Critical Investigation - First Draft

"Blondes make the best victims. They're like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints.” —Alfred Hitchcock

To what extent have gender roles in horror remakes like 'Bates Motel' been adapted for contemporary audiences?

Throughout history, the horror genre has reflected the zeitgeist, this includes the way that men and women are represented. In particular, we have seen a strong focus on gender roles. In Hollywood, many successful horror films adhere strongly to typical gender roles in order to carry their narrative. One brazen example of this, is seen in the almost 60 year old, "sensationalist slasher movie", 'Psycho'. Hitchcock's 1960s masterpiece remains “one of the key works of our age” and inevitably has been subject to incessant debate and commentary on its female and male character portrayals. However, in more recent times there has undeniably been a reversal or deviation of gender roles, which arguably began due to Hitchcockian influence and can be seen in contemporary media texts. 'Bates Motel' is a prequel to Hitchcock's 'Psycho', continuing “the legacy of a beloved classic”, yet has “challenged the notions of exactly what a reboot can be”. It has tried to challenge the fixed, prototypical gender roles within the 1960s. This contemporary text provides an ideal way of investigating how changes in society have impacted the way gender is used in Hollywood, because of the side by side comparisons we can make to its origin text. This essay will explore gender roles in Hollywood productions and how they have been adapted as time goes on.

Bates Motel was produced in 2013; “It was developed by Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, and Anthony Cipriano, and is produced by Universal Television and American Genre for the cable network A&E.”. The principal antagonist and protagonist is a young man named Norman Bates, played by Freddie Highmore. He is suffering from a number of mental disorders and runs an off-highway motel with his mother, Norma, played by Vera Farmiga. Other characters in the series include Max Theriot who plays Norman’s older brother Dylan Massett, Nestor Carbonell who plays Romero, Norma’s main love interest, Samuel Myron who plays Sam Loomis and most notably, the fashionable singer, song-writer “Rihanna takes on the role of Marion Crane”. The depiction of these characters is all set prior to the events portrayed in the film, ‘Psycho', but instead in a twenty first century, modern day setting. The relationship between Norma and Norman is the “central relationship” that the show focuses on. In particular, their relationship revolves around how Norman is “simultaneously in love with and repulsed by his mother and his feelings for her”. In other words, their relationship is highly dysfunctional and abnormal. Norma is typical presented in the role “Wife, mother, daughter,” “career woman, femme fatale”, and most often as a victim. “These are the most popular stereotypes of woman that have been addressed by feminist theorists in their writing on popular cinema.” Norma Bates is presented as particularly sensitive to stress; She is both temperamental and irrational, yet prepossessing and sometimes naive. She reinforces typical gender roles associated with women because of her fragile mental state, domestic roles she adopts and her innocent, playful disposition. Supplementing typical gender roles is how on numerous occasions, her character’s sexuality is accented. Many horror critics believe “women are increasingly punished for the threatening nature of their sexuality.”  These characters simply “die because they are female.” Norman Bates cannot cope with Norma being intimate with Romero, so he attempts to murder them both by carbon monoxide poisoning, conveniently only killing her. Again, this reinforces the typical gender roles because the man came out alive whereas Norma, “rendered weak and helpless by castration” was unable to survive. Feminists “may interpret them as a reflection of the fact that women within society are still perceived (or preferred) to be oppressed, weak and in need of a man to protect” them. Norma’s character depicts a very burdened woman. As we unravel her history, we discover how her husband was domestically abusive towards her and raped her. Her history with men is generally extremely poor; Almost all her partners have had malicious intentions towards her. A brazen example of the sexism Norma faces is when after she has just moved in. Keith Summers, the former owner of the motel, threatens both Norma and Norman. He claims “they are incapable of running the motel by themselves, for knowing nothing about the town and being inexperienced about motels.” Later on that evening, he breaks in and brutally rapes Norma. Her son comes to her rescue and strikes him unconscious. However, Norma, in a fit of rage, continually stabs him well after she has killed him. This scene demonstrates stereotypes of women being illogical in comparison to men. Despite Norma standing up for herself, it is constructed to be seen as psychotic and a male character ultimately came to her rescue, reinforcing the damsel in distress trope. Furthermore, the most horrifying, shocking revelation we discover is that Norma was victim to her own brother regularly raping her and that she became pregnant with Norman's brother, Dylan, as a result of these incestuous acts. With Norma’s demoralising and degrading past, her over-sexualised appearance and her generally being a liability, she embodies the typical gender roles a woman has in the horror genre. Norman Bates is far more dimensional of a character. He is represented in a somewhat multi faced way because it reflects on his personality disorder(s). From his exterior, we can gather that he is polite, unwieldy yet endearing. However, beneath this façade, he is severely mentally ill. Perhaps the reason his mother is such a maladjusted and neurotic character is to suggest it is due to her influence largely that Norman is the way he is. This is point is reinforced by how from Norman's second persona is his mother. This includes dressing up like her, talking like her and even visualising himself as her. His character both subverts and reinforces gender roles. Norman’s brother, Dylan, acts as a literary foil, emphasising Norman's insanity with his composed demeanour. He is much more socially competent in comparison to Norman, despite being a child conceived from incestuous acts. The character of Marion Crane, played by Rihanna, reinforces gender roles at certain points but primarily completely disestablishes them with such a huge twist in her story. The leading lady of the show only appears for 2 episodes, yet leaves the most lasting impression and turnabout to the series. Marion Crane does not adhere to the typical image of a woman. Instead she puts a unique spin on the typical behaviours associated with females, specifically those associated with Marion Cranes character. She completely undermines the audiences expectations and “subverting everything that was expected from” her. Sam Loomis reinforces male gender roles with his manipulative actions. He engages in cheating and lying to women as well as his aggression towards other males such as Norman. However, he subverts typical gender roles as he falls victim to Norman Bates which is unexpected from a man like him.

Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, “hailed as the first 'modern' horror film”, ‘Psycho’ “may be known for its suspense, mystery, and famous shower murder scene, but it also is full of male and female role commentary.”  The character’s in the film, specifically Marion Crane, are much more explicitly constructed to adhere to gender roles. It is clear that “Marion's sexual behaviour is drawn attention to from the very beginning of the film.” On the other hand, the men “are shown as damaged and needing help”. They are presented as conflicted, violent, merciless “while women are shown as care-givers.” The extent of use of gender roles in ‘Psycho’ are blatant enough that “one doesn’t have to dig very deep into Hitchcock’s work to see the director’s views of men and women.” The characters may have been subverting the typical gender roles at the time, but a contemporary audience would interpret their roles as rigid. Firstly, is the fact that Norma isn’t presented at all and that we only see her corpse implies she is Norman’s ‘framework’. Norma’s character simply serves to his safety needs and acts as a coping mechanism. This is a very literal example of objectification. Laura Mulvey’s claims that “women on screen exist therefore only as objects.” also apply heavily here also. Superficially, Norman is presented as a very polite man yet beneath his peripheral, he is fundamentally corrupt and psychotic. Norman’s deceptive nature is widely associated with men; This is trait is true for Sam Loomis because he engages in adultery and deception. Marion Crane, needless to say, plays the most archetypal female role. Her actions and situational factors are all synchronous with the typical female gender role.  Even at the very beginning of the film, “Marion and her co-worker Caroline work under a male boss”.  “This scene also features an aggressive male, Mr. Cassidy, attempting to flirt with Marion in a rather patronizing way. Mr. Cassidy's flirtation is significant in that rather than complimenting Marion, he attempts to woo her by demonstrating his financial superiority and power. Marion plays her predetermined female part well, acting shy and demure.” Within the first 10 minutes of the film, gender roles have already been established. More significantly, the stabbing scene is a intense reinforcer of the gender roles between Norman and Marion. The scene initiates with a medium shot of Marion and follows her, like we are voyeurs. The camera then pans to the right as Marion closes the the door. As Marion is in the shower, most of the shots utilised are high angled, depicting that she is inferior and defenceless, foreshadowing future events that are mostly likely to happen later on in the scene. The low angle shots or cut aways of the shower head whilst the water gushes towards her/us is repeated three times. This indicates Marion’s utter lack of awareness and highlights her absent mindedness. She remains blissfully unaware of the intruders advancements towards her. There is primarily the use of  high key lighting, symbolising her purity and her over-trusting attributes. The camera then cuts to a high angle shot of Marion facing the camera. It has two purposes as it does not only make Marion look small due to the angle but it also allows the audience to see that the is an intruder in the bathroom. It reveals that there is someone behind the shower, approaching Marion. The sound used to shock the audience because when the killer pulls back the shower curtain a strong, loud and fast paced pleonastic sound can be heard which shocks the viewers. The sound is used to represent the stabbing of Marion. A quick cut montage is used and the pleonastic sound is synchronised with the stabbing and the different angles used when she is being stabbed causes the audience to become confused as the 180 degree rule is not being followed. This is used to suggest that the female victim feels confused and can not defend herself. It also emphasises the fear and confusion the female character is experiencing. Hitchcock, uses rule of thirds plays into Marion's death, Marion is placed at the right edge of the screen where she is almost swallowed up by the white background, while she is slowly sinking down as she is powerless and no longer has control over her body. Marion's expression earlier in the scene shows us that she is truly frightened and shocked by the killer. Also, Marion is denoted by being naked throughout this whole scene; this mirrors her vulnerability and exposure. “Marion's violent death can be read as the patriarchal holly system's extreme reaction to the threat of feminist at a time when women were being freed from the constraints of childbirth by new methods of contraception, and were thus taking on a more active role - both sexually and in terms of employment - within society.”

