Women as heroes

[thorlantos]

I've been a fan of horror and monster films since I was a child but something about the genre since the late 70's has been bothering me. It seems that since Halloween it has been very common to have a strong female lead that eventually turns the table on the monster and I've become tired of it. Please don't get me wrong. Some of these movies are classic and I'm not attacking the concept of the tough scream queen type. It's just that I personally like to identify with a lead male caracter and enjoy the old fashion Hero defeats monster and gets girl. Is there anyone else out there who also feels this way or am I alone in this?
Now please remember I am only talking about my prefence as a viewer and am not making a comment abouth the role of women in society. I am more drawn to the image of the damsel in distress who needs to be rescued then to the Xena warrior type. I'd trully like to hear what others have to say about this.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

instead of being serious and arguing with you, I'm going to tell you about a movie I'm making that you might enjoy because it's like the opposite of the movie you described:

the villain is a 7 foot tall beast of a lady named black bertha (berfa)
the camp is full of cougar councelors and young attractive but stupid boys, it's called camp cougar.
big bertha goes around killing the young attractive but stupid boys after they get out of the shower, have sex with councelors, do jumping jacks in their underwear etc
the lead character is named hank and he is the smartest boy but he's not as great looking as the other campers. he is pretty ignorable for most of the movie which is probably why bertha doesn't kill him
the last part of the movie involves hank falling a lot and screaming while trying to escape from bertha's mean bear hug.
hank eventually "kills" bertha as the police arrive and put a towel over hank who is now half naked from the ordeal, he sips his cocoa and sobs as the credits start to roll.

[ferretchucker]

Is there such a thing?

[fuglystick]

I like female leads because chicks are hot, and I'd rather the film be centered around a hot chick than a dude.

I suppose I could give you a discourse on gender roles in horror films, but that's pretty much why I like chicks as the protagonist.

[newb]

don't matter to me as long as the hero is engaging and the character is well fleshed out.

I'll take a Ripley or Connors any day.


as long as they are wearing a tight t-shirt......preferably on the wet side

[missmacabre]

Well, It's just really hard to have a movie where a man saves a damsel in distress now days, because feminists WILL jump on that. Especially because part of what gets guys into the theater in the first place is a bunch of scatly clad women running around like airheads and being killed. You can't very well do that and not have some kind of empowered female to cover your male gaze tracks.

I think the women of horror often go through some catharsis, emerging as a more masculin character who is finally able to defend themselves. They take the place of both a male and female lead that is empowering to women, kicks ass like a man (ugh my feminist side hurt to type that, but it is what it is) and leaves room for clothing to be ripped and tits to be flashed if the script calls for that sort of thing.

[fiend_skull]

Personally, I don't care who the hero is in any particular movie as long as the movie is enjoyable and believable (as far as believable can go in such realms). I've never been one to believe that there is some deep seated Freudian metaphor going on in movies when is came to women defeat the bad guys. Maybe if the movie in some way leans towards it (i.e. I Spit on Your Grave), but other than that its just how its written.

It is true, for an unimaginable amount of time the male protagonist was a very dominant trait in the movie world and that probably did arise from a sort of sexist view that, while being looked down upon today, was definitely in the majority at the time. I just don't think that if it happened now, it would be due to the same mindset as back then. However, I personally feel it is an odd preference to lean towards the idea of a weak female in a horror movie intentionally.

When I watch a horror, there can be many opinions, but I'd prefer to keep the metaphors to the plot (I.E. Frankenstein representing a fear of the unknown effects of science/Rosemary's Baby representing the proverbial "witch hunt" for the enemy next door). I did, however, enjoy the explanation in "Behind the Mask: Rise of Leslie Vernon" why the female protagonist tends to use a large solid object when attacking the killer. Reasoning being it was a very phallic symbol and so on and so forth.

No one can absolutely know what the motivation behind a writer's choice of protagonist besides the writer. It could be convenience, to avoid cliche, draw of the hat or who knows what else. We can settle with speculating on the idea, but I personally see no evidence that a modern dominant female lead in a horror movie is any sort of statement against the idea of a modern dominant male lead.

[ChronoGrl]

I've been a fan of horror and monster films since I was a child but something about the genre since the late 70's has been bothering me. It seems that since Halloween it has been very common to have a strong female lead that eventually turns the table on the monster and I've become tired of it. Please don't get me wrong. Some of these movies are classic and I'm not attacking the concept of the tough scream queen type. It's just that I personally like to identify with a lead male caracter and enjoy the old fashion Hero defeats monster and gets girl. Is there anyone else out there who also feels this way or am I alone in this?
Now please remember I am only talking about my prefence as a viewer and am not making a comment abouth the role of women in society. I am more drawn to the image of the damsel in distress who needs to be rescued then to the Xena warrior type. I'd trully like to hear what others have to say about this.

Go watch Zombieland, though I am getting tired of the whole nerdy-coming-of-age-slub schtick.

[Zero]

Saw this on-line and thought it was interesting in relation to this (and the million other) discussion of women and horror.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/26/horror-films-actresses-hollywood-forbes-woman-time-female-audiences.html?boxes=Homepagechannels

[FreddyMyers]

Interesting. Love the part where they say horror isnt "in" right now. Sad part is reguarding "hollywood" movie its true.

[ProfondoXxRosso]

I've been a fan of horror and monster films since I was a child but something about the genre since the late 70's has been bothering me. It seems that since Halloween it has been very common to have a strong female lead that eventually turns the table on the monster and I've become tired of it. Please don't get me wrong. Some of these movies are classic and I'm not attacking the concept of the tough scream queen type. It's just that I personally like to identify with a lead male caracter and enjoy the old fashion Hero defeats monster and gets girl. Is there anyone else out there who also feels this way or am I alone in this?
Now please remember I am only talking about my prefence as a viewer and am not making a comment abouth the role of women in society. I am more drawn to the image of the damsel in distress who needs to be rescued then to the Xena warrior type. I'd trully like to hear what others have to say about this.

