A subgenre of horror that genuinely scares my partner is the home invasion plot. To me, home invasion movies represent the most core fear many people have, one that goes deeper than being afraid that someone will invade our physical space; when we watch home invasion, we are able to work out our fears of having our lives, bodies, choices, or sense of control taken over by someone with malice toward us. However, for me personally, this subgenre fell short as most of the time the victim of the home invasion does not come out victorious and this is very unsatisfying for me, even though I know there is still value in this outcome. The first time I saw a home invasion movie with a protagonist that outlived their invader was 1977’s The Hills Have Eyes, in which a band of cannibals attacks a family on a road trip. The cannibals enter the camper of the family and wreak havoc, though some of the family members survive and have an opportunity to fight back. Very satisfying. I’ve noted over the years that the films in this subgenre tend to be varied in terms of who the protagonist is and who the antagonist is; 1979’s When a Stranger Calls follows a traditional formula of casting the protagonist as a young women, the person invading her home an older man, and the person who saves the day as another man, while many other home invasion films switch it up, such as 1967’s Wait Until Dark, in which Audrey Hepburn plays a visually impaired woman who finds herself fighting a dangerous criminal in her home and must defend herself.
I want to look at three films in the home invasion subgenre that defy the traditional formula. In these films, the primary purpose of the home invasion is for the antagonist (almost always a man) to kill the protagonist (which almost always includes a woman, or at least one woman in a group). The woman who has been targeted makes it out alive but those who tried to have her killed do not. For me, this is a much more satisfying depiction of a home invasion; I (and I am sure I am not alone here) want to imagine that I or anyone in a scary situation like this would be able to think on our feet, be brave and fight back. I personally can only watch so many pieces of media that portray women as weak, easily subdued, slow to fight back and ultimately destined to become victims without feeling frustrated. Knowing that reactions to violence will naturally vary in real life (and no one reaction is more valid or correct) it’s cathartic for me to see a woman fight back and win against a man whose sole purpose is to do her harm.
You’re Next (2011)
A home-invasion with a twist, I first saw You’re Next after having seen the 2008 movie The Strangers, which left me horrified. In You’re Next, the murder plot is thwarted by the daughter of a hard core survivalist; our protagonist, Erin. Erin is excited to meet her boyfriend’s family at their country estate when a band of masked strangers suddenly surround their house and start picking off family members. Whereas other characters panic and become useless at best (or die in the first wave of attacks), Erin immediately gets to work on some Home Alone inspired traps. Her attackers do not expect such a fight and quickly devolve from calculated to lashing out with uncontrolled violent rage. This power dynamic between Erin and the attackers can be used as a metaphor for violent relationships; the aggressor expects his victim to die quietly and when she doesn’t, she is met with unbridled rage. Erin is smart, good with tools, thinks quickly on her feet and through it all still has compassion enough to help the wounded around her. The care she shows the wounded family members starkly contrasts the cold indifference of the unharmed family members yet she doesn’t sacrifice her strength, intelligence, or instinct to be a caring person. I also love that Erin is scared. She’s terrified. What’s happening around her is horrifying and she’s allowed real human emotions while defending herself.
Hush (2016)
Hush is a much more traditional home invasion movie than You’re Next but it is just as tense. Maddie is a writer who recently made the move to the country to keep her writing career going. Maddie is also deaf and mute (she does not have the ability to speak or make noise due to damage to her vocal chords). The hearing loss and mutism occurred due to a childhood case of meningitis. One would think in a home-invasion movie, Maddie’s physical abilities would make her more vulnerable (and historically, the horror genre is not always kind to people with disabilities), which is exactly what the masked killer who enters her home believes. We don’t know much about him, but my partner and I decided pretty early on that he gives hardcore incel/MRA vibes and probably doesn’t even think women are people, let alone a disabled woman. Inspired by Wait Until Dark, Hush pairs up two people who do not have equal rights in larger society; sure, the killer (who definitely has a manifesto on 4chan) is a violet serial killer but he’s a white, cis-het appearing, and able bodied man. He moves with the swagger of someone who has been told his entire life that he’s the default and now he’s faced with a woman whose body doesn’t work like his, never mind that she’s obviously also white and has financial privilege, her differences matter more to Mr. MRA and he’s decided that’s enough of a reason to kill her. Unfortunately for him, disabled does not mean defenseless and this man has his ass handed to him by Maddie; she thinks on her feet, doesn’t hesitate to fight back, and even uses some of the tools she relies on as a deaf person against her attacker.
