This paper serves the purpose of presenting the evolution of the "Final Girl" into the "Final Woman", with special focus on the newly developed characteristics. It defines the horror genre and its subgenres. Furthermore, a precise definition of the "Final Girl" is given, explaining all the details on how to define the term. The term "Final Girl" has been underlying specific changes over the past decades. Certain films, for instance, "You’re Next" (USA/UK 2011) were decisive to define a new term. These changes are massive and lead to the assumption that the "Final Girl" has finally evolved into something new.
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- THE GENRE HORROR AND ITS SUB-GENRES
- FEMININITY IN HORROR FILMS
- FEMME CASTRATRICE
- THE LONE SURVIVOR
- FILM ANALYSIS OF YOU'RE NEXT
- THE EVOLUTION
- WHO IS THE REAL MONSTER?
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper aims to present the evolution of the Final Girl into the Final Woman, exploring the updated characteristics of the trope. It investigates how the horror genre, particularly slasher and home invasion films, portrays female characters, examining the concepts of the Femme Castratrice and the Final Girl. The paper analyzes the film You're Next to highlight the emergence of the Final Woman and to address the question of who the real monster is.
- The evolution of the Final Girl trope
- The portrayal of femininity in horror films
- The concept of the Femme Castratrice
- The role of the Final Girl as the lone survivor
- The emergence of the Final Woman in contemporary horror films
Chapter Summaries
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the paper's topic and establishes the context by examining a real-life case of a man who dressed as a slasher movie character and committed a violent crime. The chapter then explores the concept of the Final Girl and its evolution into the Final Woman.
- The Genre Horror and its Sub-Genres: This chapter provides a brief overview of the horror genre, its history, and its various sub-genres. It specifically focuses on the slasher and home invasion genres, which are relevant to the paper's central themes.
- Femininity in Horror Films: This chapter discusses the portrayal of women in horror films, highlighting their common roles as victims, monsters, and lone survivors. The chapter explores the concept of the Femme Castratrice and its implications for understanding female characters in slasher films.
- Femme Castratrice: This chapter delves deeper into the concept of the Femme Castratrice, examining its origins and its representation in horror films. It explores the idea of castration anxiety and how it influences the portrayal of women as both castrators and victims in slasher films.
- The Lone Survivor: This chapter explores the trope of the Final Girl, analyzing its characteristics and its role in slasher films. It examines how the Final Girl embodies both heroism and a thin line between victim and monster.
Keywords
This paper explores the evolution of the Final Girl trope in horror films, examining the portrayals of femininity, the Femme Castratrice, the Final Girl, the Final Woman, slasher films, home invasion films, and castration anxiety. The analysis of the film You're Next illustrates the emergence of the Final Woman and the complexities of identifying the real monster in horror narratives.
- Citar trabajo
- Melanie Höpfler (Autor), 2019, The Evolution of the "Final Girl" in the Movie "You’re Next". Women in Horror Movies, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/499155
