Damsel in Distress
This type of character is very often used in the horror genre and is the most common feature throughout the production of horror films. This stereotype insinuates that women are the weaker sex and depend on a man to rescue them. In modern horror and thriller movies, 'damsel in distress' female characters are often shown in this way through torture, ostracising and being victimised (often barely clothed).
Jealous Lover
Women always need a reason to kill in this genre. Usually through anger, revenge or jealous as a result of a man. The idea that women would kill because they are scorned lovers is a boost to the male ego.
Demon Host
Where women can be characterised as victims in horror films, they can also be victims of their own bodies. In films such as 'The Exorcist' and 'The Omen', the female body was a host for evil. As women of that time tried to demonstrate their bodies as a source of power and beauty, horror films showed how they were still a source of shame and evil.
Negatively Liberated Women
During the second wave of feminism, it scared many men that women were gaining power, liberating themselves and their bodies. During this time, movies depicting the idea of a liberated woman and what could happen if women had too much power were common. Movies like “Carrie” showed the fear and dread of a powerful women and what happens when she gives her body a choice.
Sexually Promiscuous Women
During the height of the sexual revolution, particularly in the late 70s, horror movies punished sexually liberated and “promiscuous” women. In movies like “Halloween”, all the teens who were sexually experienced were killed. The lone survivor was the only “pure” one. The "Friday the 13" series particularly punishes those teens who drink, smoke, and have sex.
Anna Donahue, however, discusses how "The Walking Dead is a series that constantly challenges gender convention through strong female characters like Maggie (who waits for no man – not even her husband, from whom she was separated last season), Carol (who learned to defend herself following years as a victim of domestic violence) and Michonne (a sword-brandishing force who literally cut the arms off her abusers). Which makes complete sense: in a post-apocalyptic setting, there’s no room for inequality. And while there are still male villains who use torture and sexual assault to achieve their end game, The Walking Dead isn’t a show about kidnappers, serial killers or man-versus-woman. Human-induced cruelty and violence may be a byproduct of a zombie apocalypse (and ingrained in some men’s mindsets), but no woman – even if victimised – is introduced as a “victim”. Even if it takes a while, she will get her revenge, and she should be feared because of it." (The Guardian, 2014)
The Female Viewer
"Women search for a monstrous love and means of escape from heir everyday lives. Beneath the veneer of fear, women display sexual hunger and cry out for radical change in their lives. Change that includes intimate contact with monsters, or the men who play them, and the sadistic punishment of mortal men. Female fear and sexual pleasure are woven together, fused in the actor's rendering of the powerful, illicit, and dramatic links between vampirism and female desire." (Page 89, Berenstein 1996). However, Jessica Valenti argues that with The Walking Dead, women are so interested in this particular horror tv show because the lack of sexual violence. She explains how "In a post-apocalyptic setting like the one on The Walking Dead, surely rape would be a reality as well – but you don't need to depict extreme sexual violence for millions of people on a television screen in order to maintain the authenticity of a compelling television series. That rape is a regular part of The Walking Dead's world is hinted at several times throughout the series: we hear about rapes that have taken place, but we're not forced to endure watching them. For me, this makes all the difference." (Valenti, 2014).
References:
- Maggie Freleng. (2014). Pretty Bloody: Women and Stereotypes in Horror Movies. [29th March] Available: http://vitaminw.co/culture-society/horror-movies-women-and-stereotypes
- Anne T Donahue. (2014). Woman in Horror: The Revenge. [29th March] Available: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/commentisfree/2014/oct/17/women-in-horror-the-revenge
- Rhona J. Berenstein 1996. Attack of the Leading Ladies: Gender, Sexuality and Spectatorship in Classic Horror Cinema. New York: Columbia University Press.
- Jessica Valenti. (2014). Why do women love The Walking Dead? [30th March] Available: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/12/women-love-walking-dead-rape-scenes
