The Portrayal of Women in Horror Films: An Art Collection

Presentation Type

Art Show

Conference Date

Spring 4-17-2026

Abstract

Within the horror film genre, women are primarily portrayed as either final girl, sexual victim, or monster. In the slasher film, the final girl stands as the lone survivor. While her friends are distracted by drugs, alcohol, or sex, the final girl is focused, resourceful, innocent, and sexually unavailable. By the end of the film, the final girl kills the masked killer after watching her promiscuous friends die (movies: Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, etc.). On the other end, the sexual victim dies an either pre-coital or post-coital death – a punishment for her promiscuity. The deaths of sexual women tend to be more violent and graphic than the deaths of male characters (movies: Friday the 13th, Prom Night [1980], Totally Killer, etc.). Finally, some horror films paint women as monsters (such as vampires, werewolves, witches, etc.). Although there are many archetypes of this, a large portion of movies feature girls transforming into monsters during the time of puberty. Women’s monstrosity is usually marked by menstruation, which reflects society’s fears of the unpredictability of teenage girls (movies: Carrie, Jennifer’s Body, Ginger Snaps etc.).

Presenter

Aubrey Landaiche

Faculty Mentor

Kelli Kelley

Award

1st Place, LSU College of Art & Design

Academic Major

Art and Design

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