Representation in Horror and Thriller

Males

Ashton Kutcher in The Butterfly Effect

In Horror and Thriller films the male is often seen as the main protagonist. They are often physically and mentally superior. They usually save the women in the narrative and are brave. Men often take a more active role than women in Horror and Thriller films. An example of representation of males in a Thriller is in the Dark Knight Rises. The movie mainly features outcast males who believe that only

Christian Bale in Dark Knight Rise

violence can be used to express themselves. The villains are defeated by the hero's who can use more violence than them, by other males who are physically stronger. The film also has considerably more men in it than women, the main villain Bane's crew is all men. However, two of main women in the film Tate and Kyle (Anne Hathaway and Marion Cotillard) are represented as strong and independent women which goes against the general representation of women in horror and thriller films.





Women

Marilyn Monroe in Niagara

Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode

Traditionally in Horror and Thriller films the women are seen as much weaker and have a more passive role. They are often seen as the "damsel in distress" and are killed for committing some sinful act. Generally the girls used are attractive and blonde. On the whole women are usually represented as helpless and innocent. In horror especially their is often a final girl who is presented as virginal and often quite masculine in the way the dress or in the fact that they have unisex names. They contrast greatly with the seductive and weak girls who are often murdered. An example of female representation is in Halloween (1978). Lynda and Annie are showed to be sexually attractive as we see them undressing but also domestic. The more minor female characters are objectified as opposed to the final girl Laurie, she is masculine and has an unisex name. The movie is progressive as we the audience can relate to Laurie.

Genre: Thriller

Some conventions of thriller include:  

•   Quick cuts
• Lots of camera angles 
• Music that gives tension
•  Lighting often high key lighting to emphasise shadows and two sides to a character.
• Often told the story from the Killers POV- allows it to be more menacing
• Use of Flashbacks.
• Use of Black and white
• Use of montage which helps pass time and elongate the storyline.

The primary elements of the thriller genre:

• The protagonist(s) faces death, either their own or somebody else's.
• The force(s) of antagonism must initially be cleverer and/or stronger than the protagonist's.
• The main storyline for the protagonist is either a quest or a character who cannot be put down.
• The main plotline focuses on a mystery that must be solved.
• The film's narrative construction is dominated by the protagonist's point of view.
• All action and characters must be credibly realistic/natural in their representation on screen.
• The two major themes that underpin the thriller genre are the desire for justice and the morality of individuals.
• One small, but significant, aspect of a thriller is the presence of innocence in what is seen as an essentially corrupt world.
• The protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) may battle, themselves and each other, not just on a physical level, but on a mental one as well.
• Either by accident or their own curiousness, characters are dragged into a dangerous
• conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve.
  Examples:

•  Psycho (1960)
•  Snakes on a Plane (2006)
• Rebbecca (1940)
• The Shining (1980)