It’s no secret that the horror genre has often been criticized for the over-sexualization of female characters. For the last 30 years, film critics and the general public alike have been criticized the ways in which the female characters are depicted in horror films as either the stereotypical virgin or the nymphomaniac sex kitten. The virgin girl notably lives, while the deviant sex kitten ultimately suffers a brutal, yet seemingly deserved death. This strange dichotomy has not so subtle undertones of religious morality and those who deviate from it suffer immense consequences of their choices. Film theorists, particularly feminist film theorists, have condemned the sexual binary and stereotyping of women in horror films. It has also been,
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The reflection theory revolves largely around the false stereotyping of the female image. Haskell and Rosen state that the female images projected in film are skewed, unrealistic and completely inaccurate in most …show more content…
Immediately we see both the dichotomy of the virgin vs. sex kitten, innocent vs. deviant, pure vs. impure female image and the religious undertones that drive this binary. This film does, however, stray from what feminist theorists have called the “male antagonist,” as Carrie acts as both the antagonist and protagonist in this film. On the contrary, Carrie does fit the virgin profile while other females in the film fit the sex kitten profile. In order to better understand the reflective theory in the context of this film, let’s analyze the opening scene of the film. As the credits flash upon the screen, viewers are immediately greeted by a locker room full of high school girls, standing around, laughing, completely naked. Is this something that happens in an everyday high school locker room or is it another fabrication of the female image? According to Haskell and Rosen, images like this are wildly inaccurate and over-sexualized for the viewing pleasure of males. As the camera slowly makes it’s way through the locker room, we finally reach the showers. There the viewer first encounters the main character Carrie as she takes her shower in isolation. The cinematography of this scene is quite significant to the theory as well. As the camera moves slowly towards Carrie in the shower, her naked
The reflection theory revolves largely around the false stereotyping of the female image. Haskell and Rosen state that the female images projected in film are skewed, unrealistic and completely inaccurate in most …show more content…
Immediately we see both the dichotomy of the virgin vs. sex kitten, innocent vs. deviant, pure vs. impure female image and the religious undertones that drive this binary. This film does, however, stray from what feminist theorists have called the “male antagonist,” as Carrie acts as both the antagonist and protagonist in this film. On the contrary, Carrie does fit the virgin profile while other females in the film fit the sex kitten profile. In order to better understand the reflective theory in the context of this film, let’s analyze the opening scene of the film. As the credits flash upon the screen, viewers are immediately greeted by a locker room full of high school girls, standing around, laughing, completely naked. Is this something that happens in an everyday high school locker room or is it another fabrication of the female image? According to Haskell and Rosen, images like this are wildly inaccurate and over-sexualized for the viewing pleasure of males. As the camera slowly makes it’s way through the locker room, we finally reach the showers. There the viewer first encounters the main character Carrie as she takes her shower in isolation. The cinematography of this scene is quite significant to the theory as well. As the camera moves slowly towards Carrie in the shower, her naked