Last week I published my article about Women and children cast asghostsin Horror movies. It had a good reaction from readers so I decided to expand on the subject. The best way to do that is to answer the obvious question.
What type of women do men fear in horror movies?
There are probably dozens if not hundreds of examples I can easily give for this article. Let’s be honest, women are a focal point in the horror genre. Yes, we can say ‘sugar and spice and everything nice’ until the cows come home but the truth is in horror women can easily be portrayed as evil as any man. This is awesome for employing many Female actresses in horror films. Hurrah Scream Queens!
But to keep this article short I think I narrowed it down to four of the most common types, let's count them down.
4)Unnecessarily Violent Female Character
First on this list is the type of women who have short uncontrolled burst of violence. I know this brings images of female characters based on alcoholics or child abusive women. That is completely understandable but many men fear these female roles because of how relatable they are to real life issues. There is a clear difference between the bad ass factor of Tomb Raiders Lara Croft and the abusive factor of Judge Dredd’s Ma-Ma.
It can be compared to women who have been in abusive relationships feel emotionally invested when watching a movie where a female character is going through something similar. In the same manner men who have been with violent women also relate to abusive female characters in films but they try to hide it a bit. This makes men equally if not more emotionally invested.
3)Evil Dominatrix or Female Torturer Character
Stepping it up we go to the woman who gets her jolly’s inflicting extreme pain. No, I am not talking
about some role of a politician with a masochist fetish. I am talking about character roles where men are taken against their will and are endlessly tortured by a female tormentor with no limits. We have seen similar roles in spy films and comedy’s such as in the North Korean female torturer in the James Bond films or the librarian in Tomcats.
In a horror setting this is different as it is planned out and lasts much longer. Think of it as the setting in the SAW films where people were kidnapped and placed in situations facing death. In the same manner if you take the joke out and make a Dominatrix or female torturer completely evil towards men, well that is something men don’t want to talk about. When I have pitched my horror ideas to my friends and I mention an Evil Dominatrix torturing a man to death, every guy cuts me off and says ‘that’s enough dude!’ That lets me know this is a boundary of horror most men are uncomfortable with.
2)Deceptive Magic Wielding Female Character
This is different from women playing a ghost or even a telepathic character. Ghost have their own special place in horror and don’t have to be women to be terrifying. Women who play characters with telepath abilities for the most part don’t make men very fearful since most men are transparent with what they want. Men usually get to a point where they are blunt and don’t have a problem telling women what is on their minds. Reading their minds will only sometimes make for a fearful situation.
Women who use magic in films and stories are another level to fear. A woman who has the ability to actually place a Hex on a man or control things around him makes for one of the worst things a man can fear in films. Especially if the magic using woman has no issues destroying his most valuable items in order to have him or make him pay a price for wronging her. Think of it as those rare cases when a man is completely distraught when his ex-girlfriend sets his car on fire. Now, take that same level of destruction and raise it to Gandalf levels!
1) Insane Female Character
I don’t think this is surprising to most but it is probably the most common of male fears. Let me make it clear, I am not talking about a female character who decides to accuse a male character of cheating because she dreamt it or one who decides to read each and every text message on a male characters iphone.
I am talking about the female Hannibal Lecter type of character. The female character that hides her insanity until your guard is down. That is the female horror character that would put terror into the bulk of younger male viewers or readers. The type of female character that decided it was justifiable to kill off your mother and sister because she is the only woman in your life. The type that will break your legs out of love. The type that has an image of you becoming her perfect man or she will kill you if you resist. Stephen King’s Misery portrays this type of female horror character perfectly.
Do you agree or disagree with my top 4 choices? Say in the comments.
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