Sunday, October 3, 2010

Where Are The Iconic Female Horror Figures?

(Image from the theatrical poster of the 2008 horror film The Strangers)



Two months ago after I watched the horror slasher Hatchet (as if you couldn't tell by the title it's a slasher!) introducing a new horror icon, Victor Crowley, I suddenly thought, 'Where are all the women horror figures?'

So where are they?

 There are tons of male horror figures: 
Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Mike Myers, Leatherface, Chucky, Candyman, Jigsaw, Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstein etc.

Yet try to think up of just one female horror figure...
Exactly.

There unfortunately isn't an iconic female horror figure in film.

Medusa
Blood Mary
Carrie

Are the top three females that I think of when I think of iconic female horror figures as a whole.
Although mythological Medusa and folklore Bloody Mary don't count in the world of film (Even though two movies one in the 60's, the other in the 70's were made about Medusa. Not horror however. In 2005, a horror film was made about Mary: Urban Legends: Bloody Mary. Of course and unfortunately it was a straight-to-DVD movie.)

So that leaves Carrie.

But can see she really compare to the popularity of Freddy or Jason?

Could her evil and gimmick match against any of the male horror figures?

No to popularity. It's Carrie who? In comparison to Freddy or Jason.
Maybe to her evil. She did kill her own mother after all.
Maybe again, to her gimmick. A girl who can move things with her mind in order to kill you is cool.
But not as cool as a man who kills you in your dreams with a hand made of knife-like claws, or a man with unbeatable strength who's weapon of choice is a chain saw.

Carrie physically doesn't look scary. She's cute and dainty looking.
But all the male horror figures are grotesque and towering (except for Chucky).

I think the horror film genre is way overdue for a female horror figure.

As a woman who loves the horror genre, I'd finally love to see a truly frightening woman character carry a chainsaw, instead of being the scantily clad cliche who trips while being chased by the killer/monster and ends up dead.

Imagine a female horror figure as blood thirsty, ugly and unstoppable as Freddy, Jason, Myers, Leatherface, Chucky, Candyman, Jigsaw, Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstein and the recent Victor Crowley!

How cool would that be?

It's time, Hollywood, wake up!














No comments:

Post a Comment