Gender Representation In Horror Films

How is gender represented in the horror or comedy films you have studied for this topic?
British films in the horror genre tend to represent women as weak and vulnerable or as sexual characters who are beneficial for the male gaze. However, this is different for ‘The Descent’ because this contemporary horror film uses an all girl’s cast but in this context women are presented as masculine-feminine which is an interpretation that increases when Marshall provides an opportunity for the women to show their physique and physical powers.
The descent is different to any conventional horror film also because it uses a narrative of entrapment structure and in these kinds of films it is often seen that the protagonist tries to escape to freedom.

Sarah becomes empowered, reverse to a primitive state from someone emotionally fragile to strong Sarah was a mother so after the car accident where both her husband and child died it has left her in an emotional state Plays with the weak conventional stereotype female.In the scene where Sarah kills the child crawler by knocking it down and breaking it’s neck, the audience can automatically see that the character arc undergoes significant transformation because she too had a child.
However, during the scene where Sarah screams in blood, the audience can see the difference through her phallic appropriation. The final girl narrative was developed as a response to feminism acknowledgement of strength.. Director intention is to communicates a message that in a post feminist society women are no longer weak with the absence of male characters enables the film makers to construct a narrative where women are responsible for their own salvation.
In Conclusion, Gender is represented in many ways in the film ‘The descent’. It Represents women in a way that reflects the post feminist context which the film was produced because until feminism women were not represented in this