Well if youre Dario Argento you do it because you enjoy watching women dismembered. And those are his words.

[gothjuice]

heroes don’t exist, they are fictional constructs of an ideal... an ideal that is impossible for any mere mortal to live up to. IMPOSSIBLE...

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

oh and it's not nice to make fun of fuglystick's odor problems.

[fuglystick]

oh and it's not nice to make fun of fuglystick's odor problems.

Really, cunt?

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

Really, cunt?

oh jeez don't get your panties all knotted up, I was only kidding.

[fuglystick]

oh jeez don't get your panties all knotted up, I was only kidding.

Why would you kid, when you know I think you're a twat? Do you think we're on a "kidding" basis?

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

Why would you kid, when you know I think you're a twat? Do you think we're on a "kidding" basis?

I thought we were BFF

[fuglystick]

I thought we were BFF

Nah, you're just ignorant. Now here's five e-bucks; take a cab to "go fuck yourself".

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

Nah, you're just ignorant. Now here's five e-bucks; take a cab to "go fuck yourself".

why would I need to take a cab to fuck myself?

[Posher778]

Why did you tag me as a douchetwin in a thread I haven't even POSTED in. fail.

[fuglystick]

For the tag, sycophant.

[Posher778]

You got a purdy mouth.

[fuglystick]

Wow, the fail doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?

[Posher778]

I love when we fight like this because you always make the best make-up scrambled eggs the next day.

[Elvis_Christ]

http://i39.tinypic.com/23m7tjd.jpg

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

the best makeup breakfast is a breakfast sandwich though.

[Posher778]

I just like food!

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

I make amazing breakfast sandwiches.

[Posher778]

Let's be friends

[Elvis_Christ]

Shhhhhhh I'm hungry :(

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

I just want everyone to love me.

[Posher778]

Murderdoll is my female hero.

[Elvis_Christ]

If she made me a sandwich she'd be my hero too.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

If she made me a sandwich she'd be my hero too.

wait a second... is this reverse psychology? nevermind, I have a sandwiches to make.

[Elvis_Christ]

wait a second... is this reverse psychology?

If it gets me a free sandwich you can call it whatever you want

[Posher778]

Elvis I made you a sandwich.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

I made him one first.

[illdojo]

I make amazing breakfast sandwiches.

So...What do you put inside these breakfast sandwiches?

[Posher778]

I made mine with marajewonya

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

So...What do you put inside these breakfast sandwiches?

egg, cheese, breakfast sausage pattie, love

[Elvis_Christ]

Sausage? :(:(:(:(

[illdojo]

egg, cheese, breakfast sausage pattie, love

Sounds ¡Muy Delicioso!... No Canadian Bacon??? :p

[illdojo]

Sausage? :(:(:(:(

Quiet you hippie!!!!!

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

Sounds ¡Muy Delicioso!... No Canadian Bacon??? :p

I still don't know what canadian bacon is. :(

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

Sausage? :(:(:(:(

I'll take it out and wipe off the sausage juice.

[Elvis_Christ]

Quiet you hippie!!!!!

I will never be silenced!

I still don't know what canadian bacon is. :(

I hear it's the beast that slayed the local giant John Candy

[gothjuice]

this is hardly amusing, little maggots squirming so quickly they have convinced themselves they can dance... you can't dance and have no reason to sing. I envy the dead, I'd give my life to die...

[illdojo]

I envy the dead, I'd give my life to die...

Ummm.....then just kill yourself, idiot. ;)

[gothjuice]

Ummm.....then just kill yourself, idiot. ;)

nothing is that easy... NOTHING.

-B

[illdojo]

nothing is that easy... NOTHING.

-B

It was a joke and yes it is... THAT EASY. It happens everyday. It's called thinning the herd.

[Posher778]

GUYS STOP. We need to focus on the real enemy here.



Murderdoll.

[illdojo]

GUYS STOP. We need to focus on the real enemy here.



Murderdoll.

Word...But the hot little Canuck logged off.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

I love these tags.

[Elvis_Christ]

They'll be gone by tomorrow

[aprilc1]

Like the song says, I dont want to be like Cinderella waiting in some cellar for someone to rescue me-I'd rather rescue myself

[Zero]

I just want everyone to love me.

we do (but mainly me and, deep down inside you know you've always loved me too - go ahead and admit it - it will clear all the tension that has been plaguing HDC for the past few years)

[The Ugly Duchess]

Like the song says, I dont want to be like Cinderella waiting in some cellar for someone to rescue me-I'd rather rescue myself

Why not? Go for it! I would!

[Spookhouse]

instead of being serious and arguing with you, I'm going to tell you about a movie I'm making that you might enjoy because it's like the opposite of the movie you described:

the villain is a 7 foot tall beast of a lady named black bertha (berfa)
the camp is full of cougar councelors and young attractive but stupid boys, it's called camp cougar.
big bertha goes around killing the young attractive but stupid boys after they get out of the shower, have sex with councelors, do jumping jacks in their underwear etc
the lead character is named hank and he is the smartest boy but he's not as great looking as the other campers. he is pretty ignorable for most of the movie which is probably why bertha doesn't kill him
the last part of the movie involves hank falling a lot and screaming while trying to escape from bertha's mean bear hug.
hank eventually "kills" bertha as the police arrive and put a towel over hank who is now half naked from the ordeal, he sips his cocoa and sobs as the credits start to roll.

I would definitely watch that movie.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

I would definitely watch that movie.

should it be called "camp cougar: the legend of black bertha"?