Warning: This article contains spoilers for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School.
Summary
While waiting for season 3 of Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff, one horror TV show is the perfect substitution for viewers. Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff– not to be confused with the original show of the same name – follows a group of five teenage girls who, each season, get tortured by a masked villain who wants to kill them for unknown reasons.Original Sin(season 1) andSummer School(season 2) have been highly rated and reviewed, a rarity for horror TV shows and movies.
Even though thefinale ofPretty Little Liars: Summer Schoolhas been released, the studio hasn’t announced yet whether or not Max’sPretty Little Liarswill get a third season. Based on the timeline between the first and second seasons, it will likely be at least a month before the show gets renewal news and a year or more beforeMax’sPretty Little Liarsseason 3releases. Lucky for impatient fans, there is already a perfect horror TV show with five binge-able seasons that can satiate the need for drama and gore while waiting for the potential new season.
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Slasher Has Many Of The Same Elements As Max’s Pretty Little Liars Spinoff
Slasher And Max’s Pretty Little Liars Are Dramatic Pay Homage To Horror Movies
Because the shows are so similar,the Netflix/Shudder seriesSlasheris the perfect show to watch while waiting to see if Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff gets a third season. The series both havea dramatic tone that verges on soap opera.Like the Max series,Slasherleans into the campy tropes rather than trying to subvert expectations. The show is chock-full of outrageous dialogue and intentionally gratuitous violence that feels almost like parody.
BothSlasherand Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff deviate from traditional slasher norms by featuring well-rounded LGBTQ+ and BIPOC characters without resorting to stereotypes.
The narrative choices also have important similarities that will keep viewers engaged. Even though Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff isn’t an anthology likeSlasher, the villains take an anthological approach, featuring one each season so far. This keeps the shows feeling fresh and across different seasons. Both shows also pay respect to their predecessors. While they aren’t as frequent as what’s seen in Max’sPretty Little Liars,Slasheralso includes homages to classic horror movies, includingFriday the 13th,Psycho, andI Know What You Did Last Summer.
Additionally, bothSlasherand Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff deviate from traditional slasher norms by featuring well-rounded LGBTQ+ and BIPOC characters without resorting to stereotypes. They alsodelve into important social issues like race, class, complicity, and oppression.These similarities in perspective make the series feel like kindred spirits, despite their lack of direct connection.
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The Villains’ Identities & Motivations Are A Central Mystery In Both Series
These Series Fuse Horror With Murder Mystery
On top of using the same elements,Slasherand Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff also have one crucial similarity that makes them more alike than different. While many of the above elements are typical of the larger horror genre, the two TV shows incorporate elements of murder mysteries that aren’t as common. Slasher franchises often involve the one villain with a consistent motivation. Freddy kills children. Jason exacts revenge by killing anyone who gets close to Camp Crystal Lake. Traditional Leatherface kills indiscriminately. Michael Myers’ motive for killing changes, but the person under the mask doesn’t.
In contrast,the killers' identities inSlasherand Max’sPretty Little Liarsremain a mysteryfor most of the season, leading to a climactic reveal. Each villain has a complex backstory that somehow connects back to the protagonists or the community (though thePretty Little Liarsspinoff has a small flawin this area). The series both add red herrings that distract from the real killers, keeping the protagonists and viewers guessing. Because of this,Slasherand Max’sPretty Little Liarscatalyze the same invigorating feeling that comes with either solving the mystery or being surprised by the reveal.
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Slasher Is More Mature Than Max’s Pretty Little Liars Spinoff
Slasher Includes Mature Content, So Viewers Should Watch At Their Own Discretion
While Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff has a lot in common withSlasher, there is one thing that viewers should know before going into the latter show.Slasheris much more mature than the spinoff season. From the start,the show includes extremely graphic violence and gore, with almost everything being shown onscreen. The villains kill in increasingly imaginative and visually horrifying ways. The episodes include few cutaways, offering some moments that truly churn the stomach.
Slasheralso doesn’t shy away from sex, drugs, and alcohol.The show incorporates steamy scenes that show sexual acts and bare skin, which is much more risqué than the implied sex scenes in Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff. Additionally, later scenes involve drug and alcohol use to excess, with some characters even living with a substance use disorder. Because of these adult themes, viewer discretion should be advised when startingSlasher. Still, it’s one of the best, freshest, and most fun to watchhorror TV showswith a similar narrative and character development as Max’sPretty Little Liarsspinoff.
