Final girl

take away from the conflict? That formula is straightforward enough. But there are so many concepts you can draw upon when watching. And as a director, you can convey as little or as much as you want. Sometimes, this structure leads to masterpieces like The Shining. And every scene racks your brain as you struggle to connect the dots of what's happening. Or, you get a generic slasher movie. And the plot doesn't progress beyond, "This dude likes killing people." But, there's still a lot to uncover with why Hollywood relies on the slasher template. Like what does it say about people who enjoy it? Or what cultural significance does it embody? Well, the work of Carol Clover dissects those elements, and more, from a gender perspective. And her Final Girl Theory is a psychoanalytical commentary on women in slasher films. Now, it's important to get some background on the slasher genre. After all, it's a cinematic label we hear all the time. And yet, no one has ever formulated a precise definition of a slasher film. This lack of clarity is typical for most cultural developments. So the way movie tropes emerge is no different. What starts as a fad or a flash in the pan can be something that changes our expectations. And with slasher films, the man who set the standard was Alfred Hitchcock. Keep in mind that at the time, you didn't see movies with killers on the loose. Sure, there were monsters and ghosts. But no one had showcased how dangerous and psychotic humans could be. So…

Since its release in 1978, John Carpenter’s film Halloween has become a staple in the horror genre. This film is regarded as highly influential, being dubbed “a cornerstone of the modern horror film” by one critic (Vishnevetsky). Though the film tells the story of Michael Myers, it is the female lead, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, who captures the attention of the audience. In this analysis, I will provide evidence that Curtis’ character, Laurie Strode, is an example of Carol Clover’s trope of the…

limbs or having their skull crushed by metal spikes. This is another big part of slasher film, it 's the reason why this subgenre was given the name slasher in the first place. Slasher films are also known for the hypersexualization and slut shaming of the female role. Screen time is consumed by steamy makeout sessions and sex scenes primarily focused on the woman 's body. Throughout the movie they are shown as the ‘sexy damsel in distress,’ perpetuating a stereotype that women will remain…

more about each character and their true identity. Curt “The Athlete”, Jules “The Whore”, Marty “The Fool”, Dana “The Virgin” and Holden “The Scholar” all play the leading roles. The film is set-up as the stereotypical “slasher film.” The horrific event is induced by the past and conflict is between a fictional antagonist and a group of teenagers, which includes two girls, one is a virgin and her best friend is a whore. Each character portrays a certain archetype in…

Introduction Look around you, does where you are look uniformly ominous. Are you being chased by an unusually powerful or intelligent being. Well congratulations! You are in a horror film! It may not sound that great because it is not. You are probably going to die, but if you read this guide you might not. So let’s get started! The most important thing I could tell anyone in your situation right now is “don’t be stupid”. It has been said in so many television shows and movies. “Dont go in there…

level and a straight shot of both the girl and her brother. It is when the first zombie attacks at about six minutes and 40 seconds through 10 minutes and 15 seconds the audience sees the first variation of camera angles. In this attack the whole scene is tilted to the side and jump cuts between the characters fight and the girls face which shows panic. As the plot progresses and she is running the image is also tilted, until an establishing shot of the farm house appears. This establishing…

Killing Spree’s have always been a huge topic especially because they happen all the time, last month being one, it was one of the biggest killing sprees in history here in Florida. Additionally, to killing sprees I have chosen to write my essay on the poem Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen and the film Final Girl, directed by Tyler Shields. These two stories are all so similar but so different whether it’s theme, setting, symbolism, or simply the characters intentions. The poem and film give off a…

For example, in Halloween, Bob 's circumstances of death wouldn 't be that he just happened to walk downstairs. Rather, what I recorded was that he was drinking a beer after having sex with Lynda, because these main events were the connectors of the story which put him in the kitchen to be killed by Michael Meyers. This method was also important in order to determine if there were any cause-effect correlations between the characters ' behaviors and their deaths. Alongside "circumstances of…

With the title Final Girl I was expecting a twist on the Slasher genre. As the Final Girl is a term from the genre to refers to the heroine who survives and defeats the killer. Often with wit and determination rather than brute force. Which it absolutely isn't, which while initially disappointing Final Girl turned out to be worth every minute of its 84 minute run time. What it turn out to be was a well executed dark thriller with a splash of horror overtones. I say splash because there is a…

should do for our skit. Ben and I butt heads a few times, because he really wanted to do his specific conflict. Everyone looked towards me for the final verdict, and I respectfully said no, we could not do his conflict. That was the only major altercation that happened within the group. There was a power dynamic of girls versus the one boy in the group. The girls had a tendency to agree with each other. Ben did not say much but when he did, we did not attack him. I feel like we all took his…