Maria Ha Year10 Class C GCSE Media Studies - Horror Genre Unit Controlled Assessment| 21st/March/2014

How are women represented in the Horror genre through the female characters?
Horror is a media based genre that seeks negative emotional reactions from the audience by playing with
their primal fears. They often feature classic scenes such as jump scares to startle the viewers, inciting thrill
within their hearts, and along with the quintessential chase sequences, it incites and provokes the audience
to challenge on watching till the end as the equilibrium is now disturbed meaning the narrative has broken
off and more spine chilling scenes are approaching. The frequent themes of horror are usually supernatural
with additions of macabre like elements to turn heads away from the scenes, this creates an ideal impact as it
haunts and stays in the mind longer, developing a sensation of fright over time. The films/movies create a
rush of adrenaline as the audience anticipates each move and step within.In addition, the themes overlap with
fantasies or tragedies to give an extra punch to the storyline;this tempts us to continue on the film just to
know whats next orjust to know the background behind the characters certain behaviour.Most media,
films/movies have their main characters in natural makeup, to portray a realistic image, with hints of
emphasis in certain facial features to make a characteristic stand out. In this case, during horror movies/films,
their makeup includes enhancing the eyes to highlight the expressions they make which can be shock, fear,
trauma etc. which is what the antagonist gives to the victims. Horror movies/films contain two types of
threats which one the protagonist would face. There are natural threats which are threats/danger that arise
from the environment such as sharks, werewolves, zombies, lunatics etc. and there are supernatural threats,
which are threats that arise from powers or religion such as devils, demons, spirits, witches/wizards etc.
Moreover, the dynamical difference in gender is depicted a lot through these movies/films as most antagonists
are males and most victims are females. This portrays women as the weaker one which is your typical
stereotype. This arouses a mental battle in the minds of the viewer to desire their side (depending on what
gender) to persevere and win. Plus the Male gaze theory is used to attract a wider range of audience as
illustrations of women made in the image for heterosexual men are depicted. This allows them to fantasize on
their ideal lady.
It is important to study women in film because the images of women reflected in media shows society today
and what is stereotypically expected of their gender roles. Media has portrayed women in the prescribed roles
that felt comfortable seeing them in but it has always maintained a veneer of artificial image that constrained
women from expressing their real selves on the screen. From the femme fatale role, in which woman was
mysterious and profound, never to be understood completely, to the bimbos, who is all sensual charm yet
oblivious to what is transpiring around her. Women's roles were rarely designed to reveal the real nature of
women. They were caricatures that concealed living, breathing women whose true complexities were distorted
to fit the mould of the emblematic stereotypes. Women play an important/ significant part in horror because
without them, the film/movie would be monotonous and the exhilarating climaxes would not exist as the role
of being a female victim cannot be replaced by a male otherwise it wont portray fully the characters
emotions and fear.


In Horror, there are 4 typical female character types that you expect to appear:
The female protagonist is the main character of the narrative and usually the heroine. People who
are revolved along their lives become victims to the antagonist. They survive from the antagonists
attack and remain searching for the clues to defeat the villain. They are often portrayed as the hero.

Also, there are female antagonists who are villains which carries a deeply tragic story to why they
became overwhelmed with hatred or how they became so sinister and evil. They are the opposite to
Maria Ha Year10 Class C GCSE Media Studies - Horror Genre Unit Controlled Assessment| 21st/March/2014

the general stereotype of being the ideal, innocent and ignorant lady. Female antagonists are very
wicked and stone hearted; therefore they wont react with screams or fear from killing someone.
Usually they have excuses or reasons to kill another and in the end they feel regret or they are
released from the prison they created themselves.

Then there is the expected Damsel in distress, who is the helpless weak one. They usually are the
ignorant ones who decide to investigate suspicious noises in ominous locations alone, causing
themselves to be vulnerable and easy to attack. And when the antagonist approaches, irrational acts
become instinct such as running, flailing about whilst screaming, revealing their whereabouts. This
invigorates the antagonist to continue on as they feel like they are dominant. Damsel in distress cant
do anything without a help from a knight in shining armour or prince charming. They are the
typical dependent ones who needs help from a hero or male. They are powerless in comparison to
any other characters therefore they wills always die.

