Representations

This post consists of information which I have collected after researching different representations in horror films which will link to my horror film trailer.

Within a genre, in this case horror, many different representations of values and themes are presented. In the genre I have selected the monsters and zombies can be interpreted as metaphors for serious diseases, death or destiny. Also in the end of films it gives the audience hope that your worst fears can be overcome. However, in some horror films such as 'SAW' the bad guy/villain wins leaving the audience feeling uneasy, worried and thinking that good cannot always concur evil.

Behind every representation there is a value. A collection of values, ideas or beliefs is known as an ideology. Ideologies within the horror genre are: 

• Religion
• the idea that men are strong and heroic.
• the idea that women are helpless and the victims. 

Dominant ideologies are those which are understood, accepted and shared by the majority as being part of our culture and expectations. Dominant ideologies within the films I have been researching are: 

• Family breakdowns
• Protection of those you love

In most horror films the representations of femininity is the same. Female's are seen as the stereotypical 'damsel in distress' who usually dies or gets rescued by the heroic male lead. These female characters are also sexualised and on screen purely for pleasure for the male gaze an example of this would be 'Chugs' from Sorority Row:

However, in some horror films there is the case of 'The Final Girl', this is when the female protagonist survives throughout the whole film then in the end comes face to face with the antagonist. The final girl is usually masculinised through her survival skills, intelligence and ruthlessness. The final girl is also masculinised through 'phallic appropriation' by being positioned with a weapon of some sort such as an axe, knife etc to use against the killer, suggesting that women can be heroic and independent, an example of this representation in a horror film would be 'Jenny' from Eden Lake: 

I am considering using a female protagonist in my horror film trailer. If I do decide to do this I will be representing this character to match the theory of 'The Final Girl', this is because within film studies and media studies I have done a lot of research into this character type therefore I believe it would be easy for me to interpret into my own film. 

In most horror films masculinity is exaggerated through the violence. Most male characters in horror films are usually represented as competitive, power hungry and the tendency to seek dominance over other male characters. In the horror films I have been researching this representation has only been used to present the male antagonist, some examples of this would be:

I will use this masculinity representation in my horror film trailer for the male antagonist character type, this is because I believe that the exaggerated aspects of this representation will make the audience fear the character more and therefore help them to empathise with the victim and will get a bigger response from them, making my trailer appeal more to them.