Women Love Gore Too

Horror movies defy the norm when looking at media theories and arguments. It doesn’t follow mood management theory because no one would possibly watch a movie because they’d like to make their mood darker and sadistic along with the movies plot. One argument that works with horror movies is the idea that they can desensitize the viewer to specific things such as violence in general, or even more specifically violence toward women, especially women who are sexualized in some way. Desensitization is the idea that a person becomes detached to a specific thing such as violence toward women, or begins to believe that something is the norm due to over exposure to something that is down played or glorified.

The role of the female throughout the horror genre has generally reflected the roles of women in society within the social context of the movie. In the early days of movie, women were no more than the weak and defenceless victim. They are ‘the object of the creature’s desire’ , a beautiful yet two-dimensional character who is there for no other reason than to become the victim. As feminism and the role of women in society has developed, so too has the role of the female in the horror genre. This is recognisable in both Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978).

Horror has long been about tales of heroic men fighting monsters (whether it be human or inhuman) and saving damsels in distress. Women were mostly used as eye candy, victims of violence or only to further the plight of the leading man. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that women in horror movies started to have more power in horror movies. This was majorly due to the rise of feminism, the female protagonists were fighting back which lead to the rise of the ‘final-girl’ archetype – the ‘final-girl’ being the only one surviving at the end of the film having outsmarted the killer. The final girl not only promotes feminism but also a reflection of the values in our

“Strides also have to be made for female nominees. Once again, women were shut out of the best director category and of the 10 nominated screenplays, “Hidden Figures” co-writer Allison Schroeder was the only woman nominated. And after all these years, a woman has yet to be nominated in the cinematography category.” Through the years movies had primarily been directed by male directors and many of the famous films and works of cinematography have been directed and produced by men, so when a talented director that happens to be a women is being snubbed from nomination that is going to be an area that I believe will be highlighted and touched upon in the

The Siskel and Ebert Halloween Review from 1978 shows how they like how the movie shows how the female character is seen as intelligent, brave and smart. The way the two men spoke about how they felt about the film gave a feminist critic. They were able to put them self in her shoes and think about how they might of felt in that scenario. They see the film as up and positive and see the movie for the film qualities other than the depressing killing. The film focused on film qualities, where the mood, lighting, music and camera angle all played roll in creating the feeling where one can feel that the female actor out smart the bad masked man.

From silent short films of the 19th century to full length films of the 1920s, women have played important central roles over time. Women have transitioned from submissive conservative roles to liberal something. A big part of this is due to the view of women changing in history.

Many of these filmmakers, through the feminist movement, have taken Hollywood by storm. There are many individuals that believe the feminist movement is a woman’s movement — to further the female agenda — and while, it is true

I’m using this source as it relates to my research question regarding history, myths, and exploitation of women in horror films. In Part 2 of the book “Audiences, Fans, and Consumption’, the article ‘Trashing the Academy’ by Jefferey Scone offers a detailed analysis of emerging politics in the genre of horror

Horror can be defined as a genre meant to psychologically trigger individual fear with the presence of certain supernatural or abstract characteristics. The genre is dependent on people’s fascination with unrealism and the sensation that comes from experiencing fear personified into tangible elements on a screen. Horror films have thrilled audiences for decades, revealing stories of the more sinister parts of life. The popular allure that stems from the genre comes from the tension moviegoers experience when aroused by specific stimuli uniquely present in these cinematic features (Walters). Over time, as the genre progressed, the standardized elements found in a typical horror movie began to shift in different directions primarily due to changing societal circumstances and increasing consumer demand for cinematic innovation. The expansive nature of the different codes and conventions within the horror genre, coupled with the evolution of society’s fascination with these characteristics, has led to the mutation of the genre itself in order to allow for unique approaches to a familiar style in response to both economic developments and taste shifts within the consumer industry.

It has been the age-old belief that it is a man’s job to protect women from all harm. The final girl defeats this standard by showing a smart, independent woman capable of fighting back the aggressor. I cannot dispute the sub-categories of horror movies that portray women in misogynistic manner such as borderline pornos like Zombie Strippers, but these movies rarely get any theatrical releases and almost no recognition, for a good

Today’s filmmakers have three areas to focus on: the event or theme of the film, the audience who will be watching the film, and lastly, the individual characters and the roles they play and how they are portrayed and interpreted. Many of these films bottom line objectives are to focus on the “erotic needs of the male ego.” The focus on fetishistic scopophilia tend to slant the view such that we see the world as being dominated by men and that woman are

The Paranormal Activity, Saw, and the Walking Dead series are thought to be some of the best horror films and thrillers. Some people who might not like horror genre might wonder why people are watching these productions. Sharon Begley from The Daily Beast identifies in her article “Why Our Brains Love Horror Movies,” that people are watching these movies because horror genre movies give audiences a “powerful feeling of emotional and emphasize old-fashioned belief about morality” (Begley, 2011). She compares her argument to the younger generation and older generation’s correlation of watching horror movies to remark her arguments. She primarily focuses on the statistical research and studies from experts, such as John Edward Campbell at Temple University and Stuart Fischoff of Psychology Department at California State University.

Creed, B. 1999. Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection. Feminist Film Theory, a Reader, edited by. Sue Thornham. New York: New York U P.

The horror film is known to use numerous tropes and conventions throughout its history. Formulas such as monsters and killers lurking in the shadows, legends of homes with morbid and haunted histories, and an abundance of violence all work together in creating the genre that is known as horror. Another aspect that is widely seen in the horror film in particular is extreme violence against female victims. When looking at this superficially, feminism does not appear to be one of the conventions of the horror film. In fact it may seem that the horror genre uses this visual medium to perpetuate the message that women should be looked at as victims worthy of gruesome deaths.

There is a certain image with women in film. Women were and still highly sexualized and have a certain illusion that is consistent among them. Women often appear as an object to be looked at and acted upon. The male protagonist has a more active role within the narrative. They are seemed to be the more superior character while the women have a much more supporting role. The same is true to the 1940 comedy His Girl Friday and the 1958 thriller Vertigo. In both films, the image of the woman is important, as well as their role in the film.