This is likely to only take up a small paragraph towards the end of your essay - just after you have introduced the concept of the final girl character type in relation to The Descent (it could go just before you talk about Sarah in The Descent in detail OR after you have discussed the ways that Sarah conforms to the conventions of the final girl). You do not have to include it BUT you may find that it enhances your essay by making brief reference to one or two other films.
Whilst none of the women in the aforementioned films are perfect archetypes of the final girl (certainly not in the same sense as Sarah in The Descent), they all do possess recognisable traits that we expect to find in this type of character.
In Mum and Dad, directed by Steven Sheil, Lena (the central female protagonist) is initially portrayed as vulnerable - she is taken under the control of the parents of two fellow workers she meets at Heathrow Airport. As an immigrant, she has no family in this country, which immediately establishes her isolation and vulnerability, and once she is taken prisoner by the twisted family (who torture her, repeatedly) she appears as the typical damsel-in-distress figure. There are also frequent shots of her semi-naked, in her knickers - and it could be argued that she is objectified by both the characters and the audience.
Despite these more stereotypical representations of gender within the genre, Lena displays many attributes of the final girl character type that we saw in The Descent. As the narrative progresses, she shows resourcefulness a number of times: as she realises the seriousness of her situation she begins to be more compliant with the parents in order to win their trust, which she hopes will offer her an opportunity to escape (she massages both of their feet, hugs Mum, and tells on Birdy); she finds a phone and hides it in her knickers (hoping to be able to use it to contact the outside world); she throws a human tooth out of the bathroom window to try to catch the attention of a man who is outside the house; she slips her straps and explores the house looking for a means of escape, before stealing a weapon she uses later to stab Dad.
She also shows bravery and strength, enduring terrible torture before overpowering Birdy, Mum and Dad and escaping (having defeated the 'monster').
In Eden Lake, directed by James Watkins, the character of Jenny has many of the attributes we would expect to find in the final girl character type. Despite the fact that she is sexualised and objectified towards the beginning of the film (shown in a number of shots in a bikini as she sunbathes around the lake) she is shown primarily as brave (she watches her boyfriend tortured and die, yet carries on regardless trying to defeat the youths that have killed him, and trying to escape), strong (she tackles the youths killing two of them) and resourceful (she uses her Bluetooth to connect to her boyfriend's phone whilst he is tied up with barbed wire and being stabbed by the gang, she hides her boyfriend under the floorboards of shack that she finds in the woods, she follows the powerlines to try and find a way out of the woods, and she hides in a bin when she hears some of the gang approach).
Despite the fact that it is implied that she dies at the end of the film, Jenny is, for the most part, a positive representation of women in the genre and has many of the traits we would expect to find in the final girl character.
Two final films that you may wish to mention very briefly are Triangle, directed by Christopher Smith and Donkey Punch, directed by Olly Blackburn. At times, the female characters in both films are sexualised and objectified (particularly in Donkey Punch) BUT both films contain central female protagonists that can be considered to have traits that we would expect to find in the final girl.
In Triangle, Jess (the central female protagonist) is the only character to realise what is happening on the ship (regarding the time loop) and she shows bravery, strength and resourcefulness throughout the film - she fights the 'monster' on a number of occasions, disposes of the bodies of her friends and leaves a message on the mirror for her future self. She also has a name that has masculine qualities.
In Donkey Punch, Tammi (the female central protagonist and sole survivor at the end of the film) is the only woman who is hesitant about boarding the yacht with the boys that they meet on holiday (like Sarah in The Descent, she suspects that something is wrong and is ignored by the other characters). She defeats the 'monster' and shows resourcefulness by hiding the incriminating tape, tricking the killer as he attempts to stab her and firing a flare into the sky so that she can be rescued.
Just remember that the focus of your essay is on Dracula and The Descent - you should only reference any of the films above very briefly (possibly in bracket with a short supportive point). You do not have to discuss these films BUT the briefest of mentions will enhance your essay and show that you understand that the final girl character type and the more positive representation of women is becoming more common in British horror films.
In Mum and Dad, directed by Steven Sheil, Lena (the central female protagonist) is initially portrayed as vulnerable - she is taken under the control of the parents of two fellow workers she meets at Heathrow Airport. As an immigrant, she has no family in this country, which immediately establishes her isolation and vulnerability, and once she is taken prisoner by the twisted family (who torture her, repeatedly) she appears as the typical damsel-in-distress figure. There are also frequent shots of her semi-naked, in her knickers - and it could be argued that she is objectified by both the characters and the audience.
Despite these more stereotypical representations of gender within the genre, Lena displays many attributes of the final girl character type that we saw in The Descent. As the narrative progresses, she shows resourcefulness a number of times: as she realises the seriousness of her situation she begins to be more compliant with the parents in order to win their trust, which she hopes will offer her an opportunity to escape (she massages both of their feet, hugs Mum, and tells on Birdy); she finds a phone and hides it in her knickers (hoping to be able to use it to contact the outside world); she throws a human tooth out of the bathroom window to try to catch the attention of a man who is outside the house; she slips her straps and explores the house looking for a means of escape, before stealing a weapon she uses later to stab Dad.
She also shows bravery and strength, enduring terrible torture before overpowering Birdy, Mum and Dad and escaping (having defeated the 'monster').
In Eden Lake, directed by James Watkins, the character of Jenny has many of the attributes we would expect to find in the final girl character type. Despite the fact that she is sexualised and objectified towards the beginning of the film (shown in a number of shots in a bikini as she sunbathes around the lake) she is shown primarily as brave (she watches her boyfriend tortured and die, yet carries on regardless trying to defeat the youths that have killed him, and trying to escape), strong (she tackles the youths killing two of them) and resourceful (she uses her Bluetooth to connect to her boyfriend's phone whilst he is tied up with barbed wire and being stabbed by the gang, she hides her boyfriend under the floorboards of shack that she finds in the woods, she follows the powerlines to try and find a way out of the woods, and she hides in a bin when she hears some of the gang approach).
Despite the fact that it is implied that she dies at the end of the film, Jenny is, for the most part, a positive representation of women in the genre and has many of the traits we would expect to find in the final girl character.
Two final films that you may wish to mention very briefly are Triangle, directed by Christopher Smith and Donkey Punch, directed by Olly Blackburn. At times, the female characters in both films are sexualised and objectified (particularly in Donkey Punch) BUT both films contain central female protagonists that can be considered to have traits that we would expect to find in the final girl.
In Triangle, Jess (the central female protagonist) is the only character to realise what is happening on the ship (regarding the time loop) and she shows bravery, strength and resourcefulness throughout the film - she fights the 'monster' on a number of occasions, disposes of the bodies of her friends and leaves a message on the mirror for her future self. She also has a name that has masculine qualities.
In Donkey Punch, Tammi (the female central protagonist and sole survivor at the end of the film) is the only woman who is hesitant about boarding the yacht with the boys that they meet on holiday (like Sarah in The Descent, she suspects that something is wrong and is ignored by the other characters). She defeats the 'monster' and shows resourcefulness by hiding the incriminating tape, tricking the killer as he attempts to stab her and firing a flare into the sky so that she can be rescued.
Just remember that the focus of your essay is on Dracula and The Descent - you should only reference any of the films above very briefly (possibly in bracket with a short supportive point). You do not have to discuss these films BUT the briefest of mentions will enhance your essay and show that you understand that the final girl character type and the more positive representation of women is becoming more common in British horror films.
No comments:
Post a Comment