It is undeniable that gender roles have significantly changed; from a time where it was unheard of to see a woman in lingerie, we have come a long way. This is mainly due to how “the social attitudes towards sex and violence that have changed over the years.” (++) However, despite Bates Motel being created almost 60 years after Psycho, its elements are still the same “the killer is the psychotic product of a sick family but still recognisably human; the victim is a beautiful, sexually active woman”. Even with the “fresh twist”, “The positioning of woman as victim” remains the same. From this, we can argue “that little has changed over the centuries; in a male dominated world, where directors are conventionally and overwhelmingly male, women are supporting characters or victims.” and that in fact “traditional patriarchal culture” is still strongly pervasive even in our current day and age.

To conclude, it is evident that gender roles in the media have changed, and there is no doubt society’s attitudes towards them have also changed. However, the horror genre still depends original gender stereotypes and gender roles at times in order to carry their narrative - even if subtly. 

Books:

Thomson, D. (2010). The moment of Psycho: how Alfred Hitchcock taught America to love murder. New York: Basic Books.

Greven, D. (2014). Psycho-sexual: male desire in Hitchcock, De Palma, Scorsese, and Friedkin. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Cook, P. (1999). The cinema book. London: BFI.

Grant, B. K. (2015). The dread of difference: gender and the horror film. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Clover, C. J. (2015). Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Skerry, P. J. (2009). Psycho in the shower: the history of cinemas most famous scene. New York, NY: Continuum.

Berger, J. (2008). Ways of seeing. London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books.

Bloch, R. (n.d.). Psycho.

Rebello, S. (2013). Alfred Hitchcock and the making of Psycho. Berkeley, CA: Soft Skull.

Creed, B. (1993). The monstrous-feminine film, feminism, psychoanalysis. London: Routledge.

Hein, C. (2006). Laura Mulvey, visual pleasure and narrative cinema: "woman as image, man as bearer of the look". München: GRIN Verlag.

Žižek, S. (2010). Everything you always wanted to know about Lacan: (but were afraid to ask Hitchcock). London: Verso.

Wells, A. S. (2001). Psycho: Director Alfred Hitchcock. York Press.

Durgnat, R. (2010). A long hard look at psycho. S.l.: BFI.


Websites:

A&E Network Orders 'Bates Motel' to Series". A&E. July 2, 2012. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2012.