Finally, there is the trouble maker, the ones who are brave, courageous and persistent. Therefore
creating trouble through their curiosity and getting involved in cases. Although they create a mess,
they are very caring and have a volunteering nature, which is why they are determined to help solve
the mysteries, but through their mistakes they learn more and more about it from clues, remains and
trails left behind. Trouble makers are quite intellectual yet nave, which help at times when
investigating. Their characteristics are quite strong as they do not look away from horrific death
scenes which contribute to the horror film/movie as gruesome clips can be included to give
audiences the skin crawling effect.
Recently during media, we have been focusing on 3 films which cover a variety of female characters. One
being a horror/thriller film produced in the 1960s, Psycho. This was about aphoenix office worker Marion
Crane and the mysteries of her disappearance. Marion Crane and her out-of-town lover Sam Loomis end a
sensual lunchtime interlude with yet another disagreement about their future. This shows her as a sex symbol
as in the scene where she had bed scenes attributes to the male gaze theory and it tells us that from the
start, she is not a pure character; she was introduced as someone who had sex before marriage.
However,Marion did want to marry Sam, but debts inherited from his father and his own alimony payments
do not leave him enough money to support her as he would like. Therefore it leaves them to what they done
before, they part leaving their future uncertain once more.This shows somewhat a females dream of one day
their lovers would be committed to them.
After that day, Marion is trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer. Seeing the opportunity to take the money
and start a new life, Marion leaves town along with the money making her somewhat a slight villain or
antagonist. But throughout the odyssey, she felt paranoid on being caught, which shows that there was guilt
in her actions, but this leads to her changing her vehicle. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she
gets off the main highway and pulls into The Bates Motel, which is managed by anintrovertedyet friendly
young man called Norman who seems to be dominated by his mother. But hidden behind the image of a
mothers boy is that within him, his bipolar other lurks
Through her flirtatious behaviour, she unintentionally enticed Normans attention leading her towards trouble.
This portrays a trouble maker side to her character along with a hint of being a damsel in distress as she is
oblivious to what is going on around her. Unknowingly, Marions presence threatened to what we know of
Mrs Bates (Normans mother) which is only shown as a silhouette by the window of their house. At climax,
someone takes action on Marion but who? Psycho is a film which fits the conventions of horror because it
pulls the audience into watching till the end as they pique the curiosity of many into wanting to know who
was behind the murder. The film carries a storyline with a natural threat, which is a delirious deranged
mystery murderer that bewitches the audience into guessing who it may be that killed Marion. The film uses
average levels of suspense and tension as too much scaring the audience wasnt allowed back then. In addition
it is what the audience find quite appealing too since you feel that there will always be a more thrilling scene
that follows.
Maria Ha Year10 Class C GCSE Media Studies - Horror Genre Unit Controlled Assessment| 21st/March/2014

