Representation In Films

Representation can be shown through a variety of ways which includes different genders, different ethnic groups, different classes and different ages. These can all be used to portray either an individual or a group of people in a stereotypical or non-stereotypical way.

Different Genders

Within horror films males are generally associated as being the villain. This is because men are often stereotyped as being strong, powerful, intelligent, brave, dominant and aggressive. Males are often used as the villain in horror films because most people see them as having power over women and it makes the film more convincing. An example of a male being in control and in power is in the horror film Saw as the man is disguised using a mask and has a male victim chained to the table. Although women are often stereotyped as being the weak and afraid ones, males are also sometimes featured as being the victim. Saw V is an example of this as the victim is a man chained down to a table and close up shots of his face have been used to show how afraid and scared he is. However in most cases woman are commonly associated as being the victim in horror films as they are stereotyped as being weak, afraid, feminine, powerless, emotional, material and not in control. One reason because of this is the way that women react and act to pain as they scream a lotmore than men. An example of this is in the opening sequence of Skream 4 is when the girl skreams as her friend gets stabbed.Women are also commonly seen as being very vulnerable and an easier victim to capture for the villain.

Different Ages

Within horror films ages vary from being very young such as a teenager to being much older such as an adult. Adults are commonly stereotyped as being the villain in horror movies as they are often seen as being the most experienced and intelligent in life and have much more knowledge of what they are doing than younger poeple such as teenagers. Older people are also seen as being much more powerful for example in the horror film Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) the villain is a male adult who kills many youths and teenagers as they are much more vulnerable and easier to kill. Younger people such as children are seen as being sweet, innocent, caring and reliant on others for care. Teenagers are shown as being more aggressive, lazy, violent and getting in trouble for crime. Examples of this are such films as Disturbia where the teenage boy named Kale gets in trouble for punching his teacher because of what he said about his dad. 

Different Classes 

Classes are represented in different ways depending on the genre. In horror films lower-class/working-class people are often represented as being aggressive, lazy, lonely, depressed, sad and criminalistic. An example of this is in the film is in Saw as the villain gets extremely paranoid when people dont appreciate life therefore he decides to go crazy and thinks they deserve to be torured or killed in the most painfulest ways. In contrast, people who are middle class in a horror film usually live a normal life and behave in a happy, good, clever and kind. Examples of this are in the opening sequence of the film Skream 4 where the two girls are enjoying themselves at home having a conversion about horror movies and what they like about them. Rich people in horror films often seem to have a lot of power over people and get bored of what to do so in some cases they may go crazy and decide to kill people purely for entertainment. An example of this includes the film called "The Human Centipede" where the villain captures his three victims even though he lives in a huge house.

Different Ethnic Groups
Black people are often represented in horror films as being the weak and vulnerable ones. They often play the role of a police officer who is meant to be powerful and in control however in most cases the villain ends up killing them. Asian/half cast people in horror films are represented as being powerful, aggressive, in control, dominant and strong. An example of this is in Saw 5 where there are 5 people fighting to get a key to free themselves and whilst everyone is panicking the asian guy isn't worried at all and goes straight for his key. White people are often represented as being the hero in a horror film especially male white people. This is because they are stereotyped as being strong, dominant, poweful and in control.