Raging Serial Killers or Petrified Victims: Reworking Gender in Contemporary Horror Films and TV Shows

ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITYDissertation Declaration

Title of AwardBA (Honours)

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Date01/05/2015

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SID Number1200921

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Name of SupervisorTanya Horeck

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Title of Dissertation Raging Serial Killers or Petrified Victims:

_____________________________________ Reworking Gender in Contemporary Horror

_____________________________________Films and TV Shows

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Word Count10,421

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SID: 1200921DECLARATION: By submitting work to this class I declare that the work ismy own and that the material contained herein has not been substantiallyused in any other submission for an academic award.

All dissertations, projects etc, submitted as part of an assessment processfor a degree become University property once handed in, and are notnormally available to be returned.

Abstract

This study examines the various ways in which gender has been

represented and reworked over the last ten years within horror

films and televisions shows, arguing that the genre has

progressed and continues to progress subverting the gender

conventions upheld by the genre.

This dissertation explores the genre through the chapters of

distribution and marketing, stereotypes and sexual violence

and the maternal image. The first chapter argues that modes of

distribution and marketing strategies are vital in providing

room within the genre for a larger female audience, and thus

reworking the assumption that horror mainly caters to men. The

second chapter considers the extensive use of stereotyping and

focuses on texts that specifically reconsider these ideas. In

addition, the chapter also questions the significance of the

2

SID: 1200921male gaze within contemporary horror. Chapter three explores

the various ways in which sexualized violence is utilized

within the genre and further analyses the maternal image

questioning whether this becomes the character’s flaw.

This dissertation concludes that contemporary horror films and

television shows are realizing the absurd restrictions and

assumptions placed on gender. Furthermore reflecting societies

changing views regarding gender representation within the

genre allowing for future films and television shows to

redefine the use of gender within horror.

Table of Contents

Introduction

4

3

SID: 1200921

Chapter One: Rethinking gender representation through distribution and

marketing: Can distribution, marketing and release ratings play a role in the way

gender is represented within the horror genre?

9

Chapter Two: Does contemporary horror rework or conform to stereotypes

placed on gender? An analysis of The Descent and The Cabin in the Woods

16

Chapter Three: Sexual violence and the maternal image in American Horror

Story: Murder House and Bates Motel

27

Conclusion

40

Bibliography

42

Filmography

50

4

SID: 1200921

Introduction

The aim of this dissertation is to examine the various ways in

which contemporary horror films and television shows represent

and rework gender through a close reading of The Descent

(Marshall, UK: 2005), The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, US: 2012),

American Horror Story (FX, US: 2011) and Bates Motel (A&E, US: 2013).

This dissertation will discuss the varying ways in which

contemporary films and television programmes attempt to

subvert or comment on the conventions of the horror genre.

In order to do this, the dissertation will look at certain

aspects of the genre, including the use of distribution and

marketing, stereotypes, sexual violence and the maternal

image. Each analysis will consider relevant arguments

presented by theorists such as Laura Mulvey, Sarah Projansky

5

SID: 1200921and Barbara Creed on ideas regarding the gaze, representations

of rape and the monstrous mother. These ideas will then be

applied to the chosen texts in order to argue that in many

ways the horror genre is attempting to subvert the conventions

placed on gender, such as through its emphasis on including

strong representations of female characters within the

narrative or through the use of parody to reflect on the

stereotypes often used within the genre. However there are

other ways in which the genre still conforms to certain

damaging stereotypes, exemplified through the use of the male

gaze in regards to female sexual violence.

The texts chosen to discuss within this dissertation are

widely popular within the horror genre, each bring a different

view and understanding on how gender is viewed and received

within film and television and ‘lay the horror genre bare,

critiquing its conventions [on gender roles] in which the

filmmakers encourage us to engage [with]’ (Rodriguez, 2012).

By extension, this dissertation will provide an insight as to

whether the genre has become more accessible to a wider

audience through new modes of distribution such as Netflix and

6

SID: 1200921other online subscription channels and through its use of

reworking gender representations.

In recent years TV has become distinctly more popular than

film allowing for an interesting discussion when analysing the

genre. In the past ‘television held less prestige than film

[however] the last decade has seen a veritable flood of so-

called ‘quality television series’’ (Klarer, 2014: 203), such

as The Walking Dead (AMC, US: 2010-) and Hannibal (NBC, US: 2013-).

In an interview with The Independent David Lynch explains that

‘“television [has become] way more interesting than cinema”’

(Walker, 2013) and the use of longform storytelling is

allowing for ‘beautifully crafted and often surreal horror

shows’ (Shaw-Williams, 2013) in which spectators are offered

interesting depictions of gender. For example in American Horror

Story we are introduced to a range of women, each of different

ages and each depicting different versions of femininity not

often seen within the genre.

The first chapter will provide an analysis of the

distribution, marketing and release ratings of the four chosen

texts, questioning whether the genre is more flexible towards

7

SID: 1200921gender inequality and stereotypes because of its low scale

distribution. Additionally an exploration on the use of

marketing will further inform us on whether these aspects of

post-production play an important role in contemporary horror

reworking gender norms.

The second chapter will focus on Neil Marshall’s The Descent and

Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods, in which the

analysis will comment and reflect on how these two particular

films challenge and rework stereotypes. Unlike many other

horror films The Descent contains an all female cast and in

doing so confronts questions regarding gender representation.

By referring to Laura Mulvey’s theories on the male gaze, as

well as drawing from other theorists such as Barbara Creed,

this chapter will discuss how the spectator views gender,

additionally questioning whether the film reworks the

stereotypes placed on women through the use of the Final Girl

and Monsters. The Cabin in the Woods will also look at the

stereotypes within the genre, which often places restrictions

on characters based on their gender. For example within most

horror films including The Cabin in the Woods the characters are

‘stock archetypes’ (Elbert, 2012): the athlete, the virgin,

8

SID: 1200921the whore, the fool and the scholar, yet the female characters

archetype is usually solely based on their sexuality.

The final chapter will explore American Horror Story: Murder House

and Bates Motel, two horror based TV shows that have become

increasingly popular in recent years. The analysis of American

Horror Story will focus on how the show depicts and utilises

sexual violence as part of the genre, further discussing

whether it reworks the assertion that women are the only

people subjected to sexual violence. Additionally the idea of

the gaze in relation to sexual violence will also be

discussed. Bates Motel, a contemporary prequel to Alfred

Hitchcock’s Psycho (Hitchcock, US: 1960) will also explore the

show’s portrayal of sexual violence, commenting on its use

within the narrative. Equally important will be the analysis

of reworking the archetypal image of the mother, and the

examination of television’s portrayal of bad mothers by

looking at the ways in which Bates Motel promotes the maternal

instinct to emphasize motherhood as a powerful characteristic,

thus reworking the harsh stereotype of the archaic mother.

9

SID: 1200921Before discussing how gender is represented and reworked in

contemporary horror films it is useful to look at horror as a

genre. Horror as a genre existed even before the introduction

of film and has been and continues to be a popular genre that

is explored through literature, theatre and film. The genre

usually ‘raises questions of cultural analysis as well as

cultural policy’ (Jancovich, 2002: 1); in this case the

cultural analysis will centre itself on the issue of gender.

Many who write about the horror genre frequently question how

the term horror should be defined and what essential features

define it. Timothy Corrigan and Patricia White list three

‘fundamental elements of horror films:

Characters with physical, psychological, and/ or spiritual

deformities

Narratives built on suspense, surprise, and shock

Visual compositions that move between the dread of not

seeing and the horror of seeing’ (2012: 336).

