Representation of young women in horror films

Women in horror films are represented in a numerous different ways. The stereotypes are that the women are the damsels in distress. And always need to be saved by a strong male character in the film and either the ones to die straightaway – (the blonde girl goes first) or the one who requires help from everyone. Everyone else then dies for her and the woman is chased by the evil force/demon/murderer in mask which makes up for the whole duration of the film and is either killed brutally or somehow manages to temporarily kill the "evil force". She then celebrates her win but then finds out its still alive which then cues the unwanted cliffhanger.

Sometimes women are portrayed as weak, frail and need to be saved by a dominant male character.  

Many horror films exploit women and feel the need to have them running around in practically no clothes whilst being chased by an evil force just to have an audience for their poorly written film. On the other hand many don’t do this, but still have a woman who needs to be saved by someone else.     -_-    

Some horror films follow a narrative structure of the male partner who has become a psychotic/demonically -possessed killer and is after his female partner who needs to be punished for her unlawful sins. But after the rise of feminist characters on other genres on the big screen, horror movies like “Jennifer’s body”. – though It does include the main character as a seductive cheerleader who entices boys at school and kills them and doesn't help the stereotype, but for once a female character that is a killer and only kills boys.

Overall the representation of women varies a lot throughout this genre. They are either made as weak and “feminine” as possible or a strong leading character that is also is a seductive siren and uses that as an advantage to kill her prey. 

Analysing openings of horror movies

 The ring. Starts of with two teenage girls in their uniform in a bedroom deciding what to watch on tv.
They start to talk about a video and a phonecall after that would tell them they were going to die in a week. they were both joking about it but then a phone rings and one of them goes in the living room and the tv automatically shows static. it then cuts to what we find out later is a after and that one of the girls has died and her cousin, who is roughly 10yrs old, is at her funeral.

It has some of the codes of a horror movie, such as it taking part in the evening - with the girls in the bedroom watching tv. Two teenagers talking about horror and a child who knew about his cousin's death a week before. many horror films have a child associated with the deaths/ "evil force" or even is posessed and is the killer.

mise en scene

Research on directors

David Yates : Took over the Harry Potter movie franchise at the 5th film but had first started off by making 'tv movies' and series, including the Young visitors, the sins and the Bill. 


Ron Howard:   is a former 'child actor' and now is a producer and a director. He began with a low-budget film - 'Grand theft auto' in 1977. He then went on to making Tv films and after he had started to make high-visibility films such as splash, Cocoon, Willow, Parenthood, Backdraft, Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code and  A Beautiful Mind - which he won the Academy Award for Best Director.  


Rob Reiner: is an American actor, producer and director. In the 1980s he became a well known directore of successful hollywood films such as, The princess Bride, Stand by me and this is Spinal Tap.  

Ms cox

Dr reid - Criminal Minds Representations Spencer Reid is the youngest agent at the BAU in the FBI. He skipped loads of grades in middle school and at high school. Throughout the many series when there are featured epsisodes for a character so the audience would find out about the character’s background story. We find out that because Reid was bullied because he was always the youngest in his class by atleast a few years and he still sometimes is self-conscious and nervous in certain situations. This makes the audience sympathize with him and like him more and also