Gender Politics and Roles in a Horror Film Essay

Gender political sympathies in wickedness films ar non all that difficult to comprehend mainly because they devise a specific affair for the various sexual practices. That is the sexuality politics argon little to a greater extent than a variety on class occasions in society. In fact, even an individual who has a passing interest in horror films can believe that the heroes and villains be phallic and the victims be predominantly women. This is the third estate, tried and true cliched method of cranking out horror movies on an assembly line basis.There are, of course, some excellent horror films that alter the generic methodology of producing horror films that prescribe to a single minded of opinions of what are the ripe gender designs that are found in horror movies. Often, we see men as the hero and women as either the victim or the hero. In reality, when it comes to gender spots in horror films there really are no differences because these different employments are based on human interpretations deriving from external opinion in the film itself it is the monster that defines the fiber and the monster invariably defines the role of all human disregarding of gender as prey.When it comes to drive in theater/direct to DVD vacates, serious study is often difficult. Films that are cranked out to cash in on a niche market are generally not works of art. Those horror films that do rise to a higher level of art, however, can provide a brilliant insight into the multitude of variances of gender roles that exist. In examining gender roles in horror films, one could sunder the genre into two halves the pre-ALIEN era and the post-ALIEN era. In the era prior to 1979s landmark film ALIEN, the comprehend role of women was that of the unwilling victim who wasGender Roles in Horror Films pageboy 2 menaced by the vampire, werewolf, conventionalized construct et al and subscribeed a hero to save her. This is referred to as a perceived expression b ecause the role of the womanish character was actually very much stronger then that in certain films. (In the more B grade films the role of the victim was a cardboard one lacking in any depth) With the release of ALIEN, a egg-producing(prenominal) character was presented as a strong adversary of the monster. Instead of needing to be saved, the female heroine defeats the monster quite handily. This would become the more common female role in horror movies.Unfortunately, this more active role would be perverted into the last victim stereotype crafted in the slasher films of the 1980s a role that still exists for many female characters to this very day. Of course, not all female gender roles are heroines or victims. The recent release of SAW III brought back the lesser used concept of the female villain. The roughly famous example could be found in 1932s underrated DRACULAS DAUGHTER. dapple the role of the female vampire was effective, there was little interest in continuing to u se females in horror movie heavy roles.The usage of a female in a horror role was limited although it was not without precedent. A female werewolf debuted in lost werewolf film prosaically titled THE WEREWOLF. (Female werewolves would return in such films as SHE WOLF OF LONDON and CRY OF THE WEREWOLF) But, this pcticular role was limited. Further roles of females in the monster role range from the exploitative (THE VAMPIRE LOVERS) to the d giveright silly (FRANKENSTEINS DAUGHTER) to the brilliant (THE EXORCIST) While this particular gender role ofGender Roles in Horror Films Page 3 villainess is limited it is not without precedent and it does occasionally appear. In rare instances, it is done effectively as seen in films such as the aforementioned SAW III and THE DEVILS REJECTS. There are questions that need to be raised in terms of how a womans role vs. a male role in a horror film is devised. While some may look for a profound answer to this the real answer is somewhat mundane . That is to govern, the roles presented in many of these films are simply reflections of common foots.Consider the following assessment In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, enjoy in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male attentiveness projects a fantasy onto the female figure, which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact (Mulvey 203) In other words, the gender roles prevalent in most horror films was simply what the audience had grown accustom to expecting.If the audiences of the 1930s sat down in a dark theater in the 1930s and were treated to a female hero in DRACULA or KING KONG the films would have been radically different in their narrative. Audiences generally expected a common role for men and women in horror films and any departure from these roles may run the lay on the line of being r ejected. Well, they will not be rejected if they are scripted well. In the 1976 KING KONG remake, Jessica Langs dopey dialogue to Kong did change her role from the frightened Fay Wray of the original film, but not in a good way.Screaming at the top of your lungs at the sight of a monstrous anthropoid makes sense. aspect at a gigantic amorous Gender Roles in Horror Films Page 4 ape and saying This isnt going to work out is just outright silly. It simply is not the role people expect in a situation of grave terror. But