Women in horror month: Five females who fought back
By Carla Davis
3. Erin – You’re Next
Erin tags along with her boyfriend on a celebratory trip to stay with his family for his parents’ upcoming anniversary. The family members are mostly unlikeable, and as they are seated at the dining room table for dinner, an arrow is shot from a crossbow outside, skewering one of the guests.
What follows is a series of gory murders as the family members are killed off one by one, and it seems as though everyone is destined to die. But, Erin isn’t going to make it easy for the killers. It turns out that her father was a survivalist, and she has mad skills, making her one of the most resourceful women in horror.
You’re Next is a very bloody film, but it’s also a lot of fun. The traps set by Erin are inventive, as well as effective, and she manages to not only fight off the surprise ringleader of the murderous group, but also to be a very deserving final girl.
Of course, there is that tricky ending…
You’re Next is currently streaming on various platforms, including Vudu, Tubi and Amazon Prime.
2. Jen – Revenge
Like many women in horror, Jen appears at first to be a highly-sexualized stereotype. When we first see her, she is sitting in a helicopter sucking on a lollipop, all blonde hair, and long legs. Given that she is on a clandestine weekend getaway with her rich, married boyfriend Richard, we think we know what kind of young woman she is: spoiled, snotty, accustomed to getting her way by using her good looks.
When two of Richard’s creepy friends show up early for a planned hunting trip, the group parties by the pool that evening, where Jen’s dancing captures Stan’s attention, and he convinces himself that she wants him. The next morning, Richard runs an errand and Stan ends up raping Jen in a truly harrowing scene, while his buddy allows it to happen.
Jen tearfully tells Richard what happened when returns and he tries to pay her off to just forget about it. She ain’t havin’ it, and runs out into the desert, pursued by the three men. Her loving boyfriend pushes her off a cliff, and she ends up impaled on a bare tree, seemingly dead. But, when the men drive down to dispose of her body, she is nowhere to be found. She’s alive…and boy, is she ticked off!
Dirty, bloody and gravely injured, Jen is out for, you guessed it, revenge. In a really great visual, Jen ends up clad in only a sports bra and boy shorts, but there we no longer view her as a sex object. Now her lean body just looks athletic, and the men chase her until she catches them.
Revenge is extremely violent and bloody, but there is great satisfaction in seeing this bimbo turned bad**s give these horrible men exactly what they deserve.
You can watch Revenge on the horror streaming service Shudder.