The representation of women in horror.
In the 3 earlier films, "the bride of Frankenstein" (whale, 1933), "Dracula" (fisher, 1958) and "Psycho" (Hitchcock, 1960) the women are very stereotyped.
The baroness in "the bride of Frankenstein" is a very feminine and passive character. At the beginning of the clip she is sitting at a dressing table putting on make-up. The monster stands outside the window watching her, this suggests that she is an object.
When the monster attacks her she barely fights back, she just lets him carry her away. She screams for "Henry!" which suggests that she is dependant on men, and that she can't defend herself.
The maid in "the bride of Frankenstein" seems to be a very weak character, she has a very trembley voice and says that she "worries about leaving you alone" to the baroness, this makes it very obvious that something is about to happen. When she .
re-enters the room and sees the baroness being taken away by the monster she screams and runs to the men crying.
In "Dracula" the vampiress manipulates "Harker" by pretending to be helpless. In the clip she is wearing white, which suggests innocence. When "Harker" walks towards her she backs away and hides behind a model glob. She then asks him her and says that he is her "only chance". This suggests that the man is stronger and that he is her "hero", she runs to him and clings to him, he smiles so it seems he wants her to be weak and helpless.
The lighting focuses on her eyes at this point, making them look evil. The music becomes more sinister. The vampiress had used her femininity to gain Harker's trust and get close to him. She bites him. At the start of the clip she traps him in the room, she is waiting behind the door and as soon as he enters, she shuts it behind him. She also has dark hair, which suggests that she has a darker side.
When Dracula appears the vampiress becomes vulnerable again, this shows that even though she is strong enough to try and kill Harker, she is still weaker and second-class when it comes to the male vampire.