We can learn a lot about American history and culture by looking at the horror films of the 1980s. The horror boom that began in 1978 coincided with an era of global nuclear fears, urban decay, and recession as well as the collapse of the Hollywood studio system and the decline of censorship laws that had held sway for nearly 50 years. This volatile mix of circumstances gave rise to the gory, violent, over-the-top—and very successful—genre of horror that we now know as the “slasher” or “splatter