“People might not know what we say here tonight but god they will remember what we do” [[1]]
How are women represented in ‘Slasher’ films and are the roles of women changing in this genre? Making particular reference to Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning.
The slasher genre is a type of genre that has only become a well recognised genre in the present day. In the past, films that would have fitted under the slasher genre title were known simply as horror movies. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Tobe Hooper was a slasher genre movie that was made in 1974 The connotations of a typical horror genre were prominent in this except this time the slasher genre began to be well known to audiences. Texas chainsaw massacre- The Beginning is a slasher film directed by Jonathan Liebsmen as a prequel to the remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. “The female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to provide erotic pleasure and ultimately a sense of control over her” [[2]].This suggests that we live in a patriarchal society where men are in power and women are in passive roles and that even though time has changed so much, society is still the same as Laura Mulvey’s theory (1975) of the ‘male gaze’ is still relevant in some cases. Similarly in the slasher genre women are there for the male gaze however this has changed over time, according to the theory of the ‘final girl’ by Carol Clover “there is always a female character who is usually smarter, more conscientious, and more morally pure than her cohorts, who are usually stupid, sloppy, horny teens” [[3]] who tend to be the objects of the ‘male gaze’. Even though “women typically do not drive the narrative forward or act as protagonist” [[4]] they still are the final character to survive giving them some importance in the film rather than just using them purely for their physical attraction.
The women have become more powerful in the slasher genre and they are shown to be equally as dominant as men usually are. Hence this shows that women are just as strong as men. In a traditional slasher film the man is shown to be more masculine and comes across with no fear. Whereas now the stereotypes have some what subverted as women are shown to be fighting against the evil rather than being shown helpless, an example of a film which shows that is Creep (2004) as the female protagonist is compelling towards the monster on the other hand the male is shown to be quiet which indicates the role reversal. On the other hand most films from the slasher genre still show how women are ‘symbolically annihilated’ [[5]] as they always tend to be the victims and the ‘killer’ is always a male, this is indeed the case in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning being a contemporary film portrays women as dominant, for example we see Diora Baird towards the beginning of the film approaching Taylor Handley in a sexual manner as he is tied up to the bed which shows that the female is in control rather than the stereotypical male “Most men enjoy this kind of stuff” [[6]] this shows that the roles of women have developed as they are portrayed as being more bold and upfront hence this signifies the changes within the society compared to the 1970’s when the slasher genre was first established. As a result it could be suggested that males are the ones who have to cross gender rather than the typical females who originally had to cross gender as the males were mostly shown as dominant protagonists in slasher movies as they mostly tend to be the killers. In this era women were seen to be “merely token females” [[7]], however this has been counteracted by the introduction of the ‘final girl’ [[8]].
In the film Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock the shower scene where Janet Leigh is having a shower is also an attempt by the male director to attract the ‘male gaze’ [[9]]. This symbolises that “the audience is forced to see the film from a male point of view whatever gender is watching” [[10]]. The shower scene starts with a close up shot of a woman in the shower which only captures her face hence it is not explicit content although it could be perceived as the male gaze as the woman in the shower is supposedly naked. Most shots are close ups and extreme close ups as this is a technique used to hide the lower body of Janet Leigh and also the combination of the close shots with the short duration between cuts makes the sequence feel longer, more subjective, more uncontrolled, and more violent than would the images if they were presented alone or in a wider angle.
‘Representation is seen as an expression of ideology, it expresses different kinds of power relationships in society which are to do with inequalities of groups’. [[11]] Jordana Brewster challenges these dominant ideologies in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. She is portrayed as an ambitious and powerful character which challenges the stereotypes that females are associated with such as weak, emotional, and sex objects. She is a powerful character as she is shown as being brave and using weapons like gun, knife etc. The weapons represent the male side of her character and it can also be seen as phallic objects hence this reinforces her power as she can oppose the male without any fear. The weapons also show gender equality as it symbolises ‘women as representation signify castration’. [[12]]
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning clearly suggests that the representation of women in the slasher genre has changed as women are shown to be more strong and independent. Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning proves the theory of Carol Clover incorrect as she states that the final girl fights the villain and survives. In this film the final character to survive is a female but she is killed by the psychopath at the end. However films in the slasher genre on the whole have proven the theory of Carol Clover over many years. Films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Halloween (1978) have proven the theory correct. Clover also argues that the ‘final girl’ [[13]] becomes more masculine through "phallic appropriation"[[14]] by taking up a weapon, such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer. This argument of Clover is shown in the film as Jordana Brewster, who is the final female to survive confronts the villain with a knife in order to escape. This shows the elements that have changed with time in the slasher genre such as the last girl which is prevalent in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. It happens with the virgin of the film, while the other girl who has slept with her boyfriend dies during the film. In Psycho, the female dies in the middle of the film and there is no last girl, but there is a last couple who go in search of the killer together. This shows that the generic form of the slasher genre has changed overtime. The whole link of a virgin to survival can be raised as an issue because it may outline the way society favours those who have more respect for themselves and do not give into their weaknesses. This in the movie could be showing that there is a connection to how those seen as mentally and emotionally strong in real life are also strong in the same way in movies.
On the other hand Laura Mulvey argues that ‘the audience are forced to see the film from a male point of view, whatever gender is watching’ [[15]]. This argument is partly true, as in TCM- The Beginning Jordana Brewster’s friend in the movie Diora Baird, who happens to be a female, is murdered. Mulvey’s Male Gaze view can be contradicted as in a later scene in the film; Jordana Brewster’s boyfriend is killed. Laura Mulvey also argues that ‘male spectators enjoy the sexual pleasure in the way some women are presented’ [[16]]. This could be interpreted as a valid point as society has become more acceptant of explicit content on screen over the years and the film directors also target the male audience through showing women in seductive roles. On the other hand an oppositional view to Mulvey’s point would be that the changing roles in society suggest that female spectators enjoy sexual pleasure in the way men are presented, an example would be the scene from TCM – The Beginning where Taylor Handley is tied up to the bed semi naked which is attracting the female audience hence the roles have changed.
Patrick Phillip states that ‘the audience demand for predictability’ [[17]]. This suggests that the audience want to see the typical stereotypes being reinforced rather than subverted as in a way from this the audience gains satisfaction hence even though women in slasher films are being represented as being more active there are still stereotypes which are reinforced such as women being represented as promiscuous characters for the entertainment of the male audience. On the other hand some theorists argue that “the genre is not fixed” [[18]]. Steve Neale suggests that “if each text within a genre were, literally, the same, there would simply not be enough difference to generate either meaning or pleasure” [[19]]. This quotation suggests that there needs to be some sort of a difference between one film and another for it to appeal to the target audience hence the key to producing a successful film is to cover both aspects for the audience pleasure. For example TCM- The Beginning follows this strategy as we see the representation of women being reconstructed as they are shown to be more active in their roles whereas the psychopath killer is still the powerful male and he is in control. ‘A tale that purports to uncover the traumas that spawned a family of carnivores but is really just an excuse for blood-soaked business as usual, sending a quartet of shrilling teens through the obligatory old dark house’ [[20]]. This is a quotation for TCM – The Beginning which proves that all films within a genre have similarities as they have to follow the conventions.
According to Sharon Journal "the role of women in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male character” [[21]]. This quotation also relates to the theory of Mulvey as it states that women are used in the cinema just for male visual pleasure rather than the female having any active link to the storyline. Although this perception has drastically changed over the years in the media due to feminism and women have been given more challenging roles like men. The roles of men are getting limited as women are becoming more authoritative in their approach “We’ll do as you please” [[22]]. This is a dialogue from TCM – The Beginning where Matthew Bomer is speaking to his girl friend Jordana Brewster. This dialogue signifies that the woman is in control. Looking at the character of Andrew Bryniarski it can be said that even though he is portrayed as the central psychopath killer he is shown as a passive character which can be interpreted through the way he is instructed what to do by R. Lee Ermey almost making it seem like he is not intelligent enough to take his own decision. This role reversal of males is accepted by the audience in today’s society due to people having feminist views.
At the beginning of the film Texas Chainsaw Massacre we see the birth of the psychopath which is a technique used to create a sense of realism as it tells the audience how the psychopath started out. This is a very important element as it makes the audience believe in the narrative more and get involved. This technique is a technique that has been interpreted for many years as it is also used in the film Pyscho. The killer in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is very different from the one in ‘Psycho’ because he is actually deformed to the audience and does not look like a human however, in Psycho, the audience sees the killer as a human and this differs a lot from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This could outline that now the audience of the slasher genre may want something more than just the human form to be shown as a killer. However, this can again be viewed as a debate because what happens in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is actually true life events. The flash back taken back to the 1960’s to show the birth of the psychopath tells the audience that he is the central character as the serial killer. The 1996 hit film Scream is the prime example of realism being used in the films as in this film the settings used are realistic along with the narrative for example school, classrooms etc. Settings such as school, classrooms and college environments are used because the killer is tormenting a group of youngsters as this is one of the conventions of horror/ slasher films. The audience can relate to the situation as the primary target market for the horror genre is youngsters. TCM – The Beginning can be accused of not fulfiling the audience’s expectation as the story is “Truly lacking in originality” [[23]] and most of the scenes are shot in day light which does not give the film that horror feel as slasher is a sub genre of horror.
Both the original Texas Chainsaw Saw Massacre and the new more up to date version display characteristics of the traditional slasher film but it is their key differences majorly based on the zeitgeist that reflects the changes of time and eras of the slasher movie. Looking at the representation of women between the different ages a clear comparison between the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the contemporary TCM – The Beginning can be made based upon the spirit of age. One of the most common differences that can be seen is that back in the 1970’s women were portrayed as being weak and helpless whereas in the 21st century women are more stronger and are shown putting up a fight against the villain. This change can be seen in other genres for example looking at Casino Royale from a totally different genre the roles of women have gone way beyond than just being there for the satisfaction of the male audience. For example the scene where Ursula walks seductively out of the water this catches the ‘male gaze’ [[24]] to signify that the roles of women have to changed to being the “figure in the landscape” [[25]] which shows that they have more importance.
Opposing Mulvey’s theory, Clover argues that every slasher film, there is a “Final Girl” character who is the only one, or one of the rare characters to be living, and in most cases it is she who kills the killer, and saves herself without the help of any authoritative figures, for example the police. “The final girl is typically sexually unavailable or virginal, avoiding the vices of the victims” [[26]] therefore, the theory suggests that she in completely independent and does not follow what the other characters do in the film. Although the character is seen to be attractive, she does not conform to being sexual under any sort of circumstances. Clover also suggests the audience identify with the killer, but then starts to identify with the ‘Final Girl’ partway during the film [[27]]. Clover argues that the ‘Final Girl’ becomes masculinised through phallic appropriation, (taking up a weapon), such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer” [[28]]. Also Clover suggests that the villain of a slasher film is usually male, whose masculinity or sexuality is in a crisis. An example of this would be the character of Norman Bates, in Alfred Hitchcock’s famously low budgeted movie “Psycho”.
Similarly, “Texas Chainsaw massacre” is one of the many key texts in the slasher genre as it follows the typical convention that all slasher genre films are ‘the immensely generative story of a psycho killer who slashes to death a string of mostly female victims, one by one, until he is subdued or killed, usually by one girl who has survived.’ [[29]] this is the case in most slasher genre films. Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning follows these conventions as it includes a female protagonist whom we follow throughout the movie and we share the experiences that she faces when seeing her fellow colleagues dead. The killer in Texas Chainsaw Massacre however did not only kill women. At the beginning he killed the males who were the female characters boyfriend. However, later we see that the killer does kill the homeless male’s girlfriends. Also the fact that he went for Diora Baird and Jordana Brewster suggests that he was capable of killing them too and would have. The fact that we associate the killer instantly to be a male figure, suggests that the film is showing female strength to be stronger than that of a male’s. The audience relates to the movie and feel sadistic pleasures towards the things happening to the other characters. This builds up suspense in the audience as we are all aware that something is bound to happen, yet we are kept thinking when it will happen. The character of Jordana Brewster, the female protagonist in Texas Chainsaw massacre, uses a dagger which she stabs the killer with. It is said that because the ‘Final Girl’ appears to be virginal, and chaste, the reason why she is the character who kills the killer, and the fact that she continuously stabs the killer, suggests that she is taking out her sexual frustration on the character. By using a knife or a dagger, the protagonist appears to be getting close to the killer, and intimately has contact with the killer. Also the knife or the dagger is always shown to be long, which can be referred to as a sexual object or a phallic symbol. For example, when Jordana Brewster stabs the killer, she is releasing sexual tension. This is why the director does not portray the ‘Final Girl’ to be sexually active and seductive towards other characters in the film. This links to the film noir genre, where women in movies were killed if they were to be sexually provocative in any sort of way.In the slasher genre women are seen to play the role of the femme fatale, as they do not rely upon men. More contemporary slasher films, portray women to be virginal and show them to fight off any temptation of having sex with another character in the film. The slasher genre portrays women to be strong against men, and show the other characters including women to be naïve. I have researched films where this repetitions of conventional aspects have arised and this is only one of my main film texts that there is a strong female character in is portrayed vastly in is the film Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a horror/slasher genre, potentially art house movie and depicts an opposed view of the stereotype that women should only be seen as domestic housewives, and are only good in the house. This shows, the slasher genre has evolved overtime due to the fact that the audience demands much more from what they are viewing. The genre itself has developed because people get too bored with watching the same old storylines and ask for something more than that, so as time has gone by the slasher genre has developed too. Jonathan Liebesman conventionally uses a typicality of slasher genre films and portrays the female protagonist in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. (Jordana Brewster) to be independent on a male character for sexual needs and pleasure. The women often aspire to the female viewers and therefore they play predominant figures in most slasher genre movies.
