Uncovering the Willful Girl

The horror genre contains a broad spectrum of tropes and archetypes surrounding gender. There is an increasing body of films involving the adolescent girl who embodies the monstrous-feminine, and whose will is tied to supernatural and often destructive powers, which has not been thoroughly explored by feminist film theory. Enough recurring themes exist to merit the definition of a trope, the Willful Girl. Framed using the Brothers Grimm fairytale “The Willful Child,” this trope can be seen in films such as Carrie (1976) and The Witch (2015), among others. Through a close reading of both films, similarities are uncovered. These similarities not only support the trope’s themes, but also provide insight to persistent ideologies, struggles, and prejudices against the adolescent girl throughout the decades. Acknowledging these ongoing issues, and their representation in horror films over the years, challenges the “waves” or “progress” model of feminism and begs the question of how “feminist” films should be defined.