A Case Study Into Horror: Structuralism and Feminism in Horror Films

Hello, readers! I hope that you’ve all had a wonderful Christmas holiday and that you will also have a great year in 2015 – I know that I will! I’m back on the blog again today to talk about horror films and the conventions and theories which appear in such films. Though they’re not my usual genre of choice (superhero films and comedies are my personal favourites), it was fun to branch out and experience something a bit different as part of my media studies.

A Case Study Into Horror: Structuralism and Feminism in Horror Films

The horror genre is one of the most popular in existence today; many people enjoy a good scary film every now and then, though I can’t say that I’m one of them! The genre was first developed in the 1890s by Georges Méliès, whose silent film Le Manoir du Diable is often credited as being the first horror film ever made. The horror films which I will be talking about in particular in this post are much more modern, all being produced in the last century – Halloween (1978), Scream (1996) and Cherry Falls (2000). These are all horror films which I would consider to be ‘mild’ – that is to say that they are not too overrun with extreme violence and gore – and they provide excellent examples of the traditions of their genre. I can’t promise that I won’t discuss spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the films and don’t want to be spoiled for them, read ahead in this post carefully and cautiously!

So what makes a horror film what it is? What is it about them that makes people enjoy watching them so much? Well, it doesn’t take a genius to recognise that there are some common features throughout the horror genre – known as ‘codes and conventions’. ‘Codes’ refer to how the film is actually put together in terms of its cinematography and editing (etc), and has two types: symbolic (e.g. music) and technical (e.g. lighting and camera positioning). Conventions are those aspects of the films which are generally expected by viewers – so in superhero films, for example, you expect the hero to wear some kind of costume which symbolises them and their alter-ego. Codes and conventions are the two components generally associated with structural theory (the idea that meaning is conveyed through systematic ideas and rules) and as such structural theory in itself is applicable to the horror genre. Developed by Michel Foucault and Jacques Lacan, structuralism is still an important film theory now, and others such as Ferdinand de Saussure have also impacted how structuralism is perceived by incorporating elements of semiotics.

The codes and conventions of horror are often considered to define what a horror film is, and should be, and they are therefore used to determine whether a film is a horror film or just a gory action film. Some of them I am sure you will be aware of, even if you don’t realise it: suspenseful music leading up to key scenes, excessive blood and gore, giant bloody knives as weapons, women being slain for their sexual promiscuity, male killers... The list goes on. In addition, there are some more subtle codes and conventions which might not be as obvious to you: have you ever, for example, realised that there is always side and back lighting which serves to emphasise what is happening on-screen? It’s something that you see, but might not necessarily always realise is there. Cool, huh?

Viewers and critics often look for these codes and conventions for a number of reasons: in order to predict the endings of horror films (because if they follow the conventional structure, it is usually likely that they will end in a conventional way, e.g. with the usual single female lead surviving to tell their horrific tale), to see if films are controversial and contrast the conventions by having unexpected twist(s), to decide whether the film is worthy of the title of ‘horror film’ – etc. Essentially, the codes and conventions are seen as ‘defining’ horror. All three of the films I am discussing (Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls) exhibit at least some of the codes and conventions of the horror genre, and I am soon going to point seven of these out to you, whilst also incorporating the theory of feminism – which is also hugely prominent topic throughout almost all, if not all, horror films.

Feminist theory within the horror genre shows the female characters to take two primary roles: that of the victim, and that of the main, victorious character who survives until the end (the 'final girl'). The female victims are weak, often characterised as 'dumb blondes' - girls who focus more on partying or drinking than sensible activities like studying. These girls are therefore shown to lack common sense and are ignorant, giving ample 'reason' for them to die. In contrast, the female protagonists who work to try and defeat the male antagonist are shown to be virginal and pure, with innocence and intelligence that puts them above others. They are shown to have the positive qualities which support their success, even if they are lacking in physical strength and courage.

Now then, shall we begin talking about those codes and conventions I promised you?

#1: FEMALE VICTIMS, MALE VILLAINS

Perhaps one of the most prevalent conventions of the horror genre is the fact that most victims are female and the villains male. It is something that you can’t really ignore – it is an extremely prominent tradition throughout the horror genre. It was only around the 1970s/1980s that women began to gain more of a substantial role in horror films, sometimes even taking on the role of the villain themselves, predominantly due to the rising feminist movement which demanded, amongst other things, a fairer representation of women in the media in all its forms. It is therefore unsurprising that, in all three of the films I am discussing (Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls), the protagonists are female and with male pursuers – in Halloween it is Laurie Strode being hunted by the psychotic Michael Myers, in Scream it is Sidney Prescott running from the mysterious and terrifying ‘Ghostface’, and in Cherry Falls it is Jody Marken desperately trying to escape from her revenge-obsessed English teacher Mr Leonard Marliston. This set-up between the sexes has been criticised massively in recent years, with feminist ideals working to overturn the overwhelming number of female victimisations in horror films – but for now, all of these films match the current ‘convention’ of female victimisation and male dominance and villainy.

