Feminism- The Final Girl

Feminism is the belief that women should be treated respectfully and have a role of importance. The belief is more psychological as women have always been depicted as the fragile characters who need saving by a male hero. Stereotypically the woman is immoral, unwise and blonde. However films such as Halloween (1974), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream contradict this image and begin to pose questions such as; are females the helpless characters they are portrayed as in horror films? The Final Girl Theory has been perceived in films such as those as Carol J Clover suggested that the viewers share the viewpoint of the killer at first but then part with that idea and hope that the last girl who is the sole survivor confronts and escapes the killer. The final girl is virginal, avoids drugs, sex and is the intelligent consciousness that drives the narrative forward. This theory argued by Clover suggests that for a film to work well the surviving character must be female and she must experience pain as it is directed with sadistic voyeurism. Many people would not watch a horror film if it depicted a male as the weak character who is terrorized.

In Halloween the final girl theory is anticipated and confirmed as Laurie the timid girl in contrast to her friends survives till the end. Her friends are sexually active and confident whilst she is the complete opposite. Clover states that this final girl becomes masculinized and uses her intellect to escape the killer. Clover also says the last girl becomes masculinized through phallic appropriation when she takes a weapon and is not afraid to use it. This theory is clearly shown in Halloween as Laurie uses weapons such as a knife and needle. Nevertheless Laurie is strangled and has to be saved by a male figure that challenges the idea of feminism. Classic films such as ‘Carrie’ embody feminism. Although she is the killer, the audience empathizes with her because she is represented as a target at first. The Male Gaze Theory studied by Laura Mulvey also gives the impression that women are objects of male pleasure and the theory puts the audience in the heterosexual male viewers standpoint. 

Barthes theory of enigma coding- The Shining

Todorov's theory of narrative- The Descent

Propp's theory of Character- Scream

How does the opening of Scream follow the structuralist theory of the horror genre?

Scream follows the structural theory of the horror genre through the use of paradigms, which is iconography, structure and theme. However it also challenges some conventions and can be seen as post modern because of its breaking down of the barriers between the fictional films. The first scene depicts the protagonist making popcorn alone, and then the isolated house, trees and darkness. The protagonist is a young blonde female and she is alone; this is created through iconography and conveys a theory that the flirtacious and promiscous female is always the victim.

Firstly the phone rings and Drew answers whilst walking around her house; giving the audience the ability to see that the house is fairly big and allows them to see what is there; she is alone. The protagonist then touches knives whilst leaning over the counter; this is significant as it creates the idea that something is going to happen, but also a mystery of whom the killer is- as everyone owns a knife. A knife is a weapon that has to be used up close, so it also makes it more personal as it creates more fear in the audience. This follows the paradigms in a horror film as a knife often the weapon used to kill. Scream challenges some conventions such as the killer and Drew discussing previous scary films, such as Halloween. The fact that the film is self referential embodies the post modernist structure that is set out in the beginning, that will be followed in the film. This affects our reading as the audience have an idea of what to expect.

Next when Drew starts to lock the doors in her house, we sense her insecurity, fear and helplessness. As she is locking the doors, there is diagetic background music which causes anxiety and intensity to the audience. The sound effects/editing construct the scenes and differ them, for instance in one scene it is silent and the viewer is watching Drew's every move. In another scene there are continous jump cuts and loud fast paced music as the killer is chasing Drew. The sound effects enable the audience to easily recognise when something is going to happen by the pace of the music, and in a way the music speeds up the heartbeat of the viewers. The other idea portrayed of the protagonist is that she is rather stupid as she flirts on the phone to the caller without knowing his identity, and then claims she doesn't have a boyfriend. When Drew turns on the patio lights, her tied up boyfriend is revealed and then killed grotesquely. This creates the 'last girl' theory that is often used in films. The audience warm up to the character and are on the edge of their seat, hoping that person survives.

The repetition of the phone ringing intensifies the scene furthermore, as we know the caller is not giving up so easily. We then catch a first glimpse of the killer dressed in black and in the smoke (from the popcorn), which makes it harder to see. The killer is dressed in black; this is following the structuralist theory that we never know the identity of the killer until the end, which intensifies as people hate the unknown. He chases her outside with a knife which confirms the paradigms used in the horror genre. The camera shots are from her point of view as he repeatedly stabs her; which adds realism.

The parents are at the scene when she is being murdered but Drew is unable to shout for help. This is an example of iconography through the character in the first ten minutes of the film. She is as helpless as she was in the beginning. The canted angle as she is trying to escape adds more uncertainty and dread, which makes it more uncomfortable for the viewers. The audience empathise with the mother as she opens the door to see her daughter hanging from a tree, covered in blood.

To conclude, Scream most certainly follows the structuralist theory of the horror genre through the use of paradigms. The genre only works through the rule of combination as the expected paradigms in this film are: young blonde female, knife, masked killer and isolated setting. Conversely the conventions Scream challenges, such as the intertexuality creates a sense of post modernism.

Storyboard of my Horror film

A structuralist film theory emphasizes how films depict meaning through the use of certain codes and conventions. So following these I have created a ‘chase scene’. I decided to start my scene with the victim (Candice) sleeping in her bed as she is home alone. I used a long shot for this so the room can be seen and of course the blonde female victim; the female victim being alone follows the iconography of the horror genre. Then there is an establishing shot of the isolated white house at night, set in a suburban area; which again is following the structuralist theory. I have included eerie music in this particular scene to add intensity so the audience expect something to occur and to set the scene.

In the third box there is a medium shot of the intruder letting himself in. The audience see him from behind; consequently they are unable to see his face. I chose to do this as the killer is never revealed until the end in a structural horror. A shot of the intruder’s hand on the handle is a technique that is used to create focus on a particular thing. I wanted the audience to fear as if the intruder was in their house. From Candice’s point of view there is a shot of the intruder peeping through the gap from the door to her room. The contrast of the intruders white face in the dark builds tension and panic; which is iconography of horror, and the extreme close up of just the intruder’s eye depicts he is staring at Candice. In which the male gaze theory can be applied. This theory positions the audience into the perspective of a straight man; he is at the door, looking at her body as she lies in bed. In addition the low angle shot makes him seem more powerful.

The sound of the door creaking awakens Candice to discover the intruder there. The fast pace music, screams and the intruder slowly walking over to the bed intensifies the scene further. The slow pace walking and the fast pace music is often seen in horror movie; depicting the message that the killer will always get the victim without having to run- as seen in Halloween. The victim always somehow manages to escape for a short period of time but then being caught again. Candice gets past the killer and runs down the stairs quickly, however she falls whilst the fast pace music is playing and the killers feet are in the background. A handheld camera or canted angle could be used to make the scene seem very fast and portray that Candice is not in control. I also used a close up of Candice screaming to represent how she is feeling at that moment in time, then an extreme close up of her mouth. When she manages to get up, she rushes to the door but of course the doors are always locked in horror films, and this one is no different. The killer then approaches her slowly and stabs Candice in the stomach twice with a knife. A knife is a more personal way of killing someone; as you have to be up close to them. It also creates the sense and mystery of who the killer is and does the victim know him.