Women in peril work better in the suspense genre - Sadman Sakir

“Women in peril work better in the suspense genre.............. ,you fear more for her than you would for a husky man” (De Palma, Clover 77). We see this in every other horror genres or sub genres where the women is usually the damsel in distress. From movies like Psycho where women were portrayed as passive and docile to movies like Dracula where the women were objectified as docile and easily manipulated but at the end they took over and change the whole stereotype of women being helped by the men. Even if they were helped by these men but at the end it was her doing that got rid of the monster.

According to De Palma and Hitchcock female characters outsmarting outfighting the antagonist is almost unthinkable. Let’s take Hitchcock’s Psycho, the character Marion has such a good character development, we began to have sympathy towards her and feel connected to her. Then all of a sudden she is cut off from the film like she was only a tease for the audience. Whereas male characters with such developments either becomes the protagonist slaying the monster at the end or becomes the monster himself.

Also according to Clover in the slasher films women as used as sexual tease and we find it true when we watch 28 days later and the cabin in the woods. Although the women are characterized as strong and independent; they are compared with the protagonist but still they are being used as a sexual tease in some of the scenes as in 28 days later when they are in the army base and the army is trying to rape the girls rather than trying to be their savior. Also in Cabin in the woods the character Jules is referred to as slut/whore. We also have scenes where she engages other characters for sexual intercourse.

In the popular horror movies the monstrous feminine talk about the fear of men rather than the fear of female. And most films suggest that the male is in an active, sadistic position whereas the female is in passive and masochistic one. (Creed, 7). Then we see James Cameroon who uses strong female characters such as Sara Connor where we see it even television series with her character. Other trademark films of him that portrays strong female leads are Avatar, Aliens, etc. Based on Freud’s argument women are seen as castrated and that is terrifying as it is seen as victimization in the general eyes. Therefore a position as such can only be used to describe the patriarchal position of women which is shows us that women by nature is a victim. According to Creed men fear women, not because women are castrated but because they are not. They are considered whole and possess their sexual powers.

We just fear what women would do to us if given the chance and therefore we see the use of male and characters as such. The phases of castrating women in horror films are seen as archaic mothers, where they are over possessive and may be mentally unstable, witches, vampires or possessed which are considered as monsters. The characters of witches and vampires have changed over the years and now they portray a more sexual character rather than a horrific monster. Whereas the male characters can play as an anti-villain while being a monster but the female is either a damsel in distress or a monster in full.

Clover argues and I agree that slasher films doesn’t portray the male tormentor rather it shows the female tortured with suffering, pain and anguish which she endures and finally rises to end the evil or the tormentor.





Works Cited

Clover, Carol J. Men Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. London: BFI, 1992. Print.

Creed, B. "Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection. "Screen: 44-71. Print.