looking at female and final girl traits

Initial perception of how women are represented in horror films:

• Smart
• masculine
• pretty but dumb
• lucky
• hysterical
• revealing or tight costume
• objectified
• the damsel in distress
• vulnerable
• final girl

Final girl traits:

• male actions 
• tomboyish clothes
• emotionally strong
• quick witted
• resourceful 

Moral fibre in horror

 In 'Halloween' (1978) the moral fibre of the characters is directly linked to their potential to survive. Chase virginal characters survive and vice versa this has become a convention of Slasher films.

In 'Halloween' we see the final girl's friends give her drugs, lie to the police/parents and prepare to have sex, these girls are killed. After witnessing the final girl refuse to date a boy and show genuine concern over school work she is left the only of her friends to survive.

This convention has even been subverted in many films. An example of this would be Cabin in the Woods (2012) in which the narrative openly highlights the character's roles from the 'whore' who must die first to the 'virgin' who must suffer but can become final girl. However although the final girl favours intellect and finds pleasure in studying she is not a virgin and the narrative mocks this as the manager says "we take what we can get". Also it is not certain whether the 'virgin' ends up as final girl as she is rescued by a boy; the labelled 'fool' whose drug antics save him rather than being the lack of morality that ends in him being killed.

Feminism and horror

Some feminists see horrors as debasing women in a sexual way, this is evident through knife penetration. Feminist Carol. J. Clover suggests the opposite arguing that women are heroinised though the final girl concept. However John Kenneth argues that the final girl does not survive due to brains but simply luck in most cases.

The Monstrous Feminine

''In Carrie, the film's most most monstrous act occurs when the couple are drenched in pigs blood, which symbolises menstrual blood  in terms of set up by the film. Women are referred to as 'pigs', women 'bleed like pigs', and the pig's blood runs down Carrie's body at a moment of intense pleasure, just as her own menstrual  blood ran down her legs during a similar pleasurable moment in the shower. Here, women's blood and pigs blood flow together signifying horror, shame and humiliation''.
The Horror Reader - Barbara Creed.

I agree with this opinion the connotations of the scenes and their uncanny link very clearly relates the blood scenes to humiliation and horror for both Carrie and the male viewer. I have noted that the film may have a misogynistic stance; this can be seen through the many negative representations of women. The females of the film are shown to be either bullies, evil mothers, misunderstanding Carrie, or controlling over their boyfriends. I have found no positive example of a female in the film whilst the males are not explored in detail.

Another example of 'the monstrous feminine is horror film 'Jennifer's Body' in which Jennifer is presented as a demon seducing men just to eat them.

Propp's character theory

Propp created a character theory which every fairy tale includes in order to drive the narrative forward. Propp looked at each character's role in the narrative and why they were needed for the storyline.

1. Hero - the main protagonist who drives the narrative forward. they will have a form of a mission to undertake in return for a reward/princess. 
2. Villain - the opposition to the hero seeking to stop them succeeding in their mission by posing a threat. They are presented as greedy wanting riches glory power and sometimes the princess for themselves. 
3. (Magical) Helper - accompanies the hero for some or most of the quest and can sometimes help, but cannot themselves complete the quest.
4. Donor/mentor - gives the hero important information in the quest. they are often represented as wise or having magical powers, but can't do the quest without the hero.
5. Dispatcher - sends hero on the quest
6. Princess' father/blocker - tries to prevent the hero completing the least part of the quest
7. Princess/reward - acts as a reward for the hero succeeding in the quest. in older more stereotypical narratives the heroine is s passive princess and female. In modern narratives the heroine can be more feisty

Critisicims of Propp's theory are that he ignores character tone and mood which differentiates from one tale to another.
Levi Strauss took a structuralist approach to  seeking meaning and critisized propp

Todorov's narrative structure

 Todorov attempted to create narative structure that could be applied to any film

1. The film will begin with a state of equilibrium where everything is normal
2. There is then disruption of the equilibrium 
3. After this change the disruption is recognised
4. attempts to repair disruption are made 
5. finally at the end of the film we see a return or restoration of a new equilibrium

Todorov's extended narrative theory

• Exposition
• Development
• Complication
• Climax
• Resolution

Example; This narrative structure can be seen in horror film; The Facualty (1998)

1. The film opens with a normal everyday example of an American high school and typical students and teachers; this is the state of equilibrium (Exposition)
2. This equilibrium is then disrupted by a couple of teachers becoming murderous and appearing out of character (Development)
3. later the disruption is recognised by a group of students noticing an assault on another faculty member (Complication)
4. The group then attempt to repair the disruption by killing the infected and finally the cause of the disruption (Climax)
5. The state of equilibrium is then returned to everyday life but relationships have shifted and the characters view each other differently  (Resolution)

A criticism of this structure would be aside from The Faculty horror films do not usually resolve themselves, leaving the film open ended and the threat still at large. This is more appropriate for a horror film as it scares the viewer more leaving them paranoid.

Narratives

known

• life
• the everyday
• normal physical matter
• human normality
• 'normal' sexuality
• social order
• sanity
• health
• culture