This dissertation will be an exploration of the change in the role of women in the cinema within the ‘horror’ genre. It will consider the changes in the representation of women in the ‘horror’ genre over a 30 year period; through consideration of the film Carrie (De Palma, 1976) and its remake Carrie (Peirce, 2013). The two ‘Carrie’ films will be a useful guide to show the genre's treatment of women, character agency and victimization. Although the story of Carrie is an unusual basis for the presentation of the treating of teenagers as moral agents as it is camouflaged with death and destruction, it does show a confused and misogynistic male and female response to a girl's transitioning into puberty. The two films consider some of the fundamental
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This dissertation will argue that a shift in the depiction of women in the ‘horror’ film genre has occurred, and is marked significantly by the remake of Carrie (Peirce, 2013). Films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Hooper, 1974), Halloween (Carpenter, 1978) and I Spit on Your Grave (Zarchi, 1978) will be additional references aiding in the analysis of women in the ‘horror’ film genre from the 1970’s which incorporate the concept of the Male Gaze as discussed by …show more content…
In King’s book ‘On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft’ (King, 2001), which is part memoir but also gives advice for other aspiring writers; we are given insight into his initial thoughts and inspirations for some of his novels including Carrie. He says that he had read an article some years before writing Carrie, where poltergeist activity had been reported and was said it may have been linked to telekinetic phenomena at that time; telekinesis being the ability to move objects at a distance by mental power or other non-physical means (Dictionaries and Stevenson, 2010 pp. 1828). The article suggested that there had been some evidence to suggest that adolescences might have telekinetic powers, especially girls in early adolescence around the beginning of their menstruation cycles. The character Carrie White was a combined personality of two girls he once knew, the first being a girl from his class when he was a student and the second being someone he knew as a teacher; both were social outcasts from religious families and died young (King, 2001). King combined both the idea of adolescent girls having telekinesis powers and the idea of a social outcast from school to create the character of Carrie
This dissertation will argue that a shift in the depiction of women in the ‘horror’ film genre has occurred, and is marked significantly by the remake of Carrie (Peirce, 2013). Films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Hooper, 1974), Halloween (Carpenter, 1978) and I Spit on Your Grave (Zarchi, 1978) will be additional references aiding in the analysis of women in the ‘horror’ film genre from the 1970’s which incorporate the concept of the Male Gaze as discussed by …show more content…
In King’s book ‘On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft’ (King, 2001), which is part memoir but also gives advice for other aspiring writers; we are given insight into his initial thoughts and inspirations for some of his novels including Carrie. He says that he had read an article some years before writing Carrie, where poltergeist activity had been reported and was said it may have been linked to telekinetic phenomena at that time; telekinesis being the ability to move objects at a distance by mental power or other non-physical means (Dictionaries and Stevenson, 2010 pp. 1828). The article suggested that there had been some evidence to suggest that adolescences might have telekinetic powers, especially girls in early adolescence around the beginning of their menstruation cycles. The character Carrie White was a combined personality of two girls he once knew, the first being a girl from his class when he was a student and the second being someone he knew as a teacher; both were social outcasts from religious families and died young (King, 2001). King combined both the idea of adolescent girls having telekinesis powers and the idea of a social outcast from school to create the character of Carrie