Nevertheless, Brigid Cherry argues that due to ‘the horror

genre’s sheer diversity […] it has fragmented into an

extremely diverse set of sub-genres. […] mean[ing] that the

genre has evolved and developed many branches and offshoots’

(2009: 2) and it is therefore difficult to discuss ‘as a

10

SID: 1200921coherent group of films’ (Cherry, 2009: 3). Whereas

fundamental elements categorize a film as horror, subgenres

are ‘characterized by dominant elements: supernatural,

psychological and physical horror (slasher) films’ (Corrigan &

White, 2012: 337).

As with film, TV shows each have their own genres, as well as

their sub-genres; in TV most horror related shows are

categorised under Science Fiction, for example The X Files (Fox,

US: 1993-2002) which ‘skirt[ed] between a number of

interrelated genres: horror, detective, science fiction,

thriller and comedy’ (Creeber, Miller & Tulloch, 2008: 39).

Like horror, science fiction was not ‘generally regarded as a

high-culture form; instead, it has tended to be seen as

popular entertainment’ (Creeber, 2008: 36). However due to the

development of technology and special effects TV shows with a

horror element are becoming increasingly popular thus

attracting a wider audience and fan base. As with the film

texts the analysis of the TV shows will centre itself on the

issue of gender.

Unsurprisingly, issues concerning gender and sexuality within

horror films have long been debated and the deliberation still

11

SID: 1200921continues with repeated claims ‘that horror involves not only

violence against women, but violence that is itself highly

sexualized’ (Jancovich, 2002: 57). Many theorists of the genre

made use of psychoanalysis, which saw the ‘emergence of a

psychoanalytically informed feminist film theory.’ (Jancovich,

2002: 57) As a result, within the past decade views regarding

gender representation within horror have been challenged and

reworked in order to comment on and possibly change the

stereotypes placed, mainly on women, in horror films.

The ensuing chapters of this dissertation are committed to

exploring horror films and television programmes, arguing that

for a genre so often riddled with gender stereotypes and

assumptions, it is in many ways progressing and subverting the

ways in which the spectator views gender within horror.

12

SID: 1200921

Chapter One

Rethinking gender representation through distribution and marketing: Can

distribution, marketing and release ratings play a role in the way gender is

represented within the horror genre?

The intention of this chapter is to analyse and discuss the

distribution, release ratings of The Descent, The Cabin in the Woods,

American Horror Story and Bates Motel, and explore whether the manner

of distribution catering to a male target audience plays a

role in the decision to showcase gender stereotypes and 13

SID: 1200921misrepresentations. Additionally the chapter will explore the

use of marketing to attract a wider female audience, providing

evidence that a greater number of films and TV shows within

the horror genre are now considering them as part of their

target audience. This analysis will allow for a discussion on

how the rise in reworking gender in the genre is partly due to

the marketing, distribution, and opening numbers of popular

films and TV shows.

Many question the horror genre and its warped presentation of

gender roles and stereotypes, regarding the ‘horror film as a

genre that is predominantly produced and consumed by men’

(Jancovich, 2001: 135). Hence why ‘Darrin Ramage […] suggests

[that] horror fans are hooked by ‘B and B: blood and boobs’’

(Lobato and Ryan, 2011: 196). However many of these films that

appeal to male audiences with its depiction of blood, sex and

violence are low budget films, and either go straight to DVD

or are released online, whereas films that are distributed for

a cinema release tend to target a much wider audience.

On the other hand, TV distribution has changed far more than

that of film and as Jowett and Abbott explain, this is due to

14

SID: 1200921the fact that ‘TV is moving beyond its reputation as

mainstream, mass entertainment aimed at the lowest common

denominator. [Instead] more subscription channels, such as HBO

with TV shows like True Blood (2008-2014), open up what is

acceptable on TV […] see[ing] a boom in TV horror’ (2013: 10).

By pushing the boundaries of what can be shown on TV, network

and subscription channels, such as HBO and Netflix, are

appealing a wider demographic.

Lobato and Ryan explain that ‘it is distributors who

ultimately determine which texts are shown at our cinemas,

broadcast on television and sold at DVD stores’ (2011, 192).

As mentioned previously the horror genre has a large male fan

base, yet Jancovich argues that there is a ‘significant group

of female fans of the genre, [and] that many classic horror

films were targeted at both male and female audiences’

(Jancovich, 2001: 135). With more female fans of the genre

emerging, a space for strong female characters has become

available thus opening up the distribution market to a wider

range of horror films and TV shows, such as those discussed

within this dissertation.

15

SID: 1200921Neil Marshall’s The Descent and Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s

The Cabin in the Woods were both distributed by Lionsgate within

the US, a production and distribution company that has

distributed some of the most well known horror films including

Hostel (2005) and the Saw franchise (2004-2010). The Descent

premiered in July 2005 in the UK, distributed by Pathé, to 329

screens and was released a year later in the U.S. to 2,095

screens (IMDb, no date). However it was the marketing process

leading up to the release that showed that it would cater to a

wide target audience regardless of gender. Like the majority

of films The Descent utilised billboard advertising creating two

different posters to ‘promote the movie and market it to their

audience’ (Tansley, 2015: 2) (See Image 1.1). The first is of

Sarah and her friends creating the shape of a skull, an image

that ‘was based on the photograph named “In Voluptas Mors” by

Philippe Halsman’ (Tansley, 2015: 2), which became the

advertisement distributed worldwide. The second poster

featured Sarah looking at the viewer in fear with a quote from

a review promoting the film as “Outright terror…bold and

brilliant” The textual content of the posters reflect the

demands of the horror genre in terms of gore and violence, and

with the addition of six female leads the film appeared to

16

SID: 1200921‘appeal across gender, demographics and cultures’ (Lobato and

Ryan, 2011: 195) within the genre.

Figure 1.1

Right [The Descent UK Promotional Poster] 2007 [Online] Available at:

<www.movieposterdb.com/poster/5e42d6c7> [Accessed: 12th March

2015]; Left [The Descent US Promotional Poster] 2005 [Online]

Available at: <www.imdb.com/media/rm3987246336/tt0435625?

ref_=ttmd_md_nxt> [Accessed: 12th March 2015]

In comparison, The Cabin in the Woods had to wait two years before

it opened to cinema audiences. Originally the film was to be

distributed by MGM, however due to bankruptcy issues it was

completely shelved until Lionsgate decided to pick it up in

2012 (Schaefer, 2012). By this point actors Chris Hemsworth

and Jessie Williams were now well known for their roles in Thor

(Branagh, US: 2011) and Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, US: 2005 -), thus

17

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3987246336/tt0435625?ref_=ttmd_md_nxt


http://www.movieposterdb.com/poster/5e42d6c7

SID: 1200921increasing anticipation towards the release. The film opened

to 2,811 screens in the U.S. (IMDb, no date) whilst the

advertising of the film gave little away with the promotional

poster simply saying: “You think you know the story” (See

Image 1.2). Furthermore the image of the upside down cabin

suggests the idea that the film is a commentary on the genre

itself, and in doing so creating suspense in regards to how

the film would overturn the genre. Additionally, it can be

argued that the success of its release was possibly due to the

fact that its writers were those that gave us Buffy: The Vampire

Slayer (20th Century Fox, US: 1997-2003) and Cloverfield (Goddard,

US: 2008) as well as the suspense that surrounded the film for

two years.

Image 1.2

18

SID: 1200921[The Cabin in the Woods Promotional Poster] 2011 [Image Online]

Available at: <www.imdb.com/media/rm2977084160/tt1259521?

ref_=ttmd_md_nxt> [Accessed: 12th March 2015]

Television has entered an era in which new shows are

constantly being brought out, catering to a range of audience

members, and giving people more choice than ever before.