Till Death (2021)
This movie is multi pronged when it comes to violent men whose sights are set on murder; we have Mark, a high-powered attorney who feels so entitled to his wife Emma’s love that he plots an elaborate scheme that involves a murder/suicide and the two ruffians he hires to kill her. What sets Till Death apart is that, minus Mark’s totally over-the-top plan to unite himself and Emma in death, this scenario is much more realistic in terms of who is advancing the murder plot forward. Woman are most likely to be murdered by their partners and a woman is in the most danger of being murdered by an abusive partner when she’s attempted or has successfully left the relationship, which was Emma’s intention. For most of the movie, Emma is fighting off the hired hit men (Mark dies almost immediately so he’s had to hire out Emma’s death) while being attached to Mark’s corpse. Emma manages to evade her attackers in ingenious ways given her lack of mobility. Something I found to be an incredible representation of abuse in intimate partnerships is when one of the attackers dies, enraging the second (who happens to be his brother, as in You’re Next). The surviving attacker blames Emma for his brother’s death; how dare she fight back! These men are entitled to murder Emma, doesn’t she know that! Abusers will often shift blame in this way, usually in less extreme situations, to justify their actions.
*Mild spoilers for You’re Next*
When we examine these three films, there are obvious overlaps that deal with power dynamics, wealthy inequality, intimate partner violence, and how women navigate violence in their everyday lives. In both You’re Next and Till Death, both protagonists are partnered with extremely wealthy men who yield their financial resources over their partners and use them for personal gain. The personal dynamics in both these films demonstrate how toxic and devoid of warmth the nuclear family can become when the men in these situations aren’t treated the way they feel they deserve (and despite the way they treat the women in their lives). These two films also demonstrate that although these men are rich and powerful, cowardice is their most defining feature; they want to terrorize the women in their lives without getting their hands dirty (and in one case, actually flee the scene). In all three films, each woman is thought to be at a disadvantage, either because of physical limitations, or in Erin’s case, because she comes from a lower class background. Maddie and Erin are both targeted because their partners believe they will be easy prey, and Emma’s physical limitations were implemented by her abuser. Targeting people who are vulnerable is a very common tactic for abusers, as is creating a limitation once a relationship has begun (cutting off access to resources, family, friends for example).
Final Girls vs Girls Fighting Back
Coined by Carol Clover in 1992, there are key differences between the films I’ve described above and the concept of a “final girl”. The narrowest definition of a final girl is a (usually young) woman who survives an attack on a group by a killer. In a traditional sense, the final girl is usually saved by another person and doesn’t necessarily fight back against her attacker(s) but is able to flee or evade successfully. In many instances, the final girl is portrayed as not being too sexual or feminine, which to me is a fascinating juxtaposition to early final girls inhabiting the “damsel in distress” trope. The final girl also doesn’t indulge in “bad” behaviors like excess drinking or drug use. Many times, a final girl dies or is institutionalized if the film spawns a sequel. In order for a character to be considered a traditional final girl, she needs to be part of a group that she will outlive. In this sense, You’re Next fits this aspect of the final girl trope. Erin also fits into the final girl mold as she doesn’t have an overly feminine name or appearance, knows survival information (a traditionally masculine hobby), and is substantially more humble (and therefore more virtuous) than those around her. Also like many final girls before her, Erin’s fate is left up to the audience’s imagination. Maddie in Hush embodies some of the final girl characteristics; she’s not too feminine (she’s a terrible cook) and is focused on her writing rather than dating. By contrast, Emma from Till Death subverts the final girl trope in that she is cheating on her husband and we know how dangerous illicit sex can be in these films. Emma is also very feminine. Regardless of their likeness or subversion of common horror tropes women have historically been pegged in, all three characters are really fun to root for.
Two Named Women 