Necessary Evil: Black Friday Slasher!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Greetings, friends and welcome back to another installment of horror that has to happen. The response was all positive with regard to our last Necessary Evil that championed a return of Leslie Vernon for a Behind the Mask sequel. Mr. Vernon was a great slasher and today’s topic is calling for a new addition to that stalk and kill genre! With Thanksgiving arriving next week, I am being constantly reminded of another type of “celebration” that now seems to go hand-in-hand with the holiday. The time of ridiculous lines, late night hours, and mad dashes for deals. I’m talking about Black Friday and I honestly can’t believe that a legitimate horror flick has never been made about it! The name itself even sounds scary.

IDEA: A slasher movie that takes place on Black Friday.

OUTLINE: The national event known as Black Friday (the big shopping day after Thanksgiving for those living under a rock) has become so widely spread that it has now even leaked into the Thursday evening that precedes it. It’s commercialism at its craziest. The need for the latest in technologically advanced possessions and other items at the lowest possible price can turn almost anyone insane. Hence, I feel that Black Friday is an ideal setting for dropping in a slasher and all the goodies that befall the beloved genre.

To really get a feel for the vastness of the day, I say focus on different groups of characters all shopping for different reasons and all seemingly randomly targeted by some deranged psycho with a big time grudge against Black Friday. You’ve got your greedy consumers, out to obtain as many deals as possible no matter how many innocents they trample on the way. We can have a newbie couple venturing out on Black Friday for their very first time. Maybe throw in a kid whose spirit is lacking due to some mysterious reason. Regardless, they are all in for a bloody bad time once our killer starts slashing things other than prices!

What sets apart the Black Friday killer from other masked slashers will be that his disguise is constantly changing. First, he’ll be dressed as a checkout clerk, then he’ll be in some sort of holiday character getup like a nutcracker costume, then he’ll be some random consumer. The crazed rush of the crowds will make it very easy to blend in. You’ll never know who he is until he strikes and yes, the kills will be gloriously gory and holiday appropriate. For example, one unlucky shopper may end up getting decapitated and delimbed by a buzz saw on sale in the hardware section for $99.99. Then the body parts will get wrapped up in boxes at a gift-wrapping station!

For the finale, I’d like to see the three separate groups of people (whoever is still standing) coming together as the true motive of the slasher is revealed. It turns out the seemingly random groups were actually all connected in some way and part of a grand scheme. Everyone is trapped inside the warehouse of a shopping center and must fight to make it out alive.

WHY IT COULD WORK: Black Friday is HUGE these days! Many people love it and almost just as many probably hate it because of all the “commercialism over family time” ratio. No movie has ever been made that takes place on this day which could give it a broader appeal than just your typical slasher.

CHARACTERS: First, we have our greedy group of customers. This is the somewhat annoying group of trashy men and women looking to score the biggest deals at any cost. Next, is the couple, let’s make them newlyweds, celebrating their very first Black Friday excursion. Then, we have the kid lacking in holiday spirit who was dragged out by his father.

Of course we have our killer, but that identity is going to remain a secret for most of the film. Lastly, I’d like to throw in a bumbling store manager for some comic relief.

CONCLUSION: Whether you love what it stands for or not, Black Friday is an intriguing concept to say the least. Throw in some truly bloody mayhem and you could have a recipe for something very special in the horror genre. I think it would be really fun seeing the madness unfold on the grand stage of a shoppers’ extravaganza. Plus, the pageantry of the upcoming holiday season could really add some extra flash to the proceedings.

Do you have a fondness for Black Friday? Does it seem like fertile ground for a slasher movie? If you have any thoughts on how you would like a scary Black Friday to unfold, please state your case by firing them bullets below! And if you have any ideas that you think should be made into horror reality, let me know at [email protected].