Cinema is an important part of American culture. Movies provide us with various types of entertainment through a wide range of genres. A “slasher” film, as defined by Carol Clover (author of the analysis of the horror film Men, Women and Chainsaws) is “the immensely generative story of a psychokiller who slashes to death a series of mostly female victims, one after another. another until he is killed. subdued or killed, usually by the sole surviving girl.” One of the most popular slasher films of the late 1990s was Wes Craven's “Scream.” The film has all the hallmarks of a slasher film; the knife-wielding masked psychopath, the stupid teenage victims who are picked out one by one and the twist ending. Not only are slasher films predictable, but they also contain the same gender roles as most horror films. Helpless and promiscuous female victims, strong and courageous males and the dominant killer are all present in the film. Although typical gender roles seen in horror films are represented throughout the film, the ending of the film reverses these roles by having a female character triumph over evil. “Scream” opens with the scene of a girl who, while at home alone, receives a call from a stranger who starts asking her strange questions. After seeing the body of her murdered boyfriend, the girl begins to be tormented by a serial killer who chases her throughout the house and ends up stabbing her to death on the lawn. The gender roles present in this scene show the girl as weak and vulnerable, cornered in her own home at the mercy of the mysterious killer lurking outside. The killer, on the other hand, shows the typical gender roles of a male, which are powerful and dominant. The killer is in control of the situation by chasing the woman... middle of paper... kills. And in the end, the lone female character breaks the gender mold she's been stuck in throughout the film and gathers enough strength to defeat evil and save the loved ones she has left. The film is a perfect example of the wide range of horror films and the emphasis on the gender roles depicted in the film shows how American audiences view the genre; both on and off screen. In society, women are often seen as the weaker gender; they are typically seen as more understanding than males who are seen as strong and powerful. Because cinema is such an important part of American culture, the content of films shown on screen is generally true to how Americans actually perceive gender roles. Through Sidney Prescott's portrayal as the film's heroine, “Scream” shows audiences that women are capable of being just as strong as men.