Something else I’d like to mention is the ‘final girl’ trope which features often in horror films. This term was coined by Carol J. Clover, an American professor of film studies, rhetoric language and Scandinavian mythology, in her book Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. What the term signifies is how throughout a horror film where a group of girls is present, all but one will be killed off – leaving the ‘final girl’, who is then the one to either vanquish the killer by taking up a weapon and defeating them, or else escape alive. This is seen very clearly in Halloween, where two of Strode’s friends are murdered and she remains as the ‘final girl’ of their trio. Clover argues that at this point, where only one girl remains, the female protagonist automatically goes and adopts ‘masculine’ characteristics in order to survive – this is again seen clearly when Strode tries repeatedly to kill Myers by stabbing him with a knitting needle, a hanger and a knife, none of which does the trick but does enough to allow her to escape when he is shot and falls from the balcony. The entire concept of the ‘final girl’ therefore coincides with the portrayal of women in horror films, and also the feminist film theory – it is a convention of the horror genre in itself.

A final aspect of female victimisation to mention is the classic portrayal of promiscuous women as automatic victims. It is a huge trend in horror films that those girls who focus more on having a ‘good time’ (e.g. by partying, drinking, drug-taking and being sexually active), more so than those who, say, act sensibly and are studious and hard-working (like Strode), are likely to be the first to be killed – or are else the exclusive group to be killed. Feminist film critics slam this trend due to the fact that it does, amongst other things, undermine women and portrays them in a hugely derogatory manner. Taking this into account, Cherry Falls is one film which massively contrasts with the norm; it is the virgins and the inexperienced that are targeted by the killer in this film rather than those with copious amounts of sexual encounters. In this way, Cherry Falls does not conform to this particular misogynistic convention of the horror genre.

#2: YOUNG/TEENAGE CHARACTERS

This second convention of the horror genre ties in nicely with the first. Not only are most main characters female, they are also young; the majority of horror films focus on teenage, or at least young, protagonists. Why this is is not very clear – perhaps because young people are more susceptible to being scared, and therefore the ‘horror’ in horror films becomes more realistic and believable? Perhaps because it is most likely that young people will watch horror films and the characters need to be easier to empathise with? Who knows? Anyway, the point is, horror films predominantly focus on young people – and Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls are no different. Strode is a seventeen-year-old student in Halloween – Prescott and Marken are similar in Scream and Cherry Falls respectively, both also being teenage students. This is therefore another convention of the genre which the title characters in all three films adhere to – they are young teenagers.

#3: CHASE SCENES

Chase scenes are just one of those sections of a horror film, much like in an action film, that you would be more surprised not to see than see. Usually appearing at the climaxes of the film where the killer's identity is revealed and also at the times of direct contact and conflict between said killer and the protagonist, they are a timelessly effective plot device to build tension and apprehension for what is to come. Both Halloween and Cherry Falls feature chase scenes where the victims are pursued mercilessly by the killers with weapons - audiences are made to watch with horror (no pun intended) and they wonder whether the victim will be caught and killed, or if they will outwit the killer and escape.

The chase scene in Halloween is particularly striking as it is Strode who exhibits the most violence. Myers does attempt to kill her, it's true, but she strikes back and stabs him three times - once even with the giant knife that he himself was carrying! This is therefore quite a revolutionary chase scene where the chase becomes reversed - Strode pursues Myers (in a sense) in order to defeat him and be able to escape from him. Cherry Falls on the other hand exhibits the standard chase scene, where Marliston is the one solely trying to attack Marken - and she is saved by others, rather than working to save herself.

#4: EERIE TENSION-BUILDING MUSIC

This is the only code of horror films that I have chosen to mention - predominantly because it is the most obvious, but also because it applies not only to these three films, but all films. Playing music to build up tension is a key device to use and is symbolic of a horror film - without it, audiences would not be as affected by the film's events as they would not be made to feel jumpy, tense, worried... and then utterly terrified when something happens, catching them off-guard. Scream for instance features some quite dramatic and chilling music in various scenes, increasing the perhaps absent fear of the otherwise comical-looking 'Ghostface' (I personally think that mask is hilariously bad, anyway).

Halloween is quite interesting when it comes to the music, as it has the same sections repeat throughout the film, making the overall soundtrack a very familiar and haunting piece. At key parts of the film the same melodic bars drop suddenly into the audio, and you instantly know that something is coming - good or bad, funny or terrifying, you just don't know. That's the terrific thing about the film; you come to associate the music with something chilling, but it infact indicates anything can happen. It is a semiotic effect that we come to associate it purely with the bad things - just because it signals those more than anything else. In this way, the few non-scary occasions the music starts seem very odd and unique - drawing attention to them. Cherry Falls mimics this, with dramatic and familiar music signalling the beginning of key parts of the film - perhaps inspired by Halloween itself? Many of the more modern horror films take inspiration from the 'classics'.

