Clover

When conducting further research on Carol J Clover's final girl theory, an analysis video was found that does contain some detailed comparitive analysis between Clover's theory and horror films.

Final Girl Theory (Carol j. Clover)

The theory of the final girl typically refers to the final girl standing in a horror movie, that ultimately stands victorious over the villain. The theory has been embedded in many different horror movies, some of which are:

. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
. Halloween
. Friday the 13th
. A Nightmare on Elm Street
. Scream

It is said that within films that contain the final girl theory, the audience generally start of by sharing the perspective of the killer but eventually end up experiencing a shift as they realise who the final girl is.

The final girl is usually the one who is sexually unavailable, which avoids the common errors made by characters in horror which end up ultimately with their deaths. The final girl also sometimes has a unisex name possibly to keep them unique to every other female character in the film. Clover also states that sometimes the final girl may have some sort of shared history with the villain.

Clover further states that the final girl becomes more masculinized when in confrontation with the villain especially if she takes up a weapon like a knife or a chainsaw.


Clover also argues that in order for a horror (mainly slasher) film to work properly, it is vital that the overall victor is a female character who has been objected to terror, as it may not seem as effective if it was a male.

Todorov's Narritive Theory

Todorov's narritive theory relates to horror as it does to most if not all genres. It consists of a six part structure that is said to make up the film. The structure is designed to state the film starts at a point and then constantly builds up to a peak and then ends at the same point it would hav started st.

Below is the structure:

. Equilibrium
. Disruption
. Complications
. Crisis
. Climax
. Resolution

An example to help prove the theory could be in the film 'Psycho'.

. Equilibrium - Main characters want to marry
. Disruption - They can't as Sam is in a lot of debt and Marion has stolen a lot of money
. Complications - Marion decides to take a shower rather than staying for dinner
. Crisis - Marion is killed by an anonymous figure in the shower
. Climax - Norman is the psycho, and has been killing people dressed up as his mother
. Resolution - Norman is put in jail and Marion's car is retrieved.

Propp's Character Theory

Propp's character theory avoids treating characters as if thei are individuals and remins us that they are merely constructs. This relates to horror as it sets out a list of the different types of characters involved such as the hero, in horror the one who defeats the villain, who is the character causing havoc.

Below is the list of different types of characters in Propp's theory:

. The Hero

. The Villain

. The Donor

. The Helper

. The Princess

. The Princess' Father

. The Dispatcher

. The False Hero

Although every character type may not be in every horror film, it sets a basic outline of the different characters that are ususallly involved within the horror genre.

Representations of Horror

There are many different representations of Horror.

Teen: This is usually when a horror films include the use of teenagers as the main characters and the movie is aimed at this age group. Good examples for this representation would be 'The Faculty', 'Blair Witch' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

Society: This is a representation of horror as it allows the horror genre play with a system of living that we as the audience are used to. So for instance when the villain is living in an isolated area, it seems quite wierd as they seem so deprived and away from society making way for their villainous traits. Further more when socity is in danger it can come as a scare as it could mean that a lot of people are in danger in a living system that should be secure.

Vulnerablity: This is a good representation of horror as it every single horror films use it. In every horror film there is at least one character who is vulnerable as something is out to get them, whether in a chase scene or in the secure comfort of their home which has been exploited.

Women: The use of female characters in horror is very important as it they are usually the ones being targethed. This links with the representation of vulnerability as they are targeted constantly throughout. It also links to the final girl theory which concentrates on the final person standing is the woman after all the events have occurred.

Villains: In every horror there is usually a villain/monster or evil entity. Over tyhe years this has been explored in many different ways, such as the monster/vampire elements of Nosferatu to evil spiritual enitites to finally the introduction exploiting the evil in man himself in films like 'Psycho'.

Conventions of Horror

Night

The familiar setting that can be noted in most horror is at night. This is the time period when most of the horror action occurs as it is dark and helps create suspense. Furthermore it is the time when many people may feel slightly more insecure due to the fact that there is hardly any light, except for moonlight. A lot of horror use the night for their villains such as Dracula for example.







Isolated Setting

An isolated setting is very imporatant in horror as it not only creates suspense but also gives the audience an idea of what the villain in the film would be like, for example, someone who prefers to keep away from society for a reason. For instance in 'Nosferatu', the character lives alone in Transylvania as he is a vampire like being, and prefers to only come out at night. Another example would be the film 'Psycho' in which Norman Bates lives away from society only owning his motel in which he commits murder from. Finally 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' also follows this convention with Leatherface and his family living in an isolated residence in Texas as they don't want people to know of their cannibalistic activities.

Endagerment of Protagonist

In horror, the protagonist or main character is always the one that the film usually concentrates and focusses on. This is the character that the audience build a connection with and what the horror genre does, is use this relationship to keep the audience engaged. Moreover the protagonist character is the one who is in danger and is the one that the killer is usually after during the film. An example would be Marion in 'Psycho'.









Iconography

Iconography is what represents horror in a way that people would be able to understand when something is portraying it. For example, blood and the weapons used in the genre, such as sharp objects like knives and chainsaws. The weaponry of knives are mainly used as it allows the villain to get up close to the target and so the audience get a closer look on what is about to happen. The use of blood portraying horror as it shows that someone has got hurt. Prime examples would be the 'Saw' series in which gore is one of the main uses to portray its genre.

New Media Horror Blog

This is my new media blog for my A2 course in media studies. The blog will consist of my research and work that has been completed, from audience reasearch such as genreal questionnaires to in depth analysis of different horror films from different sub genres.