Amanda Lotz calls this the ‘post-network television experience

in which viewers now increasingly select what, when and where

to view from abundant options’ (2007: 15). At a time where

there is an extremely high demand for TV shows to provide a

large audience with something new and captivating within the

TV horror genre, American Horror Story, produced and aired by FX,

certainly delivered. Released in 2011 with the premier of its

pilot episode receiving ‘just over 5 million Total Viewers […]

and the gender split [being] 54% female (1.1 million) and 46%

male (946,000)’ (Seidman, 2011). The noticeable gender gap in

the ratings demonstrates that the horror genre is not

necessarily catered to and for a male demographic. The lead up

to the release of it’s first episode gave little away in terms

of what to expect, however, the promotional trailers and

posters featured themes surrounding sexuality and different

depictions of femininity (See Image 1.3). By extension, the

19



SID: 1200921appearances of Connie Britton and Jessica Lange as female

leads added to the hype surrounding the show.

Image 1.3

[American Horror Story Promotional Posters] 2014 [Image Online]

Available at: <www.terrortrove.com/american-horror-story-

posters-freak-show-debut/> [Accessed 12th March 2015]

Similar to American Horror Story, Bates Motel produced and aired by

A&E, also delivered on its opening night. With the premise of

the show being based on Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, the show

drew in a lot of attention from a wide range of audiences.

Furthermore its star studded cast, with Vera Farmiga, known

for her roles in Up in the Air (2009) and The Conjuring (2013),

playing Norma Bates and Freddie Highmore, known for playing

Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), as the infamous

Norman Bates, added interest and intrigue before the first

20

http://www.terrortrove.com/american-horror-story-posters-freak-show-debut/

http://www.terrortrove.com/american-horror-story-posters-freak-show-debut/

SID: 1200921episode aired. The show’s pilot episode First You Dream Then You Die

‘was watched by 4.6 million total viewers […] becoming the

networks most-watched original drama series debut among the

key 18-49 and 25-54 demo[graphics]’ (Bibel, 2013). These

opening ratings ‘indicate that the series has a far broader

appeal than A&E’s typical programming’ (Yaniz Jr, 2013). In

contrast to American Horror Story, Bates Motel had a very different

marketing strategy as the hype around the show began before

filming had even began with details about characters and

casting released in the process. The show’s female lead

character, Norma Louise Bates, was described as ‘the

complicated, passionate and compelling mother to Norman who is

smart, multidimensional and always capable of surprising

people’ (Goldberg, 2012). Furthermore the trailers and

promotional posters revolved around the complicated and

uncomfortable relationship between mother and son, using the

famous quote from the original film “A boy’s best friend is

his mother” (See Image 1.4), leaving spectators to wonder

whether this contemporary prequel would fully exploit the

relationship that is suggested in Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Figure 1.4

21

SID: 1200921

[Bates Motel Promotional Poster] 2013 [Image Online] Available at:

<www.imdb.com/media/rm62562304/tt2188671?ref_=ttmd_md_nxt>

[Accessed 12th March 2015]

As previously stated the numbers for the opening of each film

and TV programme prove that the horror genre does not only

cater for a male target audience. If we are to follow these

figures the indication is that more films and TV shows within

the horror genre are actually providing room for strong female

characters in order to attract a larger female-based audience,

with the exception of The Cabin in the Woods, which focused its

promotion on the suspense surrounding the film than on the

characters that would be portrayed. The marketing strategies

used to promote The Descent and the two TV shows made a greater

effort to highlight their diverse female character leads, 22


SID: 1200921allowing for more films and TV shows to rework gender

stereotypes and address the question as to why society feels

the need to stereotype gender roles.

Chapter Two

23

SID: 1200921Does contemporary horror rework or conform to stereotypes placed on gender? An

analysis of ‘The Descent’ and ‘The Cabin in the Woods’

As previously mentioned, the horror genre is riddled with

stereotypes that enable the character to act in certain ways

and make room for the spectator to view them differently. For

instance, within many horror films the woman is represented by

her sexuality, as seen in The Cabin in the Woods – CitW – where

Jules (Anna Hutchison) is given the role of the ‘whore’ simply

because she is in a sexually active relationship. Through an

analysis of The Descent and CitW this chapter will look

specifically at ideas on the male gaze, women as the object,

the male monster and the Final Girl. By drawing from theorists

such as Laura Mulvey and Barbara Creed, this chapter will be

able to question how stereotypes invite spectators to look at

characters in restricted ways. This will ultimately tie in

with this dissertation’s argument that these films are

reworking the gender norms in relation to the genre and are

commenting on the absurdity of gender stereotyping.

Neil Marshall’s The Descent centres itself around six friends

who go on a caving trip and become trapped when they are

24

SID: 1200921caught in a rock fall, forcing them to go further underground

to find a way out only to ‘find themselves haunted by a race

of fearless, hungry predators, once humanoid but now

monstrously adapted to live in the dark’ (The Descent, 2005). It

is interesting to note in terms of representing gender within

horror, that the film follows a group of six women, with the

only man in the whole film being killed off within the first

five minutes. This is a rare occurrence within the genre and

raises questions regarding how the women and the male monsters

are presented to the spectator and what they serve to comment

on.

Mulvey argues that within film ‘spectators are encouraged to

identify with the look of the male hero and make the heroine a

passive object of erotic spectacle’ (Chaudhuri, 2006: 31). By

simply having an all female cast The Descent already goes

against part of Mulvey’s argument, however, because the

director is male it is possible to argue that the film is a

reflection of his fantasies projected onto the female

characters (Chaudhuri, 2006: 35). Therefore potentially

conforming to stereotypes placed on women in horror films by

turning them into ‘spectacle[s] to be looked at’ (Chaudhuri,

25

SID: 12009212006: 2). Nevertheless, none of the women in the film are

presented to the spectator in a sexual or provocative manner,

possibly because there is no male who drives the narrative

forward therefore spectators cannot identify ‘with “the active

power” of the hero’s gaze at the woman’ (Chaudhuri, 2006: 35).

Usually within horror the stereotype would be to have the

women dressed in revealing, inappropriate clothing yet in a

scene at the beginning of the film the women take a group

photo dressed in appropriate caving attire (See image 2.1),

making it evident in terms of physical appearance and mise-en-

scene that the film rejects Mulvey’s notion of the woman as

spectacle and the idea of the narrative being driven by a male

gaze. Furthermore The Descent successfully eliminates the

physical stereotypes as well as the main archetypal

stereotypes, as each of the women are successful and driven,

thus the image of the powerless woman is replaced with the

image of a strong survivor.

Image 2.1

26

SID: 1200921Group photo of all six women wearing convenient clothing (The

Descent, 2005: 16 minutes)

Although The Descent has reworked the image of the woman and her

physical sexuality, it is the characterisation of each of the

women and the monsters that raise questions concerning gender

stereotypes and ultimately show how this film is progressive

in terms of gender representation. Robin Wood explains that

the dramatic structure of the horror genre is usually ‘our

collective night-mares […] in which normality is threatened by

the monster’ (1979: 10). Additionally, Barry Keith Grant

explains that the majority of horror films ‘are consistent in

defining normality as the heterosexual, monogamous couple, the

family and the social institutions […] that support and defend

them. The monster in these films is a projection of the

dominant ideology’s anxiety about itself’ (2006: 48). In other

words the male protagonist sees his fears mirrored through the

monster, hence why ‘traditional approaches to the male monster

have tended to focus on his image as terrifying because of its

association with castration, dismemberment and death’ (Creed,

2005: VII). However this leads us to question: since there are

no male lead characters within the film, why then does The

Descent portray the monsters as men? A possible answer to this

27

SID: 1200921question lies in the ending of the film, which can be

interpreted to suggest that the monsters, also known as

crawlers, are in fact not real. Suggesting that Sarah (Shauna

Macdonald), who is the last character standing, in her

“descent” into madness hallucinated them, in turn killing all

of her friends. The last scene of the film shows Sarah

awakening, still in the cave completely covered in blood

adopting crawler like movements whilst hallucinating her dead

daughter (See Image 2.2). If Grant’s explanation regarding the

monsters in horror films is taken into account, then it is

possible to argue that the crawlers were Sarah’s own

manifestations of anxiety regarding her lack of family and

monogamous relationship, as it is later revealed that Juno and

Sarah’s husband were having an affair.