During the cause of the film we view her experiences as a voyeur, and we see the struggles she as a character, whom we as an audience identify with, goes through. We see her determination to save others' lives. By playing such a strong character in the film, the audiences aspire to her as a role model. This is a key typicality in most slasher genre movies as the majority of women are represented to play stronger character roles. However in society itself this hasn’t always been the case.
[1] Texas chainsaw massacre (2006)
[2] Mulvey, Laura, (1975) Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Pg 67
[3] http://www.cinemademerde.com/Essay-Final_Girl.shtml
[4] Mulvey, Laura, (1975) Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema Pg 82
[5] Tuchman Gaye (1978) ‘Introduction: the symbolic annihilation of women by the mass media’, Pg 37
[6] Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning (2006)
[7] Gunter, Barry (1995) Television and Gender Representation
[8] Clover, Carol (1993) Men, Women and Chainsaws, Pg 34
[9] Mulvey, Laura (1975) Visual Pleasures and Narrative Cinema
[10] IBID
[11] Burton, Graeme, (1999) ‘ Media and Popular Culture’ Pg 87
[12] Mulvey, Laura, (1975), Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema Pg 92
[13] Clover, Carol, (1993), Men, Women, and Chainsaws pg 34
[14] IBID
[15] Mulvey, Laura, (1975), Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema
[16] IBID
[17] Phillips Patrick, (1996) Understanding Film Texts, Pg 25
[18] Maltby Richard, (2003) Hollywood Cinema Pg 46
[19] Neale Steve, (1980) Introduction
[20] http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/oct/13/horror
[21] Journal Sharon Smith, (1972) Women And Film, Pg 67
[22] Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning (2006)
[23] http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/737/737607p1.html
[24] Mulvey, Laura, (1975) Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema
[25] Turner, Graham, (1989) The Film Cultures reader, New York
[26] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[27] IBID
[28] IBID
[29] Clover, Carol, (1993), Men, Women, and Chainsaws, pg 34
Friday 8 May 2009
Tuesday 28 April 2009
Revision notes for representation of women
· The representation of women in the past differs from the present because of the changes in society’s way of thinking and because of historical events that have taken place.
· Women are constantly portrayed in the media as sex objects to attract the male audience (male gaze – Laura Mulvey)
· Women who write magazines for women are trying to portray across a specific message to the women in the public: those concerned with home making and childcare and those aimed at marketing one to catch a mate.
· Historically, women were classed into two categories, Madonna which was the term used to describe more pure women and whore, which was used to describe women who were seen as impure and sexual.
· Women have been more successful in comedy dramas as they have more of a purpose in those types of television shows whereas in previous movies, their roles were limited to small roles.
· Women in movies previously were limited to smaller roles because of the expectations and stereotypes that were placed on women before the second wave of feminism.
· Eve has been related to the problem of how and why women are being objectified and stereotyped in a particular manner.
· The role of the woman has become more influential to every member of society with men now becoming more feminine with gays, heterosexuals and the portrayal of the ‘new man’.
· One of the most common stereotypes of women in the media is women being portrayed as sex objects and not being bright and clever, focussing on the ‘blond bimbo’ stereotype which has lasted a number of years.
· After the second wave of feminism kicked in women were beginning to take an upheaval against the dominance of the male gender and it began to show in later movies as women were getting more noticeable roles in movies and were beginning to have more of and impact on audience worldwide and most of all producers.
· Women in the public have been seen to be getting manipulated by women in more powerful positions as the glossy magazine line has women in charge of them and it can be said that they manipulate the female target audience.
· Even though women were making a high rising call for fame and equality in the media, men were still the dominant gender when it came to leading roles especially in television.
· Women are constantly portrayed in the media as sex objects to attract the male audience (male gaze – Laura Mulvey)
· Women who write magazines for women are trying to portray across a specific message to the women in the public: those concerned with home making and childcare and those aimed at marketing one to catch a mate.
· Historically, women were classed into two categories, Madonna which was the term used to describe more pure women and whore, which was used to describe women who were seen as impure and sexual.
· Women have been more successful in comedy dramas as they have more of a purpose in those types of television shows whereas in previous movies, their roles were limited to small roles.
· Women in movies previously were limited to smaller roles because of the expectations and stereotypes that were placed on women before the second wave of feminism.
· Eve has been related to the problem of how and why women are being objectified and stereotyped in a particular manner.
· The role of the woman has become more influential to every member of society with men now becoming more feminine with gays, heterosexuals and the portrayal of the ‘new man’.
· One of the most common stereotypes of women in the media is women being portrayed as sex objects and not being bright and clever, focussing on the ‘blond bimbo’ stereotype which has lasted a number of years.
· After the second wave of feminism kicked in women were beginning to take an upheaval against the dominance of the male gender and it began to show in later movies as women were getting more noticeable roles in movies and were beginning to have more of and impact on audience worldwide and most of all producers.
· Women in the public have been seen to be getting manipulated by women in more powerful positions as the glossy magazine line has women in charge of them and it can be said that they manipulate the female target audience.
· Even though women were making a high rising call for fame and equality in the media, men were still the dominant gender when it came to leading roles especially in television.
Friday 24 April 2009
Question: Genre texts have sometimes been criticised for being predictable and unimaginative. Discuss.(January 06)
Intro-
Introduce the fact that films are sometimes predictable, but that is what audiences expect to see (codes and conventions) but however, directors do try to change it making it imaginable for audiences, depending on the particular genre of the film.
Para 1:
Talk about how audiences have certain expectations when watching a film. And how directors are just meeting the needs of their audiences. for example, through-out a horror film audiences expect there to be murders and blood and gore- otherwise it just wouldn't meet the typical conventions of a slasher film.
Para 2:
talk about the fact that genre has actually changed over time, due to the fact that there are now changes in: target audience, changes in audiences expectations, censorship and codes of conduct
Para 3:
talk about a the changes in society, ideologies, values and representations- and how this is changing films and making them more imaginable and not so predicable because there are less rules they have to follow. (Relate to slasher films in general, and how they have changed). For example psycho and switchblade romance- look at how time is making the genre different.
Conclusion: At the end-Look at the points why genre is seen as predictable and why it is not (look at both arguments) and then make a judgement for myself saying what i believe.
Introduce the fact that films are sometimes predictable, but that is what audiences expect to see (codes and conventions) but however, directors do try to change it making it imaginable for audiences, depending on the particular genre of the film.
Para 1:
Talk about how audiences have certain expectations when watching a film. And how directors are just meeting the needs of their audiences. for example, through-out a horror film audiences expect there to be murders and blood and gore- otherwise it just wouldn't meet the typical conventions of a slasher film.
Para 2:
talk about the fact that genre has actually changed over time, due to the fact that there are now changes in: target audience, changes in audiences expectations, censorship and codes of conduct
Para 3:
talk about a the changes in society, ideologies, values and representations- and how this is changing films and making them more imaginable and not so predicable because there are less rules they have to follow. (Relate to slasher films in general, and how they have changed). For example psycho and switchblade romance- look at how time is making the genre different.
Conclusion: At the end-Look at the points why genre is seen as predictable and why it is not (look at both arguments) and then make a judgement for myself saying what i believe.
Compare two examples, from different decades, of any media genre of your choice. Describe and account for the major differences and Similarities betwe
Intro
I will talk about the narrative, and TA. E.g. they are both different because the 2nd one changes slightly to appeal to the current audience. E.g. they are going to the concert and not to see their relative’s graves. TCM1 historical and eco changes occurred
Para 1:
The killer and differences and how the mask is better in the newer one. I will also mention the advancement of technology, phallic objects
Para 2:
The same genre codes, e.g. final girl and the mad house/ Have group of friends- which get lost
Para 3:
Blood and more gruesome in the new one, censorship etc... Deaths scenes are more visible etc..
Para 4:
The family members-younger wants to save the friends, Propp theoryTodorv theory- Ending is diff
Conclusion: the changes are differ, because the TA was different, diff era, TCM1 was following Psycho – the granddaddy of slasher, and TCM2 was more modern to show the era diff
I will talk about the narrative, and TA. E.g. they are both different because the 2nd one changes slightly to appeal to the current audience. E.g. they are going to the concert and not to see their relative’s graves. TCM1 historical and eco changes occurred
Para 1:
The killer and differences and how the mask is better in the newer one. I will also mention the advancement of technology, phallic objects
Para 2:
The same genre codes, e.g. final girl and the mad house/ Have group of friends- which get lost
Para 3:
Blood and more gruesome in the new one, censorship etc... Deaths scenes are more visible etc..
Para 4:
The family members-younger wants to save the friends, Propp theoryTodorv theory- Ending is diff
Conclusion: the changes are differ, because the TA was different, diff era, TCM1 was following Psycho – the granddaddy of slasher, and TCM2 was more modern to show the era diff
Outline Recent Significant Developments in One Genre Of Your Choice. Illustrate Your Answer With Examples. (June)
Introduction:
Explain what this essay will be including and the main purposes for this essay. State the genre that I have selected to write upon as well as the different examples of films that I will be writing about. The films I will choose have obviously been watched by me and are well linked to the genre that I will be writing about.
Paragraph one:
Explain the genre that I will be talking about and Hybrid genre proving that “genre is not fixed” meaning it can always be changed around or adding certain things to that genre. I will have to include information about the different texts that I will be writing about showing basic changes that have occur in the genre through technology and audiences wants.
Paragraph two:
This paragraph can start to talk about the different films in more detail by comparing them to each other. Another thing I Will be doing this paragraph and the next is comparing the two films that have had a remake such as TCM and Friday 13th
Paragraph three:
Talk about the audience and what their expectations are link it to why their has been a change in genre to link to the audiences needs and that the audiences are getting younger therefore they are expecting different things than they did expect.
Paragraph four:
This paragraph can be the discussion of SHEP and how it links to the genre changing. The idea of the final girl can relate to feminism and the social issues around us to do with women etc.
Paragraph five:
Coming towards the end of the essay round the points up by adding points to prove your point such as certain examples. Throughout the whole essay I will be back and forward comparing the different texts that I have chosen stating the similarities and the differences that they have towards each other.
Conclusion:
conclude the points made in different paragraphs and explain how genre is changing according the evidence and talk about how it is still changing however also see both sides of the argument by explaining that some aspects of the basic traditional genre still exits.
Explain what this essay will be including and the main purposes for this essay. State the genre that I have selected to write upon as well as the different examples of films that I will be writing about. The films I will choose have obviously been watched by me and are well linked to the genre that I will be writing about.
Paragraph one:
Explain the genre that I will be talking about and Hybrid genre proving that “genre is not fixed” meaning it can always be changed around or adding certain things to that genre. I will have to include information about the different texts that I will be writing about showing basic changes that have occur in the genre through technology and audiences wants.
Paragraph two:
This paragraph can start to talk about the different films in more detail by comparing them to each other. Another thing I Will be doing this paragraph and the next is comparing the two films that have had a remake such as TCM and Friday 13th
Paragraph three:
Talk about the audience and what their expectations are link it to why their has been a change in genre to link to the audiences needs and that the audiences are getting younger therefore they are expecting different things than they did expect.
Paragraph four:
This paragraph can be the discussion of SHEP and how it links to the genre changing. The idea of the final girl can relate to feminism and the social issues around us to do with women etc.
Paragraph five:
Coming towards the end of the essay round the points up by adding points to prove your point such as certain examples. Throughout the whole essay I will be back and forward comparing the different texts that I have chosen stating the similarities and the differences that they have towards each other.
Conclusion:
conclude the points made in different paragraphs and explain how genre is changing according the evidence and talk about how it is still changing however also see both sides of the argument by explaining that some aspects of the basic traditional genre still exits.
Thursday 2 April 2009
TCM (1974) Vs TCM (2003)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) was possibly one of the greatest slasher films of its time as it was the first film which began to reveal the horrific traits and repertoire of elements which are now so commonly viewed in slasher films today. The success of the film induced a remake to be created in 2003 which with the new technology was able to capture the horror and the graphic detail to its full extent making it just as successful. This essay will compare and contrast both versions and attempt to make a judgement as to which one is more successful in achieving its purpose.
The 1974 film is about a group of teenagers who are stalked and hunted down by a deformed killer with a chainsaw in order to sustain his poor family who can only afford to eat what they kill. During the time the first version of TCM was produced, there was an economic decline and a fuel crisis. The film highlights the fact that these things lead to terror. Therefore it reflects the zeitgeist. The main similarity between both films is that it has a final girl. Clover theory suggested that every horror film, especially slasher films have a final girl who survives at the end of the film after everyone else is killed. This could be linked to the fact the women are becoming more independent and strong and no longer rely on men. Also at the time that the film was produced there was the second wave of feminism which had an influence on the way women were represented on screen.
