Throughout history sexism has been a part of the world and this has been reflected within the film world. Jaremy Tunstall devided female screen characters into 4 main groups domestic, sexual, consumer and marital. As a rule all female characters fall into one if not more of these role titles. By females being shown in these roles it makes room for vulnerable and weak victims within the horror genre. Whilst men are portrayed as dominant, active, independent, intellectual and authoritative, research in 1992 provided evidence than men outnumber females on screen by 2 to 1.
The classic horror film Halloween (1978) unusually for the time the number of male to female characters is equal due to the young group of victims – Laurie, Judith, Linda and Annie. Whilst the dominant male characters are Loomis, the sheriff and Mike Myers. The majority of female characters in this film are portrayed as sexual, such as Annie being murdered whilst only in a white shirt whilst Lindsey and Judith are murdered after sexual activities with their boyfriends. Laurie – the final girl – survives due to her boyish and virginal character role. Many scenes feature the girls in a domestic setting such as the girls spend a lot of time in the kitchen’s of each home or cleaning. Also, two of the girls – Laurie and Annie – are put into familial roles whilst baby sitting and looking after children, reading book and watch films with them. Laurie spends the end of the film being pursued by her attacker whilst hiding and protecting the children repeatedly. Through the friendships of the main girls we see a formed friendship and get to know the characters well through their phone calls and gossips on their walks from school and around the neighbourhood. At the beginning of the film we are put into an extended point of view shot from the eyes of the child killer as he stabs his sister in a sexualised scene. This continues throughout the film however, whilst all the other females are put into a sexual view Laurie is androgynous. Due to her virginal character she is never put into the sexual light, she has a masculine dress sense and characteristics whilst her name could be male or female. The narrative of this film highlights that teens get distracted by sex and are made weaker and are subject to death.
For it’s time The Shining (1982) is a more sexist towards female characters. The females in this film are limited to Wendy (final girl), the woman in the bath, the two dead twins, we hear of but never see Grady’s wife. Whilst the male characters are Jack, Danny, Halloran, Grady, hotel owner, Bar man and the radio operator. Men in this film outnumber females two to one. This film doesn’t follow the theme of sexually active teens and looks at psychological horror and the past. This films basis is family life and due to this the main female character – Wendy – is portrayed in a domestic light. She looks after the hotel whilst her husbands sanity deteriorates, she checks the machines and takes down numbers (which is Jack’s job) this puts her into a slightly more masculine role. She is also in a familial role as Danny’s mother and a wife figure, by being in this role she is weak, passive and submissive to her husband – he commands her to leave his ‘writing area’ and she doesn’t return to the room. In this movie the gaze is so the audience can identify with Wendy rather than objectify her, other than close to the end when she is a victim over anything else. The female character in the bath has no identity and we instantly acknowledge her in a sexual light as she is naked and Jack is clearly attracted to her. However, this is quickly undermined when she is transformed into a dead rotten body in his arms. The final girl in this film again escapes safely with Danny, both male and female characters die, however, we only see one death being that of Halloran, but we know that more females have died eg. Grady’s wife and two children. 
Eden Lake is a very new film (2008) again the men in this film outweigh the females 2:1 as there are only a few female characters Jenny, the waitress and the girl in Brett’s gang. Whilst the males are, Steve, Brett, the 5 boys in his gang, Brett’s Dad, Adam, the brother in the white van, the bar tender and the kids parents at the party are a mix. Although Jenny has a career it is a stereotypical female care job as a primary school teacher, thus suggesting she is used to well behaved, calm, city kids with manners. She is familial in that she works with children and has accepted Steve’s offer of engagement, she looks after him and known’s to seek help when he is injured. Whilst on the beach and when in the tent she is sexual to a small extent as at every encounter they are interrupted by the noise and careless teens that bother them. Paige – the lone girl within Brett’s group - is aggressive and violent in a very masculine role she is involved with the torture by filming it and it never portraying in a sexual or appealing light. She wears baggy and unrevealing clothes and has a slightly boyish look about her with all her hair scraped back and her rough voice. However, she is submissive within the group in a very female way, when Brett orders her to film the torture scenes she does straight away and never denies anyone. Little is heard from her throughout the film. Identification is made with the final girl rather than objectification as she is not a sexual character. Though we are not aware if she lives or dies –though she is captured – she still made her escape from the boys in the forest area. We do see the objectifying looks from the boys to Jenny but camera work and editing make us identify with her feelings of fear and being a monster more than anything else. These three examples all look at females in a different light though they all correspond with female victims, to a point a final girl, men being more dominant whilst woman are objectified or placed into the strict female character types created by Tunstall. This provides us with evidence that horror films to contain a degree of sexism and that males are the stronger roles and still dominating the screen.
No comments:
Post a Comment