Image 2.2

28

SID: 1200921

(Left) Sarah waking up finding herself still in the cave

(Right) adopting crawler like movements (The Descent, 2005: 94

minutes)

In turn this interpretation of the ending further allows an

attempt at answering one of Barbara Creed’s questions: ‘What

are the differences, if any, between male and female

monsters?’ (Creed, 2005: VII) It can be argued that within

this film there is no difference between the male and female

monster, each, regardless of gender, are as terrifying as the

other. Creed argues that ‘through the figure of the male

monster, the horror film speaks to us about our origins, our

deep-seated anxieties and our debt to women, nature, the

animal and death’ (2005: XV). However by presenting the

spectator with the possibility that the crawlers were actually

projections of Sarah, the film re-works the stereotype of

women needing to be saved from the male monsters when in fact

it is the woman who is the monster. As a result the film also

allows for a reworking of the dominant ideology by addressing

29

SID: 1200921the idea that women too can project their anxieties about

themselves into monsters. Consequently this portrayal could

potentially prove to be problematic, as it still perceives

women as monsters simply because of their gender. Nevertheless

it remains to be a refreshing take on gender roles within the

horror genre as most portray women to be mentally and

physically weak.

In addition the film utilises Carol Clover’s idea of the Final

Girl, in which she argues ‘is phallicized, given masculine

traits and a boyish name’ (Chaudhuri, 2006: 101). She further

‘describes the Final Girl as ‘a figurative male’, who allows

the mostly male audience of the genre to identify across the

lines of gender’ (Chaudhuri, 2006: 101). If this argument is

discussed through The Descent’s Final Girl it is evident that

only part of this statement is applicable. Firstly the Final

Girl has a non-boyish name, Sarah, and it is only at the end

of the film that spectators see her possibly taking up

physical masculine traits. This in turn supports Creed’s

counter argument that just ‘because the heroine is represented

as resourceful, intelligent and dangerous, it does not follow

that she should be seen as a pseudo man’ (Creed, 1993: 127).

30

SID: 1200921Nevertheless the film does not totally eradicate the use of

the Final Girl, as there is one character whose

characteristics can be associated with those of the Final

Girl. Out of all the women it is Juno who is given the most

masculine traits. Apart from being given an androgynous name,

it is evident from the beginning that she is physically

strong, as well as narcissistic and presumptuous evident in

her decision to lead the group, without their knowledge, to

the undiscovered caves. By having Juno take up these masculine

traits, the film allows for the male viewers to identify with

‘a figurative male’ (Chaudhuri, 2006: 101). However by not

making Juno the Final Girl The Descent re-works the stereotype

of the Final Girl, whilst maintaining a male gaze through

Juno’s character.

In contrast, Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods parodies

horror’s stereotypes in this ‘metageneric sf/horror hybrid’

(Venezia, 2013: 411). Which ‘set[s] out to embrace the genre

and [tries] to do something new’ (Goddard, 2012: 26 minutes).

The film focuses on a group of students who take a trip to a

cabin in the woods, in which they are being observed and

manipulated through technology and drugs by a shadowy high-

31

SID: 1200921tech corporation (Venezia, 2013: 411). Once they have played

out the role of their stereotype they are killed and

sacrificed to the Gods. The analysis of CitW will aim to aid

this dissertation’s argument that contemporary horror films

are realising the out-dated nature of gender stereotypes

within the genre through the use of parody, allowing for a

reworking of gender roles. Many reviews of the film praise

Goddard’s and Whedon’s take on the genre’s use of stereotypes,

with Whedon himself describing the film ‘as a “loving hate

letter” to horror movies, and you could interpret it as an

experiment on the genre itself’ (Ebert, 2012). In another

review the film is described as ‘lay[ing] the horror genre

bare, critiquing its conventions and creating a space for a

larger cultural conversation’ (Rodriguez, 2012). Rodriguez

then continues to explain that the most important critique is

that of ‘the virgin/whore dichotomy that cinema and society

seem to insist is the only way we can view most women’ (2012).

It is explained early on in the film that there is an order in

which the deaths must occur, with the whore being the first

and the virgin being the last if not at all. An idea that will

be explored further in regards to the film’s reworking of

gendered stereotypes.

32

SID: 1200921

The five students in the film each ‘resemble a spectrum of

teen horror stereotypes – jock, scholar, slut, virgin and

pothead’ (Venzia, 2013: 411), however it is through the

process of manipulation that these characters play out these

roles. Whilst the two female characters are conditioned to

playing out the only two stereotypes given to women, the whore

and the virgin, it is the men who are influenced the most in

order to fit into their assigned stock archetypes. We are

introduced to Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Holden (Jesse Williams)

and Marty (Fran Kranz) within the first ten minutes of the

film and throughout small details in their personality and

appearance are manipulated in order to accurately portray

their assigned stereotype. Although it is fairly obvious from

the introduction of Marty that his role will be to play the

‘pothead/joker’, it is more ambiguous as to what roles Curt

and Holden are assigned to. At first Curt and Holden both

appear to be athletic with Curt first introduced walking into

Dana’s room throwing a football which neither Dana nor Jules

attempt at catching, leaving it to fly out the window, thus

introducing us to Holden who catches the ball. Curt then

informs us that Holden transferred from another school and has

33

SID: 1200921the “best hands on the team” (The Cabin In The Woods, 2012: 4

minutes). However moments later the audience learn that ‘Curt

is actually a sociology student on a full scholarship’ (Pols,

2012) proving that he isn’t just interested in being an

athlete, thus alluding us into thinking that he could play the

role of the scholar. It isn’t until they reach the cabin that

the manipulation of Curt and Holden takes place with the

‘puppeteers hav[ing] to inject drugs into the air to make Curt

more aggressive and alpha male’ (T, 2012) whilst Holden

becomes more scholarly with the addition of glasses and the

ability to speak Latin.

When assigning stereotypes to Dana and Jules it is fairly easy

to assume who will play which role and because ‘each cliché

[is] carefully counterbalanced with an incisive comment on the

absurdity of the genre’ (Miller, 2012) the only reason Dana is

assigned the ‘virgin’ is because she’s isn’t in a monogamous

sexual relationship. Although Dana could arguably be perceived

to fit into the ‘whore’ stereotype instead of Jules, since it

is revealed within the first few minutes of the film that Dana

was romantically involved with her married professor. Whilst

Jules’ assigned stereotype is aided by her new transformation

34

SID: 1200921into a blonde and her outgoing and flirtatious personality

reaffirms her role within the narrative, Dana is manipulated

into becoming innocent and naïve. Due to the nature of Jules’

stereotype the film comments on the genre’s need to over

sexualise certain female character, furthermore ‘call[ing]

into question the notion that women who like sex or who own

their sexuality are whores’ (Rodriguez, 2012).

Unlike The Descent, CitW clearly highlights Mulvey’s argument of

women becoming ‘a passive object of erotic spectacle’

(Chaudhuri, 2006: 31), showcasing how horror films are in

essence a projection of male fantasies. There are two scenes

in particular both involving Jules, which support Mulvey’s

views that the woman ‘holds the look, plays to and signifies

male desire’ (Mulvey, 1990: 33). Within the first scene the

five friends are in the cabin drinking and listening to music,

although Jules is the only one dancing. A medium shot shows

her standing in front of the fireplace with her back turned to

the camera before she begins to dance provocatively, and then

seductively walks over to Holden preparing him for a lap dance

(See Image 2.3) before turning her attention to Marty who

questions her odd behaviour. Due to her assigned stereotype,

35

SID: 1200921Jules is objectified in the most sexualised manner; she is

viewed as fulfilling her duty as a woman by making herself

available to cater to men’s sexual desires.

