Revenge: A clever genre critique of the final girl and the horror genre

Life or Death

Just like that, Revenge puts Jen’s character at an interesting route: she is not the typical wholesome girl who never makes bad decisions, but she is not demonized at all for her way of life. While one could say that Jen is oblivious and even a bit stupid for thinking that this is what will make her realize her dreams,

Revenge certainly isn’t forcing the audience to think that way. Here, we have a carefree and outgoing spirit as the main character to follow throughout the film and her behavior is drastically different from that of a final girl in other slasher movies. She’s not a wholesome virgin who studies to become a doctor and she’s not shy about demanding attention from other guys. With this kind of attitude, Jen seems ripe for the role of the beautiful party girl that bites the dust early on in the film, as her carefree attitude would’ve most likely met the sharp end of a knife as punishment for embracing herself in such a manner.

But writer and director of Revenge, Coralie Fargeat, does not believe that Jen should be punished for the way that she is. In an interview with Financial Times, Fargeat explains how she doesn’t believe that Jen is the type of character that “deserves” to die or have something horrible happen to them, such as Jen’s rape scene after the dancing sequence.

Fargeat bluntly explains that “Jen can be empty and stupid and an object of desire if she wants. It shouldn’t lead to what’s going to happen next.” Jen is simply portrayed to be a girl who likes to have fun and enjoy herself. She may have deeper dreams or she may not. But by making Jen the brooding badass she becomes after her near-death experience, Fargeat makes it clear that women like her shouldn’t have to be punished by horror media traditions.

Coralie Fargeat’s point is further exemplified by the notable camera work in the second half of the film. After her rape and near-murder, Jen is forced to recover by herself, all the while hiding from the three men. During all of this, she gradually begins to develop her survival skills, treating her branch wound and surviving alone in a dark cave with a rifle to defend herself. As she gears up to kill the rest of the men, the camera still makes a point at focusing on her body, often lingering around her buttocks and torso area, all of which is covered by spandex shorts and a tank top. Just another case of Revenge exploiting Jen’s body, right? Well, yes and no.

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Yes, the camera focus is obviously calling back to earlier scenes in the film where the camera lingered around Jen’s body, keeping a consistent tone throughout with it. But in the second half, the camera’s fascination with her body is mixed in with Jen tapping into her barbaric side, systematically killing off each of the three men with nothing but the clothes on her back and a rifle. Fargeat is not treating her main protagonist like the closed-off and innocent girls of other slasher horror films, but instead, as a strong warrior, complete with full body shots of Jen standing her ground while gripping the rifle with raw intensity.

All of this is masterfully realized with Matilda Lutz‘ strong and emotional performance, in which Lutz fully embraces the physicality of the role, in terms of looks and action. Lutz fits well with the role of an outgoing and ditzy woman, but her transformation in the second half of the film, all coinciding with Lutz’ willingness to bare mostly all in the process, is what sells the idea of any woman being capable of surviving and having the freedom to live life as they please. Lutz’ Jen is certainly not a highly respected scholar or an introverted girl with dreams of opening up a veterinarian clinic, but Revenge takes all that we know of this character and asks us the bold question of “Does she still deserve to get raped?”

It may seem silly to ponder the morality of that question when it seems so obvious that she doesn’t deserve that treatment. But with how women are treated in most other horror films, where only innocent women who do what they’re told are worth surviving and those who choose to live their lives differently often get cheered as they are disemboweled onscreen, it’s becoming rare to see a horror film that implies that women don’t have to conform to a certain lifestyle in order to avoid punishment, which is something Revenge delves into with the utmost confidence and care.

Revenge is a feminist action horror-thriller that succeeds in its message of empowerment, while boldly breaking down character stereotypes. In doing so, Revenge becomes a smart and stinging critique on the horror genre and its sense of morality as a whole, all under the guise of a Robert Rodriguez/George Miller inspired cinematic tale. This isn’t the kind of movie that suggests that the final girl HAS to be like Jen, but instead, it is a movie that proudly showcases that the final girl CAN be like Jen. No reason to stay stagnated because of tradition.

Revenge is now available on streaming and home video, including streaming on Shudder!