Both films have a hitchhiker at the beginning who causes the disruption of the film. The hitchhiker is the one who leads the group to the place where they all end up getting killed. The cinematography used in both films is similar. For example both films use fast paced shots, for example when the killer is running after the girl. Also there is a use of tracking camera, where the camera follows the characters around. This tends to create suspense and tension within the audience which makes them want to watch the film more in order to find out what happens. However the new version does differ from the old version in some ways. For example the new version of TCM shows a lot of blood and the murder scenes are very explicit. This shocks the audience however some may also gain sadistic pleasure from these scenes. Also some characters in the new version have different roles, for example in the old version of TCM the granddad is unable to do anything and literally dead, however in the new version we see that it is the granddad who also takes part in the killing of the group of teenagers.
The remake has different character types in the film, one way they differ is that now the audience see the teenagers, picking up a female hitch hiker who shoots her self in the van. This differs from the original on how previously it was a male but this time the character is represented as a traumatised victim most definitely of leather face.
One of the major changes between the two sets of characters was the willingness not to give up on life and carry on fighting until they died. In the 1974 version it seemed that not one member of the group put up a decent fight to survive and all died in weak and feeble circumstances, in the new version Michael bay gave some of the group more fighting personalities as they didn’t die straight away and tried to carry on clinging for life as much as they could for instance when Morgan was kept on his own in a cell instead of perishing he managed to stay alive and get free with the help of Erin, also Andy after having his leg cut off and being dropped on a massive hook still managed to stay alive for the course of the film before asking Erin to put him out of his misery. Moreover the final girl actually managed to fight back against leather face and ended up chopping his arm off with a hack which was an aspect which played a massive role in leather face inability to kill her off. The characters improvement in strength and desire to fight off the killer is used by the director to give the audience a sense of the times that we are living in; audiences would not expect characters to be killed so easily as they were in past slasher a movie without thinking it is realistic.
The 1974 film is about a group of teenagers who are stalked and hunted down by a deformed killer with a chainsaw in order to sustain his poor family who can only afford to eat what they kill. During the time the first version of TCM was produced, there was an economic decline and a fuel crisis. The film highlights the fact that these things lead to terror. Therefore it reflects the zeitgeist. The main similarity between both films is that it has a final girl. Clover theory suggested that every horror film, especially slasher films have a final girl who survives at the end of the film after everyone else is killed. This could be linked to the fact the women are becoming more independent and strong and no longer rely on men. Also at the time that the film was produced there was the second wave of feminism which had an influence on the way women were represented on screen.
Both films have a hitchhiker at the beginning who causes the disruption of the film. The hitchhiker is the one who leads the group to the place where they all end up getting killed. The cinematography used in both films is similar. For example both films use fast paced shots, for example when the killer is running after the girl. Also there is a use of tracking camera, where the camera follows the characters around. This tends to create suspense and tension within the audience which makes them want to watch the film more in order to find out what happens. However the new version does differ from the old version in some ways. For example the new version of TCM shows a lot of blood and the murder scenes are very explicit. This shocks the audience however some may also gain sadistic pleasure from these scenes. Also some characters in the new version have different roles, for example in the old version of TCM the granddad is unable to do anything and literally dead, however in the new version we see that it is the granddad who also takes part in the killing of the group of teenagers.
The remake has different character types in the film, one way they differ is that now the audience see the teenagers, picking up a female hitch hiker who shoots her self in the van. This differs from the original on how previously it was a male but this time the character is represented as a traumatised victim most definitely of leather face.
One of the major changes between the two sets of characters was the willingness not to give up on life and carry on fighting until they died. In the 1974 version it seemed that not one member of the group put up a decent fight to survive and all died in weak and feeble circumstances, in the new version Michael bay gave some of the group more fighting personalities as they didn’t die straight away and tried to carry on clinging for life as much as they could for instance when Morgan was kept on his own in a cell instead of perishing he managed to stay alive and get free with the help of Erin, also Andy after having his leg cut off and being dropped on a massive hook still managed to stay alive for the course of the film before asking Erin to put him out of his misery. Moreover the final girl actually managed to fight back against leather face and ended up chopping his arm off with a hack which was an aspect which played a massive role in leather face inability to kill her off. The characters improvement in strength and desire to fight off the killer is used by the director to give the audience a sense of the times that we are living in; audiences would not expect characters to be killed so easily as they were in past slasher a movie without thinking it is realistic.
TCM - similarities and differences
Similarities between the two texts are:
· In both texts there are a group of young adults on a road trip.
· Same method of killing which is an Icon of the TCM series.
· Setting of the house in an isolated place.
· Friends go missing and the others try to find them unwary of the terror around.
· A hitchhiker is given a lift and in both versions of the film, the characters realise that the hitchhiker is part of the plan.
· Audience Sadistic pleasure.
· Same binary opposition Madness Vs Sanity.
. Final Girl.
Differences between the two texts are:
· The hitchhiker in the 1974 version is a male character and in the 2003 version it a female showing the developing roles of women in society.
· In both texts there are a group of young adults on a road trip.
· Same method of killing which is an Icon of the TCM series.
· Setting of the house in an isolated place.
· Friends go missing and the others try to find them unwary of the terror around.
· A hitchhiker is given a lift and in both versions of the film, the characters realise that the hitchhiker is part of the plan.
· Audience Sadistic pleasure.
· Same binary opposition Madness Vs Sanity.
. Final Girl.
Differences between the two texts are:
· The hitchhiker in the 1974 version is a male character and in the 2003 version it a female showing the developing roles of women in society.
Scary movie Franchise
Scary Movie is a 2000 film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, as part of Wayans Bros. Entertainment. It is an American dark comedy which parodies the horror, slasher, and mystery genres. Several mid- and late-1990s movies are spoofed, including the more subtle horror film parody series Scream trilogy, The Sixth Sense, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Usual Suspects, The Matrix, and The Blair Witch Project, while it also parodies many of the classic horror films, most notably Halloween.
The tagline is "No mercy. No shame. No sequel.", with the last reference being to the tendency of popular horror movies to become long-running franchises. However, in 2001, Scary Movie 2 was released (with the tagline "We lied"). The film was followed by a series of sequels Scary Movie 3 (2003), and Scary Movie 4 (2006). The original title for the film Scream was "Scary Movie" which ironically was later used to parody it. Both films were released through Dimension Films.
Pastiche-A media text made up from other media text pieces or of imitations of other styles.
Irony- Irony is when humour is based on using words to suggest the opposite of their literal meaning.
Intertextuality- The practice of purposely including a reference of one text in the narrative of another, it can generate levels of meaning for the viewer.
Parody: A parody is in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, or author, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation.
Spoof: a composition that imitates or misrepresents some body's style, usually in a humorous way.
Other movies in scary movie:
Scream
I know what you did last summer
The sixth sense
Halloween
Matrix
The tagline is "No mercy. No shame. No sequel.", with the last reference being to the tendency of popular horror movies to become long-running franchises. However, in 2001, Scary Movie 2 was released (with the tagline "We lied"). The film was followed by a series of sequels Scary Movie 3 (2003), and Scary Movie 4 (2006). The original title for the film Scream was "Scary Movie" which ironically was later used to parody it. Both films were released through Dimension Films.
Pastiche-A media text made up from other media text pieces or of imitations of other styles.
Irony- Irony is when humour is based on using words to suggest the opposite of their literal meaning.
Intertextuality- The practice of purposely including a reference of one text in the narrative of another, it can generate levels of meaning for the viewer.
Parody: A parody is in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, or author, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation.
Spoof: a composition that imitates or misrepresents some body's style, usually in a humorous way.
Other movies in scary movie:
Scream
I know what you did last summer
The sixth sense
Halloween
Matrix
Tuesday 31 March 2009
Essay Second Draft
How are women represented in ‘Slasher’ films and are the roles of women changing in this genre? Making particular reference to Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning.
“People might not know what we say here tonight but god they will remember what we do” [[1]]
The slasher genre is a type of genre that has only become a well recognised genre in the present day. In the past, films that would have fitted under the slasher genre title were known simply as horror movies. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Tobe Hooper was a slasher genre movie that was made in 1974 The connotations of a typical horror genre were prominent in this except this time the slasher genre began to be well known to audiences. Texas chainsaw massacre- The Beginning is a slasher film directed by Jonathan Liebsmen as a prequel to the remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. “The female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to provide erotic pleasure and ultimately a sense of control over her” [[2]].This suggests that we live in a patriarchal society where men are in power and women are in passive roles and that even though time has changed so much, society is still the same as Laura Mulvey’s theory (1975) of the ‘male gaze’ is still relevant in some cases. Similarly in the slasher genre women are there for the male gaze however this has changed over time, according to the theory of the ‘final girl’ by Carol Clover “there is always a female character who is usually smarter, more conscientious, and more morally pure than her cohorts, who are usually stupid, sloppy, horny teens” [[3]] who tend to be the objects of the ‘male gaze’. Even though “women typically do not drive the narrative forward or act as protagonist” [[4]] they still are the final character to survive giving them some importance in the film rather than just using them purely for their physical attraction.
The women have become more powerful in the slasher genre and they are shown to be equally as dominant as men usually are. Hence this shows that women are just as strong as men. In a traditional slasher film the man is shown to be more masculine and comes across with no fear. Whereas now the stereotypes have some what subverted as women are shown to be fighting against the evil rather than being shown helpless, an example of a film which shows that is Creep (2004) as the female protagonist is compelling towards the monster on the other hand the male is shown to be quiet which indicates the role reversal. On the other hand most films from the slasher genre still show how women are ‘symbolically annihilated’ [[5]] as they always tend to be the victims and the ‘killer’ is always a male, this is indeed the case in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning being a contemporary film portrays women as dominant, for example we see Diora Baird towards the beginning of the film approaching Taylor Handley in a sexual manner as he is tied up to the bed which shows that the female is in control rather than the stereotypical male “Most men enjoy this kind of stuff” [[6]] this shows that the roles of women have developed as they are portrayed as being more bold and upfront hence this signifies the changes within the society compared to the 1970’s when the slasher genre was first established. As a result it could be suggested that males are the ones who have to cross gender rather than the typical females who originally had to cross gender as the males were mostly shown as dominant protagonists in slasher movies as they mostly tend to be the killers. However, although the female character is seen as controlling the man it can be seen that this is done through a sexual manner thus reinforcing the fact that women have always been used to attract the male audience.
One of the first slasher movies to be made was ‘Psycho’ by Alfred Hitchcock which was made in 1960 the famous shower murder scene proved to make the film successful as the audience found the suspense and anxiety within the scene very appealing and interesting. This then led to a whole new type of genre which was taken from horror and developed into its own genre. In the same way, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Tobe Hooper was another slasher genre movie that was made in 1974 The connotations of a typical horror genre were prominent in this as well except this time the slasher genre began to be well known to audiences.
In the film Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock the shower scene where Janet Leigh is having a shower is also an attempt by the male director to attract the male gaze although the scenes shown from that era are not as explicit as they are today. The shower scene starts with a close up shot of a woman in the shower which only captures her face hence it is not explicit content although it could be perceived as the male gaze as the woman in the shower is supposedly naked. Most shots are close ups and extreme close ups as this is a technique used to hide the lower body of Janet Leigh and also the combination of the close shots with the short duration between cuts makes the sequence feel longer, more subjective, more uncontrolled, and more violent than would the images if they were presented alone or in a wider angle.
‘Representation is seen as an expression of ideology, it expresses different kinds of power relationships in society which are to do with inequalities of groups’. [[7]] Jordana Brewster challenges these dominant ideologies in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. She is portrayed as an ambitious and powerful character which challenges the stereotypes that females are associated with such as weak, emotional, and sex objects. She is a powerful character as she is shown as being brave and using weapons like gun, knife etc. The weapons represent the male side of her character and it can also be seen as phallic objects hence this reinforces her power as she can oppose the male without any fear. The weapons also show gender equality as it symbolises ‘women as representation signify castration’. [[8]]
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning clearly suggests that the representation of women in the slasher genre has changed as women are shown to be more strong and independent. Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning proves the theory of Carol Clover incorrect as she states that the final girl fights the villain and survives. In this film the final character to survive is a female but she is killed by the psychopath at the end. Although films in the slasher genre on the whole have proven the theory of Carol Clover over many years. Films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Halloween (1978) have proven the theory correct. Clover also argues that the final female becomes more masculine through "phallic appropriation" by taking up a weapon, such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer. This argument of Clover is shown in the film as Jordana Brewster, who is the final female to survive confronts the villain with a knife in order to escape. This shows the elements that have changed with time in the slasher genre such as the last girl which is prevalent in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. It happens with the virgin of the film, while the other girl who has slept with her boyfriend dies during the film. In ‘Psycho’, the female dies in the middle of the film and there is no last girl, but there is a last couple who go in search of the killer together. This shows that the generic form of the slasher genre has changed overtime. The whole link of a virgin to survival can be raised as an issue because it may outline the way society favours those who have more respect for themselves and do not give into their weaknesses. This in the movie could be showing that there is a connection to how those seen as mentally and emotionally strong in real life are also strong in the same way in movies.
