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With it being the 1st of October and Halloween approaching, it seemed perfect timing to talk about horror films. Or more specifically, the women in horror movies. Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know of my love for both horror films and especially a strong female character. So I thought I’d combine them and write about two of my favourite ladies from the genre.
Sidney Prescott(Neve Campbell)- The Scream Movies:
The consistently victimized Sidney has already been through a lot before we first meet her. Chief among these is the brutal rape and murder of her mother a year prior. When a new spate of killings begins and she becomes the target, we observe a shift in her. Initially she is a terrified young girl who is vulnerable and confused, but as the series grows Sidney does too. She emerges as a resourceful survivor who can more than handle herself and the various traumas thrust on her. Neve Campbell is perfect in the role, making it her own and imbuing Sidney with a sympathy and inner strength. Where Campbell most succeeds is getting us to root for Sidney and feel a sense of pride when her power to tackle the horror around her comes into bloom. The character that we see in the beginning is totally different from the woman who we see in the end.
Ellen Ripley(Sigourney Weaver) – Alien Series:
And now for the queen of the list, Ellen Ripley. A warrant officer in a futuristic space ship, Ripley is a level-headed woman who more than knows how to do her job. Once the eponymous beast begins picking off the crew and bodies brutally drop, Ripley is forced into desperate action and this is where she shines. She is a tough cookie, but never lets us forget the humanity underneath it all. As the series continues, she takes on a bigger role and becomes the heart of the series. Alternating between steely and emotional with relative ease, Sigourney Weaver cemented herself as a major talent and unforgettable scream queen who kicks ass in style. There is a depth of humanity that comes from Ripley and we never forget that she is an ordinary woman thrust into horrible circumstances. The good of that is we witness the birth of a warrior who is sharp, smart and above all not a person to mess with in any way.
bambangpriantono - From Indonesia For You said:
I like Alien
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vinnieh said:
It’s an undisputed horror classic.
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bambangpriantono - From Indonesia For You said:
Especially the scene when she bore the alien.
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vinnieh said:
That was a great scene.
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bambangpriantono - From Indonesia For You said:
Indeed
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Afzal Moolla said:
Agreed 100% … brilliant piece, brother
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vinnieh said:
Thanks man. Nothing beats a strong female in a horror film.
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Afzal Moolla said:
you bet … ✌👍✊
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Liam said:
Totally agree and I love the Scream films, particularly the first one
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vinnieh said:
They really got horror kicking again. And the character of Sidney is one of the biggest reasons.
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emmakwall said:
Nice choices 🙂 will you be doing more Halloween inspired posts?
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vinnieh said:
I have a feeling I will sister.
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MissKymmiee said:
OmG such a talent… love this ❤️️ http://www.misskymmiee.com
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vinnieh said:
Why thank you so much.
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beetleypete said:
Is ‘Alien’ a Horror film, or a Sci-Fi? The debate continues…
Neve is always worth a look.
Cheers, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
I consider Alien a science-fiction/horror hybrid Pete. Ripley kicks ass. And the lovely Miss Campbell is the heart of Scream.
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table9mutant said:
Nice choices. Especially Ripley! : )
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vinnieh said:
Ripley is the queen of horror heroines. She can fight and take decisive action but be a genuine human being of emotion at the same time.
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Callum McLaughlin said:
Great choices!
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vinnieh said:
Thank you Callum, any other women in horror that you like?
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Callum McLaughlin said:
Well Ripley is definitely my favourite (in fact, I even did a post about her myself recently 😛 ). I also really like the heroine in Julia’s Eyes, a woman who is losing her sight but is determined to solve the mystery surrounding her sister’s death first, and Clarice Starling from the Hannibal series.
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vinnieh said:
Ripley is such an icon. I loved Julia’s Eyes and the actress in it, her name is Belen Rueda.
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Callum McLaughlin said:
Yeah, she’s great.
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sonofabeach96 said:
Loved Alien! The original is fantastic!
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vinnieh said:
You have good taste. The original is simply a masterpiece of creeping tension and build up.
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sonofabeach96 said:
Pretty intense, and the special effects were way ahead of their time.
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vinnieh said:
It still gives me the chills. So remarkably effective and Sigourney Weaver made a big impact as Ripley.
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sonofabeach96 said:
Yes, she sure did! 😃
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vinnieh said:
The character of Ripley would not be the same without Sigourney Weaver.
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fragglerocking said:
Ripley is cool, always class Aliens as Sc-fi as I don’t do horror 🙂 consequently have never done the Scream series, Clarice Starling another great character (thriller not horror :D).
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vinnieh said:
Ah I see. Ripley is a character of so many layers, gotta love her. And Clarice Starling is a very strong woman too.
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fragglerocking said:
Also love Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld movies, think they’d be classed as ‘horror’ but I watched them all anyway 🙂
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vinnieh said:
She is marvellous in those films. Both sexy and kick ass.
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Rincewind said:
Totally agree on both counts, Neve played her part brilliant in the movies.