Image 2.3

(Left) Jules’ provocative dancing (Right) Jules flirting with

Holden (The Cabin in the Woods, 2012: 34 minutes)

The second scene takes place straight after; Jules and Curt

run into the forest prepared to realise Jules’ stereotype that

will ultimately lead to her demise. At this point spectators

are reminded that the students are being watched and once

again it is Jules’ body that is objectified (See Image 2.4).

Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford) who

we learn are in charge of the operation, manipulate the scene

in order to persuade Jules to play out her role as the

‘whore’, and when questioned by another onlooker if they have

to watch, both Sitterson and Hadley explain:

Hadley: “We’re not the only ones watching kid”

Sitterson: “Gotta keep the customer satisfied”

36

SID: 1200921(The Cabin In The Woods, 2012: 39 minutes)

This scene directly displays an awareness of Mulvey’s theories

on the male gaze, by considering the audience as “customers”

the film serves ‘not only [as] an indictment of the horror

genre but of the voyeuristic spectatorship that perpetuates

these horror tropes’ (Rodriguez, 2012). Once Jules’ breasts

are revealed to spectators Hadley and Sitterson organise her

gruesome death, which again explicitly highlights the

assumption ‘that women who like sex or who own their sexuality

are whores’ (Rodriguez, 2012).

Image 2.4

(Left) Workers anticipating watching Jules undress (The Cabin In

The Woods, 2012: 37 minutes) (Right) Sitterson and Hadley

taking pleasure in watching Jules undress (The Cabin In The Woods,

2012: 39 minutes)

If CitW revolves around overturning horror tropes it is

reasonable then to discuss whether a space is provided for the

female gaze. There is only one scene in which this is offered

37

SID: 1200921and occurs once the group have reached the cabin and decide on

their bedrooms. Holden’s room contains a grotesque painting

hanging on one of the walls, which he removes to reveal a

large mirror that sees into Dana’s room. Holden waves his arms

in front of the mirror checking whether Dana can see him,

however it is made clear by Dana’s facial expression and her

lack of acknowledgement towards Holden that she can’t see

through into Holden’s room. Holden continues to stare until

she begins to unbutton her shirt at which point he begins to

panic, pausing to glace at her before deciding to let her and

everyone else know about the mirror (See Image 2.5). After

having informed the group, Holden offers to swap rooms with

Dana to make her feel comfortable, once they have swapped

rooms Holden begins to undress taking off his shirt. As the

camera lingers on Holden Dana moves closer to the mirror

admiring his body (See Image 2.6). At this point Holden is the

sexual object, allowing for him to become objectified by the

camera in the same way that a woman would, furthermore Dana’s

control of the gaze is significant in comparing the amount of

time spent looking at his body in contrast to the brief moment

Holden spent controlling the gaze.

38

SID: 1200921

Image 2.5

Holden’s averted gaze (The Cabin In The Woods, 2012: 15 minutes)

Image 2.6

(Left) Holden’s body objectified by the camera (Right) Dana’s

longing stare (The Cabin In The Woods, 2012: 17 minutes)

Mulvey argues that ‘In a world ordered by sexual imbalance,

pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and

passive/female’ (Chaudhuri, 2006: 35). Meaning that it is the

male who is in charge of the looking whilst the female is the

spectacle, yet in this case Holden hands the control of the

gaze over to Dana knowingly. In giving Dana control over the

gaze, the female spectators can now identify with the passive

male, ‘acknowledging the lack of difference between him and

Dana’ (Stephenson, 2014: 32). In doing so the film reworks the39

SID: 1200921norm of simply allowing for a male gaze to be present

throughout the whole film.

As mentioned previously the sacrificial killings are ordered

with the virgin being the last to die; although it is

explained that as long as she is the last, it is unimportant

whether she dies or not. Like in The Descent, CitW resonates

Clover’s ideas on the Final Girl. The final scene sees Dana

and Marty – the two remaining survivors – being told by The

Director (Sigourney Weaver) that in order for the ritual to be

completed and for the human race to survive Dana must kill

Marty, and she almost does until a wolf attacks her. Giving

Marty the opportunity to grab the gun and shoot the wolf and

The Director in order to save himself and gain justice for his

friends. The final moments of the film sees the world around

them crumbling as Marty and Dana smoke a joint. In relation to

Clover’s essay ‘Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film’

(1987) she describes that ‘the Final Girl is also watchful to

the point of paranoia; small signs of danger that her friends

ignore she takes in and turns over […] the Final Girl is

boyish, in a word’ (1987, 204). CitW sees this slasher film

trope overturned, as it is Marty, the fool, who sees and

40

SID: 1200921predicts what is really going on. Indeed the film goes against

the gendered stereotypes of the typical horror slasher film

but it can be interpreted in a way that raises concerns. The

whore is usually killed first because she is corrupted whilst

the virgin is allowed to live because she remains pure and

innocent. Yet in CitW Dana is far from pure and her death is at

the hands of a wolf bite cemented by the crumbling of the

world around them, thus implying that even though the chosen

virgin is in fact not a virgin she too must be punished for

her sexuality.

The above discussion has identified and analysed how The Descent

and The Cabin in the Woods tackle the ideas of stereotypes within

the genre. It is clear in The Descent that the character’s

gender does not play a part in the way we view them in

relation to the narrative. Unlike CitW, the order of the

women’s deaths is irrelevant and the possibility of having a

female monster offers a reworking of gender roles within the

genre. In contrast CitW offers the majority of horror’s

stereotypes in a way that ‘exposes the falseness of gender

stereotypes and lays bare what society is really afraid of –

losing socially constructed femininity and masculinity’

41

SID: 1200921(Smalls, 2012). Lastly the humour provided aids the gruesome

deaths and serves to point out the out-dated gender

conventions of the genre.

Chapter Three

Sexual violence and the maternal image in ‘American Horror Story: Murder House’

and ‘Bates Motel’

Unlike films, TV shows are allotted significantly more time to

go through a single storyline and are therefore able to

address issues that they want to confront the spectators with

in more detail. In the past screening horror on television was

much more problematic as ‘restrictions [were] imposed by the

network concerned about alienating audiences and the potential

for negative audience reaction’ (Jowett and Abbott, 2013:

xiii). As pointed out in Chapter One, there is currently a

high demand within the horror genre to present something new

and disturbingly good, thus the reins on what is considered

appropriate to show have been loosened. As a result shows such

as American Horror Story – AHS – and Bates Motel have crossed the

boundaries calling on a range of horror tropes in order to

create interesting storylines and concepts, in turn allowing

42

SID: 1200921for an in depth questioning of sexualised violence and the

maternal image within the horror genre. This dissertation has

already established that many films and TV shows within the

horror genre conform to certain damaging stereotypes of women,

however, ‘television has given us complex and contradictory

female characters who reflect, direct and occasionally

critique America’s fantasies and anxieties about historical

gender roles and norms’ (Helford, 2000: 1). This chapter will

directly discuss the ways in which AHS and Bates Motel portray

and comment on the way the genre depicts and utilises

sexualised violence against women and the image of the mother

as a character’s flaw, primarily addressed through an analysis

of Bates Motel.

