The depiction of the female body and psyche in horror films has come a long way from slasher films as more and more women are involved in the creation and promotion of this genre of cinema.
The depiction of the female body and psyche in horror films has come a long way from slasher films as more and more women are involved in the creation and promotion of this genre of cinema.
aAcross the world, the treatment of women in cinema has for the most part been cosmetic. Women are often objectified, their characters underwritten, stereotyped, pushed to the margins of the story, and even turned into caricatures. In many movies, women play the role of a girl in distress, a female fatale or a girl next to her. More often than not, these characters only complement the main protagonist’s journey.
slasher movies
For a long time, women in horror movies were victims of male fantasies. Slasher films – a genre of crime and terror that involve a killer terrorizing, stalking, having sex, and murdering women – are a great example of this phenomenon. Slasher films use sex and gore (often hitting women) to woo audiences (mainly men). Famous examples of this style include Halloween (1978) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). These films almost always have a mix of violent and erotic scenes. However, they also have a ‘last girl’ who escapes from the killer. While on the surface this may seem like a victory for the women, on closer inspection, we understand that “The Last Girl” is the most “morally honest” character. She abstains from sex and drugs and alcohol, is bisexual in her sense of style and, for the most part, epitomizes traditionally masculine stereotypes.
1996 Cult Classic the Scream Breaking a simple tradition played an important role in moving the subgenre away from the genre: the woman has sex, is unwilling to give up and is given a chance to defend herself. It paved the way for bold films like Jennifer’s Body (2009), which put an end to all old conventions associated with the genre. Jennifer, who is hunted by demons, transforms into a demon-like creature seeking exact revenge. Women are not victims in Jennifer’s body; In the supernatural realm though they have been given agency.
teen terror
Body horror is a popular subgenre of horror films. For girls, the transition from boyhood to adulthood can be filled with anger and pain. Physiological changes can cause mood swings and even lead to hallucinations. Unlike boys, for whom puberty is all about longer limbs and puberty, puberty is more focused for girls. it is best amplified Carrie (1976), a coming-of-age horror film that started a subgenre of films around the problems of puberty. Carrie White has the journey of a typical teenager: She’s embarrassed by her first period, a controlling mother, and humiliated at prom after getting drenched in pigs’ blood. As her body develops, her powers develop too: she proceeds to use her power of telekinesis to destroy her school and the people trapped in it. Carey expressed anger that women did not act in horror films for much of the 20th century.
How we frame women largely determines how they feel about themselves. The bodies of women appear on the screen in pieces to get the audience’s reaction and the camera plays a big role in this depiction. in the 2002 French film in my skinIn , we see the protagonist, Esther, damage his body in an attempt to establish his relationship with him. After an accident, she thinks parts of her body have been cut off from her and even asks a pharmacist if she can preserve her skin. The film’s director and actor Marina De Van doesn’t treat it as a case study in self-harm, but as a woman trying to integrate herself with her body. While it is feminist in its exploration of the female psyche, we see that in the end Esther fails to integrate her body with hers.
The traditions of the female body horror genre are being rewritten through films: Teeth (2007). It features the tooth-laden vagina of Don, a high school girl. Boys who take advantage of this have to bear the brunt of it.
caste illustration
Of late, black women have been taking center stage in the horror genre, which until now only casts white women. Complementary female anger with psychological elements appears to be an important element in the genre as is evident M.A. (2019) and Jordan Peeles We (2019). Almost all horror hits from 2022 to Daisy Edgar-Jones starrer have been feminist at their core fresh for mia goth pearl and x,
Just as the portrayal of women on screen has changed across genres, the idea of womanhood on screen has also changed in relation to the horror genre. It also helped that more women be involved in the production and promotion of this style.