On the other hand Laura Mulvey argues that ‘the audience are forced to see the film from a male point of view, whatever gender is watching’ [[9]]. This argument is partly true, as in TCM- The Beginning Jordana Brewster’s friend in the movie Diora Baird, who happens to be a female, is murdered. Mulvey’s Male Gaze view can be contradicted as in a later scene in the film; Jordana Brewster’s boyfriend is killed. Laura Mulvey also argues that ‘male spectators enjoy the sexual pleasure in the way some women are presented’ [[10]]. This could be interpreted as a valid point as society has become more acceptant of explicit content on screen over the years and the film directors also target the male audience through showing women in seductive roles. On the other hand an oppositional view to Mulvey’s point wo.uld be that the changing roles in society suggest that female spectators enjoy sexual pleasure in the way men are presented, an example would be the scene from TCM – The Beginning where Taylor Handley is tied up to the bed semi naked which is attracting the female audience hence the roles have changed.
Patrick Phillip states that ‘the audience demand for predictability’ [[11]] this suggests that the audience want to see the typical stereotypes being reinforced rather than subverted as in a way from this the audience gains satisfaction hence even though women in slasher films are being represented as being more active there are still stereotypes which are reinforced such as women being represented as promiscuous characters for the entertainment of the male audience. On the other hand some theorists argue that “the genre is not fixed” [[12]]. Steve Neale suggests that “if each text within a genre were, literally, the same, there would simply not be enough difference to generate either meaning or pleasure” [[13]]. This quotation suggests that there needs to be some sort of a difference between one film and another for it to appeal to the target audience hence the key to producing a successful film is to cover both aspects for the audience pleasure. For example TCM- The Beginning follows this strategy as we see the representation of women being reconstructed as they are shown to be more active in their roles whereas the psychopath killer is still the powerful male and he is in control. ‘A tale that purports to uncover the traumas that spawned a family of carnivores but is really just an excuse for blood-soaked business as usual, sending a quartet of shrilling teens through the obligatory old dark house’ [[14]]. This is a quotation for TCM – The Beginning which proves that all films within a genre have similarities as they have to follow the conventions.
According to Sharon Journal "the role of women in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male character” [[15]]. This quotation also relates to the theory of Mulvey as it states that women are used in the cinema just for male visual pleasure rather than the female having any active link to the storyline. Although this perception has drastically changed over the years in the media due to feminism and women have been given more challenging roles like men. The roles of men are getting limited as women are becoming more authoritative in their approach “We’ll do as you please” [[16]] this is a dialogue from TCM – The Beginning where Matthew Bomer is speaking to his girl friend Jordana Brewster. This dialogue signifies that the woman is in control. Looking at the character of Andrew Bryniarski it can be said that even though he is portrayed as the central psychopath killer he is shown as a passive character which can be interpreted through the way he is instructed what to do by R. Lee Ermey almost making it seem like he is not intelligent enough to take his own decision. This role reversal of males is accepted by the audience in today’s society due to people having feminist views.
At the beginning of the film Texas Chainsaw Massacre we see the birth of the psychopath which is a technique used to create a sense of realism as it tells the audience how the psychopath started out. This is a very important element as it makes the audience believe in the narrative more and get involved. This technique is a technique that has been interpreted for many years as it is also used in the film Pyscho. The killer in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is very different from the one in ‘Psycho’ because he is actually deformed to the audience and does not look like a human however, in ‘Psycho’, the audience sees the killer as a human and this differs a lot from ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. This could outline that now the audience of the slasher genre may want something more than just the human form to be shown as a killer. However, this can again be viewed as a debate because what happens in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is actually true life events. The flash back taken back to the 1960’s to show the birth of the psychopath tells the audience that he is the central character as the serial killer. The 1996 hit film Scream is the prime example of realism being used in the films as in this film the settings used are realistic along with the narrative for example school, classrooms etc. Settings such as school, classrooms and college environments are used because the killer is tormenting a group of youngsters as this is one of the conventions of horror/ slasher films. The audience can relate to the situation as the primary target market for the horror genre is youngsters. TCM – The Beginning can be accused of not fulfiling the audiences expectation as the story is “Truly lacking in originality” [[17]] and most of the scenes are shot in day light which does not give the film that horror feel as slasher is a sub genre of horror.
Both the original Texas Change Saw Massacre and the new more up to date version display characteristics of the traditional slasher film but it is their key differences majorly based on the zeitgeist that reflects the changes of time ad eras of the slasher movie.Looking at the representation of women between the different ages a clear comparison between the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the contemporary TCM – The Beginning can be made based upon the spirit of age. There are noticeable differences between the two films of the same genre which shows that the representations of women have developed. One of the most common differences that can be seen is that back in the 1970’s women were portrayed as being weak and helpless whereas in the 21st century women are more stronger and are shown putting up a fight against the villain. This change in the representation of women has not only been in the horror/ slasher genre it has taken place in all genres of films. For example looking at Casino Royal from a totally different genre the roles of women have gone way beyond than just being there for the satisfaction of the male audience. For example the scene where Ursula walks seductively out of the water this catches the male gaze whereas to signify that the roles of women have changed is shown carrying a knife.
Opposing Mulveys theory, Clover argues that every slasher film, there is a “Final Girl” character who is the only one, or one of the rare characters to be living, and in most cases it is she who kills the killer, and saves herself without the help of any authoritative figures, for example the police. “The final girl is typically sexually unavailable or virginal, avoiding the vices of the victims” [[18]] therefore, the theory suggests that she in completely independent and does not follow what the other characters do in the film. Although the character is seen to be attractive, she does not conform to being sexual under any sort of circumstances. Clover also suggests the audience identify with the killer, but then starts to identify with the “Final Girl” partway during the film [[19]]. Clover argues that the “Final Girl” becomes “masculinized through phallic appropriation, (taking up a weapon), such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer” [[20]]. Also Clover suggests that the villian of a slasher film is usually male, whose masculinity or sexuallity is in a crisis. An example of this would be the character of “Norman Bates”, in Alfred Hitchcocks famously low budgeted movie “Psycho”.
Similarly, “Texas Chainsaw massacre” is one of the many key texts in the slasher genre as it follows the typical convention that all slasher genre films are ‘the immensely generative story of a psychokiller who slashes to death a string of mostly female victims, one by one, until he is subdued or killed, usually by one girl who has survived.’ [[21]] this is the case in most slasher genre films. Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning follows these conventions as it includes a female protagonist whom we follow throughout the movie and we share the experiences that she faces when seeing her fellow colleagues dead. The killer in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” however did not only kill women. At the beginning he killed the males who were the female characters boyfriend. However, later we see that the killer does kill the homeless male’s girlfriends. Also the fact that he went for Diora Baird and Jordana Brewster suggests that he was capable of killing them too and would have. The fact that we associate the killer instantly to be a male figure, suggests that the film is showing female strength to be stronger than that of a male’s. The audience relates to the movie and feel sadistic pleasures towards the things happening to the other characters. This builds up suspense in the audience as we are all aware that something is bound to happen, yet we are kept thinking when it will happen. The character of Jordana Brewster, the female protagonist in “Texas Chainsaw massacre”, uses a dagger which she stabs the killer with. It is said that because the “Final Girl” appears to be virginal, and chaste, the reason why she is the character who kills the killer, and the fact that she continuously stabs the killer, suggests that she is taking out her sexual frustration on the character. By using a knife or a dagger, the protagonist appears to be getting close to the killer, and intimately has contact with the killer. Also the knife or the dagger is always shown to be long, which can be referred to as a sexual object or a phallic symbol. For example, when Jordana Brewster stabs the killer, she is releasing sexual tension. This is why the director does not portray the “Final Girl” to be sexually active and seductive towards other characters in the film. This links to the film noir genre, where women in movies were killed if they were to be sexually provocative in any sort of way.
Women, are usually seen not to rely upon men in slasher genre films, nor are they seen to be in a sexually active relationship, and that is if they are in a relationship at all. More contemporary slasher films, portray women to be virginal and show them to fight off any temptation of having sex with another character in the film. The slasher genre portray women to be strong against men, and show the other characters including women to be naïve. I have researched films where this repetitions of conventional aspects have arised and this is only one of my main film texts that there is a strong female character in is portrayed vastly in is the film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”., is a horror/slasher genre, potentially art house movie and depicts an opposed view of the stereotype that women should only be seen as domestic housewives, and are only good in the house. This shows, the slasher genre has evolved overtime due to the fact that the audience demands much more from what they are viewing. The genre itself has developed because people get too bored with watching the same old storylines and ask for something more than that, so as time has gone by the slasher genre has developed too. Jonathan Liebesman conventionally uses a typicality of slasher genre films and portrays the female protagonist in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. (Jordana Brewster) to be independent on a male character for sexual needs and pleasure. The women often aspire to the female viewers and therefore they play predominant figures in most slasher genre movies. During the cause of the film we view her experiences as a voyeur, and we see the struggles she as a character, whom we as an audience identify with, goes through. We see her determination to save others' lives. By playing such a strong character in the film, the audiences aspire to her as a role model. This is a key typicality in most slasher genre movies as the majority of women are represented to play stronger character roles. However in society itself this hasn’t always been the case.
Word Count: 3, 618
[1] Texas chainsaw massacre (2006)
[2] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[3] http://www.cinemademerde.com/Essay-Final_Girl.shtml
[4] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[5] Gaye Tuchman (1978) ‘Introduction: the symbolic annihilation of women by the mass media’.
[6] Texas chainsaw massacre – The beginning (2006)
[7] Burton, Graeme ‘ Media and popular culture’ (1999) Pg 87
[8] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[9] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[10] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[11] Patrick Phillips, Understanding film texts (1996)
[12]Richard Maltby, Hollywood Cinema (2003)
[13] Steve Neale, Introduction, (1980)
[14] http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/oct/13/horror
[15] Sharon Smith Journal : Women and film (1972)
[16] Texas chainsaw massacre- The Beginning (2006)
[17] http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/737/737607p1.html
[18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[19] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[20] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[21] Clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chainsaws. Princeton: Princeton Univ Pr, 1993. (page 34)
“People might not know what we say here tonight but god they will remember what we do” [[1]]
The slasher genre is a type of genre that has only become a well recognised genre in the present day. In the past, films that would have fitted under the slasher genre title were known simply as horror movies. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Tobe Hooper was a slasher genre movie that was made in 1974 The connotations of a typical horror genre were prominent in this except this time the slasher genre began to be well known to audiences. Texas chainsaw massacre- The Beginning is a slasher film directed by Jonathan Liebsmen as a prequel to the remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. “The female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to provide erotic pleasure and ultimately a sense of control over her” [[2]].This suggests that we live in a patriarchal society where men are in power and women are in passive roles and that even though time has changed so much, society is still the same as Laura Mulvey’s theory (1975) of the ‘male gaze’ is still relevant in some cases. Similarly in the slasher genre women are there for the male gaze however this has changed over time, according to the theory of the ‘final girl’ by Carol Clover “there is always a female character who is usually smarter, more conscientious, and more morally pure than her cohorts, who are usually stupid, sloppy, horny teens” [[3]] who tend to be the objects of the ‘male gaze’. Even though “women typically do not drive the narrative forward or act as protagonist” [[4]] they still are the final character to survive giving them some importance in the film rather than just using them purely for their physical attraction.
The women have become more powerful in the slasher genre and they are shown to be equally as dominant as men usually are. Hence this shows that women are just as strong as men. In a traditional slasher film the man is shown to be more masculine and comes across with no fear. Whereas now the stereotypes have some what subverted as women are shown to be fighting against the evil rather than being shown helpless, an example of a film which shows that is Creep (2004) as the female protagonist is compelling towards the monster on the other hand the male is shown to be quiet which indicates the role reversal. On the other hand most films from the slasher genre still show how women are ‘symbolically annihilated’ [[5]] as they always tend to be the victims and the ‘killer’ is always a male, this is indeed the case in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning being a contemporary film portrays women as dominant, for example we see Diora Baird towards the beginning of the film approaching Taylor Handley in a sexual manner as he is tied up to the bed which shows that the female is in control rather than the stereotypical male “Most men enjoy this kind of stuff” [[6]] this shows that the roles of women have developed as they are portrayed as being more bold and upfront hence this signifies the changes within the society compared to the 1970’s when the slasher genre was first established. As a result it could be suggested that males are the ones who have to cross gender rather than the typical females who originally had to cross gender as the males were mostly shown as dominant protagonists in slasher movies as they mostly tend to be the killers. However, although the female character is seen as controlling the man it can be seen that this is done through a sexual manner thus reinforcing the fact that women have always been used to attract the male audience.
One of the first slasher movies to be made was ‘Psycho’ by Alfred Hitchcock which was made in 1960 the famous shower murder scene proved to make the film successful as the audience found the suspense and anxiety within the scene very appealing and interesting. This then led to a whole new type of genre which was taken from horror and developed into its own genre. In the same way, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Tobe Hooper was another slasher genre movie that was made in 1974 The connotations of a typical horror genre were prominent in this as well except this time the slasher genre began to be well known to audiences.
In the film Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock the shower scene where Janet Leigh is having a shower is also an attempt by the male director to attract the male gaze although the scenes shown from that era are not as explicit as they are today. The shower scene starts with a close up shot of a woman in the shower which only captures her face hence it is not explicit content although it could be perceived as the male gaze as the woman in the shower is supposedly naked. Most shots are close ups and extreme close ups as this is a technique used to hide the lower body of Janet Leigh and also the combination of the close shots with the short duration between cuts makes the sequence feel longer, more subjective, more uncontrolled, and more violent than would the images if they were presented alone or in a wider angle.