Whilst the first chapter of this dissertation analysed the

successful ratings of both shows, equally important are the

cultural reviews in regards to their portrayal of women and

the ways in which they reworked gender within the genre. James

Donaghy in his review of AHS for The Guardian notes that

‘[r]arely has a show provoked such widely divergent reviews

[…] It’s the Marmite of TV shows’ (2012); whilst The Washington

Post called it ‘the most visually arresting and twisted new

43

SID: 1200921television show of the year’ (Stuever, 2011). Yet many reviews

that discuss the show’s portrayal of women tend to agree that

the show does depict ‘strong characterizations of steely,

biting, smartly-drawn females of all ages and stages’ (Lowen,

2011). Whilst AHS received divided opinions Bates Motel seemed to

exceed people’s expectations, many praising the performances

given by Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga as Norman and Norma

Bates and the unhealthy relationship between the two, with The

Guardian claiming the shows ‘main selling point is that it

revolves around two standout performances’ (Carty, 2014). Yet

the female leads within the series each depict different

versions of femininity and the archetypal mother is considered

to have feminist qualities (Klassen, 2015).

Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story was created as

an anthology series, with its first season, Murder House, airing

in 2011 and recently just been renewed for a fifth season.

Each season has dealt with an entirely new storyline and

completely different characters allowing for the show to re-

create itself each time ‘tak[ing] familiar horror tropes and

reinvent[ing] them’ (Jowett and Abbott, 2013: 41). AHS calls

on a range of well-known horror tropes: the haunted house,

44

SID: 1200921vengeful ghosts and the fragile American family hopeful for a

new start. Murder House follows the Harmon family, Vivien

(Connie Britton), Ben (Dylan McDermott) and their daughter

Violet (Taissa Farmiga) who decide to move to LA in order to

start afresh in their new home only to discover that it is

haunted by a large number of people who were violently

murdered in the house.

The use of sexual violence towards women is usually exploited

within the horror genre in order ‘to make violent eroticism

more acceptable in mainstream media [and] American Horror Story

emphasizes these themes until they’re impossible to ignore’

(Berdie and Tiffany, 2014). Furthermore the numerous scenes

depicting sexual violence make reference to ‘gender roles,

mental illness and identity politics’ (Lapekas, 2014), which

ultimately acknowledges the extensive use of sexual violence

as a horror narrative trope. Sarah Projansky argues that ‘rape

is one of contemporary US popular culture’s compulsory

citations […] embedded in all of its complex media forms’

(2001: 2). She continues to argue that ‘representations of

rape naturalizes rape’s place in our everyday world, not only

as real physical events but also as part of our fantasies,

45

SID: 1200921fears, desires and consumptive practices’ (Projansky, 2001:

3). Within AHS the issue of rape and sexuality is very much at

the forefront of the show with a rape scene occurring in the

very first episode, Pilot. In a scene towards the end of the

episode we see Vivien Harmon in her bedroom preparing for bed

when a man, who the spectators along with Vivien assume is her

husband Ben, appears in a black rubber bodysuit (See Image

3.1). Throughout the entire scene he remains silent, with

Vivien thinking that it is all part of the act she states that

she “can be kinky” (American Horror Story, 2011: 40 minutes)

at which point the scene cuts to a gas stove being turned on.

The camera lingers on the stove before revealing that it is

Ben who is turning it on, thus informing the spectator that

the person in the bodysuit is in fact a stranger. The scene

then continues to cut between Vivien being raped by the man in

the bodysuit and Ben by the kitchen stove. It isn’t until

episode eight, titled Rubber Man, when we find out that

Vivien’s rapist and father to one of her unborn twins, is

Violet’s ghost boyfriend and Ben’s patient, Tate Langdon (Evan

Peters).

46

SID: 1200921

Image 3.1

The mysterious Rubber Man (American Horror Story: Murder House Episode

1, Pilot: 40 minutes)

This scene proves to be highly disturbing for numerous

reasons, yet it also reworks the horror trope of having a

highly violent and sexualised rape scene. Whilst ‘violence of

some kind, even if understood as simply the threat of violence,

is absolutely essential to the horror genre’ (Kendrick, 2010:

79-80), it is nevertheless ‘mostly women whose ultimate

horrors are recognised’ (Berdie and Tiffany, 2014).

Furthermore James Kendrick explains that ‘the most oft-cited

47

SID: 1200921assertions about the horror film is that it is structured

around male violence against female victims’ (2010: 84), and

while AHS does utilise this structure it also re-works the

idea in other scenes. Within the episode Rubber Man it is

revealed how the previous owners of the house, Chad (Zachary

Quinto) and Patrick (Teddy Sears) were violently murdered by

the Rubber Man – Tate. The scene begins with Patrick walking

into the kitchen to find the Rubber Man standing over his dead

partner as the scene continues the Rubber Man brutally beats

Patrick before raping him with a fire poker, resulting in

Patrick’s death (See Image 3.2).

Image 3.2

48

SID: 1200921Tate about to sodomize Patrick with a fire poker (American Horror

Story: Murder House Episode 8, Rubber Man: 18 minutes)

In comparison to Vivien’s rape, Patrick’s rape scene is

abhorrently graphic and violent and presents the spectators

with a style of sexual violence not usually seen within the

horror genre. The scene serves to highlight the taboo subject

of male rape and re-works the idea of simply having a male

violence against female victims structure. It also poses the

question as to why Tate felt compelled to rape Patrick. While

the murder of the couple is explained, by Tate to Nora

Montgomery (Lily Rabe), that the couple weren’t going to have

a baby and by killing them a new family could move in, the

rape itself isn’t even remotely explained to spectators, not

even when the incident is brought up later in the series in a

conversation between Tate and Patrick, as a result raising

questions regarding identity politics. Nevertheless the image

of Tate in the rubber suit cowering over Patrick reworks the

assertion that the ‘horror genre is […] constantly victimising

women as a way of asserting male dominance’ (Kendrick, 2010:

84). Moreover from what spectators see of Chad and Patrick’s

relationship the two are classed into a stereotypical

feminine/masculine binary in which Chad appears to be the more

49

SID: 1200921feminised male and Patrick is portrayed as the dominant. Yet

this stereotyped binary is confronted when it is the more

masculine of the two, Patrick, who is given a more gruesome

and sexualised death at the hands of another man. In doing so

AHS successfully manages to raise the issue regarding gender

roles within the horror genre.

The third victim of rape is Moira O’Hara (Frances

Conroy/Alexandra Breckenridge) the housekeeper. Spectators

learn about Moira’s rape in the third episode, titled Murder

House in which Constance Langdon’s (Jessica Lange) husband Hugo

(Eric Close) forces himself on her. As she attempts to fight

back and scream for him to stop he covers her mouth muffling

her screams (See Image 3.3). The scene continues with

Constance walking in holding a gun shooting Moira first then

aiming at Hugo shooting him several times.

Image 3.3

50

SID: 1200921(Left) Hugo forces himself on Moira (American Horror Story: Murder

House Episode 3, Murder House: 42 seconds) (Right) Hugo muffling

Moira’s screams (American Horror Story: Murder House Episode 3, Murder

House: 45 seconds)

Unlike the previous rape scenes discussed, Moira’s rape is

represented in a realistic form. Whereas Vivien and Patrick

are raped by a man whose costume was intended to be used as a

sex toy and dehumanize the person wearing it, Moira’s rapist

is someone spectators can relate to. The idea of making this

rape scene much more realistic in comparison to Vivien’s rape

scene relates back to Projansky’s argument that

‘representations of rape naturalizes rape’s place […] as part

of our fantasies, fears [and] desires’ (2001: 3). It can be

argued that Vivien’s rape, because of the lack of violence and

the dehumanisation of the rapist and the act itself,

spectators are more likely to naturalize rape’s place as part

of their own fantasies and desires. In contrast Moira’s rape

establishes its place as part of the spectator’s fears due to

its rather realistic portrayal as an actual physical event.

