Representation of Gender in Horror Movies

In the horror movie genre, especially 'Slasher Movies', women are portrayed as sex-mad damsels in distress that are murdered early in the movie as punishment for their recklessness. Most films in the genre usually portray men as the killers and women as the victims who are needy and try to run away from the killer with barely any clothes on. Females are portrayed as vulnerable, highly sexualised and unintelligent or as protagonists by defeating the typical male villian and exhibiting strengh and intelligence, moving from the victim to the herione who can also be known as 'The Final Girl'.

Halloween (1978)
In Halloween, Laurie is not sex-mad and focuses on her studies unlike her friends who were the opposite. Her friends were killed and she was the only one that survived which conforms to 'The Final Girl' convention.

Friday The 13th (2009)

Many of the women of the remake are shown half clothed and hyper-sexualized, taking away the audience's ability to sympathise with them because they are seen as less valuable in

society. The link with sex and death with murder as the punishment.

Friday The 13th (1980)

Alice Hardy is shown as the strongest woman in the film, the 'Final Girl' that survives. The antagonist is female which challenges that men are the villians. Alice is feminine and reckless but she does not get punished with death. Alice is able to fight and defeat the villian without the aid of a man and uses her intelligence to and strengh to kill the villian.