Similarly, Nightmare on Elm Street also crafts high levels of suspense and tension to build up stimulation.
Along with its surrealistic terror and its unsettling death scenes, it would scar the audiences piece of mind
when sleeping as its storyline relates to when one dreams, because thats when the nightmare begins! The
synopsis of Nightmare on Elm Street is that through the main characters dream (Nancy) she always catches a
glimpse of the soon to be dead friend, wandering around whilst inside a body bag. As she wakes up, moments
later she finds that the friend who appeared in her dream is murdered but by who? Her consistent deadly
nightmares are torturous as anominous hidden contour in the gloom haunts her for many nights. Enough of
it, she begins to stay awake as long as possible therefore holding a previous record of 11 days. Worried, her
parents try to make her rest and sleep as it was what they thought Nancy needed. Like Psycho, a bed scene
was also shown but in this film it was between two teens, Tina and Rod. This couple had taken part in
intercourse before the key death scene therefore portraying the victim, Tina as impure from the beginning
just like Marion. It was depicting Tina as sex symbol just before being murdered which really reveals how
media tried to illustrate women as (a sex symbol even till the end). Framed of murder, boyfriend Rod was
jailed but even through the bars and concealed space, objects were manipulated and hanged the witness of
how Tina died to death. Once Nancy finds out that she lost someone who was going through a familiar
phrase to her, she has passed her limit. Now she is determined to win this ambiguous survival. The reason in
which this film fits to the horror genre is because it contains macabrely scenes and has exploding suspense
which draws the audience in and out. The horror from the film can also affect the audience as they may fear
their dreams from then on after watching and therefore shows how effective the story is. In addition, once
the killer is revealed, the climax of his demented chase to kill becomes exhilarating. The antagonists character
arises from supernatural occurrences as the antagonist only starts his business in dreams.
Another film, in which we studied, is The Ring. A film that consists of many tense scenes that would get the
audience to anticipate the further. It all starts off at a teen girls night, full of chatter and laughter but then
they started to talk about a mysterious tape found in a cabin by one of the girls and how she watched it with
her boyfriend and a group of friends. This leads to the legend of the cursed tape which causes them to
scream whenever a noise strikes. Teasing the friend, the girl who watched the tape pretends to choke on thin
air, but was it really just faking around? Deeper into the night, she goes down to prepare snacks and drinks
but suddenly the phone rings. Picking it up, only sounds of disconnection was heard. This created an uneasy
atmosphere. Trying to ignore it, she continues off but again, suddenly the TV turns on and began to leak
water. At that moment, it was then and there where the Ring begins its plot to kill. After the scene of crime,
during the funeral, the main character Rachel was introduced, and she was requested to investigate the
horrendous death as the dead body was dried up, screwed remains. The reasons why the Ring fits the horror
genre convention is because the film is a journey of investigation between the characters in the film and you,
the audience. They make the audience take part by making them connect the dots to answer why would the
antagonist kill people who were innocent. Through the scenes of whenever the Ring makes its appearances, it
piles up a lot of tension and suspense as the following scenes that lead to the murder comes one after
another. The antagonist, similar to nightmare on Elm Street, is a supernatural threat as it is something that
arises from unnatural environments. Through its spiritual like powers, it disappears leaving only a hint of
presence therefore it makes the atmosphere eerie, contributing into making the film fit more to the horror
genre conventions.
In Nightmare on Elm Street, the characteristics of female characters are shown to be all helpless as each
individual are dependent upon a male partner such as their boyfriends, fathers etc. Although Tina and Nancy
share a similarity in being vulnerable from time to time, they have an opposite in nature where Tina is your
original damsel in distress; unable to do anything for herself, sheruns away instinctively in fear. However,
Nancy is someone who faces things no matter what; she always has to solve it herself. She has a very
persistent personality therefore she is determinedto battle the threat out.As we compare them, Tina is
someone who immediately runs away as soon as she is threated which we can infer that terror has
monopolised her mind; this causes her to act irrationally such as screaming and running around aimlessly
because she is unable to think clearly and only wanted to escape in her mind. This gives an image of a
coward who has inadequate knowledge/experience. On the other hand, despite the fear, Nancy is able to calm
Maria Ha Year10 Class C GCSE Media Studies - Horror Genre Unit Controlled Assessment| 21st/March/2014

down her mind and think of solutions, plots and plans that would benefit her. In addition, she is willing to
take the risk with her life to trap the antagonist Freddie Kruger. This gives an image of intelligence and
bravery/ courageousness. Tina and Nancy is depicted as female characters who has a 180difference in
characteristics yet share similar traits that connect them together.
Alike, Psycho is another film which contains female characters that can have contradicting personalities
against each other. Although they are sisters, Marion and Lila Crane share slight opposite
characteristics.Marion is portrayed as a trouble maker for being reckless and committing a crime (stealing
money) whereas Lila is portrayed as the protagonist, a persistent heroine that is determined to fix the crime.
Marion is the cause, the murder is the effect and Lila is the solution. Marion is portrayed as someone who is
not innocent from the start due to the bed scenes right from the introduction of the film. Therefore
throughout the movie, she gives a seductive aura which can depict a flirty character. However Lila is
portrayed later in the second half as the next main lead, showing her clueless in the fields of criminal acts.
This creates an upright image and makes her seem like someone who is sensible.
Even though they have slight contrasting aspects, these sisters are family after all therefore they must share
some similarities which is being family orientated. Even though Marion is a materialistic lady, it all goes to her
future plans in creating a family without worries or debts; this shows how loving she is. Equivalently, Lila
plots to get past a thought to be accomplicewith a risk of being in danger just to find out what happened to
Marion; this illustrates her as intelligent and as someone who is also family orientated. Additionally, it gives
her a caring personality due to the fact that even though her sister has committed a wrong doing, Lila still
looks for her and trusts that if Marion hadnt been in some sort of an accident, Marionwould come back and
go to the police to confess her wrongdoings. This shows their trusting sisterly bond.
In the ring, the female characteristics also share something in common. They are both stubborn in their
fields. Samara, the antagonist/threat is persistent in that she never sleeps and would still kill and Rachel, the
trouble making protagonist, is persistent into stopping Samara. Also, both are quite intellectual as Samara is
able to manipulate a perfect time to kill and Rachel is able to put pieces of clues to find Samara.
Be that as it may, Samara lacks in love therefore she is filled with rage from how she was treated by her
parents but Rachel is someone who is loving and has a child of her own which she cares for deeply enough to
risk herself to protect that child. This shows a difference in their life stories and relationships. Rachel is
someone who Samara desires to have and Samara is someone who Rachel feels sympathy to (well at first but
when Samara doesnt stop her grudge, Rachel no longer feels that Samara deserves the sympathy). Rachel is
someone who is brave and strong willed as through horrifying scene she witnesses, she doesnt run away but
stands there till the end. Samara is a cold-hearted antagonist as the ways she kills one is very brutal but there
are no signs of remorse what so ever. This shows that Samara is broken and wicked.
(Absent during Women in Black, unable to compare the female characteristics shown in the film)
Women represented or shown to be in disempowerment are portrayed within horror movies through:
Diegetic sounds such as the female high toned screaming shows the epitome of fear the victim have
against the antagonist therefore allowing the perpetrator to take advantage of the fear and think of
the victim as someone vulnerable and inferior, this allows the killer to feel that whatever the female
character does, they can still get her. The high pitch makes it thrilling because it triggers the
suspense we have within. Also diegetic sounds such as the antagonists laughter adds tension due to
the fact that it shows that they have the upper hand/ winning side. It shows how exhilarated the
antagonist is making the victim to drown in despair as they lose the confidence to survive. Moreover,
the victim is tempting the perpetrator to carry on from the sounds they cry out showing how much
the antagonist really scares them. This makes the antagonist feel superior and confident that they
have caught an easy target.
Maria Ha Year10 Class C GCSE Media Studies - Horror Genre Unit Controlled Assessment| 21st/March/2014


