Horror has stood the test of time as one of the most iconic and influential genres in film. Despite how rich the genre is with creativity and originality, one concept seems to draw in many directors, especially male directors, to one concept in their films: gratuitous violence against women. 

In reality, the graphic murder and often rape scenes in these films are the truth for many women around the world. It is estimated that around one in three women is abused either physically or sexually by a partner or stranger at least once in their life. This is a real fear that follows women and girls throughout their lives, and it’s being used in many mainstream horror films.

In the genre of horror, most films are known for their violent death scenes, and most of them include women. Some of the most iconic moments from these films are women being killed. Consider the last time you saw a female killer in a traditional horror film.

Male killers in typical horror movies, especially those in the slasher sub-genre, aren’t just viewed as threats; they’re portrayed as unstoppable beings. This archetype is meant to portray a type of hyper-masculinity that asserts dominance through the means of violence. It’s no mistake that a character crafted to dominate through violence has his victims be primarily women and girls. 

Female victims in slasher films oftentimes aren’t given proper characterization, other than being traditionally feminine and “stupid.” These characters, often teenage girls, are shown to be easy targets for violence and as passive objects with no personality other than fawning over their boyfriends and being obnoxious. 

Women and girls in slasher films also have their sexuality marked up as a death sentence. Female characters who are shown to be engaging in sex are more than likely the ones to be killed. This spreads a harmful idea that women who engage in sex are somehow “lesser” than those who don’t.

This trope is commonly called the “Final Girl” narrative. It enforces the idea that sexual purity is tied to survival, while sexual expression is viewed as punishable. Having female characters who are shown to have sex be killed off while having the woman who doesn’t live, strengthens this narrative in society that female sexuality must be policed and contained.

Male characters are, of course, also targeted by killers in horror films; this doesn’t make up for the fact that women are shown to be the victims of sexual violence at disproportionate rates in these films. Horror films will often use rape scenes, not because it’s important for the character or furthers the story in any way, but it’s for shock value.

Rape scenes in horror films are known for being prolonged and, at worst, fetishistic for the pleasure of the male audience. These scenes have gross close-ups of the woman or girl being victimized in such a way that places more of a shock factor than actually helping the story progress.

The horror film “I Spit On Your Grave,”  released in 1979, is infamous for its twenty-minute rape scene of the lead character. She is raped by multiple men, but in the end of the movie her assailants are murdered, as if that makes up for the long, drawn-out rape. This film has become notorious for this plot device, yet it’s also critically acclaimed. 

The graphic scene being shown on screen for twenty minutes is inexcusable. The rape itself was done in an objectifying manner, which added nothing of value to the story when a simple fade to black would have granted a similar feeling of visceral terror.

With graphic rape scenes like this one, it often serves as an outlet for men to feel arousal from the attack, regardless of whether it was the intention of the director or not. Especially when considering the nature of the scenes use hyper sexualized depictions of the girls in the film and the rape scene itself. When watching a scene of this nature, ask this: Does it serve any purpose to the storyline, and can it be removed with little to no impact on the plot?

To me, a good rule of thumb for writing horror is this: If you can use anything other than rape, don’t use rape. It’s an especially sensitive topic that many horror directors struggle with portraying with tact and tastefulness. Male directors, even ones with the best of intentions, will most likely drop the ball. It’s disturbing, yes, and I do think it can be shown, but it needs to be done as respectfully as possible. 

The usage of rape with no substance in horror films adds to the trivialization of it as a traumatic thing that happens to one in three women. If our films are something to be thrown into a film with no reason, why wouldn’t that influence how the rest of the world sees it? 

Female victimization through the form of prolonged and almost sexualized rape and torture scenes puts the viewer in a voyeuristic position. Like it’s a spectacle to behold through a peephole. A glance at the oppression of women through film to gawk at, while turning away to the real violence women go through. 

The usage of unnecessary rape in horror isn’t just a lame, cheap shot; it also has real-life implications for how men view women. This can be found within research studies that show the change in attitude with men after consuming that type of media. 

Studies have shown that after viewing slasher films, male college students have been reported to feel less empathy for female murder and rape victims. The men in the study view women who are attacked as less injured than they truly are and are more likely to engage with the false idea that women secretly enjoy rape. 

Another study showed that exposure to mass media consumption of gratuitous violence against women leads to an increased likelihood of the acceptance of violence against women. The study was conducted in the 1980s using 271 male and female students. The study indicated that exposure to sexual violence against women increased sexual aggression in men and made it more likely for men to engage in violence against women in their personal lives.

This isn’t to say that I don’t think you can or should implement these topics into horror films. As I said before, they need to be addressed in a tasteful and not dramatized way for shock value. Multiple directors whom I deeply respect have done this subject with class and given it the dignity it deserved. 

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) is a great example of how to add female pain in horror. The film is a prequel to the series, Twin Peaks (1989), as it follows the last few days of Laura Palmer’s life. What makes the film so controversial, both now and back in the 90s, is the revelation of Laura’s life, which had her being sexually abused by her father.

In the 90s, the film was panned, and director David Lynch had to spend much of the 2000s rebuilding his reputation. The major criticism of the film during the era was the incestual abuse Laura Palmer suffered. Critics at the time called the revelation “trashy” and perverse. 

I view the film in a different light; in fact, I think it’s a great example of how to approach topics of sexual assault and violence against women. The reveal of Laura Palmer’s abuser being her father was not done gratuitously; viewers don’t get any up-close shots or twenty-minute scenes of her rape. Instead, we get something different, not a fade to black, but instead we get the sight of Laura’s father from her point of view and hear her scream, then it cuts to black to the next scene.

The scene showed that it’s possible to give the audience the horror of Laura Palmer and the disgust of the rape without the use of unjustified shots and framing. The film and male director, David Lynch, trusted the audience to connect the dots themselves and come to the conclusion that Laura’s abuser is her father, without cheap techniques to shock the viewer further. I feel like this makes the film smarter and subversive than most horror films of the past and present that have used rape and sexual assault. 

I feel like the reactions to “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me”, compared to how most audiences view other films with similar topics, especially those in the 80s-90s, are telling of how we as a society view rape. A film like the former was panned for years until recently, but some of the most iconic and recognizable horror films are praised and seen as “edgy” with their usage of unwarranted violence against women. 

Rape has been both commodified but also stigmatized in pop culture. Even when it’s shown respectfully, it’s too uncomfortable and perverse, and the director is depraved. Whereas films that gleefully showcase violence, both sexual and physical, against women with no use to the plot, are masterpieces, and the directors are authors of our time. 

I love horror films, and this is why I care so much about how women are treated in them. Horror as a genre is so rich and has created some of the best films of our time. However, my love for the genre does not mean that it is without its flaws, and my love for it doesn’t mean I can’t critique parts that I disagree with.

Like it or not, it’s important to be critical of the media you consume, regardless of whether you enjoy it or not. As a girl who enjoys horror films, we deserve to see more positive portrayals of us on screen. A prolonged rape scene of a woman who gets killed in the end isn’t that.