It was important for us to achieve this. Characters in the 1940’s section of our film would be even harder to relate to as figures of the past, so it was vital for them to be of the same demographics as the target audience. We used equal numbers of male and female actors; despite horror being a male dominated genre we wanted to engage both sexes and broaden the potential audience. Many theorists also refer to Mac an Ghaill’s “Male Gaze”, suggesting women often appear in films to entertain men in the audience. The actors are all teenagers, again making them more relatable than an older charcter to our young target audience (15-25). We also chose not to conform to any extreme class stereotypes; they all appear to have average backgrounds. This would probably be a similar income to the typical viewer.
Although we have used an equal number of male and female actors, the way we have presented both are contrasting. The men are more confident and dominate the group (in the second half) whilst the women are more vulnerable and victims. When Georgia and Robin run across the field, he is physically at an advantage, running faster while she looks more pathetic, lagging behind. Although they are both scared she looks the more upset of the two, conforming to the stereotype of an emotional woman. In the second section, Julia is also more emotional and scared by the bunker. The boys take advantage of this and Robert teases her with gory myths, clearly giving the men in the group the power. This is also clearly shown when the boys who have “dragged” the girls there in the first place. It is also a female character, Darcey who is first killed out of the four, presenting women as more helpless.
We deliberately cast actors around our own age to match that of the target audience, again making characters who appeared more accessible. We reinforced youth through the hair, make-up, costumes and mannerisms of the cast. This was harder to achieve in the first section and we had to conduct extra research into teenagers in the wartime. We asked the cast for the present day section to come in their own clothes and make-up for a realistic look. Their script uses casual language, nothing too sophisticated or ostentatious; we based this on how we would speak around our friends. The overall representation of young people is not necessarily negative, as in a lot of media products. They are shown, however, as quite reckless and spontaneous.
Many teen slashers present teenagers in a similar way; curious and with no concern for danger. Some examples of such films are Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
© 2026 Jessica Farey
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