Non-diegetic sounds such as the background music raises tension as the multiple pitches, tones and
dynamics used can lead us to have an overall assumption of the characters characteristic.For example
when a female character is seductively luring/tempting victims into their trap, a sensual tune can be
played to make their captivating charms more effective. Another example is showing an antagonists
potential can be shown by the constant rising of notes played by the strings as It can give an
imagery of a fast approaching threat and the fact that the pitch/tone gets higher and higher, it gives
an alarming aura that tells us that something dangerous is coming close. It triggers the animalistic
nature we have within us to feel alert as the non-diegetic sound given is used to notice us about
what will come. This can get the victim to feel paranoid, insecure and desperate for protection
making them monopolised by terror.
The use of irrational voice is projected when a woman is instinctively acting from fear which shows the
typical stereotype that females are the usual damsels in distress as they become helpless and move
without thinking and needing a stronger prince like character to be there to protect them and save the
day. It depicts the stereotypes that females are unable to be independent due to being weak, inferior and
inadequate to working alone therefore leads to relying on their knight in shining armour. It
disempowers women as it consistently illustrates the imagery of dependency that they have towards men
and it makes it seem as if all women are vulnerable to being victimised, easy to scare and defeat.
An example of this is Tina from Nightmare on Elm Street. The evidence which shows that women are
portrayed to be powerless is through the scenes in which she appears on. Helpless and on the run in the
midst of the antagonists amusement really shows how her actions are idiotic and useless. No matter
what she did, she was still in the disadvantage and it only accumulated the image that shows that the
perpetrator is superior. Each of Tinas actions only stimulated Freddys fun as it creates a chase sequence
like game of cat and mouse, and of course he is the cat and she is the mouse. The fact that Tina couldnt
escape the antagonists grasp led to her irrationally acting upon stress, frustration and fear of dying in his
hands. This makes it the typical scene of crying for help and non-stop screaming that allows the threat to
locate its target/prey much easier. It shows that Tina is incapable of saving herself and therefore leading
to her death showing that in the end, the antagonist won the game and got her. Moreover, he enjoyed
quite a thrill in making her run around aimlessly. The sudden use of her voice gave an impact as it
essentuates the terror she is experiencing/feeling, this makes Tina seem very powerless.
Female characters in horror movies are often represented in the image of heterosexual men; this is called
male gaze theory. Female characters are portrayed as sexual objects as they are shown in sensual outfits
that capture attention of all eyes through its revealing bits that teases ones imagination. It allows men to
fantasize their ideal ladies body shape and much more. For example, during NOES, Tina wore an
oversized boyfriend blouse which casted an imagery of lost virginity as she is wearing her boyfriends
shirt in the middle of the night (this adds onto the stereotype that women exist to only satisfy mens
desire and carry reproduction) however the colour of the shirt is white therefore it contrasted with the
image of lost innocence because ironically white represents purity and gives off an imagery of an angelic
character. In addition, by wearing just an oversized shirt, her bare legs are revealed which shows some
skin making it slightly erotic as it teases the males who have their attention on the female character. The
natural makeup worn keeps the fact that Tina is still a teen therefore she wouldnt have much makeup
on, this makes it more realistic and adds to the fact that she is still young and should be innocent
however using the stereotype of teens who are sexually active at this time period to show again a sexual
overview.
Similarly, Marion Crane from PSYCHO is also portrayed in a sexual image as she is a character that is
seductive and flirty making her an emblematic symbol of the stereotype. Though the introduction scenes
that involve nudity and bed scenes to scenes of Marion showering adds to the male gaze theory and
depicts a very sexual imagery.
Maria Ha Year10 Class C GCSE Media Studies - Horror Genre Unit Controlled Assessment| 21st/March/2014