‘Representation is seen as an expression of ideology, it expresses different kinds of power relationships in society which are to do with inequalities of groups’. [[7]] Jordana Brewster challenges these dominant ideologies in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. She is portrayed as an ambitious and powerful character which challenges the stereotypes that females are associated with such as weak, emotional, and sex objects. She is a powerful character as she is shown as being brave and using weapons like gun, knife etc. The weapons represent the male side of her character and it can also be seen as phallic objects hence this reinforces her power as she can oppose the male without any fear. The weapons also show gender equality as it symbolises ‘women as representation signify castration’. [[8]]
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning clearly suggests that the representation of women in the slasher genre has changed as women are shown to be more strong and independent. Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning proves the theory of Carol Clover incorrect as she states that the final girl fights the villain and survives. In this film the final character to survive is a female but she is killed by the psychopath at the end. Although films in the slasher genre on the whole have proven the theory of Carol Clover over many years. Films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Halloween (1978) have proven the theory correct. Clover also argues that the final female becomes more masculine through "phallic appropriation" by taking up a weapon, such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer. This argument of Clover is shown in the film as Jordana Brewster, who is the final female to survive confronts the villain with a knife in order to escape. This shows the elements that have changed with time in the slasher genre such as the last girl which is prevalent in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. It happens with the virgin of the film, while the other girl who has slept with her boyfriend dies during the film. In ‘Psycho’, the female dies in the middle of the film and there is no last girl, but there is a last couple who go in search of the killer together. This shows that the generic form of the slasher genre has changed overtime. The whole link of a virgin to survival can be raised as an issue because it may outline the way society favours those who have more respect for themselves and do not give into their weaknesses. This in the movie could be showing that there is a connection to how those seen as mentally and emotionally strong in real life are also strong in the same way in movies.
On the other hand Laura Mulvey argues that ‘the audience are forced to see the film from a male point of view, whatever gender is watching’ [[9]]. This argument is partly true, as in TCM- The Beginning Jordana Brewster’s friend in the movie Diora Baird, who happens to be a female, is murdered. Mulvey’s Male Gaze view can be contradicted as in a later scene in the film; Jordana Brewster’s boyfriend is killed. Laura Mulvey also argues that ‘male spectators enjoy the sexual pleasure in the way some women are presented’ [[10]]. This could be interpreted as a valid point as society has become more acceptant of explicit content on screen over the years and the film directors also target the male audience through showing women in seductive roles. On the other hand an oppositional view to Mulvey’s point wo.uld be that the changing roles in society suggest that female spectators enjoy sexual pleasure in the way men are presented, an example would be the scene from TCM – The Beginning where Taylor Handley is tied up to the bed semi naked which is attracting the female audience hence the roles have changed.
Patrick Phillip states that ‘the audience demand for predictability’ [[11]] this suggests that the audience want to see the typical stereotypes being reinforced rather than subverted as in a way from this the audience gains satisfaction hence even though women in slasher films are being represented as being more active there are still stereotypes which are reinforced such as women being represented as promiscuous characters for the entertainment of the male audience. On the other hand some theorists argue that “the genre is not fixed” [[12]]. Steve Neale suggests that “if each text within a genre were, literally, the same, there would simply not be enough difference to generate either meaning or pleasure” [[13]]. This quotation suggests that there needs to be some sort of a difference between one film and another for it to appeal to the target audience hence the key to producing a successful film is to cover both aspects for the audience pleasure. For example TCM- The Beginning follows this strategy as we see the representation of women being reconstructed as they are shown to be more active in their roles whereas the psychopath killer is still the powerful male and he is in control. ‘A tale that purports to uncover the traumas that spawned a family of carnivores but is really just an excuse for blood-soaked business as usual, sending a quartet of shrilling teens through the obligatory old dark house’ [[14]]. This is a quotation for TCM – The Beginning which proves that all films within a genre have similarities as they have to follow the conventions.
According to Sharon Journal "the role of women in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male character” [[15]]. This quotation also relates to the theory of Mulvey as it states that women are used in the cinema just for male visual pleasure rather than the female having any active link to the storyline. Although this perception has drastically changed over the years in the media due to feminism and women have been given more challenging roles like men. The roles of men are getting limited as women are becoming more authoritative in their approach “We’ll do as you please” [[16]] this is a dialogue from TCM – The Beginning where Matthew Bomer is speaking to his girl friend Jordana Brewster. This dialogue signifies that the woman is in control. Looking at the character of Andrew Bryniarski it can be said that even though he is portrayed as the central psychopath killer he is shown as a passive character which can be interpreted through the way he is instructed what to do by R. Lee Ermey almost making it seem like he is not intelligent enough to take his own decision. This role reversal of males is accepted by the audience in today’s society due to people having feminist views.
At the beginning of the film Texas Chainsaw Massacre we see the birth of the psychopath which is a technique used to create a sense of realism as it tells the audience how the psychopath started out. This is a very important element as it makes the audience believe in the narrative more and get involved. This technique is a technique that has been interpreted for many years as it is also used in the film Pyscho. The killer in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is very different from the one in ‘Psycho’ because he is actually deformed to the audience and does not look like a human however, in ‘Psycho’, the audience sees the killer as a human and this differs a lot from ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. This could outline that now the audience of the slasher genre may want something more than just the human form to be shown as a killer. However, this can again be viewed as a debate because what happens in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is actually true life events. The flash back taken back to the 1960’s to show the birth of the psychopath tells the audience that he is the central character as the serial killer. The 1996 hit film Scream is the prime example of realism being used in the films as in this film the settings used are realistic along with the narrative for example school, classrooms etc. Settings such as school, classrooms and college environments are used because the killer is tormenting a group of youngsters as this is one of the conventions of horror/ slasher films. The audience can relate to the situation as the primary target market for the horror genre is youngsters. TCM – The Beginning can be accused of not fulfiling the audiences expectation as the story is “Truly lacking in originality” [[17]] and most of the scenes are shot in day light which does not give the film that horror feel as slasher is a sub genre of horror.
Both the original Texas Change Saw Massacre and the new more up to date version display characteristics of the traditional slasher film but it is their key differences majorly based on the zeitgeist that reflects the changes of time ad eras of the slasher movie.Looking at the representation of women between the different ages a clear comparison between the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the contemporary TCM – The Beginning can be made based upon the spirit of age. There are noticeable differences between the two films of the same genre which shows that the representations of women have developed. One of the most common differences that can be seen is that back in the 1970’s women were portrayed as being weak and helpless whereas in the 21st century women are more stronger and are shown putting up a fight against the villain. This change in the representation of women has not only been in the horror/ slasher genre it has taken place in all genres of films. For example looking at Casino Royal from a totally different genre the roles of women have gone way beyond than just being there for the satisfaction of the male audience. For example the scene where Ursula walks seductively out of the water this catches the male gaze whereas to signify that the roles of women have changed is shown carrying a knife.
Opposing Mulveys theory, Clover argues that every slasher film, there is a “Final Girl” character who is the only one, or one of the rare characters to be living, and in most cases it is she who kills the killer, and saves herself without the help of any authoritative figures, for example the police. “The final girl is typically sexually unavailable or virginal, avoiding the vices of the victims” [[18]] therefore, the theory suggests that she in completely independent and does not follow what the other characters do in the film. Although the character is seen to be attractive, she does not conform to being sexual under any sort of circumstances. Clover also suggests the audience identify with the killer, but then starts to identify with the “Final Girl” partway during the film [[19]]. Clover argues that the “Final Girl” becomes “masculinized through phallic appropriation, (taking up a weapon), such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer” [[20]]. Also Clover suggests that the villian of a slasher film is usually male, whose masculinity or sexuallity is in a crisis. An example of this would be the character of “Norman Bates”, in Alfred Hitchcocks famously low budgeted movie “Psycho”.
Similarly, “Texas Chainsaw massacre” is one of the many key texts in the slasher genre as it follows the typical convention that all slasher genre films are ‘the immensely generative story of a psychokiller who slashes to death a string of mostly female victims, one by one, until he is subdued or killed, usually by one girl who has survived.’ [[21]] this is the case in most slasher genre films. Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning follows these conventions as it includes a female protagonist whom we follow throughout the movie and we share the experiences that she faces when seeing her fellow colleagues dead. The killer in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” however did not only kill women. At the beginning he killed the males who were the female characters boyfriend. However, later we see that the killer does kill the homeless male’s girlfriends. Also the fact that he went for Diora Baird and Jordana Brewster suggests that he was capable of killing them too and would have. The fact that we associate the killer instantly to be a male figure, suggests that the film is showing female strength to be stronger than that of a male’s. The audience relates to the movie and feel sadistic pleasures towards the things happening to the other characters. This builds up suspense in the audience as we are all aware that something is bound to happen, yet we are kept thinking when it will happen. The character of Jordana Brewster, the female protagonist in “Texas Chainsaw massacre”, uses a dagger which she stabs the killer with. It is said that because the “Final Girl” appears to be virginal, and chaste, the reason why she is the character who kills the killer, and the fact that she continuously stabs the killer, suggests that she is taking out her sexual frustration on the character. By using a knife or a dagger, the protagonist appears to be getting close to the killer, and intimately has contact with the killer. Also the knife or the dagger is always shown to be long, which can be referred to as a sexual object or a phallic symbol. For example, when Jordana Brewster stabs the killer, she is releasing sexual tension. This is why the director does not portray the “Final Girl” to be sexually active and seductive towards other characters in the film. This links to the film noir genre, where women in movies were killed if they were to be sexually provocative in any sort of way.
Women, are usually seen not to rely upon men in slasher genre films, nor are they seen to be in a sexually active relationship, and that is if they are in a relationship at all. More contemporary slasher films, portray women to be virginal and show them to fight off any temptation of having sex with another character in the film. The slasher genre portray women to be strong against men, and show the other characters including women to be naïve. I have researched films where this repetitions of conventional aspects have arised and this is only one of my main film texts that there is a strong female character in is portrayed vastly in is the film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”., is a horror/slasher genre, potentially art house movie and depicts an opposed view of the stereotype that women should only be seen as domestic housewives, and are only good in the house. This shows, the slasher genre has evolved overtime due to the fact that the audience demands much more from what they are viewing. The genre itself has developed because people get too bored with watching the same old storylines and ask for something more than that, so as time has gone by the slasher genre has developed too. Jonathan Liebesman conventionally uses a typicality of slasher genre films and portrays the female protagonist in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. (Jordana Brewster) to be independent on a male character for sexual needs and pleasure. The women often aspire to the female viewers and therefore they play predominant figures in most slasher genre movies. During the cause of the film we view her experiences as a voyeur, and we see the struggles she as a character, whom we as an audience identify with, goes through. We see her determination to save others' lives. By playing such a strong character in the film, the audiences aspire to her as a role model. This is a key typicality in most slasher genre movies as the majority of women are represented to play stronger character roles. However in society itself this hasn’t always been the case.
Word Count: 3, 618
[1] Texas chainsaw massacre (2006)
[2] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[3] http://www.cinemademerde.com/Essay-Final_Girl.shtml
[4] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[5] Gaye Tuchman (1978) ‘Introduction: the symbolic annihilation of women by the mass media’.
[6] Texas chainsaw massacre – The beginning (2006)
[7] Burton, Graeme ‘ Media and popular culture’ (1999) Pg 87
[8] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[9] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[10] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[11] Patrick Phillips, Understanding film texts (1996)
[12]Richard Maltby, Hollywood Cinema (2003)
[13] Steve Neale, Introduction, (1980)
[14] http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/oct/13/horror
[15] Sharon Smith Journal : Women and film (1972)
[16] Texas chainsaw massacre- The Beginning (2006)
[17] http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/737/737607p1.html
[18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[19] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[20] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[21] Clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chainsaws. Princeton: Princeton Univ Pr, 1993. (page 34)
Monday 30 March 2009
Scream Franchise
The scream movies were a big hit amongst lovers of the slasher genre of movie as it revealed a different aspect to the killings and the slasher genre as a whole. The previous movies were all about the killers being more controlled and more sinister, however in these movies the killers are more active, which could have been seen from Freddy kruger.
The props and all of the weaponry used in the scream movies are similar to the props and the weaponery that were used in other slasher movies, for example the knife that the killer uses is the same type of weapon used as michael myers, jason and even freddy, as the knife being a phallic symbol but it also is chosen as the slasher weapon as it receives a more visceral effect from the audience. This movie revitalized the slasher genre since the 1970's to the 1980's as it used a similar concept to Halloween, which was the concept of the 'tongue in cheek' approach that combined straightforward scares with dialogue that satirized slasher film conventions.
Scream became a major commercial success upon its release, and was one of the highest grossing films of 1996. It was also highly acclaimed by many critics worldwide, who appreciated the film's tongue-in-cheek approach. It received an 84% "fresh" rating on Rottentomatoes.com. As a result it spawned two sequels, Scream 2 and Scream 3. A fourth film was announced by The Weinstein Company in July 2008.
The pastiche element of scream is noticeable within all of the scream movies. The meaning of the term pastiche is used to describe a piece or section that is directly imitating another piece of work of other artists but in this case imitating the works of other movies. This can be seen through the concept that has been used of the tongue in cheek approach which was used in this movie.The meaning of the word inter textual is the blending and the coming together of two or more pieces of work, so in this case the blending of two or more movies which have been placed together to create one or reveal a meaning of the text.