Bates Motel: how the Psycho prequel went from good to great. (2016, May 18). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/bates-motel/40736/bates-motel-how-the-psycho-prequel-went-from-good-to-great

Gender Variance in the Arts. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://gvarts.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/psycho.html

Hitchcock's Gender Roles: Psycho by Ben Elliott. (2012, April 22). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from https://eng3122.wordpress.com/group-3-main/gender-roles/hitchcocks-gender-roles-psycho-by-ben-elliott/

Hudson, J. (2010, June 16). How Hitchcock's 'Psycho' Changed Cinema and Society. Retrieved November 21, 2017, from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2010/06/how-hitchcock-s-psycho-changed-cinema-and-society/345186/

Johnson, B. D. (2010, February 11). The Psycho Effect. Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://www.macleans.ca/culture/the-psycho-effect/

Johnson, B. D. (2010, February 11). The Psycho Effect. Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://www.macleans.ca/culture/the-psycho-effect/

Kulski, K. (2015, October 22). Psycho: The Sociology of Gender and Psychology of Abuse. Retrieved November 21, 2017, from https://kpkulski.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/psycho-the-sociology-of-gender-and-psychology-of-abuse/

Past Recipients. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from https://stuff.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/org/w/wgs/prize/mc09.html

Patterson, J. (2013, August 01). Vera Farmiga on The Conjuring, Bates Motel, maternal angst ... and knitting. Retrieved November 21, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/01/vera-farmiga-conjuring-bates-motel-interview

Psycho Feminism: From Hitchcock to Hollaback and Back. (2017, October 06). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://www.cultureontheoffensive.com/psycho-feminism/

Psycho: Queering Hitchcock's Classic. (2014, November 30). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://brightlightsfilm.com/psychoqueering-hitchcocks-classic-queering-hitchcocks-classic/#.WhTDZhicaRt

Staff, G. (2017, January 31). First look at Rihanna as Marion Crane in new Bates Motel trailer. Retrieved November 21, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jan/31/rihanna-bates-motel-trailer

The Death-Mother in Psycho: Hitchcock, Femininity, and Queer Desire. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15240657.2014.939005

The Male Gaze in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. (2013, October 17). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from https://engl245umd.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/the-male-gaze-in-alfred-hitchcocks-psycho/

The Parlor Scene: Exploring Gender and Sexuality in Psycho. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2017, from http://www.washleestone.com/the-parlor-scene-exploring-gender-and-sexuality-in-psycho/

B. (2010, October 21). What's wrong with Hitchcock's women. Retrieved November 21, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/21/alfred-hitchcock-women-psycho-the-birds-bidisha 

Barnett, D. (2009, September 23). Sexism in horror novels: the real monsters aren't the ones you think. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/sep/23/sexism-horror-novels-row

Culture - Are horror films inherently sexist? (2015, August 05). Retrieved November 22, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150805-are-horror-films-inherently-sexist

The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder (2010) by David Thomson. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/The_Moment_of_Psycho:_How_Alfred_Hitchcock_Taught_America_to_Love_Murder_(2010)_by_David_Thomson

Dowling, A. (2017, March 27). 'Bates Motel' Bosses Explain That Bloody 'Psycho' Twist. Retrieved January 02, 2018, from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/bates-motel-bosses-explain-bloody-psycho-twist-988759

Butler, B. (2017, March 28). Why everyone is talking about Rihanna on ‘Bates Motel’. Retrieved January 02, 2018, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/03/28/why-everyone-is-talking-about-rihanna-on-bates-motel/?utm_term=.d69b2f27fa10

Ausiello, M. (2017, March 27). Bates Motel EPs Talk 'Empowering' Shower-Scene Twist: 'We Were Not Throwing Shade at Psycho'. Retrieved January 02, 2018, from http://tvline.com/2017/03/27/bates-motel-recap-season-5-episode-6-shower-scene-rihanna/

Rihanna Rewrites 'Psycho' History With 'Bates Motel' Shower Scene. (2017, March 28). Retrieved January 02, 2018, from https://www.fuse.tv/2017/03/rihanna-bates-motel-shower-scene-psycho

Travers, B. (2017, March 27). ‘Psycho’ Gets Woke: Rihanna’s ‘Bates Motel’ Shower Scene is a Progressive Twist on Hitchcock - Showrunner Interview. Retrieved January 02, 2018, from http://www.indiewire.com/2017/03/bates-motel-psycho-episode-6-recap-rihanna-shower-spoilers-1201797019/