Furthermore this then explains why spectators view Moira in

two different ways depending on the character spectators see

her through. When viewed through a male character’s eyes we

51

SID: 1200921are shown what they desire, Young Moira (Alexandra

Breckenridge), who is manipulative, exudes sexuality and is

dressed provocatively in a skimpy maid’s outfit. Whereas if

viewed through a female character’s eyes or someone who can

resist to view her as a sexual object we see her for who she

is, Moira O’Hara (Frances Conroy), an elderly woman in a

sensible uniform dress who is pleasant and professional (See

Image 3.4). Due to her rape, Moira resents men who view women

as sexual objects and she exerts her revenge on them by

seducing them as Young Moira, revealing them for the men they

really are.

Image 3.4

(Left) Moira from Vivien’s POV (Right) Moira from Ben’s POV

(American Horror Story: Murder House Episode One, Pilot: 23 minutes)

As a result of being able to view Moira differently depending

on whose gaze we see her through questions regarding

spectatorship and the gaze are addressed. Abigail Barefoot

argues that the show re-works the use of the gaze that

52

SID: 1200921exploits women, through the ability of allowing the spectators

to identify with the female characters because the gaze is

superficial (2013). She argues in reference to Moira that ‘we

as spectators cannot lose ourselves in the male gaze because

we know it isn’t true’ (Barefoot, 2013), this is exemplified

through Young Moira whose scenes are usually shot in a

pornographic style and whilst spectators see this through a

male gaze, it is because spectators know Young Moira is simply

an allusion that they can not take pleasure out of the gaze.

Instead spectators are made to feel uncomfortable when

watching Young Moira touch herself, and in doing so the use of

the male gaze is re-worked.

In contrast to AHS, Bates Motel is a continual series therefore

the character arcs form over the seasons rather than starting

and finishing within the one season. Bates Motel focuses on the

‘loving but twisted relationship between Norma and Norman as

they move to a creepy Oregon town of White Pine Bay’ (Stack,

2013). Furthermore what makes this series interesting is the

portrayal of the infamous Norma Bates as the archaic mother,

and whilst Bates Motel isn’t exactly progressive in terms of

characterising their female characters it does offer a

53

SID: 1200921different perspective and representation on the image of the

mother usually seen within the horror genre. Valeria Wee

argues that ‘[w]estern culture has a long tradition of

aligning femininity/the female with motherhood, monstrosity

and/or death’ (2010). Yet this contemporary prequel gives us a

reworked image of the maternal figure leaving spectators to

question whether Norman’s corruption is at the hands of his

mother.

Barbara Selznick argues that ‘U.S. television’s antiheroines

are bad mothers [and] the inability to care for children is

what makes them less heroic’ (2015). Characters such as

Constance Langdon from AHS, Lettie Mae Thornton (Adina Porter)

from True Blood and even Norma Bates are considered to be bad

mothers. Yet Selznick argues that ‘these women are not always

intentionally bad; some may be more accurately described as

“flawed”’ (2015) as is the case with Norma Bates. Barbara

Creed explains that ‘[t]he monstrous mother is central to a

number of horror texts. Her perversity is almost always

grounded in possessive, dominant behaviour towards her

offspring, particularly the male child’ (1993: 139). In

regards to Norma’s relationship with Norman this remains

54

SID: 1200921untouched, however when we see her relationship with Dylan

(Max Thieriot), her first-born son, we realise this isn’t

necessarily the case. The series emphasizes the fact that

Norma is willing to go out of her way to protect Norman and

despite this she is picked out to be a bad mother by everyone

else except Norman.

Throughout the series Norma is often depicted as both the

monster and the victim; she is, as Creed explains,

controlling, manipulative, possessive, dramatic and perceived

to be the reason why Norman eventually turns into a monster.

Consequently when he does turn into a monster he takes on

Norma’s personality thus it is possible to argue that he ‘is

an intermediary for the archaic mother and represents her

missing phallus’ (Chaudhuri, 2006: 98). If this is the case

then it is possible that Norma being a mother is her

character’s flaw, she conforms to the stereotypes the genre

upholds against mothers, shown by the fact that Norman’s

‘desire to become the mother is motivated not by love but by

fear’ (Creed, 1993: 140). In other words, Norman’s desire to

become his mother is carried out of fear ‘in order to prevent

his own castration – to castrate rather than be castrated’

55

SID: 1200921(Creed, 1993: 140). However, as the series progresses we begin

to realise that in fact Norma isn’t the mother we all feared

in Psycho and she isn’t the mother emulated by Norman. This is

seen through her relationships with Norman, Dylan and even

Emma Decody (Olivia Cooke), Norman’s best friend and as we

begin to learn more about Norma we start to understand her

uncomfortable relationship with Norman, and in turn see a much

different image of the mother than what is usually portrayed

within the genre, which is that of a ‘punishing castrating

parent [who] stands for social and familial respectability’

(Creed, 1993: 140-141).

Kaplan argues that patriarchy represses the mother in order to

emphasize the woman’s lack (1990: 202). Yet because the series

revolves around the unconventional relationship between mother

and child the show instead promotes Norma’s character as a

mother in which her maternal instincts to protect Norman, and

even Dylan, emphasizes her power despite her lack; being a

mother is what makes her character strong. Her relationships

with Norman and Dylan are completely different and her role as

mother changes accordingly. With Norman the relationship can

be seen through Freud’s Oedipus complex theory, and there are

56

SID: 1200921points in the series where the relationship verges on incest

and the two are usually framed in an uncomfortably intimate

fashion, insinuating a romantic dynamic rather than a platonic

relationship (See Image 3.5). As a result of this we begin to

realise that Norma is extremely emotionally attached to Norman

and consequently controls all aspects of his life, especially

his relationships with other female characters in the show.

This becomes evident in the first episode, First You Dream, Then You

Die, when Norman attracts the attention of Bradley Martin

(Nicola Peltz). When she later invites him out Norma

interjects and tells her that Norman can’t go leading Norman

to defy his mother’s order and sneak out. Further on in

episode five, Ocean View, Norma emotionally bullies Norman into

feeling guilty for leaving the house in order to spend the

night with Bradley on the night of her arrest. Furthermore,

Norma’s reaction to the news that Norman is indulging in a

sexual and emotional relationship with Bradley is visibly

layered with jealousy, and can be argued to be partly due to

the fact that she still considers Norman to be a child and in

doing so treats him accordingly. Additionally Norma realises

the potential threat Bradley poses in the possibility of

taking Norman away from her, which is addressed in her

57

SID: 1200921confrontation with Dylan who antagonizes her with the prospect

of Norman one day finding a wife and leaving home.

Consequently it is this fear of being separated from Norman

that motivates her into ‘privately indulging in the very

behaviour which she publicly condemns’ (Creed, 1993: 145) with

Deputy Zack Shelby (Mike Vogel). Thus the representation of

Norma as ‘the mother of sexual repression’ (Creed, 1993: 145)

is reworked into showing that Norma is prepared to do anything

to protect Norman from any kind of harm, including restricting

him from relationships with other women.

Image 3.5

58

SID: 1200921(Left) Norma and Norman are often framed in a romantic fashion

(Bates Motel Episode One, First You Dream, Then You Die: 11 minutes)

(Right) (Bates Motel Episode One, First You Dream, Then You Die: 45

minutes)

In Psycho, the relationship between mother and son was

visualised through Norman’s representation of her. Within Bates

Motel this relationship is viewed from mainly three

perspectives: Norma’s, Norman’s and Dylan’s. When viewed

through Norma’s gaze we see motherhood reflected as

‘narcissistic, not in the sense of finding the phallus in the

child, but in finding oneself in the child’ (Kaplan, 1990: 203).

