Women in Horror

What is the common representation of females in horror?

In general, the traditional representation of females in horror is that they are often perceived as either vulnerable and inferior (the 'virgin') or that they are sexually driven and almost asking to be killed because of this (the 'whore'). They're also usually the ones that become possessed by a demon and more often than not, a man is usually the one trying to get 'rid' of this evil in order to save her. For example, in The Exorcist, the men are called first to save the young girl rather than it being a woman. Horror often depicts females to be 'the damsel in distress.'

In The Human Centipede, it could be argued that the girls are represented as stupid and naive - they voluntarily go knocking on a stranger's door in search for help, but honestly, if someone looked as dodgy as the man did, they should run straight away. Due to their vulnerable state, their vulnerability is therefore exploited in a series of unfortunate events.

 

In The Shining, the mother is shown as the innocent and paranoid female. This shot shows how she's practically the smallest thing in the room; it seems as if the walls are closing in and that there is no escape for her. And while she does have a weapon, she makes it extremely visible and it makes her seem like a joke because she doesn't know how to be tactical about it. Also, her clothing and hair gives the impression that she is approachable as she has a motherly vibe to her, unlike the girls from The Human Centipede. 

How are Hannah and Selena presented in the first half of 28 Days Later?

In the first half, Selena goes against the stereotypical views of females in horror. She's neither the virgin or the whore, but rather a woman who will do anything to survive, even if it means killing those who prevent her to do so. She's presented as selfish, though perhaps not in a bad way and this leads her to be a cunning, dominant character in the first half of the film. Hannah, though briefly seen at the start, is presented as innocent but rather wise - she's the one that suggests for all of them to go to Manchester because its better for them to die there than where they were. She's also shown to know how to drive a car, and while her father tells her to get out, its evident that he is proud of his daughter's skills. 

How do their characters change as the film develops?

Their characters subtly change towards the end of the film and it starts to lean more towards the idea of 'the damsel in distress.' While we saw Selena fight her way to survival in the first half, she still ends up being rescued by Jim rather than being able to rescue herself given the situation she was in. This shows that while she was the dominant and powerful character, she still reflects the traditional female role when it comes to the end. However, I think its fair to say that although she might be presented as 'the damsel in distress' during the last moments, she is in fact the heroin because she put Hannah first before herself.