Trigger warning: mentions of physical and sexual violence.
As a horror fan, it is sometimes difficult to watch horror movies without feeling objectified and scandalized. Despite numerous efforts to make media more inclusive and representative of women, the horror genre unfortunately still relies on body horror, which disproportionately sexualizes and brutalizes its female characters.
Horror films often perpetuate misogynistic stereotypes and place women in binary roles, as either a violent femme fatale or a submissive damsel in distress. Typically, directors opt for the damsel in distress, placing female characters in precarious situations, which often result in physical, mental and most horrifically, sexual torture. While male characters also face egregious acts in horror films, female characters endure an inordinate amount of sexual violence and graphic treatment.
Researchers at Texas Christian University conducted a content analysis of 48 influential slasher films and found that “sexualization, strength, flaws, brutalization, and fate were coded for 252 female characters.” The test found that “female killers were most commonly portrayed having sex,” and “actual/potential victims were brutalized and killed most for their sexualization.” In other words, this study displays how women who engage in sexual activity in horror films are more likely to take on a villainous role or become a victim.
However, the “final girl” trope, typically employed in slasher films, claims to signify a new era of horror: an era that allows women to escape their binary roles as either “victim” or “predator” and serve as a third role: the “hero,” a role that was formerly reserved for male characters.
While the “final girl” trope may present itself as feminist, this new characterization of women in horror films continues to perpetuate misogynistic stereotypes around women. A study at the University of California Berkley defined the “final girl” as “a woman who is the sole survivor of the group of people,” but also emphasized how the “final girl” has a sense of “privilege because of her implied moral superiority (for example, she is the only one who refuses sex, drugs or other such behaviors, unlike her friends).”
Another study from California State corroborates this assertion. In a psychological study, researchers concluded that “sexiness was paired with non-survival of female victims.” This finding further exemplifies how women are punished in horror films for engaging in sex or presenting themselves in a hyper-feminine manner.
While the final girl trope may mask itself as progressive or empowering for women, it actually reinforces purity culture. Final girls are typically “sexually unavailable” and abstain from activities deemed “immoral” by society. Conversely, the research at the University of California, Berkeley suggests that female characters with more masculine traits, such as gender-neutral names and tomboyish fashion, are more likely to survive than their traditionally feminine counterparts.
Likewise, final girls tend to be white. Black characters are more likely to engage in “self-sacrifice” in horror movies compared to white characters. This phenomenon deters many women of color from having the opportunity to act in this so-called empowering role as a “final girl” and instead places them in a paradigm in which they are either brutalized or sacrificed for the sake of the plot.
While these problems exist in the fictional realm, these ideologies permeate real-world issues as well. For example, the perfect victim myth posits that some victims are worth saving, whereas other “prestigeless” victims are not. For example, sexual assault victims who meet society’s standard for victimhood are more likely to receive a sympathetic response, whereas a victim who has been drinking or partying is often ridiculed for making these choices and “asking for it.” This dangerous phenomenon impacts real-world victims, and it is a social problem that our criminal legal system should address.
Instead of relying on the same problematic and predictable tropes, directors should recognize the nuance and diversity of female characters. Women are not just sexual objects to be brutalized and sexualized in the name of “shock value.” In addition, horror directors should also be cognizant of the double standard in Hollywood, in which women are punished for sexuality, whereas men are not.
While there are still many films that rely on these problematic tropes, a new wave of horror is trying to combat gender stereotypes and find a meaningful place for women in the horror genre. Chiefly, the “X” trilogy was a film series that truly shattered these gender binaries. The main character, Maxine, is a character who would typically fit the bill for being just another sexualized victim in a series of carnage. However, despite her lifestyle choices, she is able to act as the hero and save herself from one of the most interesting and frankly, unnerving serial killers ever: Pearl.
Maxine is a sex worker who engages in sex in the film, yet survives as the hero. Pearl is particuarly unverving because she is played by Mia Goth, the same actress who plays Maxine. They represent foils of one another and the lengths individuals will go to receive fame and attention.
Thus, the “final girl” trope is not as empowering as it seems. Rather, it creates a new dichotomy for women to be divided into: virgin or whore.
Even though the “final girl” trope further trivializes the existence of women in the media, it can still be a source of empowerment if done right. Instead of using it as a ploy to condone purity culture and guilt women, it can be utilized as a way to shatter stereotypes and create plot twists with actual shock value instead of cheap gore gimmicks.