Creed argues that ‘the mother’s story […] is crucial to our

understanding of the representation of monstrosity in the

text’ (1993: 140), and as the series progresses we come to

learn that Norma was sexually abused as a child by her brother

and later by her second husband. In light of this information

we begin to understand why she clings on to Norman refusing to

see him as nothing more than a child, he is the only man in

her life who loves her unconditionally and has never

physically abused her and she therefore sees him ‘as an

extension of [her] own ego’ (Kaplan, 1990: 203).

59

SID: 1200921On the other hand her role as mother in Dylan’s life is

completely different, throughout the season Dylan sees her as

a bad mother who drove his father away and refuses to

acknowledge her as his mother by referring to her as Norma.

These feelings of resentment are reciprocated by Norma herself

stating that she hates him within the second episode, Nice Town

You Picked Norma. The reasons for her resentment towards him are

revealed in the second season in which we are told that Dylan

was conceived as a result of her being raped by her brother.

However, the fact that she still takes Dylan in when he has

nowhere else to stay and is constantly asking him to refrain

from calling her Norma because she is his mother, reflects the

re-worked image of motherhood, showing that she isn’t a bad

mother and once again that it is being a mother that makes her

such a powerful female character within the genre.

Similarly to AHS, Bates Motel’s first episode First You Dream, Then

You Die bombards the spectator with an extremely brutal rape

scene involving Norma and the previous owner of the motel,

Keith Summers (W. Earl Brown), in which he breaks in claiming

that the property is his, including their contents – implying

that Norma too is his to do with as he please. He continues to

60

SID: 1200921attack her kicking her in the stomach and then pinning her

down taping her mouth, muffling her screams for help. He then

throws her onto the kitchen table handcuffing her to one of

the legs before cutting off her underwear and sexually

assaulting her until Norman returns and hits Summers over the

head briefly leaving him unconscious. Whilst Norman leaves to

get the first aid kit, Summers awakens and tells Norma that

she “liked it” (Bates Motel, 2013: 24 minutes) at which point

Norma stabs him repeatedly with a kitchen knife before asking

Norman to help her dispose of the body (See Image 3.6).

Image 3.6

(Left) Keith Summers rapes Norma (Bates Motel Episode One, First You

Dream, Then You Die: 24 minutes 57 seconds) (Right) Norma

repeatedly stabs Keith Summers (Bates Motel Episode One, First You

Dream, Then You Die: 27 minutes)

Like the rape scenes in AHS, Norma’s rape is problematic in

terms of gender representation and as a narrative trope. The

61

SID: 1200921scene portrays Norma as the stereotypical helpless woman

unable to defend herself without the help of a man. It further

reinforces the patriarchal ideology that women are still

considered to be the property of men, in this case she is

referred to as one of the contents of the house that belonged

to Keith Summers. Furthermore the use of rape as a narrative

device to allow the viewers to sympathise with her as a

character does little to address the reality of rape. In turn

this becomes unnecessary to the development of the plot, as

explained previously, it is later revealed that throughout her

life she’s been involved in a number of abusive relationships.

Thus the rape scene is pushed aside in light of this

information and she is as a result punished for being sexually

assaulted when arrested for the murder of Keith Summers.

Consequently the use of rape as a storyline raises serious

issues in the way rape victims are portrayed, as after her

attack Norma apologises to Norman for being a woman and as a

result more susceptible to rape.

Overall, the use of sexualised violence within AHS effectively

raises issues of gendered violence and reworks the notion of

simply victimising women within the genre. Moreover, whilst

62

SID: 1200921the representation of rape in Bates Motel is dealt with in a way

that is stereotypical for the genre, the portrayal of Norma as

a mother is nonetheless effectively reworked. As spectators we

come to realise that Norma is a strong mother figure and that

her intentions are instinctive in order to protect her child

and, as Norman explains, “She’s not a bad person she’s just

not perfect” (Bates Motel, 2013).

Conclusion

The intention of this dissertation was to identify, explore

and discuss the use and reworking of gender within the

contemporary horror genre, paying close attention to the

genre’s representation of deeply rooted gender stereotypes and

expectations. In terms of stereotyping it is reasonable to

conclude that contemporary horror films and TV shows are

subverting the conventions of the genre and commenting on the

63

SID: 1200921gender ideologies that are usually upheld allowing for a

reworking of gender assumptions.

By extension, a revision of the sexual violence structure that

has become synonymous with the genre allowed for further

exploration regarding the representation of sexual violence as

part of the narrative. Similarly the monstrous image of the

archaic mother is also fast becoming a reworked image,

reflecting modern societies views on the maternal persona.

Throughout, this dissertation has examined how contemporary

horror films and TV shows reimagine the genre’s fixed gender

stereotypes in several ways. Firstly, by going against the

conventional tropes and redefining female character’s

characteristics as is the case in The Descent. Secondly, through

the use of parody in order to comment on the ridiculous gender

indifferences characters are faced with in the genre, which is

explored throughout The Cabin in the Woods. Finally the ways in

which the genre is focusing its marketing encourages more

powerful female characters to be written into films and TV

shows as the main protagonists. This along with new modes of

64

SID: 1200921distribution is resulting in the genre being made accessible

to a wider audience.

As a result of reworking gendered stereotypes and assumptions

within the horror genre Mulvey’s questioning of the gaze

becomes an important discussion point. This dissertation has

addressed the ways in which the texts chosen have reworked or

eliminated the use of the gaze. For example within The Cabin in

the Woods spectators are offered a female gaze when

objectifying the male body. On the other hand, American Horror

Story denies spectators the pleasure of the gaze through Moira.

Likewise in The Descent spectators are unable to identify with

the male gaze, due to the fact that there is no male to drive

the narrative forward. Therefore it is possible to argue that

Mulvey’s theories, although they can be considered out-dated,

are still relevant when analysing the horror genre and its

views on gender.

Equally important are the stylistic differences between film

and television in terms of running time. The TV shows examined

within this dissertation utilise a long form serial format in

which they have ten to thirteen episodes to explore the

65

SID: 1200921progression of the characters and the various ways in which

the gendered archetypes can be reworked within the genre. A

more in-depth analysis of film and television aesthetics would

be required in order to begin to answer whether a long form

television format allows for a more effective reworking of

gender within the horror genre. Further research would explore

the relationship between film and television possibly

revealing which of the two better explores the gender

ideologies upheld by the conventions of the genre.

Ultimately, this dissertation can conclude that, through an

analysis of contemporary horror’s popular films and TV shows,

the genre is progressing in terms of gender representation. It

is evident that the changing views in society are reflected in

the reworking of the genre’s gender assumptions and the

altering ways in which the spectator views gender within

horror. Finally, although there have been vast improvements,

there is still room for further development and progression in

terms of gender stereotypes and the representation of sexual

violence.

66

SID: 1200921

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The Cabin in the Woods, 2012. [DVD] Directed by Drew Goddard. USA:

Lionsgate

The Conjuring, 2013. [Film] Directed by James Wan. USA: New Line

Cinema

80

SID: 1200921

The Descent, 2005. [DVD] Directed by Neil Marshall. United

Kingdom: Pathé

The Walking Dead, 2013 – [TV Program] American Movie Classics

(AMC), 31st October 2010

The X Files, 1993-2002 [TV Program] Ten Thirteen Production, Fox

Network, 10th September 1993

Thor, 2011. [Film] Directed by Kenneth Branagh. USA: Paramount

Pictures

True Blood, 2008-2014 [TV Program] Home Box Office (HBO), 7th

September 2008

Up in the Air, 2009. [Film] Directed by Jason Reitman. USA:

Paramount Pictures

We Are Not Who We Are: Making The Cabin in the Woods, 2012. [Special

Features: DVD] Directed by Drew Goddard. USA: Lionsgate

81

SID: 1200921

82

Raging Serial Killers or Petrified Victims: Reworking Gender in Contemporary Horror Films and TV Shows

Documents