The props and all of the weaponry used in the scream movies are similar to the props and the weaponery that were used in other slasher movies, for example the knife that the killer uses is the same type of weapon used as michael myers, jason and even freddy, as the knife being a phallic symbol but it also is chosen as the slasher weapon as it receives a more visceral effect from the audience. This movie revitalized the slasher genre since the 1970's to the 1980's as it used a similar concept to Halloween, which was the concept of the 'tongue in cheek' approach that combined straightforward scares with dialogue that satirized slasher film conventions.
Scream became a major commercial success upon its release, and was one of the highest grossing films of 1996. It was also highly acclaimed by many critics worldwide, who appreciated the film's tongue-in-cheek approach. It received an 84% "fresh" rating on Rottentomatoes.com. As a result it spawned two sequels, Scream 2 and Scream 3. A fourth film was announced by The Weinstein Company in July 2008.
The pastiche element of scream is noticeable within all of the scream movies. The meaning of the term pastiche is used to describe a piece or section that is directly imitating another piece of work of other artists but in this case imitating the works of other movies. This can be seen through the concept that has been used of the tongue in cheek approach which was used in this movie.The meaning of the word inter textual is the blending and the coming together of two or more pieces of work, so in this case the blending of two or more movies which have been placed together to create one or reveal a meaning of the text.
Halloween Remake Ideas
The Halloween movie has been a great success within the slasher genre and some institutions have decided to make remakes of the movie as seen with the remake Halloween H20, starring Jamie lee curtis.
Some of the movies major features and main attractions lie within the location of the movie, the style of the time period and the make up of the villain, for example the mask and the weapons used within the movie. The make up of the villain would be the first and major thing that i would decide to keep for a remake of the original as the mask in particular made a vast impact on the audience as it was very memorable and has remained one of the main attractions when it comes to the slasher genre. The overall costume would be the thing that would remain as it is what this movie is all based around.
The setting of the movie would remain in the suburbs rather than being within a city, even though setting the movie in a city would bring about more hype within the movie, however setting the original movie in the suburbs was done so that the killings would be more effective as less people would be able to help making it more 'scary' and more tense. The only aspect of the movie that would be chances would be the equipment used, for example the cars, the characteristics of the victims, even though the role of the final girl would still be there to go along with the tradition and the actors who would be old and new characters would be used but well known actors so that more hype would be brought about the movie.
Some of the movies major features and main attractions lie within the location of the movie, the style of the time period and the make up of the villain, for example the mask and the weapons used within the movie. The make up of the villain would be the first and major thing that i would decide to keep for a remake of the original as the mask in particular made a vast impact on the audience as it was very memorable and has remained one of the main attractions when it comes to the slasher genre. The overall costume would be the thing that would remain as it is what this movie is all based around.
The setting of the movie would remain in the suburbs rather than being within a city, even though setting the movie in a city would bring about more hype within the movie, however setting the original movie in the suburbs was done so that the killings would be more effective as less people would be able to help making it more 'scary' and more tense. The only aspect of the movie that would be chances would be the equipment used, for example the cars, the characteristics of the victims, even though the role of the final girl would still be there to go along with the tradition and the actors who would be old and new characters would be used but well known actors so that more hype would be brought about the movie.
Elm Street Franchise
All movies done in the series and freddie acted by Robert Englund:
A nightmare on elm street
A nightmare on elm street 2: freddy's revenge
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
The nightmare on elm street movies were said to be the most succesful slasher movies and it started an all new sub genre of the slasher movie with this movie bringing in the supernatural aspect into the genre, introducing an all new angle on the visceral and physical effect on the audience.
Written under the working title of A Nightmare on Elm Street 7: The Ascension, Wes Craven set out to make a deliberately more cerebral film than recent entries to the franchise - which he regarded as cartoonish and not faithful to his original themes. This was the main reason for changing some of the themes involved in the film and modifying the mask slightly to make it look more scary. More of the props of the original movie have been changed or modified to fit in with the more sinister theme of the movie, for instance the glove which was made to be more sinister.This last movie, wes cravens new nightmare was preceded by freddy's dead and it was followed by freddy vs jason which was a merge of two of the most popular characters within the slasher genre and both have made a name of themselves through killing people and contrasting in their killings.
A nightmare on elm street
A nightmare on elm street 2: freddy's revenge
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
The nightmare on elm street movies were said to be the most succesful slasher movies and it started an all new sub genre of the slasher movie with this movie bringing in the supernatural aspect into the genre, introducing an all new angle on the visceral and physical effect on the audience.
Written under the working title of A Nightmare on Elm Street 7: The Ascension, Wes Craven set out to make a deliberately more cerebral film than recent entries to the franchise - which he regarded as cartoonish and not faithful to his original themes. This was the main reason for changing some of the themes involved in the film and modifying the mask slightly to make it look more scary. More of the props of the original movie have been changed or modified to fit in with the more sinister theme of the movie, for instance the glove which was made to be more sinister.This last movie, wes cravens new nightmare was preceded by freddy's dead and it was followed by freddy vs jason which was a merge of two of the most popular characters within the slasher genre and both have made a name of themselves through killing people and contrasting in their killings.
Friday the 13th Franchise
The film was first released in 1980, with many sequels that followed on from there, ending in the remake of the first one in 2009. This is how the sequels came after the initial version in 1980: -
In Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Jason (Steve Daskewisz) is revealed to be alive, and fully grown.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) continues where Part III leaves off, with Jason (Ted White) found by the police and taken to the morgue at the Wessex County Medical Center.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) tried to move in a new direction.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) begins with Tommy (Thom Mathews) visiting Jason's grave after being released from a mental institution.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) begins an indeterminate amount of time after Jason Lives.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) sees Jason return from the lake, brought back to life via an underwater electrical cable.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), Jason, through unexplained resurrection, returns to Crystal Lake, where he is being hunted by the FBI.
Jason X (2002) takes place in the future, where Jason has again been inexplicably resurrected.
In Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Jason (Steve Daskewisz) is revealed to be alive, and fully grown.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) continues where Part III leaves off, with Jason (Ted White) found by the police and taken to the morgue at the Wessex County Medical Center.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) tried to move in a new direction.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) begins with Tommy (Thom Mathews) visiting Jason's grave after being released from a mental institution.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) begins an indeterminate amount of time after Jason Lives.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) sees Jason return from the lake, brought back to life via an underwater electrical cable.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), Jason, through unexplained resurrection, returns to Crystal Lake, where he is being hunted by the FBI.
Jason X (2002) takes place in the future, where Jason has again been inexplicably resurrected.
Monday 23 February 2009
Representations of Asians in the media
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/aug/25/television.channel4
This article is based upon the dispute between Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody on the reality TV programme Big Brother telecased on Channel 4. It also talks about how channel 4 was heavily affected by the racism on the big brother show therefore causing a vast decline in the profits made.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/feb/01/paul-stephenson-police-race-relations
This article is regarding the race relations in the metropolitan police and it also mentions in detail how the new commisioner of the police force will try and dissuade the black and the asian minority in the police from joining the metropolitan police force.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/19/prince-harry-racism-newspapers
The representations of Asians in this article are negative but sympathic, with the prince harry racism incident involving him and one of his 'friends' in the army after he had called him a 'paki' which was looked upon in outrage.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/28/india-bollywood-slumdog-millionaire
This article is a critics point of view on the film "Slumdog Millionaire" film. He doesn't mind "rags to riches" story lines and doesn't have anything against them, but he basically states and argues that there are two extreme representations of India, either showing the "display of new wealth" or "voyeuristic dire poverty".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/feb/08/bafta-awards-2009-winners
This article talks about the success of the Oscar nominated "Slumdog Millionaire". The article talks about how the film presents such serious issues and it still manages to grab the audiences attention to detail.
This article is based upon the dispute between Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody on the reality TV programme Big Brother telecased on Channel 4. It also talks about how channel 4 was heavily affected by the racism on the big brother show therefore causing a vast decline in the profits made.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/feb/01/paul-stephenson-police-race-relations
This article is regarding the race relations in the metropolitan police and it also mentions in detail how the new commisioner of the police force will try and dissuade the black and the asian minority in the police from joining the metropolitan police force.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/19/prince-harry-racism-newspapers
The representations of Asians in this article are negative but sympathic, with the prince harry racism incident involving him and one of his 'friends' in the army after he had called him a 'paki' which was looked upon in outrage.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/28/india-bollywood-slumdog-millionaire
This article is a critics point of view on the film "Slumdog Millionaire" film. He doesn't mind "rags to riches" story lines and doesn't have anything against them, but he basically states and argues that there are two extreme representations of India, either showing the "display of new wealth" or "voyeuristic dire poverty".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/feb/08/bafta-awards-2009-winners
This article talks about the success of the Oscar nominated "Slumdog Millionaire". The article talks about how the film presents such serious issues and it still manages to grab the audiences attention to detail.
Monday 9 February 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
“The Feel – Good Film of the Decade”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/24/oscars-india-slumdog-millionaire-ian-jack
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/jan/18/slumdog-millionaire-british-asian-reaction
Slumdog Millionaire shows two different sides to India. Danny Boyle has tried to portray India’s progress as a country by showing the development of the city Mumbai within the film. The development is really clear as at the start of the film there were only scenes from the slums which signify poverty. This is the reality as the growing Indian economy suggests that the country is progressing.
In the film the characters are represented as normal working class Indians. The film puts forward motivational values as an ordinary teenager from the slums wins a large sum of money. The main character ‘Jamal’ a working class teenager challenges the stereotype of ‘The Other’.
The first representation which is noticed by the audience is that the country is corrupt, because of what the characters do in the film. There is a gang of ‘villains’ that do bad things to the small innocent children, for instance a scene is shown where the main villain makes a young boy unconscious and puts hot wax in his eyes to make him blind, and makes him beg for money which goes to him. Boyle depicts Indian people here as cruel and untrustworthy.
“The Feel – Good Film of the Decade”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/24/oscars-india-slumdog-millionaire-ian-jack
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/jan/18/slumdog-millionaire-british-asian-reaction
Slumdog Millionaire shows two different sides to India. Danny Boyle has tried to portray India’s progress as a country by showing the development of the city Mumbai within the film. The development is really clear as at the start of the film there were only scenes from the slums which signify poverty. This is the reality as the growing Indian economy suggests that the country is progressing.
In the film the characters are represented as normal working class Indians. The film puts forward motivational values as an ordinary teenager from the slums wins a large sum of money. The main character ‘Jamal’ a working class teenager challenges the stereotype of ‘The Other’.
The first representation which is noticed by the audience is that the country is corrupt, because of what the characters do in the film. There is a gang of ‘villains’ that do bad things to the small innocent children, for instance a scene is shown where the main villain makes a young boy unconscious and puts hot wax in his eyes to make him blind, and makes him beg for money which goes to him. Boyle depicts Indian people here as cruel and untrustworthy.
Friday 6 February 2009
Essay first Draft
“People might not know what we say here tonight but god they will remember what we do” [[1]]
Texas chainsaw massacre- The Beginning a film directed by Jonathan Liebsmen is a prequel to the remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. “The female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to provide erotic pleasure and ultimately a sense of control over her” [[2]].This suggests that we live in a patriarchal society where men are in power and women are in passive roles and that even though time has changed so much, society is still the same as Laura Mulvey’s theory (1975) of the ‘male gaze’ is still relevant in some cases. Similarly in the slasher genre women are there for the male gaze however this has changed over time, according to the theory of the ‘final girl’ by Carol Clover “there is always a female character who is usually smarter, more conscientious, and more morally pure than her cohorts, who are usually stupid, sloppy, horny teens” [[3]] who tend to be the objects of the ‘male gaze’. Even though “women typically do not drive the narrative forward or act as protagonist” [[4]] they still are the final character to survive giving them some importance in the film rather than just using them purely for their physical attraction.
The women have become more powerful and they are shown to be equally as dominant as men usually are. Hence this shows that women are just as strong as men. In a traditional slasher film the man is shown to be more masculine and comes across with no fear. Whereas now the stereotypes have some what subverted as women are shown to be fighting against the evil rather than being shown helpless, an example of a film which shows that is Creep (2004) as the female protagonist is compelling towards the monster on the other hand the male is shown to be quiet which indicates the role reversal. On the other hand most films from the slasher genre still show how women have been ‘symbolically annihilated’ [[5]] as they always tend to be the victims and the ‘killer’ is always a male this is indeed the case in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning being a contemporary film portrays women as dominant, for example we see Diora Baird towards the beginning of the film approaching Taylor Handley in a sexual manner as he is tied up to the bed which shows that the female is in control rather than the stereotypical male. “Most men enjoy this kind of stuff” [[6]] this shows that the roles of women have developed as they are portrayed as being more bold and upfront hence this signifies the changes within the society compared to the 1970’s when the slasher genre was first established. However women have always been used to attract the male audience.
In the film Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock the shower scene where Janet Leigh is having a shower is also an attempt by the male director to attract the male gaze although the scenes shown from that era are not as explicit as they are today. The shower scene starts with a close up shot of a woman in the shower which only captures her face hence it is not explicit content although it could be perceived as the male gaze as the woman in the shower is supposedly naked. Most shots are close ups and extreme close ups as this is a technique used to hide the lower body of Janet Leigh and also the combination of the close shots with the short duration between cuts makes the sequence feel longer, more subjective, more uncontrolled, and more violent than would the images if they were presented alone or in a wider angle.
