Blog #4 - Theory

Blog Post #4 – Theory

Gender in the Horror Film

             The word ‘gender’ refers to the fact which a person is male or female. In the horror film, gender has an important role and it also reflects how society has been thinking about gender. From the past, men have had an important role and took the most part of the society. Since women have been considered weak physically and socially, women have been the victims of crime.

Women took a similar position in the horror films as well. The killer was distinctively male and his victims were mostly women, often “sexually free and always young and beautiful ones.” (Clover 77) For example, in Psycho, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is a victim who is killed in the Bates Motel. She tries to stay a day in the motel, but she is killed without any reason. Then, Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) is a weak woman who is subordinate to her husband, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson). Jack is an authoritative leader in the family and he has an absolute power. On the other hand, Wendy has not much power but obeys her husband. Thus, women have been usually victims in the horror films. Also, there are some movies that are filmed without any actress. For instance, a woman is absent in The Thing and there are only men in the team.

However, women started to be the main character, not a victim in the horror film. In Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) becomes the “Final Girl” in the film. Five friends visit the grandfather’s house in the country and they are terrorized and hunted by a chain-saw wielding and his family. Even though there are three men and two women, everyone except Sally is killed by the killer. People could think and anticipate all women would be killed, but a brave woman, Sally, escapes from the house finally. So, she becomes the “Final Girl” in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. “The gender of the Final Girl is likewise compromised from the outset by her masculine interests, her apartness from other girls, sometimes her name.” (Clover 80) The movie was released in 1974 and this time period was the origin of the Final Girl.

Also, there is a theory called ‘monstrous feminine’ which refers to a female who is like a monster. There are five faces of the castrating woman in horror which are archaic mother, possessed monster, vampire, witch, and monstrous womb. Then, monstrous womb is depicted through scenes of alien or monstrous births and the movie The Brood can exemplify monstrous womb. In the film, Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar) gives birth to child through an external womb. Nola is a mentally disturbed woman who has a monstrous ability. Although there had been only male monsters such as the “Monster” in Bride of Frankenstein, there is a female monster as well in the present.

Hence, although men take most important positions in the society, a role of women becomes more important and the importance of woman in the horror film increases.

Works Cited

Carol J. Clover. “Her Body , Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film.” No.20 (1987)