In the 1996 horror thriller, Scream, is a film that symbolizes the contents of what it takes to be a slasher film. Scream can be interpreted as an example of what it means to be the final girl in a horror film. In Carol Clover’s article, “Her Body, Himself” it discusses very well in how the final girl is portrayed and how she plays out in the film. It is apparent to viewers that the final girl is always more masculine and less feminine than the rest of the characters throughout the movie. The final girl is also never sexually active unlike other girls in horror films. This is shown in Scream when Sidney states that she wants a PG-13 relationship with her boyfriend Billy, presuming she doesn’t want to have sex. This foreshadows that Sidney is going to be the final girl. Often times in horror films the killer never seems to use a gun during his killing spree.
In “Her Body, Himself” guns are not present in killers hands. However, the killers preferred weapons are more of a knife, needles, and pitchforks. In Scream, the killer’s weapon is his knife. It is clear to viewers that when Billie first attacks Casey outside of her house he is going to use a knife on her. On the other hand if Billie just wanted to kill her instantly he very well could have used a gun. This draws viewers closer to the film because with using the knife it gives the suspense if Casey is going to get away or not. This also has a Mise-en Scene type of feel to it because of how the lighting is in the house and the fact that she is home alone and the phone keeps ringing but no one is talking.
Source: Dimension films, 1996, Scream
(Casey getting stabbed with a knife by killer in her final seconds)
What makes horror films so suspenseful is you never really see who the killer is or what their identity is. The only thing that is evidently clear about the killer is the killer is male and his main victims are young beautiful females that are mostly sexually free states Clover in her article. In Scream it’s a unique scenario. Most of the movie it appears to the audience that we don’t know who the killer is, what he looks like, if he is even his male. However towards the end of the movie we get an unusual surprise regarding horror films. The audience gets to witness who the killer was the whole time, however, in this case it is who the killers were. Slasher films are a different breed of movie when it comes to movie genres. Slasher films have many different elements and rules in their movies which makes it that much more intense and horrifying. Scream outlays all of these elements and rules which makes it pleasing to watch for some viewers.
Source: Dimension films, 1996, Scream
(Revealing of killers in scream)
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