Michael’s answer to “Recently there's been an increase in female-centric, women-directed horror films (many receiving in…” > Likes and Comments
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I love Clover's book, but recently I've been thinking that her idea of the Final Girl as a point of identification for the adolescent male reinforces the misconception of horror as a genre for teenage boys, when statistically, a large percentage of the horror genre audience is made up of women ages 35-50. It seems strange to me that there is a lack of acknowledgement of this audience demographic throughout the industry.
Great point, Tanya, and thank you again for raising these questions. I remember reading once that the dominant audience for horror fiction during the "boom" time in the 90s were 14 year old boys and their mothers.
Good critique of Clover's "final girl," but maybe since that icon is still a girl, it's a point of identification for both male and female audiences, no? You've probably read Isabel Pinedo's RECREATIONAL TERRORS, but I recommend it to all; she talks a little bit more about the female pleasures of postmodern horror cinema in the way you suggest.
I actually have not read it yet, but it's on my list and I look forward to reading it. I've skimmed through it a bit, and it looks fascinating.
Maybe I can get it read before ICFA and we can continue this discussion there!
Although women in horror movies are typically trapped in iconic tropes, mother, slut, virgin (so are their male counterparts) it is interesting how few female big bads exist in the genre. While horror is more likely to cast a woman in the role of helpless victim, it is also more likely to show up a male's attempt at heroics as pointless posturing, and more women then men survive.
This is why I really like horror films like The Thing, or any film where the monster is polymorphous and ostensibly non-gendered. But even in that movie, there's an all-male cast, and it's hard to tell if it's a celebration of macho or a deconstruction of it.
Horror is kind of unique in that the lack of female big bads could be argued as both sexist and gender affirmative. I mean the true legendary monsters of Horror play to our darkest most intimate fears. I could be seen as both a good and a bad thing that horror is not afraid of women. Still, in horror it is the bad guy, the fear, the monster who wields the most power. It is a weird space to play in, and with.
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Tanya Twombly
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Jan 29, 2015 09:06PM
I love Clover's book, but recently I've been thinking that her idea of the Final Girl as a point of identification for the adolescent male reinforces the misconception of horror as a genre for teenage boys, when statistically, a large percentage of the horror genre audience is made up of women ages 35-50. It seems strange to me that there is a lack of acknowledgement of this audience demographic throughout the industry.
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Great point, Tanya, and thank you again for raising these questions. I remember reading once that the dominant audience for horror fiction during the "boom" time in the 90s were 14 year old boys and their mothers. Good critique of Clover's "final girl," but maybe since that icon is still a girl, it's a point of identification for both male and female audiences, no? You've probably read Isabel Pinedo's RECREATIONAL TERRORS, but I recommend it to all; she talks a little bit more about the female pleasures of postmodern horror cinema in the way you suggest.
I actually have not read it yet, but it's on my list and I look forward to reading it. I've skimmed through it a bit, and it looks fascinating.Maybe I can get it read before ICFA and we can continue this discussion there!
Although women in horror movies are typically trapped in iconic tropes, mother, slut, virgin (so are their male counterparts) it is interesting how few female big bads exist in the genre. While horror is more likely to cast a woman in the role of helpless victim, it is also more likely to show up a male's attempt at heroics as pointless posturing, and more women then men survive.
This is why I really like horror films like The Thing, or any film where the monster is polymorphous and ostensibly non-gendered. But even in that movie, there's an all-male cast, and it's hard to tell if it's a celebration of macho or a deconstruction of it.
Horror is kind of unique in that the lack of female big bads could be argued as both sexist and gender affirmative. I mean the true legendary monsters of Horror play to our darkest most intimate fears. I could be seen as both a good and a bad thing that horror is not afraid of women. Still, in horror it is the bad guy, the fear, the monster who wields the most power. It is a weird space to play in, and with.
