Girls on Film: Issues of Misogyny and the Female Figure in Slasher Films

Women in horror films are often seen as victims. But what about those women who don't die at the hands of a monster? What about the women who are the murderers? What about the women who survive and make it to the sequel? This text explores the "strong" female characters in horror films, specifically how these women are ultimately still characterized as victims. The book includes an examination of female murderers in American horror films, as well focusing specifically on the Italian gialli films of Dario Argento. Also investigated are those women who survive the film, but whose power is ultimately diminished. Many famous horror franchises of the 1970s through the 1980s, as well as some of the most famous writers, directors and actresses in the horror are discussed at length. And ultimately the reader is given an in-depth look into the so-called powerful women of horror.