The Gothic Horror archetypes

During Kat’s seminar, we looked at how and why horror films are watched/read by certain genders/ages. Below are the notes I have taken down in lesson from the PowerPoint:

Gender – men:

Men are the expendable gender. To put it simply, men are neither supposed nor allowed to be dependant. They are expected to take care of others and themselves. And when they cannot or will not do it, then the assumption at the heart of the culture is that they are somehow less than men and therefore unworthy of help. An irony asserts itself; by being in need of help, men forfeit the right to it.

Female Horror archetypes:

• Sex crazed bimbo
• Badass babe
• The smart one
• The bitch
• The invisible one
• The witch
• The postmodern 
• The final girl, e.g.: Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scream, The Ring, Jeepers Creepers, Saw II, etc.

Blondes:

• Slashers tend to prefer blondes.
• Blondes make the best victims. They’re like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints – Alfred Hitchcock

Double Standard: Abuse – female on male:

• It's humorous and funny?
• Retribution
• Women aren't really strong enough to harm a man, unless a weak man
• Men have done something really bad to be injured by a woman
• Women would only resort to violence when necessary

The Attraction to Horror:

• Temptation to play God?
• Interest/ fear of death
• The possibility of salvation
• The opportunity to see things that are taboo
• Affinity with the monster within us all
• Addressing man’s inhumanity to man
• People like to be scared

Target Audience:

• Male aged 14-35 years old
• The reason why they want to fear of someone or something is because they want an adrenaline rush. 
• In the past, horror films or TV series were mainly enjoyed by white male teens. But nowadays, the biggest demographic is women. For instance, the demographic for 'The Walking Dead' is female who aged 18-49 years old.

Horror is a great vehicle for this demographic because it:

• Has a limited amount of ideas to be explored
• Often features metaphors for life
• Offers cautionary tales (horrific consequences of the actions of the protagonists)
• Explores social commentary
• Explores fear of the unknown
• Explores awareness of our own mortality and death 
• Feathers urban myths which attract them