Right from the start of the film, she is shown in her underwear(after a bed scene w/ her partner), which
was much more revealing, seductive and this makes the male gaze theory more stronger than NOES.
Similarly, it shows that Marion (like Tina) is also not pure right from the start as she was already
involved in a intercourse with a taken man, having a affair. This lets us know that Marion has quite a
dark side to her. She is not exactly a protagonist.
During her bath scene, she was wearing a low cut neckline, silk robe/dressing gown which enhances her
feminity giving her a alluring femme fatale appearance. This attracts many eyes to her contreversial outfit
but also makes one dazed from the beauty. Even though she is about to bath, she sports full looking
brows, voluminous eyelashes from mascara and pin-up doll makeup look (which was popular during
1960s). She also had wet curly hair which was dripping water droplets, this emmits a sensual aura. The
imagery that the female characters give off is the stereotype that they are only to satisfy mens desire &
reproduce. Only for sexual use. They dont have a dominant role within the movies/films.
The outfits/costumes worn are usually in the theme of attracting males, also the female characters are
wearing makeup no matter what scene they are in as their beauty is prioritised to attract more mens
attention. This makes female characters tools to reap in male fans/crowd.
During the scene where Marion accomodates at Bates Hotel (Parlor scene), Marion sat near and slightly
behind the lamp. Her face is well lit, and she, like the lamp, appears to radiate a glowing warmth. Despite
the fact that she has embezzled forty thousand dollars from her employer, she is not hidden in shadows
of evil or consumed by the darker side of her nature. This represents female as unpredictable species, and
to not judge a book by its cover e.g. Even if one is beautiful, they may not be a good person. Marion is
shown to be a femme fatale within the movie but she is sort of a antagonist in a way as she steals money
from her employer.
Female are shown in the view of biased stereotypes in horror, for example during the driving scene from
The Ring where Rachel races against time to save Noah, The driving was very irrational and dangerous.
This makes it seem like women cant drive as well as men and when Rachel fails to be in time to save
Noah, it shows that even when women are commiting a heroic act, there are likely to fail. The scene
shows multiple cuts of rachel driving in different agles and then changes to the scene where Noah is
victimised. The quick cuts and changes between the 2 scenes give us an idea of what was happening
during the time Rachel was driving. It builds tension and fustration towards the female protagonist
Rachel due to the fact that the audience feeling stressed and wanting Rachel to arrive on time to defeat
the antagonist.
In addition, female are represented through their appearance, during the scenes in which Marion was
murdered in her shower, there was many conventional cuts and close ups of her face (again focusing on
beauty). It also shows the brutal scene in a way where the audience does not exactly witness the murder
but witness the silhouettes of the scene. This focuses on the shape of the body which again highlights the
fact that females need to be fit. The camera angles portray women as objects used for looks, like a trophy
or painting.
My opinion on the way media represents women in horror films is that it is based on biased stereotypes
such as women are inferior to men and i find that it gives a unfair representation as not all women are
weak and irrantionally dumb. They focus too much on beauty which i think that it makes others feel
unattractive. They use female chatracters in the horror movies in the image that society wants which is
actually unhealthy (being slim and all made up). It influences a bad imagery of women. Although in the 4
films mentioned such as Nightmare On Elm Stret and The Ring made their female characters strong
willed and persevering, the female characters never really win. It all ends in tradgedy/ failure. This makes
the act from the female characters futile and useless. No matter what they do, they dont really help.

Maria Ha Year10 Class C GCSE Media Studies - Horror Genre Unit Controlled Assessment| 21st/March/2014