Genre representation

  Women are strong, women are independent, and women sure know how to kick some ass. If my group decides on a horror I would love to have the lead be a female. We live in a progressive time and we, as a society, need to embrace the bigger role women have if this developing roles. Too many times women have been looked upon with pity, but not any more. We must look upon them with fear, fear of what they are capable of. I wish to represent the true power of women that is lacking in almost all films that consider themselves horror. Women are gentle, kind, but don’t disrespect because you will feel the wrath. Women are as and in many cases powerful than men and can endure much more pain that is what I hope to present.

  Women are usually the protagonist in many horror films. Unfortunately they are usually weak protagonists that are lucky to be alive or even at the conclusion of the film. In silence of the Lambs Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Is one great example of a strong female lead. Although she is consider to be strong, she isn’t in comparison to the killer. She is weak for most of the film in comparison to Hannibal Lecter. In the film Nightmare on Elm Street the character Nancy Thompson is determined to put a stop the monster that is Freddy Kruger. As many would expect she is unsuccessful and Freddy lives. Clarice and Nancy are the typical protagonist you see in horror films female, scared, and strong, but not strong enough.

  Women are often portrayed as the prey for the monster in horror films. They have small victories here and there in escaping alive, until the end where the victor is usually the killer. Women are portrayed as smart, but not smart enough they are portrayed as strong, but again not strong enough. I don’t believe these are fair representations of female characteristics. Women go through the most excruciating human experience as they are ones that create life. Many of the strongest people I know are women and read stories of tremendous strength about women, such as a mother saving her child by lifting a car. I know portraying women as the prey is easy, but it just isn’t true.

  There are very representation characteristics I would, but there are some. I would consider keeping the empathy that are prevalent in all women including characters such as Nancy. I could retain the beautiful imperfections that make women what they really are that are shown with every female character in horror films. Of course I would challenge their strength. Women should have more power in horror films because they have more power in society. I would make the women put fear into the monster while also maintaining the power of the monster by having the monster hurting the female. I would make it so that it would be a more equal fight, the woman wins and the monster wins some. This way I can keep what’s so beautiful about the genre that is horror, but show the strength of women.