Character representations

In what ways do genre code and conventions determine how particular characters are represented in the films we have studied?

For this task I will be scrutinising and analysing how genre conventions define particular characters within “The Decent and The Horror of Dracula.”

Firstly, the most obvious film that distinctively influences characters representation is “Horror Of Dracula” as it clearly portrays an in-difference of gender between males and females. This has been shown as females such as Lucy and Mina Holmwood are deemed inferior and to an extent sexualised through their actions and representation. Evidence of this has been displayed as they seem to be “tamed” as they only speak and abbreviate their opinions out loud once spoken to and therefore this indicates a level of control that males have of counter partners. In addition towards the beginning of the film the dominant male gendered characters such as Dracula subject the female characters to a position of object-ism as they are tossed across the fore room as an item showing the in-significance that women possessed in the late 1950s. Lastly, this particular film amplifies women as being inferior greater than modernised horror films as it has elements of traditional views such as “women should be house wife’s and should cater to her families and husband’s needs” as it was created in 1958; this particularly relates to Laura Maulvey’s Male Gaze theory as the film is perceived from a male prospective enhancing attributes of sexualism and inferiority; relating this to the film this has been represented as women are deemed incapable and weak to fend of Dracula and therefore to some extent need protection therefore increasing the credibility of males.

In relation to Horror of Dracula, The Decent also shares similar characteristics with a modernised twist. An example of this is the setting in which the film establishes the characters which is a murky and obscure cave. In regards to horror films this is a typical and iconic theme as it amplifies the distinction of darkness and fear to play with the audiences emotions. As like The Horror of Dracula this creates a sense of vulnerability and adds to the story of survival of the fittest. However, both of these films are horror films but The Decent manages to actually frighten the audience through the use of deranged villains and fast cuts of Rembrandt lighting showing snippets of the deformed “Crawlers”; this portrays a larger sense of danger as this particular film provides the audiences with more blood and disfigurement therefore creating a more severe narrative than The horror of Dracula.   

In additions the way in which characters are represented can help establish the genre and create individuals as weak or strong. In many horror films there is a continuous element of good v evil and therefore this code has been portrayed in both of these particular films as The Decent connotes this by having the Crawlers as the evil villains and the good could be described as “Sarah”.  

Most horror films all follow genre codes and conventions and the most obvious are;

Blonde girls are represented as weak and therefore are the first to die

The rule of 3 where situations happen in three

Usually based in a sub-urban location

Elements of good v evil

However both films use these conventions extremely differently as The horror of Dracula implements a more suttel approach and therefore evokes the characters deeper into the story and this is represented as there is minimal scenes of blood and violence in contrast to The Decent as this purely focuses on survival and therefore the characters are portrayed as strong and united as a team with elements of deceit. This was evident in The decent as we foreshadow that the leader of the pack “Juno” unlawfully had an affair with her best friends husband and this created a sense of revenge and anger with is also evident in The horror of Dracula once Arthur Holmwood seeks revenge on Dracula for attacking his wife and sister and therefore this shows typical conventions of a horror film.    

In conclusion, I think that genre conventions play a key role in the way in which characters are represented as particular traits can establish the genre and give films the “horror” factor. By also establishing the correct location it enables the film to effectively display traditional horror themes, this has been clearly represented in The Decent as an underground cave system has been used and therefore is dark and gloomy which leaves the ideal setting to show horrific deformed villains.  

Van Helsing

Van Helsing first appears in the Horror Of Dracula as being superior straight away as the scene within the tavern displays all the males and female glaring towards him showing signs of superiority and authority. Van Helsing is objected as being different to the other characters within this scene as his clothing is more sophisticated unlike the other characters more ordinary/casual dressing. This could be perceived as a higher social class and wealth as his general persona and language used is more desirable.


In addition the film is set in 1958 and therefore any type of doctor was deemed exceptionally intelligent and possessed a high level of authority and power. However this was shortly contradicted by the on-slaughter  of question about his best friend Harker and Dracula which shows a sign of Van Helsing subjecting his power and authority as the Inn keeper had a hinder of hesitation within his voice when both of the names where mentioned alarming Van Helsing.
In addition Van Helsing is perceived as extremely smart as he uses his genuineness to make the other characters unconsciously abide by him therefore he shows traits of being extremely suttley manipulative. Lastly he is also represented as being lightly heroic as he leaves the tavern knowing the risk that is alongside trying to kill Dracula but still braves on for the journey to his castle.


In conclusion Van Helsing is represented as an extremely powerful, superior and slightly manipulative character throughout the film. This has been implemented with the consistent high camera shots of him and most of the characters confining in him which shows a degree of respect and authority. lastly he is deemed to be very persuasive and smart as he made Arthur Holmwood help him for the search for Dracula against his will.  

