In horror movies, women play a variety of roles: The victim, the Final Girl, and the hero. For a long time, women in horror movies did not have positive or empowering roles, as their roles were mostly for the purpose of eye candy or to be the damsel in distress. Most horror movies of the past also relegated women to unimportant roles, such as a secretary or a nurse. Additionally, most female roles in horror movies were meant to send a moral message, as in the teenager murdered for having premarital sex.
But as the horror movie genre has evolved, so too have the roles which many women portray. This shift in the female role in horror movies has become more positive, powerful and inspirational. More women are flocking to horror movies for this very reason, and it’s not uncommon to see more females in horror movies than ever before. In the movie Silent Hill, for example, almost all of the characters are female. Many horror movies today are directed by women (such The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat and The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent).
Horror movies also touch on a lot of topics which female horror fans can relate to. From revenge stories to stories representing the horrors of puberty and the onset of womanhood, many of these films address the issues which today’s female horror moviegoers are grappling with. With the movie The Witch (2015), viewers saw a young woman breaking away from her oppressive religion and embracing her strong feminine role when she follows a different path. This, too, highlights the desire of many young woman struggling with oppressive roles in life and yearning for something to put them in on an equal level with men.
Many women these days have portrayed memorable roles in the horror genre, and here are a few of them.
The Scream Queen
One common moniker for actresses who have performed in horror movies is that of the “scream queen.” This title is often relegated to the female horror movie role that has the best (loudest) and most terrifying scream in the whole film. It was popularized following the infamous scene where Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh) releases a blood-curdling scream after she is attacked in the 1960 movie Psycho.
The Final Girl
As we watched Sally Hardesty (played by Marilyn Burns) escape with her life in the 1974 original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, one thought occurred to us: SHE LIVED. She was the one girl to get away, thus making her “the final girl.” Many other women have had the honor of playing this role in other horror films, such as Helen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in the 1979 film Alien as well as Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in the 1996 film Scream.
The Badass
In some horror flicks, there are female characters who play the role of someone who refuses to be the victim. These characters fight back, often in spite of their injuries, and keep fighting no matter how many times the killer keeps coming back to life. Such roles are relegated to Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis in the Halloween movie franchise), Nancy Thompson (played by Heather Langenkamp) in the Nightmare on Elm Street films, Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton) in The Terminator I and II, and Diane Freeling (played by JoBeth Williams) in Poltergeist I and II.
The Hero
It’s not just the guys who get to be a hero in horror movies. Women have proven to create characters worth their mettle in horror films as well. I feel this role is different from “The Badass” because not every female hero in a horror flick can kick butt. While this role is more commonly recognized as “the reluctant hero,” many of these roles have shown that being thrust into the role as the person to save the day (or a life) goes through a series of events which empower and motivate them to play this role to its fullest. That said, this role is performed by characters such as Wendy Torrance in The Shining (1980) and Evelyn Abbott (played by Emily Blunt) in the 2018 film, A Quiet Place.
The Villain
People typically do not expect the female character in a horror film to be the villain, as unfortunately many women are still seen as a “damsel in distress.” Much to the delight of female horror movie fans, women have made noticeable strides in covering many roles, and playing the villain is no exception. In the 2009 flick, Jennifer’s Body, we at first sympathize with the presumed victim emerging from the woods, seemingly traumatized from just being kidnapped and attacked. But then we realize that Jennifer (Megan Fox) is actually the killer. Other prominent female villain roles in horror movies are Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) in Misery (1990), Samara (Daveigh Chase) in The Ring movies, Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) in the Orphan movies and Margaret White (Piper Laurie) from Carrie (1976).
The Victim
With most horror films, viewers don’t pay much attention to the victims, let alone the first victim. Too often, however, the first victim in a horror movie will either provide a clue to mysterious deaths or be the goriest of the whole film. There have been some memorable victim roles played by women in horror films. Not only do we get to enjoy the suspense of a character in danger early in the film, but horror fans are treated to a creative and gory first death/killing scene. Some memorable horror movie victim roles played by women include Yoko (Yoko Maki) in The Grudge; Holly, the first nanny in the 1976 film The Omen (played by Holly Palance); and Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey) in the 2022 film Smile.
Keep in mind that not all victims in horror movies die. A story can be all about a “victim” being terrorized by the villain, and emerging at the end of the movie in one piece (more or less). An example of this is with Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who is mostly the victim in the 1996 movie Scream. She ultimately ends up becoming the Final Girl. Additionally, the victim can come back to kill others, as happened in The Grudge and ultimately transforming into the role of the villain.
Some horror movies may still keep women in minor roles, or even roles where they are only meant to tantalize viewers with nude scenes. Thankfully, there are many horror movies with strong female characters, and these are the films that will create more female fans of this movie genre.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dawn Colclasure is a writer in Oregon. She writes poetry, essays, articles, short stories and book reviews. She is the author and co-author of several books. Her work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, websites and anthologies. She is also a columnist. Her websites are dawnsbooks.com and dmcwriter.com. Her Twitter: @dawnwilson325.
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