The portrayal of women in the horror genre is often criticized and rated as belittling and ruthless. It is true that, by perpetuating the imagery of women in distress, horror films tend to provide no alternative to these women's subordination and even take advantage of and capitalize on women's realistic concerns. However, it could be argued that, like concepts found in many other genres, the prevailing themes of femininity in horror films are complex, contradictory and fluctuating. In “Film Genre and the Genre Film,” Thomas Schatz describes the film genre as “static” because it reexamines some basic cultural conflicts and “dynamic” due to constant cultural changes. Robert F. Altman explains in his piece “Towards a Theory of Genre Film,” these films have a tendency to present themes that are both “cultural” and “countercultural” because genre films are expected to “simultaneously express desires and needs not satisfied." within the dominant ideology and reflect the main supporters of that ideology.” For example, horror films like The Shining and Rosemary's Baby reflect our society's fascination with violence against women, while being critical of the existing patriarchy that enables such violence. Furthermore, variations in the presentation of these female victim stories over time influence the efficiency and legitimacy of each film's social agenda, as well as the salience of the genre's sadistic appeal. Although Rosemary's Baby, released in 1968, presents a weak, female horror victim archetype, the film's metaphors for emotional and sexual abuse villainize the perpetrators, consequently addressing the issue of domestic abuse in a way that does not normalize the behavior . The initial reaction of a feminist... middle of paper... speculation. Pleasantville, New York: Redgrave Pub. Co, 1977. Web. November 2013. Clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1992. Print. Lidz, Franz. “Limbs pile up and so does money.” The New York Times. October 21, 2009. Web. November 2013. Nash Information Services. “Annual Movie Chart – 2013.” The numbers. November 2013. Web. November 2013. Prince, Stephen. "Graphic Violence in Cinema: Origins, Aesthetic Design, and Social Effects." Violence screening. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2000. Web. November 2013. Roy Morgan. “Genre Profile of Horror Films.” ValMorgan Film Network. 2011. Network. November 2013.Schatz, Tomas. “The Film Genre and Film Genre.” Hollywood genres: formulas, cinema and studio system. New York, NY: Random House, 1981. Web. November 2013