How are Women represented in horror movies?

Typically, women are portrayed as weak characters and are always in need of male protection. They are represented in a stereotypical way which is often as vulnerable victims that are so helpless. They are seen either screaming or doing unrealistic such as running the wrong way while of course, the male characters hold it together. The women either end up outsmarting the villain or survive by luck.

In some movies women aren't always represented as helpless, destined to fail in tragic. In Friday the 13th, there is a young woman who must put all the pieces of the mystery together and save her friends in order to survive the night. Surprisingly she survives the night and not a single male does in the course of the film. At one point in Friday the 13th, the women are represented in a negative way. There are several scenes where the women are naked; these type of scenes makes some viewers not feel so sympathetic towards them as they are portrayed as sex symbols. However in the end the girl is seen in a positive light as she survives which shows that she is a powerful and bold protagonist.






In Hostel Part II, women are represented as insignificant, needy, weak characters (the stereotypical representation of women in horror movies). Throughout the course of the film, the female protagonist is constantly in need of being saved. All the women in Hostel are portrayed as paranoid and disorientated.  Just by watching the trailer of this horror movie, it is established very quickly that ultimately, the female is going to be the victim.

All in all, I believe that women are used for plots and atmosphere in horror movies. I think they are mostly represented as helpless and defenceless symbols to put it simply. I believe that here are very few horror movies where the women are able to stand on their own two feet.