Could it be that One Monster has created Another: The Final Girl in 1980's Slasher Films and Halloween (2018) as a Representation of Ideals and Social Issues in 1980s' America as well as Contemporary America: The Final Girl in 1980's Slasher Films and Halloween (2018) as a Representation of Ideals and Social Issues in 1980s' America as well as Contemporary America
Translated title
Could it be that One Monster has created Another? The Final Girl in 1980's Slasher Films and Halloween (2018) as a Representation of Ideals and Social Issues in 1980s' America as well as Contemporary America
Author
Lindved, Martin Gylding
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-06-01
Pages
62
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan “Final Girl”-figuren – den sidste overlevende unge kvinde, der konfronterer morderen i en slasherfilm – fremstilles i Halloween (2018) sammenlignet med slasherfilm fra 1980’erne. Målet er at se, hvad denne figur kan fortælle om ligheder og forskelle mellem amerikansk samfundsliv i 1980’erne og i dag, og om hendes fremstilling har ændret sig. Udgangspunktet er, at horror ofte spejler samtidens bekymringer. I 1980’erne handlede disse blandt andet om frygt for atomar udslettelse og AIDS-epidemien, og popkulturen bar generelt præg af disse temaer. Samtidig kom der reaktioner på Reagan-tidens politik, som blev set som til gavn for overklassen på bekostning af underklassen, og kvindeorganisationen NOW mødte et markant tilbageslag fra konservative kræfter, nostalgiske efter 1950’ernes kønsroller. Det var i denne periode, at slashergenren fik stort gennemslag. Nogle mener, at genren delvis blev populær, fordi den blev opfattet som en del af et antifeministisk backlash, hvor “promiskuøse” teenagere blev straffet på film for at bryde normerne. Andre forhold var også medvirkende: diskussion og omtale omkring kontroverser hjalp film på små budgetter til succes, og genren samlede greb fra tidligere film. Den originale Halloween indførte desuden den tilsyneladende uovervindelige morder, som senere gjorde det lettere at skabe lange filmserier. “Final Girl” er blevet tolket både som en feministisk ikonfigur og som en stand-in for et mandligt perspektiv – to læsninger, der kan virke modstridende. Når hun læses som feministisk, begrundes det typisk i, at hun handler aktivt og overlever, eller i at hun hævner sig med metoder, der spejler morderens. Analysen af Halloween (2018) peger på, at filmen både afspejler nutidige bekymringer og bevidst vækker nostalgi for slasherfilm. Samtidig fremstilles slashergenren som mindre “ekstrem” end de problemer, nutiden rummer, og dermed ude af trit med tiden. Overraskende kan filmen også læses som mere konservativ end mange 1980’er-eksempler. Det kan hænge sammen med, at 2018’s politiske klima minder om 1980’ernes, med en omstridt præsident og en igangværende modreaktion mod medier, der opfattes som feministiske. Samtidig kan filmen være tænkt som en feministisk fortælling, hvor kvinder står sammen; det passer med en postmoderne forståelse af “Final Girl”, der adskiller sig fra den oprindelige, og som til tider lader hendes rolle spejle morderens. Specialet konkluderer, at det især er diskussionen om “Final Girl”, der har ændret sig, snarere end selve figurens grundlæggende definition og fremstilling. Selv ældre kvindefigurer, der tidligere ikke blev kaldt “Final Girls”, kan i dag passe ind i betegnelsen og – i et postfeministisk perspektiv – læses som feministiske ikoner.
This thesis examines how the “Final Girl” – the last surviving young woman who confronts the killer in a slasher film – is portrayed in Halloween (2018) compared with slasher films from the 1980s. The aim is to see what this figure reveals about similarities and differences between American society then and now, and whether her portrayal has changed. The starting point is that horror often reflects contemporary anxieties. In the 1980s these included fears of nuclear annihilation and the AIDS epidemic, with pop culture more broadly echoing these themes. Horror and slashers also intersected with reactions to the Reagan era, seen as benefiting the upper class while the lower class suffered, and the women’s organization NOW faced significant backlash from conservatives nostalgic for 1950s gender roles. It was during this backlash that slasher films rose to prominence. Some argue the genre’s success was tied to an anti-feminist backlash, as films seemed to punish “promiscuous” teenagers for breaking norms. Other factors also mattered: publicity around controversy helped low-budget films, and the genre drew on elements from earlier movies. The original Halloween introduced the seemingly indestructible killer, a device that later supported long-running franchises. The “Final Girl” has been read both as a feminist icon and as a surrogate for a male perspective—interpretations that can conflict. When she is read as feminist, it is typically because she acts proactively and survives, or because she takes revenge in ways that mirror the killer. Analysis of Halloween (2018) suggests the film reflects current social concerns while deliberately invoking nostalgia for classic slashers. At the same time, it presents slashers as out of step with today because real-world issues feel more extreme. Strikingly, the film can be read as more conservative than many 1980s examples. This may relate to parallels between 2018’s political climate and the 1980s—an embattled presidency and backlash against media perceived as feminist. Yet the film may also aim to be received as feminist, emphasizing women working together; this aligns with a postmodern understanding of the Final Girl that departs from the original and sometimes parallels her with the killer. The thesis concludes that it is the discourse around the Final Girl that has shifted more than the character’s basic definition and depiction. Even older female characters not previously labeled Final Girls can fit the term under newer, postfeminist readings and be seen as feminist icons.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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