This document analyzes the portrayal of gender in stalker thriller films. It notes that typically in these films, the female protagonist is presented as vulnerable and weak compared to the male antagonist. The filmmakers of this discussed thriller also portrayed the female character as vulnerable in order to conform to this stereotype of male dominance. However, they realized their stalker character, who is young with a different ethnicity than typical stalkers, challenges some stereotypes around the portrayal of stalkers in other films which usually depict white, middle-aged males.

2. After analyzing some other movies that consist of the
We presented the female character as a normal
idea of Stalkers and obsession, I have realized that in
female at college who has not done anything
some of the films I looked at the female protagonist is
negative which is similar to the wife in ‘Obsessed’
presented as weaker to the antagonist who is male. As
who just lives a normal life with her husband
they are presented as vulnerable and weak towards the
male character(such as ‘Prom night’ and ‘fatal We did not make he female character seem aggressive
Attraction’). and powerful because it is mainly the male characters
who have the dominance and power in movies. We
This is exactly what we have done in our thriller by
wanted to conform to the idea of men having the most
Making the female antagonist look vulnerable.
dominance as we felt it was the best way to show that
the girl was in danger.
The stalkers is ‘Prom night’ and ‘se7en’ are both dressed in a quite formal
attire as they are wearing a shirt and blazer which highlights their maturity
in age. However with pour thriller opening the stalker is wearing a simple
black puffy jacket highlighting that he is a young male or is even on a gang.
As many films cloth youths in gangs wearing tracksuit bottoms and puffy
Our stalker is perceived in a negative manner as he is jackets for example in Kidult hood.
Young teenagers are normally
acting suspicious and creepy as he stalks a young girll stereotyped to be associated in gangs
which conforms to the stereotype of stalkers in and carry knifes, in our thriller the
other films e.g. Prom night. young male stalker plays around with a
However I have realised that the ethnicity and knife highlighting we conformed to the
gender of the stalkers in other thrillers are whit e stereotype of young teenagers.
middle aged males whereas in our thriller we have a
young aged stalker with a different ethnicity.
The female character in our thriller is a young black
teenager whereas in other thrillers it’s a young
white teenager or adult for example in ‘Single
White Female’ and ‘Prom Night’.