#5: GIANT BLOODY KNIVES...

Barring maybe #7, I don't think there is a more obvious convention of the horror genre out there. The giant blood-covered knives (or blood-covered weapons in general) are a hugely integral feature of horror films - without them, horror films probably wouldn't be horror films. Knives in particular though always seem to be the weapons of choice, getting incredibly gory very early on and never quite losing their terrifying appearance and reputation as killing tools.

Halloween has a double-whammy dosage of giant knives; before the events of the film Myers murders his sister with one, and in the film he appropriates another and proceeds to kill off Strode's two friends with it. From there, as we all know, he chases Strode around and tries to kill her, too. The poster art of Cherry Falls (embedded near the top of this entry) gives away the presence of the giant bloodied knife there too - as does the art of Halloween, infact, now that I look again - which Marliston uses to murder his victims and carve the word 'virgin' into their corpses. Scream is the most discrete of the films, therefore, but does again feature the standard giant knife as a weapon; infact, the knife is iconic of Ghostface, and is his/its signature weapon - proving just how ingrained knives are in the horror genre.

#6: ISOLATION AND ISOLATED SETTINGS

We're nearly on the home stretch now! Horror films often feature the isolation of the main characters and also the isolation of the settings of the films. Take Stephen King's The Shining for example; the hotel in that is in the middle of nowhere, and means that the main characters can't get help easily from anyone when events begin to unfold.

Isolated characters and isolated settings are not mutually exclusive; though horror films often employ the bizarre twist of having an isolated setting but with non-isolated characters in it (like in Cherry Falls where the town is small, but Marken is surrounded by all of her classmates for the majority of the film), or isolated characters in a non-isolated setting (like in Halloween where Strode is by herself in the house, but in the wider scheme of things she is in a fully-populated neighbourhood), the two are seen equally often together. The various combinations are all very common in the horror genre - but particular films put a different spin on the variables in other to try and create a new and unique set-up.

#7: DEATH, DEATH EVERYWHERE!

"Hooray! It's the last one!" you may be thinking - I'm sorry if this has gone on a while! This final point refers to the various recurring themes throughout the horror genre which all three films do display. The one I've picked out as the title for this category is 'death' - the most obvious of all. What horror film can you name that doesn't at least reference a death? I doubt that there are many at all.

The truth is, death is the overwhelming feature of any horror film. Extreme gore, violence and absurdity is present, yes - but death is even more so. Most of the good horror films out there are good because they involve the element of mystery in them - the question of who is the killer behind the mask. Common themes such as death and violence crop up so much because they symbolise the very nature of 'horror' - horrific things being done, and happening, to people.

All three films (Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls) have numerous incidents of serious injury and death. Halloween of course references Myers' previous murder numerous times - and his new killings are of the same cold, calculated standard. Scream has the character of Ghostface inflict huge numbers of injuries, and cause huge numbers of deaths - whilst still managing to be comical. Comedic horror films are on the increase these days, with the popularity of films such as Scary Movie helping to boost crossover numbers; it seems like an impossible concept to combine the two, but it has been done very well so far and will continue to be. Finally, and I mean finally, there is Marliston from Cherry Falls - he has numerous victims, all with grievous injuries inflicted on them post-mortem and even before. Death is almost overpowering in the film, and the level of violence, mayhem and graphic content is almost off the charts.

So, in summary...

After considering the three films (Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls) it is clear to see that the codes and conventions of horror which form the basis for the structuralism within the genre are ever-present. It becomes obvious that they centre mainly around the different themes (death, violence, sex etc.), characters' situations and also the settings, and all provide certain 'criteria' which many viewers feel that horror films must meet for them to be any good. Feminism, in turn, is evident throughout the horror genre - though the equality of women is few and far between. Cherry Falls is perhaps one of the most feministically-driven I have seen, purely due to the fact that it does not victimise sexually free-thinking women; infact, it encourages relationships to an extent as being something that is not to be condemned or have people ashamed of.

Cherry Falls is equally the lone film to exhibit any kind of deviation from the conventions of the genre, due to the same reasons stated above. The other two films, Halloween and Scream, developed the conventions and upheld them respectively - and do not appear to go against them in any way. Infact, arguably Halloween is a film which pioneered the horror genre's first codes and conventions - it is considered a classic now, and is clearly one of the first films to exhibit the majority, if not all, of the main codes and conventions of the genre today.

Overall, therefore, it is evident that both structuralism and feminism can easily be applied and found within the horror genre - and I'm sure that you will now subconsciously recognise these elements when you next watch a scary film!

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this post. As always, I'll see you in my next one - and information regarding my sources and my references when writing this are left below. Thank you for reading; until next time!

• This piece of writing is for Unit 26 of Edexcel level 3 BTEC Media (Film Studies).

• Bibliography of references/my reading to be able to write this post: here.