However, there is so much more to the horror subgenre than that. Often times, the slasher hunts down a group of people, killing them in unique and haunting ways. There is also often a sole survivor known as the “final girl.” When looking at a slasher film from that perspective, an argument could be made that sci-fi classics like Alien, Predator and Terminator are unique takes on the slasher subgenre, revolutionizing what it means to be a slasher.
These are not straightforward horror movies, blending genre elements from science-fiction and action films, but they are revolutionary approaches to what a slasher could be. Plus, they are not just abiding by the themes often associated with slasher films. They are also bringing in themes more common with science-fiction, leading to a larger discussions about the fears of society at the time of each movies’ release.
Why Alien, Predator & Terminator Are Great Slashers
Out of these three, the first one to come out, Alien, is also the most like a horror movie. While it is set in space and the titular “slasher” is an extra-terrestrial monster, Alien has a classic slasher structure despite the subgenre just kicking off in cinema history. In it, a group of blue-collar workers are hunted down one by one by a near unstoppable killer, the xenomorph. Alien‘s horror elements go beyond its film structure. The alien itself feels at home with horror monsters like the shark from Jaws, for instance.
Along with that, there are gruesome deaths throughout Alien, including the xenomorph birth scene, as well as plenty of filming techniques that feel at home in the horror genre — flashing lights, jump scares, shadow play. On top of all of that, Alien has a scathing anti-capitalist message, highlighting how corporations do not care about their workers.
Both science-fiction and horror are no stranger to making a commentary on the fears of society, which is what Alien does, and it is also what The Terminator does. However, in Terminator’s case, that movie serves as a warning about AI and technology while also raising questions about free will, agency, and fate. Terminator sees a “slasher” stalking his prey; yet, unlike most slashers, the Terminator has his eyes set on one target in particular. While Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger prey on a large ensemble of characters, the Terminator just wants Sarah Connor, but he will kill anyone in his way.
Terminator has other horror elements; although, they are more toned down than Alien. This is in large part due to the movie also being an action-thriller, and those thriller elements go hand in hand with horror. Suspense is a massive player in a thriller or horror film, and that is the case for Terminator as well, especially during the climax. Plus, Sarah Connor, like Ripley from Alien, makes a phenomenal final girl. Despite it all, she survives her nightmare and puts up an incredible fight doing so.
Meanwhile, Predator, lacks a traditional final girl, but it takes on a more traditional slasher structure, like Alien does. In it, the Predator comes to Earth to hunt down humans he deems worthy of his skill. He is honestly more slasher than he is monster, especially given how smart he is and how he approaches his kills. Like Terminator, though, Predator is more than just a sci-fi film or scary movie. It is an action film, too, and it is with these action elements that it gets more difficult to claim that Predator or Terminator are slasher films.
Sci-Fi Took Slashers Up Out of the Suburbs
All three films – Alien, Predator, and Terminator – are genre blends. As such, they are uniquely their own thing, and they take some of the best from their respective genres and twist them in inventive ways. In terms of the horror and sci-fi genres, both are known for making commentaries on society, and by blending them together, this elevates each films warning to society to another level.
The slasher subgenre, for instance, often deals with themes of some sort of intruder or outsider disrupting the comfort of what was once thought to be a safe space. Suburbia, a summer camp, school, and even dreams have all been used as settings for classic slasher films. Along with that, these films can often be metaphors for how trauma can resurface and create a cycle of hurt and violence, as is the case for A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th.
Meanwhile, science-fiction is a genre that often points at the massive flaws of consumerism and capitalism, as seen in the recent Mickey 17. It is also a genre that often raises questions about agency and humanity through robotic avatars, as seen in the classic Blade Runner and the 2025 hit film Companion. Where horror is often a reflection of current fears in society, science-fiction can build off these fears and act as a warning for the future – or, even worse, stoke our fears about the vast unknowns that are still out there in the universe, like (superior) alien lifeforms, technology run amok, or prophecies of a nightmarish future that is unavoidable.
The Xenomorph, Predator, and Terminator are no Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger, but they function in similar ways to these iconic slashers while standing out on their own. They also put classic sci-fi themes – which are terrifying on their own – in a more foreboding, horrific light, thereby creating a hybrid blend of the best of both genres. There’s a reason that these franchises have stood the test of time, and expanded sci-fi/horror into its own viable lane of films.
You can stream these films online.
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2025-03-16 22:12