Feminism and the Evolution of Gender Roles in Horror Cinema

Abstract

My thesis explores the connection between feminism and horror movies. My argument is that feminism shaped horror movies, thus contributing to a shift in the portrayal of gender roles. I chose Psycho, Alien and Barbarian as the analyzed movies through which I can introduce this shift. My main methods are character and scene analysis, these contribute to describe gender roles in each movie. In conclusion, the thesis shows how, as time has passed by, female characters developed to be stronger and more emphasized and active while male characters became weaker and more passive than before.