The portrayal of women in horror films and society
Fecha
2023-11
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Colegio San Agustín, Chiclayo
Resumen
The representation of women in the media has always been a huge topic of controversy and analysis within the film industry. In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in social attitudes towards gender roles and women’s empowerment. Filmmakers are now emphasizing on portraying women with a more nuanced and feminist perspective, moving away from the stereotypical associations that were present in the old days. This shift is particularly evident in horror films, which have traditionally been known for their violence against women, highlighting aspects such as the famous female helpless victim, or the frequent sexualization of its characters. Thereby, for this extended essay I have brought together my interest as a horror fan and my investigation skills to make an essay based on: “To what extent is the shift of social ideas towards women reflected in John Carpenter’s 1978 film Halloween and David Gordon’s 2018 film Halloween? These two films are part of the same franchise, however, they are separated by forty years. A time during which there have been significant changes towards women’s rights and their perception within the society. As a result, comparing the portrayal of its female characters and analyzing the context and situations from both films, will provide a great insight into the evolution of the representation of women as a result of the shift in social ideas.
Considering that both pictures have the same title, for David Gordon's film I will refer to it as “Halloween (2018)”. Similarly, to refer to John Carpenter’s film I’ll be using “Halloween (1978)”. Furthermore, what motivates me the most is my love for horror and slasher films. I have always been surrounded by this genre due to my brother and as a result it has developed a huge fascination towards everything related to it. In fact, Laurie Strode is arguably one of my favorites female survivors, and its incredible history and evolution in the Halloween films throughout the years, was also a tool that pushed me to finally decide to write about this topic. Hopefully, this will be a great opportunity to realize and be thankful that we live in a context where women are no longer fixed into one role, and now they can be portrayed as the brave and powerful human beings they are.
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Palabras clave
Halloween, Feminism, Women Representation
Citación
APA
