Gritos, sangue e facadas: um estudo da evolução do tropo final girl no subgênero do horror slasher

Abstract

During the late 1970s, with the release of Halloween (1978) and its heroine Laurie Strode, a new character trope is inaugurated and popularized by the slasher/stalker subgenre: the final girl. This type of character stands out for being the only one in his group to survive the attack perpetuated by a serial maniac and can be classified as an idealized figure and bearer of moralizing characteristics. As a general objective of the work, we sought to determine the narrative, material and imagery choices involved in the conception of this character and its main changes over time, as well as highlighting the potentialities present in this character trope when conceived by a female director. The methodological path used focused on two stages: the first focusing on reviewing the theoretical studies relevant to the topic and, the following, focusing on carrying out an investigative analysis of characters. To this end, two distinct blocks of analysis were listed: the first carried out through a male lens, with representatives of the canon; and the second, elaborated through a feminine lens, demonstrating the potential contained in the subversion and reimagination of the trope. As a result, we observed that the trope did not remain completely faithful to the classic model established in the 1970s, demonstrating a gradual evolution over the years. However, it was predominantly in productions led by a feminine vision that the powers of final girl reached their peak, in truly progressive reinterpretations of characters who, far from being accomplices to a patriarchal agenda, act as agents of destruction of that same masculine order. and limiting.