I love a good scary movie.
The longer that I have to sleep with the lights on the better. Actually, the longer that I have to stay up and watch cartoons to calm me down the better! There's something universal that makes them so appealing. There's a whole psychology behind what makes a horror film great - certainly a topic for another time. To me though, one of my favorite parts, is the heroine.
There are many theories about what makes a great horror film heroine and many theories on why both men and women seem to relate to her.If you look at the history of horror films and the heroines in them there's definite trends that go with the time of the film's release. Even remakes seem to change the dynamic of the heroine. But there are a few classic characteristics that I find to be true in the classic horror film genre.
One of my favorite characteristics of the heroine is the fact that she's relatable to both sexes. When you think about who is typically going to see these movies in theaters, the idea that they make great date movies springs to mind. What better way to get your girl to snuggle close than to take her to a movie where she will jump and hide behind your big strong arms? But few girls are going to go to movies that scare them and that they can't relate to! So the female heroine plays a pretty significant factor in getting them to go at all. We like to see a woman taking charge and kicking butt! It's exciting and empowering all at once.
** It's important here to note, that I'm not saying girls don't go to movies for reasons other than a date or that the only reason any of us go is to trick someone to get close to us! This is just one theory of why there's actually normally a heroine in these stories. As mentioned at the beginning of this blog, there's tons of different psychological reasons we go to these movies in the first place. **
With this date analogy in mind, certainly the man is thrilled to play protector and enjoy the closeness that this role entails. But once he's at the theater watching the show he too wants to watch a character he can relate to & kick's butt. What's interesting to me is that if you dissect the characteristics that make up the heroine you can see that she's actually very similar to a teenage boy. Many times even her name or nickname is unisex! Think Laurie from Halloween, Sidney from Scream, Jess from Black Christmas, Charlie from Firestarter...
Aside from their names, their physical appearance can often parallel that of a teenage boy. They tend to be taller, thinner, less glamorous and normally with a lot less cleavage then say the best friend that dies in the beginning. The argument could be made that, especially in the late 90's early 00's, there were some pretty amazing looking heroines! But if you really look back at final girls, you'll see this description is often very fitting. They are usually described as tomboys to drive home the point that they tend to care less about their appearance than the aforementioned best friend. You also don't typically see the final girl running in heels and skirts. Her clothing is more utilitarian with longer sleeves and pants.
Sexuality seems to fit this theory as well.
Most of the heroines tend to be virgins or at the very least less experienced than everyone else. In fact, in slasher films like Halloween or Sleep Away Camp, the first people to have sex in the film definitely die! Sorry promiscuous best friend, your time is totally ticking...
As someone that truly loves a good horror film I've been really excited to see that with the changing roles of women in today's society, the heroine is starting to change as well. You can literally see it in the timeline of horror films. Hitchcock's Birds in 1963 - Tippi Hedren as Melanie is more the damsel in distress final girl. John Carpenter's Halloween in 1978 - Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie is the quintessential tomboy final girl. Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984 - Heather Langenkamp as Nancy is a little more feminine final girl. Wes Craven's Scream in 1996 - Neve Campbell as Sidney is the girl next door final girl. The list continues of course. And if you add to it remakes, the final girl is even more glamorous and badass.
In 2015, the movie The Final Girls came out staring Taissa Farmiga and Malin Akerman. If you are interested in seeing a movie that highlights a lot of what I'm talking about here and goes more in depth with the formula for a good horror film, watch it! It's a fun, campy, take on the final girl and certainly worth the time. And PS, the final girl in this movie is called Max...
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