traditional roles do not always exhibit passivity. In a way, Fay Wrays fear and terror is not so much submission or passivity as much as it is obstinate. She rejects Kong and stands up for herself. Her screams are screams of defiance and such defiance throws Kong off his game plan.As such, her role is really not as passive as one would assume. She does stand up to the creature, but un the akin Jessica Langes obtuse reception Wrays reaction is believable. This is wh at makes her defiance believable. In a way, gender roles in horror films really more blurred than most would initially assume. Consider the following conclusion From its beginning gothic writing entwined culture and economy as well as blurring sexual boundaries and disturbing aesthetic and moral categories. (Botting 135) On the surface, many would be slow to agree with such a statement.After all, what blurring of gender roles are there to be found in a horror film? Prior to ALIEN, the roles of men and women were starkly contrasted. In the post ALIEN world, women pee on a more active role. This is hardly blurring. In fact, the roles are fairly obvious and pronounced. Again, this is what ability appear to be the fact on the surface because on the surface we are looking at the actual action of the characters. The roles of the characters do not change regardless of the decade the film was produced. That is to say, humans whether they are male or female remain victims in horror fil ms.Gender Roles in Horror Films Page 5 That is, Ripley may be active in ALIEN but she is the prey of the alien no different from the role of Fay Wray in KING KONG. Even in 1942s THE WOLFMAN we can see a variant of this. Consider Evelyn Ankers role in the film her character Gwen is far from a gutless female. She is a very independent and strong character. At the films climax, she goes out in the forest by herself looking for her boyfriend even though she knows a werewolf is prowling. Of course, the werewolf attacks her because that is what werewolves do.The werewolf like aliens, vampires and giant monsters only sees humans as prey. The creature often does not see gender roles. The role to the creature is irrelevant beyond seeing humans as victims. Victims are essentially the repressed regardless of their gender role. What is primal Repression? Let us call it the ability of the speaking being always already haunted by the other, to divide, reject and repeat. Without one division, one separation one subject/object having been conventional why? Perhaps because of the maternal anguish, unable to be satisfied within the encompassing symbolic. (Kristeva 12) As such, the gender role of the active male or active/passive female never really changes. The role they play is always reactive to the creature and this makes them perfect for the role of a victim. This may seem like a odd way of looking at the roles because it deviates from the commonality of what we are grown to expect in horror films. This is because Cinema is at once a form of perception and a material perceived, a new way of encountering reality Gender Roles in Horror Films Page 6 and a part of reality thereby discovered for the first time. (Shaviro 40) That is, one of the benefits to enjoying a film is watching how humans are presented. Even in fantastic films such as the horror genre there is a suspect insight into reality present and that particular reality is both(prenominal) the different roles genders play (passive/active) based on human perception and then there is the monsters perception prey. As such, there are different roles and singular roles occurring at the same time. As Barker illustrates If she had been taciturn in the street, Anne-Marie was anything but in the privacy of her own kitchen.Gone was the guarded curiosity, to be replaced by a stream of lively chatter and constant hurrying between a half dozen minor domestic tasks, like a juggler keeping several(prenominal) states spinning at once. (Barker 74) That is, a singular person can play many roles based on varying perceptions. While there are many different types of horror films, all horror films shopping mall on the common theme of predator and prey. While sometimes there may be variants to the role ( a sympathetic monster, a flawed human hero, etc) the end result always returns to the original theme predators seek their prey.Sometimes, the prey is passive and sometimes the prey remains passive. Of cour se, prey can be both male and female and, unfortunately, the gender roles of the prey often follow common stereotypes. However, to the classic monster gender roles are irrelevant to the monster all humans are prey and that trumps gender roles completely. This is not to say that there are no nuances found in the various gender roles. But, as far as the creature is concerned all humans are prey no matter how they act or react through the course of the film.Bibliography Barker, Clive. The Forbidde. In IN THE FLESH TALES OF TERROR. New York Poseidon Press, 1986. 67 108. Botting, F. Candy Gothic. In GOTHIC CAMBRIDGE Boydell & Brewer, 2001. 133 151. Kristeva, Julia. Powers of Horror A Study in Abjection. New York Columbia University Press, 1982. Mulvey, Laura. Visual Pleasure and communicatory cinema. Shaviro, Steven. Film Theory and Visual Fascination. In THE CINEMATIC BODY. Minneapolis University of Minneapolis Press, 1993. 1 65.