‘Representation is seen as an expression of ideology, it expresses different kinds of power relationships in society which are to do with inequalities of groups’ [[7]]. Jordana Brewster challenges these dominant ideologies in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. She is portrayed as an ambitious and powerful character which challenges the stereotypes that females are associated with such as weak, emotional, and sex objects. She is a powerful character as she is shown as being brave and using weapons like gun, knife etc. The weapons represent the male side of her character and it can also be seen as phallic objects hence this reinforces her power as she can oppose the male without any fear. The weapons also show gender equality as it symbolises ‘women as representation signify castration’. [[8]]
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning clearly suggests that the representation of women in the slasher genre has changed as women are shown to be more strong and independent. Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning proves the theory of Carol Clover incorrect as she states that the final girl fights the villain and survives. In this film the final character to survive is a female but she is killed by the psychopath at the end. Although films in the slasher genre on the whole have proven the theory of Carol Clover over many years. Films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Halloween (1978) have proven the theory correct. Clover also argues that the final female becomes more masculine through "phallic appropriation" by taking up a weapon, such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer. This argument of Clover is shown in the film as Jordana Brewster, who is the final female to survive confronts the villain with a knife in order to escape. On the other hand Laura Mulvey argues that ‘the audience are forced to see the film from a male point of view, whatever gender is watching’ [[9]]. This argument is partly true, as in TCM- The Beginning Jordana Brewster’s friend in the movie Diora Baird, who happens to be a female, is murdered. Mulvey’s Male Gaze view can be contradicted as in a later scene in the film; Jordana Brewster’s boyfriend is killed. Laura Mulvey also argues that ‘male spectators enjoy the sexual pleasure in the way some women are presented’ [[10]]. This could be interpreted as a valid point as society has become more acceptant of explicit content on screen over the years and the film directors also target the male audience through showing women in seductive roles. On the other hand an oppositional view to Mulvey’s point wo.uld be that the changing roles in society suggest that female spectators enjoy sexual pleasure in the way men are presented, an example would be the scene from TCM – The Beginning where Taylor Handley is tied up to the bed semi naked which is attracting the female audience hence the roles have changed.
Patrick Phillip states that ‘the audience demand for predictability’ [[11]] this suggests that the audience want to see the typical stereotypes being reinforced rather than subverted as in a way from this the audience gains satisfaction hence even though women in slasher films are being represented as being more active there are still stereotypes which are reinforced such as women being represented as promiscuous characters for the entertainment of the male audience. On the other hand some theorists argue that “the genre is not fixed” [[12]]. Steve Neale suggests that “if each text within a genre were, literally, the same, there would simply not be enough difference to generate either meaning or pleasure” [[13]]. This quotation suggests that there needs to be some sort of a difference between one film and another for it to appeal to the target audience hence the key to producing a successful film is to cover both aspects for the audience pleasure. For example TCM- The Beginning follows this strategy as we see the representation of women being reconstructed as they are shown to be more active in their roles whereas the psychopath killer is still the powerful male and he is in control. ‘A tale that purports to uncover the traumas that spawned a family of carnivores but is really just an excuse for blood-soaked business as usual, sending a quartet of shrilling teens through the obligatory old dark house’[[14]]. This is a quotation for TCM – The Beginning which proves that all films within a genre have similarities as they have to follow the conventions.
According to Sharon Journal "the role of women in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male character” [[15]]. This quotation also relates to the theory of Mulvey as it states that women are used in the cinema just for male visual pleasure rather than the female having any active link to the storyline. Although this perception has drastically changed over the years in the media due to feminism and women have been given more challenging roles like men. The roles of men are getting limited as women are becoming more authoritative in their approach “We’ll do as you please” [[16]] this is a dialogue from TCM – The Beginning where Matthew Bomer is speaking to his girl friend Jordana Brewster. This dialogue signifies that the woman is in control. Looking at the character of Andrew Bryniarski it can be said that even though he is portrayed as the central psychopath killer he is shown as a passive character which can be interpreted through the way he is instructed what to do by R. Lee Ermey almost making it seem like he is not intelligent enough to take his own decision. This role reversal of males is accepted by the audience in today’s society due to people having feminist views.
At the beginning of the film Texas Chainsaw Massacre we see the birth of the psychopath which is a technique used to create a sense of realism as it tells the audience how the psychopath started out. This is a very important element as it makes the audience believe in the narrative more and get involved. The flash back taken back to the 1960’s to show the birth of the psychopath tells the audience that he is the central character as the serial killer. The 1996 hit film Scream is the prime example of realism being used in the films as in this film the settings used are realistic along with the narrative for example school, classrooms etc. Settings such as school, classrooms and college environment is used because the killer is tormenting a group of youngsters as this is one of the conventions of horror/ slasher films. The audience can relate to the situation as the primary target market for the horror genre is youngsters. TCM – The Beginning can be accused of not fulfiling the audiences expectation as the story is “Truly lacking in originality” [[17]] and most of the scenes are shot in day light which does not give the film that horror feel as slasher is a sub genre of horror.
Looking at the representation of women between the different ages a clear comparison between the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the contemporary TCM – The Beginning can be made based upon the spirit of age. There are noticeable differences between the two films of the same genre which shows that the representations of women have developed. One of the most common differences that can be seen is that back in the 1970’s women were portrayed as being weak and helpless whereas in the 21st century women are more stronger and are shown putting up a fight against the villain. This change in the representation of women has not only been in the horror/ slasher genre it has taken place in all genres of films. For example looking at Casino Royal from a totally different genre the roles of women have gone way beyond than just being there for the satisfaction of the male audience. For example the scene where Ursula walks seductively out of the water this catches the male gaze whereas to signify that the roles of women have changed is shown carrying a knife.
Opposing Mulveys theory, Clover argues that every slasher film, there is a “Final Girl” character who is the only one, or one of the rare characters to be living, and in most cases it is she who kills the killer, and saves herself without the help of any authoritative figures, for example the police. “The final girl is typically sexually unavailable or virginal, avoiding the vices of the victims” [18] therefore, the theory suggests that she in completely independent and does not follow what the other characters do in the film. Although the character is seen to be attractive, she does not conform to being sexual under any sort of circumstances. Clover also suggests the audience identify with the killer, but then starts to identify with the “Final Girl” partway during the film [19] . Clover argues that the “Final Girl” becomes “masculinized through phallic appropriation, (taking up a weapon), such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer” [20]. Also Clover suggests that the villian of a slasher film is usually male, whose masculinity or sexuallity is in a crisis. An example of this would be the character of “Norman Bates”, in Alfred Hitchcocks famously low budgeted movie “Psycho”.
Similarly, “Texas Chainsaw massacre” is one of the many key texts in the slasher genre as it follows the typical convention that all slasher genre films are ‘the immensely generative story of a psychokiller who slashes to death a string of mostly female victims, one by one, until he is subdued or killed, usually by one girl who has survived.’ [21] this is the case in most slasher genre films. Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning follows these conventions as it includes a female protagonist whom we follow throughout the movie and we share the experiences that she faces when seeing her fellow colleagues dead. The killer in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” however did not only kill women. At the beginning he killed the males who were the female characters boyfriend. However, later we see that the killer does kill the homeless male’s girlfriends. Also the fact that he went for Diora Baird and Jordana Brewster suggests that he was capable of killing them too and would have. The fact that we associate the killer instantly to be a male figure, suggests that the film is showing female strength to be stronger than that of a male’s. The audience relates to the movie and feel sadistic pleasures towards the things happening to the other characters. This builds up suspense in the audience as we are all aware that something is bound to happen, yet we are kept thinking when it will happen. The character of Jordana Brewster, the female protagonist in “Texas Chainsaw massacre”, uses a dagger which she stabs the killer with. It is said that because the “Final Girl” appears to be virginal, and chaste, the reason why she is the character who kills the killer, and the fact that she continuously stabs the killer, suggests that she is taking out her sexual frustration on the character. By using a knife or a dagger, the protagonist appears to be getting close to the killer, and intimately has contact with the killer. Also the knife or the dagger is always shown to be long, which can be referred to as a sexual object or a phallic symbol. For example, when Jordana Brewster stabs the killer, she is releasing sexual tension. This is why the director does not portray the “Final Girl” to be sexually active and seductive towards other characters in the film. This links to the film noir genre, where women in movies were killed if they were to be sexually provocative in any sort of way.
Women, are usually seen not to rely upon men in slasher genre films, nor are they seen to be in a sexually active relationship, and that is if they are in a relationship at all. More contemporary slasher films, portray women to be virginal and show them to fight off any temptation of having sex with another character in the film. The slasher genre portray women to be strong against men, and show the other characters including women to be naïve. I have researched films where this repetitions of conventional aspects have arised and this is only one of my main film texts that there is a strong female character in is portrayed vastly in is the film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”., is a horror/slasher genre, potentially arthouse movie and depicts an opposed view of the stereotype that women should only be seen as domestic housewives, and are only good in the house. Instead, Jonathan Liebesman conventionally uses a typicality of slasher genre films and portrays the female protagonist in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. (Jordana Brewster) to be independent and unreliant on a male character for sexual needs and pleasure. The women often aspire to the female viewers and therefore they play predominant figures in most slasher genre movies. During the cause of the film we view her experiences as a voyeur, and we see the struggles she as a character, whom we as an audience identify with, goes through. We see her determination to save others' lives. By playing such a strong character in the film, the audiences aspire to her as a role model. This is a key typicality in most slasher genre movies as the majority of women are represented to play stronger character roles. However in society itself this hasn’t always been the case.
Word Count: 2,957
[1] Texas chainsaw massacre (2006)
[2] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[3] http://www.cinemademerde.com/Essay-Final_Girl.shtml
[4] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[5] Gaye Tuchman (1978) ‘Introduction: the symbolic annihilation of women by the mass media’.
[6] Texas chainsaw massacre – The beginning (2006)
[7] Burton, Graeme ‘ Media and popular culture’ (1999) Pg 87
[8] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[9] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[10] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[11] Patrick Phillips, Understanding film texts (1996)
[12] Richard Maltby, Hollywood Cinema (2003)
[13] Steve Neale, Introduction, (1980)
[14] http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/oct/13/horror
[15] Sharon Smith Journal : Women and film (1972)
[16] Texas chainsaw massacre- The Beginning (2006)
[17]http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/737/737607p1.html
[18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[19] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[20] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[21] Clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chainsaws. Princeton: Princeton Univ Pr, 1993. (page 34)
Bibliography
Works Cited
Books
Mulvey, L. (1975), Visual pleasure and narrative cinema.
Tuchman, G. (1978), Intro: The symbolic annihilation of women in the mass media.
Phillips, P. (1996), Understanding film texts
Matlby, R. (2003), Hollywood Cinema
Clover, C. J. (1993). Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.
Neale. S, (1980) Introduction
Burton. G, (1999) Media and Popular Culture
Journal. S, (1972) Women and film
Internet
http://www.cinemademerde.com/Essay-Final_Girl.shtml
(This website gives information on the final girl theory and also talks about some classic Slasher films from the past)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/oct/13/horror
(A Guardian newspaper review of Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning 2006)
http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/737/737607p1.html
(A IGN review of Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning 2006 by Todd Gilchrist)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
(This website also gives information on the theory of final girl)
Moving Image Texts
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Tobe Hooper
Psycho (1960), Alfred Hitchcock
Creep (2004), Christopher Smith
Halloween (1978), John Carpenter
Scream (1997), Wes Craven
Works Consulted
Books
Wood (1979): introduction
Brian Murphy (1995): Monster Movies
Steve Neale (2002), Genre and Contemporary Hollywood
Internet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_film
(This website talks about the history of the Slasher genre and how the first inspiration was taken from the film Psycho in 1960)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre
(This website shows the film TCM in detail as it talks about the story and its significance)
Moving Image Text
The Wrong Turn, (2003) Rob Schmidt
The Hills Have Eyes, (2006) Alexandre Aja
Texas chainsaw massacre- The Beginning a film directed by Jonathan Liebsmen is a prequel to the remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. “The female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to provide erotic pleasure and ultimately a sense of control over her” [[2]].This suggests that we live in a patriarchal society where men are in power and women are in passive roles and that even though time has changed so much, society is still the same as Laura Mulvey’s theory (1975) of the ‘male gaze’ is still relevant in some cases. Similarly in the slasher genre women are there for the male gaze however this has changed over time, according to the theory of the ‘final girl’ by Carol Clover “there is always a female character who is usually smarter, more conscientious, and more morally pure than her cohorts, who are usually stupid, sloppy, horny teens” [[3]] who tend to be the objects of the ‘male gaze’. Even though “women typically do not drive the narrative forward or act as protagonist” [[4]] they still are the final character to survive giving them some importance in the film rather than just using them purely for their physical attraction.