Dracula Question

DRACULA-Question
Plan- Why are females inferior & sexualised beings
cannot fend for themselves and need physically/mentally protecting
The have no power or authority over the counter partners
Traditional house wife's (1958 time period main stream amount of women didn't work/ tended the children)
The rights of women where dismissed/ time film was set
Women represented as slightly provocative- Sexualised features e.g clothing, typography
Ties in with codes and conventions of a virgin survives (purity)

Women are perceived in this film as being inferior and to a certain degree helpless in context to Dracula as the type of cinematography is used to implement power and authority. Throughout the film the women are positioned to the audience in a low and slightly canted angle shot to display the dominance over their counter partners. This displays to an extent that women are incapable and powerless to defend themselves and therefore need males (Dracula) to fend for them.

In addition there is elements of genderistic rivalry as we envelop the idea that women are weaker and have a lower class of authority within society as females are subjected to obey and carry-out tasks which they are treated to a degree as a "rag doll". This has been proven as we witness Dracula toss the Vampire women as an object across the fore-room.

However in relation to the "Male Gaze Theory" this has been heavily applied as we are subjected to the film from a male prospective and this therefore creates commonality of female nudity which helps solidify that women are sexualised beings. Although, this theory also relates to the way in which the female characters have been presented and therefore we can clearly identify traits such as the tone of language and costume to how this makes them personalized property to the dominant male genders, this can be identify with the relationship between Arthur and Mina Holmwood.The second point that I stumbled upon was how women where represented as traditional house wife's and are incapable of maintaining a job. This showed a proportion of egotistical behavior towards the females in this film as it was set in 1958 and therefore has been created shortly after world war 2. This carried the traditional features that women purely had one purpose and that was to stay and home and provide for their family and children.

Similarly, females are also depicted as being non-resistant and therefore this has been supported by Dracula being able to bite them and the female characters unable to escape the grasp of Dracula. This implements signs of weakness and debilitation as they are in some circumstances in the guidance of male dominance.

The last distinction that has clearly been shown in The Horror Of Dracula is the stereotypical roles that both genders usually abide by. This film clearly substitutes the women into playing a role of a "House Wife" and displays obvious female characteristics such as tending to the children and keeping the house hold in order. However this is the complete opposite to the males perception of characteristics as they are seen as hero's embracing danger and solving the narrative making them seem superior to the females.

On the contrary characters are represented in terms of genre characteristics, this has therefore been used within this horror film as we see the "helpless" women unable to defend themselves when danger occurs. This theme has consistent occurred throughout the duration of the film as all three women get attacked and non other them can protect themselves against count Dracula and therefore displays elements of inferior qualities and also sexualisation as males have to accompany them. This interlinks with the Male Gaze theory as the story is perceived from a male prospective and therefore these small representations are amplified to evoke an opinion on the females with in the film.

Lastly the sound used helps display a sense of authority as Dracula does not speak throughout most of the film but his on-screen presence is on a large magnitude as a type of perpetuated sound helps establish Dracula's arrival and his authority and importance he possess.

Finally, this film abides by codes and conventions as it supplements obvious traits such as the pure (virgin) survives against all odds. This also in ties with the rule of 3 which means that events happen in 3s and this has been displayed as there was 3 attacks and 3 main characters and so forth. by following these codes and conventions it has enabled the film to meet horror genre criteria's and therefore like most horror film exploit females into being sexualised and "desperate" for survival.

Hammer Studio

Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies – and in later years, television series. During its most successful years, Hammer dominated the horror film market, enjoying worldwide distribution and considerable financial success. This success was due, in part, to distribution partnerships with major United States studios, such as Warner Bros.

Hammer Film Productions
is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies – and in later years, television series. During its most successful years, Hammer dominated the horror film market, enjoying worldwide distribution and considerable financial success. This success was due, in part, to distribution partnerships with major United States studios, such as Warner Bros.

Hammer studios have currently produced over 211 films including the main titles such as the curse of frankinstien and the horror of dracula

The Male Gaze Laura Mulvey

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Laura Mulvey

Before talking about the male gaze, it is first important to introduce its parent concept: the gaze. According to past studies the gaze is a concept used for “analysing visual culture… that deals with how an audience views the people presented.” The types of gaze are primarily categorized by who is doing the looking.

While the ideas behind the concept were present in earlier uses of the gaze, the introduction of the term “the male gaze” can be traced back to Laura Mulvey and her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” which was published in 1975. In it, Mulvey states that in film women are typically the objects, rather than the possessors, of gaze because the control of the camera (and thus the gaze) comes from factors such as the as the assumption of heterosexual men as the default target audience for most film genres. While this was more true in the time it was written, when Hollywood protagonists were overwhelmingly male, the base concept of men as watchers and women as watched still applies today, despite the growing number of movies targeted toward women and that feature female protagonists.