DW Gender Representation in Horror Films

When, and in what way were women repositioned within the horror genre?
- In horror films, women are often depicted as the damsel in distress, shown as weak and in need of a male hero. However in the late 1970’s, directors like George A. Romero, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper and John Carpenter took a different approach, and went against politics at the time, by introducing female roles to their films. Films such as Night of the Living Dead (Romero, 1968), The Last House on the Left (Craven, 1972), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Hooper, 1974) and Halloween (Carpenter, 1974), all started to change the representation of the female gender within horror films. They weren’t weak and vulnerable anymore, but pro-active and protective of themselves as well as others.

What are the conventions of the 'stalk and slash' subgenre of horror?

Ghostface, the killer from Scream

- All stalk and slash films follow the same basic plot, a mixed gender group of teens travel to a remote location and partake in drink, drugs and sex. Once they’re feeling the effects and aren’t fully aware of what’s going on, they are quickly killed off, usually by a masked murderer. The film usually ends with one member of the group surviving the attacks and confronting the killer, who is then killed them self, for the remaining character to survive and tell the story.

Who originally watched these films and why?
- The core audience for stalk and slash films is mainly teenage boys and young men, mainly because of two visual elements. Prolonged scenes of female nudity, and the graphicness and sheer violence shown.

Why does the author argue that the films were 'significant'?
- Some people argue that stalk and slash films are significant because they created two of horror’s most well known films and characters; Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th and Freddy Krueger from The Nightmare on Elm Street. These two series created popular horror film franchises, and the concept of sustained narrative. This had a big effect on the financial side of the film industry.

What is the concept of 'the final girl'?  Summarise and give examples

Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, the final girl of Halloween.

-  The final girl concept is a term used to describe the remaining female survivor of many slasher films, embodied by a set of characteristics. She is clever, level-headed and more sensible than her friends. Morally pure, and hence doesn’t drink, doesn't do drugs and is not sexually active. She is also the quickest to recognise any threat to the group, and a lack of morals between others. At the start of the film, the final girl is often represented as being distant from the group, because of these qualities, and is often seen to have masculine features, being proactive in her survival, and just as aggressive as the killer.