Stacie Ponder's SLASHERS 101: Cliff's Notes Gets Hacked and Slashed

SLASHERS 101 (Comic/Zine)
Written and Illustrated by Stacie Ponder
Final Girl Blog
Getcher SLASHERS 101 Book Here

Think you know everything about slasher films? Well, maybe you do cause you're some kind of super genius of horror. Anything's possible.

But, let's pretend that you don't for the sake of this review.

Ok, now that you're completely oblivious to everything slasher, I bet you're wondering: What's an easy and fun way to cram for the 80's slasher movie exam I have first thing tomorrow morning in my USC film class? You probably visited the campus book store or the library looking for the Slasher World Atlas, but came up empty. That's because it doesn't exist. You don't have time to sit through enough youtube videos to properly absorb the enormous amount of material. You can't even bribe the professor with the shit money you make. Still, there has to be a way. Think!

Turns out, you're in luck, you big dummy (said in Fred G. Sanford voice). You see, the Final Girl herself, the amazing Stacie Ponder, has released THE guide to 80's Slasher films. Painstakingly illustrated (there are actual bloodstains on the page), Stacie takes us through all the tropes with clever art, history lessons, and her own unique brand of humor. Ok, maybe Slashers 101 isn't the definitive book on all things slasher, but it's definitely the coolest, and pretty damned inclusive considering. You'd be hard pressed to find anything else with this much crucial slasher information condensed in such a small format. Stacie is an excellent film critic/historian in her own right, and having her as your guide is not only a freaking riot, but you may actually learn something. At the very least, her infectious enthusiasm will keep you entertained throughout your lessons.

Slasher 101 might poke fun at the genre, but Ponder's love for the slasher, and horror in general, overules the outright mockery a lesser artist might resort to for a laugh. She knows the characters well, down to the clothes they wear, style of hair, and probably their favorite pizza toppings. There are so many wonderful lists to be found, from masks both good and bad, to creative kills, to bizarre weapon choices. She's the good kind of obsessed, one that points out lots of oddities and idiosyncracies learned from countless hours spent at summer camps, abandoned hospitals, and decrepit houses decorated with bone furniture. She imparts that knowledge in the most unpretentious way possible, through simple, minimalist art, sly humor, and knowing her shit.

Stacie's art style might be described as "cute" or possibly "stick figure". Sure, maybe if you're a terrible describer of art. There's something fresh and alive in these illustrations of our favorite characters, killers and victims alike. Her depictions of icons like Michael "The Shape" Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Leatherface are spot on, but where she really shines is in descriptions of more obscure films and characters. I was pleased to find the twin redneck killers of backwoods survivalist slasher Just Before Dawn, or Madman Marz from the elusive midnight cult favorite Madman. They are rendered with the kind of reverence for horror films not often found in this age of ultra irony. Only someone completely enamoured by the genre would spend time with the likes of Killer Workout, Blood Song, and Don't Go in the Woods...Alone.

I urge you to pick up SLASHERS 101 not only because it's so enormously entertaining, but also because Stacie is so in love with her subject. There are shelves of books written on horror films with lots more words than Stacie's comic, but you'll come out feeling more invigorated with SLASHERS 101. In fact, do yourself a favor and look for her other comedic love letters like short films In Satan's Closet and Taste of Flesh, Taste of Fear , fantastic video game and RPG inspried art found at RPG Comic and  StaciePonder.com, and, of course, make sure you read Final Girl regularly.