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vinnieh said:
I simply can’t picture anyone else playing Sidney Prescott. Neve embodied her so completely and amazingly.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Such a great kickoff for October Vinnie! Ripley and Sydney are definitely two of my favs.🙋🏻
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vinnieh said:
I thought I’d kick off this month with something horror related. It seemed only right. Any other ladies in horror that stand out to you?
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Are you doing film and tv?
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vinnieh said:
I should include some tv.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Okay. These are just off the top of my head mind you:
Jamie Lee Curtis/Laurie Strode -Halloween
Milla Jovovich/Alice – Resident Evil
Kristy Swanson/Buffy (movie)
Jamie Foster/Clarice Starling -Silence of the Lambs
JoBeth Williams/Diane Freeling -Poltergeist
Kate Beckinsale/Selene-Underworld
For tv definitely Buffy and Willow, and of course the Halliwell sisters. I’ve always seen the X-Files as a hybrid of science fiction and horror, so Gillian Anderson/Scully would definitely be at the top of my list.
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vinnieh said:
Oh Jamie Lee Curtis is definitely a good Scream Queen. Clarice Starling is an ace character. Of course Buffy and the Charmed Ones are on here, glad you and I agree. And I would definitely list Dana Scully too.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😊😊
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TheMarckoguy said:
I love Ripley.
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vinnieh said:
She is one amazing character who is iconic for a good reason.
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The Telltale Mind said:
Alice is pretty cool too!
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vinnieh said:
Yes she most certainly kicks a lot of ass.
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thoughtsallsorts said:
Well…you’ve done it again…brought back memories – the days when going to the cinemas on a Friday night with girl friends was a common thing. I must say Scream did it this time…my friend and I were laughing so much at the way some other girls were reacting that we pretty much got kicked out of the cinema. I can’t say we saw much of Scream. But we did go laugh some more over a cocktail.
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vinnieh said:
Haha, that’s quite a funny story.
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thoughtsallsorts said:
The other movie goers didn’t find it that funny. 😀
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vinnieh said:
I can only imagine.
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ninvoid99 said:
No one is as cool or as more of a fucking badass than Ripley. “Get away from her you BITCH!”
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vinnieh said:
She rocks in every sense of the word.
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Blog Andrew said:
No contest! Regan in The Exorcist is the best character.
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vinnieh said:
Definitely one of the most memorable characters in horror cinema.
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Blog Andrew said:
Have I missed the best male character in horror post? Because I have one that gave me actual nightmares!
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vinnieh said:
No you haven’t as I have not done a post like that yet. But I may very well do one now.
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Blog Andrew said:
Lol I have a feeling it would be popular vinnieh
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vinnieh said:
I’m sure it would too.
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filmsCine said:
Looooove this. Ripley will ALWAYS be my number 1.
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vinnieh said:
She will always be my number one. She is way too iconic and bad ass to forget.
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filmsCine said:
Agreed!
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vinnieh said:
She encompasses so much throughout the series. Even when the films decline in quality, Ripley remains as riveting as ever.
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filmsCine said:
You are absolutely correct. She’s one of the best, if not THE best female protagonist in my opinion, for a variety of reasons. Usually it’s a “big deal” if a female protagonist is strong and fighting and demonstrating “conventionally masculine” roles, but with Ripley.. she’s just Ripley.
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vinnieh said:
I love how Weaver plays her as a tough woman, but also peels back the layers to show a deep heart and vulnerability.
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filmsCine said:
Yes. I just love Ripley. I think I’ll do a post dedicated to Ripley soon, a lot of bloggers love her.
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vinnieh said:
Oh I’d love to see that. It would be a very cool post. What about Sidney Prescott? Do you think she’s a good character?
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filmsCine said:
Sidney is great. I loved the Scream movies, mostly number 1. The cool thing about Sidney is that she’s not really stupid like a lot of the other characters in your usual Slasher movie.
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vinnieh said:
Very true, she is a smart girl who becomes a resilient survivor.
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Mario said:
Great post! Sidney FTW!
I also love Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween and Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street. Oh, and Jessica Harper in Suspiria!!
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vinnieh said:
Sidney Prescott is a wonderfully written and performed character. It is so easy to relate to her as she is just a regular girl, thrust into gruesome circumstances. Laurie Strode is another quintessential horror heroine who knows how to be resourceful. And Nancy Thompson embodies quick thinking and survival tactics.
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Mario said:
Have you watched Suspiria?
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vinnieh said:
Not yet, but I keep hearing a whole lot of good about it. Which probably means I need to get off my ass and watch it.
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Mario said:
I’ve heard there is a remake in the works, but there’s just something so special about the original!
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vinnieh said:
Remakes scarcely are as good as the original. And here’s the link for that post. https://vinnieh.wordpress.com/2016/10/01/which-horror-movies-or-television-do-you-find-sexy/
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vinnieh said:
Did you see my post asking about sexy horror and television?
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Mario said:
I’ll have another look. I forgot to check WordPress for a little while so I’m still catching up, although I’ve slacked off terribly from writing on my own blog…
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vinnieh said:
Oh there’s no rush Mario. I just like hearing the different opinions of my followers.
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