Is Horror a Feminist Genre?
- K.J. Griffith
- Oct 21, 2022
- 3 min read
With Halloween around the corner, I've been watching more horror films and series to prepare for spookiest time of the year. However, I've noticed that ever since I started researching women representation in film, I'm looking at some of my horror favorites in an entirely new light. This week I pose the question: is horror a feminist genre in film? Or is it not as empowering as some think it is?
In its earliest forms, the horror genre had women as a driving force. Before film, literary geniuses such as Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe, and Daphne du Maurier were writing classic horror literature for all to read. Their works inspired film as early as its invention, with women like Alice Guy Blaché putting horror on the big screen. It was one of the few genres where women weren't automatically assigned the D.I.D. (damsel in distress) role. In fact, many women were heros or even villains in early film; seen as equals to their male counterparts (or as equal as you could get in the early 20th century). Horror, as a genre, is defined by women, It goes in harmony with current social issues, so many of the early films depict parts of the first feminist movement.
Second wave feminism added more layers to the horror genre and brought women again to the limelight. Films like Halloween (1978) created the final girl trope that is still currently used in horror. For anyone who doesn't know what the final girl is, it is a female character who at the end of the horror film, defeats the antagonist. Usually she is the only one to survive the wrath of the villain, using her skills to outsmart whomever she is up against. This is arguably the most feminist trope of any narrative films. It shows women are smart; that they can overcome anything all on their own. They come out as the winner; able to live another day. Even modern films such as Midsommar have a final girl who reigns victorious at the end of the story. It is wonderfully refreshing to see women take control of the narrative and survive in the end.
However, many of the tropes women are a part of in horror are not empowering. Women in supporting roles are often seen as passive characters; someone who is not given a choice and goes with the flow of the story rather than choosing a different path. In certain instances they are reduced to "the screamer" or the one who instead of trying to solve the problem, screams into their ultimate demise. Many horror films have underlying misogyny built into the story. Supporting women often are seen as weak or delicate without a male character to support them. This representation victimizes women; making them more like symbols than actual human beings.
Women are thought of as objects, rather than people with needs and wants. A big factor in horror and human need is sex. Many horror films, more specifically the slasher sub-genre, punish women who perform sexual acts. Women who are saved or are the final girl are deemed "virginal beauties" in the male gaze. This follows the belief that women who are celibate are deemed morally good, whereas women who are active sexually are evil. Sex and violence go hand in hand when it comes to horror, and it never turns out good for the girl.
So the simple answer is this: yes, horror is more feminist than other film genres, but that's not saying much. Though much of modern horror bolsters women as the main characters or at least playing a major role, we still aren't seeing a diverse group of women on the screen. I'd be willing to go out on a limb and say most horror films have women who are white and are presumably heterosexual. I can't say that women are well represented in horror because of this. People like Ari Aster and Jordan Peele are changing this point of view of course, but it's a small wave in an ocean of films. It is down to the future of cinema to subvert expectations and empower women.
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All pictures come from film-grab.com
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