First watch of the classic horror film and the egregious sexualization
Growing up, I was never a horror movie fan; I was too much of a wimp. So, when I finally looked at horror media discourse in my adult life,
However, that does not mean I can't give my two cents on the feminist aspect of these films, such as the 1978 classic Halloween. I have to do this not only as a film student but also as a woman. Granted, this is my cynical 21st-century film student perspective speaking, but the whole time, I couldn't help but wonder: What the hell made this a classic?
I learned that everyone loves a final girl. Like fantasy and science fiction, the genre is filled with troupes, but it is up to the filmmakers to decide whether they want to embrace the troupes and cliches or subvert them, and that includes the final girl.
The final girl is typically defined as the last woman standing in a horror movie. All her friends are most likely dead; it is her responsibility to control the killer and make it come. From Black Christmas (1974) and Alien (1979) to Ready or Not (2018) and the entire Scream franchise, The Final Girl is a timeless staple of the horror genre. But they are also forever changing; the past few decades have seen more women working in front of and behind the camera and more collaboration between the actresses and the writers. Not exclusive to the horror genre, women's place in the narrative is a tell of the writer's viewpoints and the standard of representation of the time.
Halloween (1978) is a staple final girl movie. This slasher film directed by John Carpenter stars a young Jamie Lee Curtis as teenager Laurie Strode, a convicted killer, and certified psychopath stalker Michael Myers. While this is considered a cult classic, it is hard to ignore the blatant sexist tones of this slasher-fic, considering Michael Myers opens the film by murdering his topless sister and two teenage girls having sex. Of all the people Myers encounters, who does he kill when he exits prison? Why, of course, are young teens engaging in “naughty” behavior, drinking, smoking, and having sex? And, of course, Laurie, the intelligent and responsible babysitter, is the one who makes it out (yes, she does smoke marijuana with Annie Brackett, but a small “sin” compared to the others).
Even in their deaths, can these girls not avoid objectification? Let’s go back to the murder of Myer’s sister, Judith. The opening of the film is shown through the perspective of a six-year-old Myers; he stabs his sister to death, but what does the camera see: a young,g beautiful girl writing on the floor topless. Laurie’s friend Lynda is choked to death from behind, but she makes some erotic moans and choking noises while she goes. I also don’t think any woman left the film without taking off their clothes at one point or another.
But does this antagonist get a satisfying death at the hand of our final girl? Eh, not really; psychologist Dr. Samuel Loomis arrives just in time to shoot the hell out of Myers while Laurie screams in terror on the floor. Not exactly a feminist icon by any standards.
While the amount of sex, drugs, and nudity in horror has not massively changed, to a certain extent, they have gotten a tad less objectifying when it comes to the female protagonist. For example, in modern Scream movies, Sam and Tara Carpenter are much more active and dressed in their narratives; Laurie doesn’t do anything but babysit until the third act. Nowadays, the final girls carry much more weight and are much more active in the plot than they used to be. Sometimes, like in the case of Sam Carpenter of Scream (20122), it is the illegal diagnosis of Billy Loomis, who was revealed to be the killer back in Scream (1996).
I always hesitate to share my opinions on the horror genre. This is not because I think the genre is beneath me—of course not! Who do you think I am, the Academy?
However, I am fully aware that horror movies are made for a specific type of audience that I will never be a part of. During a class discussion, one of my classmates, an avid horror fan, said, "Horror films are great because we get the thrill and adrenaline from the safety of the audience." I don't need that adrenaline; I have enough of it, and it's called anxiety.
But watching films outside my comfort zone is in my best interest. And at least Halloween, a movie with its 1970s special effects, did not have me hiding behind my hands the way modern, highly edited - and way too realistic - horror films will. I can watch The Exorcist (1773) because it's clearly a doll they're throwing around, not a person, But The Conjuring (2013)? Absolutely not, too much for me.
I will choose to believe that horror films have grown immensely since 1978, and perhaps this next question should be asked of them: Am I missing something? What is the appeal of this movie that not only unlocked a franchise but also made it good enough to overlook the egregious sexualization of these teen girls?
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