You may be surprised to learn that some of your favorite spooky movies are actually riddled with casual misogyny -- Ava RUkavina
Horror films are all about morality, modeled after fables and mythologies that ultimately reveal something deeper about society -- often through the relationships between the killers and the victims, between who makes it out alive and who dies. If you look beyond the jumpscares and stabbings, you’ll find that many classic Halloween films are scaring you into believing in sexist ideals. Fortunately, some filmmakers have managed to subvert audience expectations of gender, and tell a story that depicts women in a positive light.
There are a few key ways in which misogyny sneaks its way into these films. The first is how young women are often punished for their sexuality. The subgenre most notorious for this is the slasher films of the 70’s and 80’s. Think “Halloween” (1978), in this first edition to the franchise, two of the three named female characters who are killed, meet their fate right after a sexual encounter. Meanwhile Laurie Strode, the innocent girl, survives to the end. She’s the “final girl”, a term coined by Carol J. Clover, which refers to the last girl alive in a horror film, left to confront the killer. Many final girls are similar to Laurie in that they are innocent and virginal, this trope is commonly used to slut-shame women for expressing themselves, and perpetuate the idea that only those who save themselves for marriage, will find success in life.
Another problematic message that is sometimes conveyed in the genre is that women are weak and defenseless. In any horror movie, there tends to be more female victims than male, and when women are facing off against the killer, they’re usually depicted as submissive rather than defensive, as their male counterparts would be.What’s even rarer than a woman being capable of standing up for herself, is a female antagonist. In these movies, we almost exclusively see men doing the murdering, while women are stuck playing the role of the victim. Women should be allowed to be morally ambiguous, violent, and have agency over their own existence.
The third misogynistic characteristic of these horror films is their obsession with physically and psychologically torturing women. The female characters' death is lingered on for far longer than her male counterparts, “showing her trying to escape fearfully before documenting her brutal slaughter,'' writes pop culture journalist for Far Out Magazine, Debadrita Sur, in her article Is The Representation of Women in Horror Changing Gradually?. An example of this can be found in the first “Nightmare on Elm Street,” when teenager Tina Gray is killed, a full minute of screen time is dedicated to her screaming in anguish, covered in blood, being stabbed and dragged across the wall by Freddy Kreuger, in her underwear. This scene blatantly fetishizes female pain. Not only are women's bodies exploited in horror, but so are their minds. The fact that most of the time, the killers are male, and the victims are female, encourages the audience to find entertainment in women being tortured and experiencing geniune trauma. These movies are fixated on showcasing the deteriorating mental state of their female characters.We see this in “The Shining,” “Scream,” or really any slasher that features a female protagonist.
Despite all of these sexist ideas present in the horror genre, some movies have been able to flip these tropes on their head and center stories around complex female characters. The 2009 film “Jennifer’s Body”, is one of them. After a human sacrifice performed by an indie rock band goes haywire, popular highschool student Jennifer Check gains demonic powers. But with these new-found abilities, she has a thirst for human flesh, and to satisfy her hunger, she begins luring men into sexual situations and feasting on them. Jennifer is a female character who is given the freedom to be violent and dominant in her relationships, she is successful and satisfied with her life in a way that no sexually active woman from a 70s slasher ever got to be. When Jennifer does eventually meet her demise, it’s not because she was liberated but because, since realizing her new-found abilities, she’s been unkind to her best friend Anita. The movie ending her life in this way, is a statement about the importance of young female relationships. “Jennifer’s Body” doesn’t demand that any one lifestyle is right or wrong, and doesn’t push the harmful narrative that being innocent and morally correct are the same thing.
“Ginger Snaps”, a similar film, is effective in its ability to center its female characters rather than sexualizing them. It tells the story of two teenage sisters who have been social outcasts for most of their lives, likely due to their fascination with gore and distaste for traditionally feminine things. After Ginger, the eldest, is bitten by a werewolf, she becomes more invested in her appearance, acting out, chasing boys (and feeding on them). Her younger sister, Bridgette, starts to feel a little left behind and tries to find a cure. Much like “Jennifer’s Body'', this film portrays a woman as the main antagonist and men as her victims. Women aren’t depicted as weak or used as props to further the plot along. Instead, the film focuses on a complex sisterly relationship. Experiencing sudden urges and bodily changes is a clear metaphor for girls getting their period and going through puberty. It’s a time of emotion, confusion, and fractured relationships. At its core, the movie is truly very heartwarming, so long as you’re willing to look past the very poorly executed werewolf prosthetics.
Our final and most recent example is another great step in the right direction for the horror genre, but does this in a way that differs from the first two. The psychological thriller “Midsommar” refuses to subject its female character to mental torture, and instead puts that weight on the men around her. The movie follows Dani, her manipulative boyfriend, and his friends on a trip to rural Sweden. Tensions rise as group members disappear. The group is staying in a small community, who appear to be in the midst of some sort of ritualistic celebration, which turns out to be a human sacrifice. In an interesting twist, Dani must choose who to kill. She selects her boyfriend. What makes this movie such a great depiction of a female character is that, while her male counterparts are mentally and physically tortured as they realize the horror behind this cult, Dani is slowly assimilating to it. Rather than becoming a victim to this hellscape, like Wendy in “The Shining,” Dani is in control and takes revenge on her boyfriend.
While it’s sad to see how exploitative older horror movies have been in the past, it’s evident that times are changing. All of these examples of positive female representation are from years or even decades ago. They were the first to modernize the genre, and now, we can see plenty of films following in their footsteps. If you look at all of the horror films that’ve been released this year, you’ll see that most are aiming to push empowered female characters to the forefront of the story.
While it’s sad to see how exploitative older horror movies have been in the past, it’s evident that times are changing. All of these examples of positive female representation are from years or even decades ago. They were the first to modernize the genre, and now, we can see plenty of films following in their footsteps. If you look at all of the horror films that’ve been released this year, you’ll see that most are aiming to push empowered female characters to the forefront of the story.
