Men, Women and Chainsaws Reading

What does Clover mean by the 'female victim hero'?

Clover describes the female victim hero to be a victim who is firstly, female, and secondly, is subject to some kind of victimisation such as bullying. The character is then seen to become negative, demonic and excessive to take her revenge, but 'the hero part is always understood as implying some degree of monstrosity'.

Carrie is the example of a 'female victim hero' that is talked about most by Clover in the extract. She was made fun of before puberty because of her 'strange clothes and shy mannerisms' and when she gets her first period in the locker room showers, and yet again becomes the but of the joke. After a bucket of pigs blood being dumped on her head after she is lead to believe she is prom queen, she takes her revenge by using the 'force of her telekinetic will' to make the gym go up in flames, her school mates and bullies up with it. Carrie ticks all the boxes for being a 'female victim hero'. For starters, she is a female. Secondly, she is victimised and bullied at the beginning of the film, and lastly she becomes a form of hero as she takes revenge on those who bullied her, although she does this in a monstrous way.

         

Why does Clover say that males relate to the female in horror films, in particularly the 'final girl?

Clover suggests that due to the victim/final girl in horror films often being bullied, harassed or made fun of, this makes them relatable for males (the primary audience for this genre of film). They relate to this so well because it is not uncommon for men to have experienced these things in the form of 'locker room banter', often at school, and therefore have the same type of experiences that the final girl has in the film. This is also added to by the fact that the antagonist of villain, is the bully and humiliator, which most men have not experienced the role. It may be that this binary opposition of the bully and the bullied somewhat makes it seem like you have to choose a side to relate to, as they are so different to each other, leading to the relation to the final girl.


Why does Clover suggest that horror research is problematic?
Clover suggests that horror research is problematic due to the fact that horror audiences are less analysed than audiences of other genres. This is often due to horror films being made independently on a low budget, and therefore not having the means to analyse their audience, plus aiming their work at a more mainstream audience limits this also. In previous research, it has been shown that the most dominant audience for horror films is young men in both groups and solo, Clover also produced research that reinforced this, but it also became evident that people that are middle aged and also middle class often enjoy the horror genre too.

Who does Clover suggest makes up the typical horror audience?
Clover reveals in the reading that, as said above, young men in both groups and solo make up the majority of the audience of the horror genre. Groups of both men and women are also significant in the audience, and groups of adolescent girls often fill in the gaps for the horror audience. But she also tells us that middle aged adults often enjoy the genre too.


Was there parity between horror audiences in regards to those who watched horror films at the cinema and those who watched them at home through rental?

Clover was able to identify parity between horror audiences who watched through cinema and rentals by the audience. Both of these ways of watching horror films have audiences that are majority made up of young males, but also significant amounts of couples (spurring from the woman wanting the man to look brave, so they can be 'looked after') and young girls. The research shows that audiences are similar for rentals, but Clover does point out that it is not always the person who rents the film who actually watching it, somewhat slanting the results.

What are the two ways identified by Clover in which audiences identify with characters?
Carol Clover says that audiences identify with characters through two types of identification: primary and secondary. Primary identification is the use of camera, often using shot types such as POV. This use of camera links into Laura Mulvey's 'male gaze theory' that we are often shown a scene from the point of view from a heterosexual male, and are made to be voyeurs. This also contributes to the large majority of horror viewers being male, as they identify with the shots. Secondary identification is the characters empathetic voice. Clover says that 'a characters identification is linked to the viewers psyche', for example the sadistic monster and the masochistic victim.