With the release of Scream 4 into theaters, the folks at Slate got to thinking about how frequently the bodies pile up in slasher franchises as the number at the end of the title increases.
In other words, they got their math on, putting together an equation that includes details such as whether or not Rob Zombie was involved, the number of dead bodies and whether the film takes place in space among others to create a chart. They call it “cinemalgebra”. I will take them to task for not having a Santa slasher factor though.
You don’t have to view the numbers while wearing a Jason-inspired hoodie to see the big picture, but you can listen to some scary movie themes while perusing the graph.
Halloween, Friday the 13th, Saw (even though they acknowledge it’s more torture porn than slasher), Scream and Child’s Play and their ensuing sequels all get the mathematical treatment.