The women have become more powerful and they are shown to be equally as dominant as men usually are. Hence this shows that women are just as strong as men. In a traditional slasher film the man is shown to be more masculine and comes across with no fear. Whereas now the stereotypes have some what subverted as women are shown to be fighting against the evil rather than being shown helpless, an example of a film which shows that is Creep (2004) as the female protagonist is compelling towards the monster on the other hand the male is shown to be quiet which indicates the role reversal. On the other hand most films from the slasher genre still show how women have been ‘symbolically annihilated’ [[5]] as they always tend to be the victims and the ‘killer’ is always a male this is indeed the case in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning being a contemporary film portrays women as dominant, for example we see Diora Baird towards the beginning of the film approaching Taylor Handley in a sexual manner as he is tied up to the bed which shows that the female is in control rather than the stereotypical male. “Most men enjoy this kind of stuff” [[6]] this shows that the roles of women have developed as they are portrayed as being more bold and upfront hence this signifies the changes within the society compared to the 1970’s when the slasher genre was first established. However women have always been used to attract the male audience.
In the film Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock the shower scene where Janet Leigh is having a shower is also an attempt by the male director to attract the male gaze although the scenes shown from that era are not as explicit as they are today. The shower scene starts with a close up shot of a woman in the shower which only captures her face hence it is not explicit content although it could be perceived as the male gaze as the woman in the shower is supposedly naked. Most shots are close ups and extreme close ups as this is a technique used to hide the lower body of Janet Leigh and also the combination of the close shots with the short duration between cuts makes the sequence feel longer, more subjective, more uncontrolled, and more violent than would the images if they were presented alone or in a wider angle.
‘Representation is seen as an expression of ideology, it expresses different kinds of power relationships in society which are to do with inequalities of groups’ [[7]]. Jordana Brewster challenges these dominant ideologies in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. She is portrayed as an ambitious and powerful character which challenges the stereotypes that females are associated with such as weak, emotional, and sex objects. She is a powerful character as she is shown as being brave and using weapons like gun, knife etc. The weapons represent the male side of her character and it can also be seen as phallic objects hence this reinforces her power as she can oppose the male without any fear. The weapons also show gender equality as it symbolises ‘women as representation signify castration’. [[8]]
Texas Chainsaw Massacre- The Beginning clearly suggests that the representation of women in the slasher genre has changed as women are shown to be more strong and independent. Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning proves the theory of Carol Clover incorrect as she states that the final girl fights the villain and survives. In this film the final character to survive is a female but she is killed by the psychopath at the end. Although films in the slasher genre on the whole have proven the theory of Carol Clover over many years. Films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Halloween (1978) have proven the theory correct. Clover also argues that the final female becomes more masculine through "phallic appropriation" by taking up a weapon, such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer. This argument of Clover is shown in the film as Jordana Brewster, who is the final female to survive confronts the villain with a knife in order to escape. On the other hand Laura Mulvey argues that ‘the audience are forced to see the film from a male point of view, whatever gender is watching’ [[9]]. This argument is partly true, as in TCM- The Beginning Jordana Brewster’s friend in the movie Diora Baird, who happens to be a female, is murdered. Mulvey’s Male Gaze view can be contradicted as in a later scene in the film; Jordana Brewster’s boyfriend is killed. Laura Mulvey also argues that ‘male spectators enjoy the sexual pleasure in the way some women are presented’ [[10]]. This could be interpreted as a valid point as society has become more acceptant of explicit content on screen over the years and the film directors also target the male audience through showing women in seductive roles. On the other hand an oppositional view to Mulvey’s point wo.uld be that the changing roles in society suggest that female spectators enjoy sexual pleasure in the way men are presented, an example would be the scene from TCM – The Beginning where Taylor Handley is tied up to the bed semi naked which is attracting the female audience hence the roles have changed.
Patrick Phillip states that ‘the audience demand for predictability’ [[11]] this suggests that the audience want to see the typical stereotypes being reinforced rather than subverted as in a way from this the audience gains satisfaction hence even though women in slasher films are being represented as being more active there are still stereotypes which are reinforced such as women being represented as promiscuous characters for the entertainment of the male audience. On the other hand some theorists argue that “the genre is not fixed” [[12]]. Steve Neale suggests that “if each text within a genre were, literally, the same, there would simply not be enough difference to generate either meaning or pleasure” [[13]]. This quotation suggests that there needs to be some sort of a difference between one film and another for it to appeal to the target audience hence the key to producing a successful film is to cover both aspects for the audience pleasure. For example TCM- The Beginning follows this strategy as we see the representation of women being reconstructed as they are shown to be more active in their roles whereas the psychopath killer is still the powerful male and he is in control. ‘A tale that purports to uncover the traumas that spawned a family of carnivores but is really just an excuse for blood-soaked business as usual, sending a quartet of shrilling teens through the obligatory old dark house’[[14]]. This is a quotation for TCM – The Beginning which proves that all films within a genre have similarities as they have to follow the conventions.
According to Sharon Journal "the role of women in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction and the mating games she plays with the male character” [[15]]. This quotation also relates to the theory of Mulvey as it states that women are used in the cinema just for male visual pleasure rather than the female having any active link to the storyline. Although this perception has drastically changed over the years in the media due to feminism and women have been given more challenging roles like men. The roles of men are getting limited as women are becoming more authoritative in their approach “We’ll do as you please” [[16]] this is a dialogue from TCM – The Beginning where Matthew Bomer is speaking to his girl friend Jordana Brewster. This dialogue signifies that the woman is in control. Looking at the character of Andrew Bryniarski it can be said that even though he is portrayed as the central psychopath killer he is shown as a passive character which can be interpreted through the way he is instructed what to do by R. Lee Ermey almost making it seem like he is not intelligent enough to take his own decision. This role reversal of males is accepted by the audience in today’s society due to people having feminist views.
At the beginning of the film Texas Chainsaw Massacre we see the birth of the psychopath which is a technique used to create a sense of realism as it tells the audience how the psychopath started out. This is a very important element as it makes the audience believe in the narrative more and get involved. The flash back taken back to the 1960’s to show the birth of the psychopath tells the audience that he is the central character as the serial killer. The 1996 hit film Scream is the prime example of realism being used in the films as in this film the settings used are realistic along with the narrative for example school, classrooms etc. Settings such as school, classrooms and college environment is used because the killer is tormenting a group of youngsters as this is one of the conventions of horror/ slasher films. The audience can relate to the situation as the primary target market for the horror genre is youngsters. TCM – The Beginning can be accused of not fulfiling the audiences expectation as the story is “Truly lacking in originality” [[17]] and most of the scenes are shot in day light which does not give the film that horror feel as slasher is a sub genre of horror.
Looking at the representation of women between the different ages a clear comparison between the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the contemporary TCM – The Beginning can be made based upon the spirit of age. There are noticeable differences between the two films of the same genre which shows that the representations of women have developed. One of the most common differences that can be seen is that back in the 1970’s women were portrayed as being weak and helpless whereas in the 21st century women are more stronger and are shown putting up a fight against the villain. This change in the representation of women has not only been in the horror/ slasher genre it has taken place in all genres of films. For example looking at Casino Royal from a totally different genre the roles of women have gone way beyond than just being there for the satisfaction of the male audience. For example the scene where Ursula walks seductively out of the water this catches the male gaze whereas to signify that the roles of women have changed is shown carrying a knife.
Opposing Mulveys theory, Clover argues that every slasher film, there is a “Final Girl” character who is the only one, or one of the rare characters to be living, and in most cases it is she who kills the killer, and saves herself without the help of any authoritative figures, for example the police. “The final girl is typically sexually unavailable or virginal, avoiding the vices of the victims” [18] therefore, the theory suggests that she in completely independent and does not follow what the other characters do in the film. Although the character is seen to be attractive, she does not conform to being sexual under any sort of circumstances. Clover also suggests the audience identify with the killer, but then starts to identify with the “Final Girl” partway during the film [19] . Clover argues that the “Final Girl” becomes “masculinized through phallic appropriation, (taking up a weapon), such as a knife or chainsaw, against the killer” [20]. Also Clover suggests that the villian of a slasher film is usually male, whose masculinity or sexuallity is in a crisis. An example of this would be the character of “Norman Bates”, in Alfred Hitchcocks famously low budgeted movie “Psycho”.
Similarly, “Texas Chainsaw massacre” is one of the many key texts in the slasher genre as it follows the typical convention that all slasher genre films are ‘the immensely generative story of a psychokiller who slashes to death a string of mostly female victims, one by one, until he is subdued or killed, usually by one girl who has survived.’ [21] this is the case in most slasher genre films. Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning follows these conventions as it includes a female protagonist whom we follow throughout the movie and we share the experiences that she faces when seeing her fellow colleagues dead. The killer in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” however did not only kill women. At the beginning he killed the males who were the female characters boyfriend. However, later we see that the killer does kill the homeless male’s girlfriends. Also the fact that he went for Diora Baird and Jordana Brewster suggests that he was capable of killing them too and would have. The fact that we associate the killer instantly to be a male figure, suggests that the film is showing female strength to be stronger than that of a male’s. The audience relates to the movie and feel sadistic pleasures towards the things happening to the other characters. This builds up suspense in the audience as we are all aware that something is bound to happen, yet we are kept thinking when it will happen. The character of Jordana Brewster, the female protagonist in “Texas Chainsaw massacre”, uses a dagger which she stabs the killer with. It is said that because the “Final Girl” appears to be virginal, and chaste, the reason why she is the character who kills the killer, and the fact that she continuously stabs the killer, suggests that she is taking out her sexual frustration on the character. By using a knife or a dagger, the protagonist appears to be getting close to the killer, and intimately has contact with the killer. Also the knife or the dagger is always shown to be long, which can be referred to as a sexual object or a phallic symbol. For example, when Jordana Brewster stabs the killer, she is releasing sexual tension. This is why the director does not portray the “Final Girl” to be sexually active and seductive towards other characters in the film. This links to the film noir genre, where women in movies were killed if they were to be sexually provocative in any sort of way.
Women, are usually seen not to rely upon men in slasher genre films, nor are they seen to be in a sexually active relationship, and that is if they are in a relationship at all. More contemporary slasher films, portray women to be virginal and show them to fight off any temptation of having sex with another character in the film. The slasher genre portray women to be strong against men, and show the other characters including women to be naïve. I have researched films where this repetitions of conventional aspects have arised and this is only one of my main film texts that there is a strong female character in is portrayed vastly in is the film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”., is a horror/slasher genre, potentially arthouse movie and depicts an opposed view of the stereotype that women should only be seen as domestic housewives, and are only good in the house. Instead, Jonathan Liebesman conventionally uses a typicality of slasher genre films and portrays the female protagonist in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. (Jordana Brewster) to be independent and unreliant on a male character for sexual needs and pleasure. The women often aspire to the female viewers and therefore they play predominant figures in most slasher genre movies. During the cause of the film we view her experiences as a voyeur, and we see the struggles she as a character, whom we as an audience identify with, goes through. We see her determination to save others' lives. By playing such a strong character in the film, the audiences aspire to her as a role model. This is a key typicality in most slasher genre movies as the majority of women are represented to play stronger character roles. However in society itself this hasn’t always been the case.
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[1] Texas chainsaw massacre (2006)
[2] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[3] http://www.cinemademerde.com/Essay-Final_Girl.shtml
[4] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[5] Gaye Tuchman (1978) ‘Introduction: the symbolic annihilation of women by the mass media’.
[6] Texas chainsaw massacre – The beginning (2006)
[7] Burton, Graeme ‘ Media and popular culture’ (1999) Pg 87
[8] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[9] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[10] Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
[11] Patrick Phillips, Understanding film texts (1996)
[12] Richard Maltby, Hollywood Cinema (2003)
[13] Steve Neale, Introduction, (1980)
[14] http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/oct/13/horror
[15] Sharon Smith Journal : Women and film (1972)
[16] Texas chainsaw massacre- The Beginning (2006)
[17]http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/737/737607p1.html
[18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[19] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[20] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
[21] Clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chainsaws. Princeton: Princeton Univ Pr, 1993. (page 34)
Bibliography
Works Cited
Books
Mulvey, L. (1975), Visual pleasure and narrative cinema.
Tuchman, G. (1978), Intro: The symbolic annihilation of women in the mass media.
Phillips, P. (1996), Understanding film texts
Matlby, R. (2003), Hollywood Cinema
Clover, C. J. (1993). Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.
Neale. S, (1980) Introduction
Burton. G, (1999) Media and Popular Culture
Journal. S, (1972) Women and film
Internet
http://www.cinemademerde.com/Essay-Final_Girl.shtml
(This website gives information on the final girl theory and also talks about some classic Slasher films from the past)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/oct/13/horror
(A Guardian newspaper review of Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning 2006)
http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/737/737607p1.html
(A IGN review of Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The Beginning 2006 by Todd Gilchrist)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_girl
(This website also gives information on the theory of final girl)
Moving Image Texts
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Tobe Hooper
Psycho (1960), Alfred Hitchcock
Creep (2004), Christopher Smith
Halloween (1978), John Carpenter
Scream (1997), Wes Craven
Works Consulted
Books
Wood (1979): introduction
Brian Murphy (1995): Monster Movies
Steve Neale (2002), Genre and Contemporary Hollywood
Internet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_film
(This website talks about the history of the Slasher genre and how the first inspiration was taken from the film Psycho in 1960)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre
(This website shows the film TCM in detail as it talks about the story and its significance)
Moving Image Text
The Wrong Turn, (2003) Rob Schmidt
The Hills Have Eyes, (2006) Alexandre Aja
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