A feminist horror film goes against the codes and conventions of typical horror films by replacing the typical frail, half-naked victim with a strong psychologically lead female character. In a typical horror film women are portrayed as weak and inferior in comparison to the male leads, always needing physical and mental support by them, the rigid stereotypes is a clear representation of women in society. In most horror films, female characters are promiscuous stating that they asked to be killed, further to this the majority of American horror films seem to have great levels of misogynist and violence, however over the recent years many films such as ‘Halloween’ and ‘Carrie’ have used the concept of the final girl by Carol J. Clover, this concept includes the final girl being level-headed and morally pure. The concept of the final girl is used so that the audience are structurally ‘forced’ into identifying not with the killer but the resourceful surviving female victim. In addition Laura Mulvey’s concept of the male gaze is also used by both films, this theory is also coded as ‘to be looked at-ness’ this demonstrates that the majority of the male audiences watching horror films classify women as sexual objects and are used to fulfil one’s fantasy, furthermore Clover suggests that we identify with the masochistic voyeur which is the victim and not the sadistic voyeur the villain.
‘Halloween’ is considered to be a feminist film due to using the concept of the final girl, the main character is portrayed as strong both mentally and physically due to escaping near death experiences on multiple occasions this therefore classifies her as the final girl. Freud’s psychological theory is also used in this film as voyeurism and sadism is used mainly for the male audiences in order to cause deriving gratification (mainly sexual) from another person’s pain, as it’s in their nature to be more sexually aroused by watching females in pain. Whereas, the female audiences are more passive and prefer films which consist of a physiological concept as it creates meaning to the film.
Halloween still follows some codes and conventions of a structural horror film as it uses common iconography of horror films such as knifes, masks, blood and isolated house, this is done to help the audience identify and establish the genre of the film. The name alone ‘Halloween’ causes one to be quite wary of the film at the beginning , as Halloween is known to be an occasion where the unexpected takes place therefore is fitting for the horror genre as horror can be linked to fears of one and the unexpected taking place. The hand held camera at the beginning of the film creates an uneasy sensation amongst the audience as it is quite disorientating and jarring, in addition it raises the idea of suspicion as it is in a point of view of someone but we are not shown who’s POV is it is. The setting of the film is at night time and a secluded house, the lighting highlights the house and excluded the surroundings by dark lighting this shows that the house highlighted by the light plays a dominant role in the film. The beginning of the film follows the codes and conventions of a typical horror film, as it start with a couple making out, this rejects the aim of a feminist film as the female character is thought to be pure and innocent which the start contradicts. Furthermore, the non-diegetic music in the background creates an edgy atmosphere this is done by the pitch increasing.
When the intruder makes his way into the house, the camera is still in the form of point of view, placing the audience in the antagonist shoes, the intruder then makes his way into the kitchen and takes out a knife from the draw this shows that the intruder is in control as he has the weapon of destruction. The film still follows the concept of a structuralist film as the male gaze is used for the female victim, the female is naked therefore confirming the views of women being seen as sexual objects by men and society, as the female victim is naked this also confirms the thoughts of females being seen as weak and vulnerable as he stab her repeatedly in addition confirming the sub-genre of the film which is slasher.
As the film progresses, a medium shot is shown of a girl, this tells us that the girl is the next subject/victim for the killer emphasizing females are weak and an easy victim compared to males this therefore could be linked the lack of physical strength females have compared to males, which therefore makes them an easy target. In addition a low angle shot is shown of the house where the first victim got killed in, this draws attention to the houses dominance in the film. Furthermore, an over the shoulder shot is used when the killer looks at the girls disappearing figure, this shows that that he has authority and control over her, this also raises the idea that she is being watched. The killer’s identity is veiled throughout the film, creating an element of suspense and mystery; this is another convention of a structuralist film as the identity is kept a secret from the audience and victim to keep everyone wary.
The final girl in the film is morally pure and therefore does not participate in drinking and drug taking or sexual liaison. She is slightly distanced from her peer group because of these qualities. In comparison to her peers the girl is seen to be potentially weak, powerless, virginal and scared of adult nature due to her innocence. However, on the other hand it is her friends in fact who are murdered all around her; the powerlessness of the final girl gives way to powerful.
The structuralist theory is challenged when the final girl confronts the killer this shows the females strength as there is a shift from the weak and passive female to a strong and aggressive ‘male’, the girl is the sole survivor therefore it is her responsibility to kill the killer in order to create equilibrium in the film. In addition we see the exchange of the murder weapon which is knife towards the end of the film; this is a clear demonstration that the female has become empowered in comparison to her peers and the killer which had overshadowed her from the beginning due to being too innocent and naive therefore throughout the film, she has challenged stereotypes of women being weak and vulnerable to strong and intelligent therefore making Halloween a feminist film.
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