#that is both deeply pretentious and such a beautifully written phrase

[sharry-arry-odd]

Why do they chalk up such low body counts with these crude implements when they could mow down dozens of victims with a semiautomatic rifle? Why do their weapons become increasingly baroque in later installments: curling irons and ice skates, menorahs and outdoor grills? The reason is simple: we need to believe death has meaning. Each murder must be unique, each victim must meet his killer one-on-one, each slaying must be given an appropriate amount of screen time. The real violence of a child entering a school cafeteria and spraying bullets at random is too cruel. It reduces human beings to a body count; it robs life of all individuality. It is the ultimate statement that we cannot abide: death is devoid of meaning, and it will swallow everything in the end. Against that nihilism, the violence in a slasher film is a comforting blanket drawn up against the chill of the infinite moral void of reality.

The Final Girl Support Group, by Grady Hendrix