Representation of Women in Horror Films

Representation of Women in Horror Films

The representation of women and how they are portrayed in horror films has been around for many decades – mainly starting around the 1930’s. Admittedly, how women are seen by audiences have changed dramatically over this time, however the main stereotypical underline view of them in horrors is still there – that they are weak and almost always seen as the victim of brutal, slow murders. Traditionally, women have always been recognised as the victim or ‘damsel in distress’ in most horror films. For many decades, this was the main opinion and visibility of women throughout the horror genre, focusing on their personalities as weak, submissive, passive and emotional. Also, many female victims in horror films tend to be relatively similar, by the fact they are young, white, mostly blonde and sexually active. This links into the theory of ‘Horror and Homogeneity’ – that if you dare to stray outside the bounds of conservatism by getting drunk, taking drugs and having sex before marriage – you are going to die.

One theory which is a major hit when studying the horror of genre, which goes against the ‘Horror and Homogeneity’ assumption, is the ‘Final Girl’. This was first brought to attention by Carol Clover in the 1990’s. This theory suggests that in most horror films nowadays there is always one main girl who survives, and she is seen as strong, masculine and innocent in comparison to other girls. This typical final girl will most likely have a unisex name such as Laurie, Alex or Sam – drawing attention to the fact they are not completely feminine. Examples of these ‘final girls’ are; Laurie Strode in ‘Halloween’, Nancy Thompson in ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ and Julie James from ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’. All these final girls are represented as strong-willed, independent and in some way, masculine females – all qualities which helped them survive a series of bloody murders on their friends/family.

Another argument to notice when researching females and their representation in horror films is the Male Gaze theory – which suggests that males are excited and sexually aroused by the death and suffering of young girls. Male Gaze puts the audience in the eyes of the killer (who is usually typically male) and makes us see the action as if we are that character, creating an uncomfortable feeling for women, and arousal for men.

The use of clever camera angles and lighting throughout horror films also suggest that most women are seen as weak and vulnerable – often putting them in situations where death is the only outcome. For example, when they tend to run into abandoned spaces such as haunted houses, or lock themselves in certain rooms which usually have no escape (Wendy Torrance in The Shining).

A major issue which has changed the horror genre and representation of women in them is the modern culture and its influences. Over time, the modern culture has been constantly changing – which in turn has had an effect on the horror genre and how women are represented.

Carol Clover, one of the main horror theorists about women – coining the term ‘Final Girl’ said this about women’s representation in horror films; “She is the one who encounters the mutilated bodies of her friends and perceives the full extent of the preceding horror and of her own peril; who is chased, cornered, wounded; whom we see scream, stagger, fall, rise and scream again. She is abject terror personified. … She alone looks death in the face, but she alone also finds the strength either to stay the killer long enough to be rescued … or to kill him herself… But, in either case, from 1974 on, the survivor figure has been female.” (p. 35)

 

Scream:
A series of killings has started happening in a local area where the main characters live. The teenagers soon start being killed off by a masked killer, and near the end of the film, only Sidney (the main girl), Gale (another main protagonist) and Dewey (the deputy sheriff). This shows quite a positive, strong representation of women, as two of the main females survive along with a male who is seen as masculine because of his job. However, Scream can also portray a negative attitude towards women as near the beginning, Casey (one of the teen girls) is murdered along with Tatum – which shows them being weak and vulnerable in their roles of teen girls.

Halloween:
Halloween begins 15 years before the movie is set, showing the killer murdering his sister because of a sexual act with her boyfriend. The next scene we see is Michael (the killer) escaping a psychiatrist’s holding place – where he has been since he was convicted. We then are shown the next day, where the main female character Laurie Strode continually sees Michael which gives us a sense of danger, but also that she is confident and aware of her surroundings (already aspects of a final girl). That same evening, she sees Michael again whilst babysitting a young child on the night of Halloween – where another killing is taking place just across the street which causes concern. Eventually, we see Laurie attacked by Michael but scarcely escaping by stabbing him in the neck with a knitting needle and a clothes hanger into his eye. This representation of young girls in horror films I believe is a positive one, as it shows a strong, independent girl who survives a murder attack on her. However, Halloween does challenge this representation as other young girls are seen to be killed because of their sexual nature and naivety.

Prom Night (2008):
The most recent Prom Night sees the same pattern as the other films I have analysed for the representation of women in horror films – that there is typically one final girl, and all the others tend to be killed in some way (usually brutally). This film focuses on one girl, Donna being threatened by a man who had previously murdered her family, including her mother who was killed in front of her eyes. Prom Night follows her story and that of Fenton’s (the killer), who attacks her and her group of friends on their school graduation prom night. After a brutal series of attacks, Donna is seen to be the last one left of her group – showing that she is the final girl. Her other young friends have all been murdered earlier on in the film, and she is left to fend for herself against Fenton – with the help of a couple of police officers. A strong representation of Donna is continually shown throughout this film, especially nearer the end where she is locked in the cupboard with Fenton, biting his hand to let her go and nearly escapes, however is eventually saved by Winn (the main police officer) shooting Fenton several times, murdering him. This type of storyline and characters is still used today in many horror films based around a group of teenagers, and shows both a good and bad stereotype of women and their personalities within horror films.

As mentioned, the representation of women in horror films has dramatically changed throughout the decades and I believe it will continue to change from here on in – hopefully not presenting women as weak and vulnerable as there are currently being shown as.