the horror of Dracula essay

Charlotte singleton.   Film essay

How are women represented as inferior and sexualised beings in ‘The horror of Dracula’? 

The horror of Dracula is a Terrance Fisher, hammer horror film that is very much a gothical horror. It was released 16^th June 1958 however the film was set in may 1885 at this time period women were on a different sphere to men. The issue of women being inferior and a lower gender to men was very much an issue at this time of which the film was made. Women where seen to stay at home and do the household chore’s and to have and look after the children.

At the beginning of the film we see a women who lives in Draculas castle she is specifically pinpointed to the statement of ‘women being inferior and sexualised in the film’. We see her asking /begging for help from Harker. Fisher has used this showing women having to rely on men for help and support which makes the male feel they have a higher status in life as they see women to be reliant upon them rather than independent. Also a woman in need of help fits the category of damsel in distress. Continuing to focus on how the statement could fit the first woman in the film we see her low cut dress would have been quite inappropriate and is drawing attention to her assets which places her as a sexualised being. She has to flaunt herself to be noticed by men, which makes her venerable as well as sexualised. The red lipstick together with the low cut dress Fisher has made her to be quite a seductive character in the film. The male gaze becomes apparent in this part if the film.

The next victim in the film is Lucy Holmwood who is sick. Dracula targets her. She is represented in a sexualised way as she becomes addicted to Dracula coming to bite her. The fact that she almost has pleasure from it represents her to be inferior by ‘laying herself on a plate’ for Dracula also when we first see her she is represented as an innocent

Young girl with her high cut night gown and her religious cross around her neck however she takes it off and pulls her

Collar down to show her neck. This contrasts our first perception of her and we now think she fits the statement.

On Van Helsing’s way to the castle of Dracula he stops off at the same place of which Harker stopped at the beginning and asks if they know anything about the whereabouts of his friend Harker. We see inferiority of men to women in this scene as the woman openly begins to tell him about what she knows however the owner puts a stop to her freely speaking to him and she then goes quite after the word of the man.  Although she still gives Van Helsing the diary she found the fact that she had to do it secretly shows she could also be classed as an inferior woman in this film.

The maid of the Holmewood house is a woman who has been used to portray the difference between the rich and the poor according to gender. The fact that mina holmewood is a well of women is because she has a husband to be that way however the maid is a single woman and is having to rely on her money wage from Mr Holemwood to keep her going in life. If she were a richer woman she wouldn’t be working as a maid to serve the family. Maybe this is Fishers point of women being inferior to men and only if they were married to a man would they lead a richer life. However I disagree that the maid is shown as a sexualised being in the film. The maid was also shown to be a ‘damsel in distress’ and needed the help from the two men in the house. As she was almost hysterical, Van Helsing slapped her round the face which she took showing the authority of men vs. women although he did not mean it in offence in the modern day that would not be acceptable.

The next victim for Dracula was Mina holmewood. Mina is represented as a richer well-dressed presentable woman in

society she fits the stereotypical wife in the era the film was set in. wearing high collared tops, hair up, minimal makeup etc. however as like Lucy, when Dracula has put his power on her she also wears her hair down lower cut tops and red lipstick and becomes more of a sexualised being in the film. Although she is portrayed to be quite a strong woman at the beginning when meeting her, she also has to rely on the help of the men to release her from the power of Dracula.

In conclusion it is notable that all the victims that are targeted by Dracula are women excluding Harker. The men became the heroes as they saved the day, which just goes to show that the statement could certainly apply to this film only the men could have been heroic.