David Fincher’s Gone Girl Should Be Considered a Part of the Horror Genre

 

Credit to Google

here are a lot of thriller films that are intense and fit the aesthetics of horror stories. One particular film I think deserves a spot in the horror genre is Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher.

This film features the darkest atmosphere I have ever experienced in a thriller movie.

The main character Nick Dunne is accused of murdering his wife after she goes missing with incriminating evidence against him.

The story is disturbing, as we follow Nick’s strange personality, exposing himself as a heartless man that doesn’t seem to care that his wife is gone.

The plot twist of the film is that Nick’s wife was the one who framed him for her murder, and she was actually alive.

She is revealed to be just like Nick, a heartless monster that is willing to do any evil act imaginable.

However, it wasn’t just the story that made the film so uncanny to watch.

Amy Dunne’s character is way too similar to the traits of a serial killer in horror slashers.

Amy Dunne is probably one of the creepiest female characters to ever be featured in a movie. Her character exhibits a lot of personality traits along the lines of horror slashers.

The two main traits she reveals is manipulation and killer tendencies.

Amy Dunne does not show mercy to anyone that she chooses to target. She is willing to kill to continue her manipulation, despite the consequences that may follow.

Amy Dunne is literally like a serial killer with a high IQ.

She is intelligent, and whenever any mistakes are made; Amy still finds a way to get out of her situation and move on to the next step.

If Amy decided to go on a murder rampage, she would find a way to win in the end. That is why she deserves to be seen as a horror slasher!

The soundtrack adds to the sequences taking place, making the movie much more eerie as a viewer.

The soundtrack was performed by the vocalist of the band Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. This duo had once worked with David Fincher in the past, and they decided to come back again for Gone Girl.

The soundtrack tends to play in the worst sequences that leave you feeling uncomfortable.

Two scenes that I felt were the most effective with the soundtrack was the murder moment with Amy Dunne’s character, and the ending.

Amy Dunne murders a man that she used as a pawn to return to her husband, and spin this wild story to the media and authorities that she was kidnapped.

It’s manipulation at its finest, and the soundtrack is amazing when it comes to her actions! Especially the ending…which brings me to the final reveal of why Gone Girl needs to be seen as a horror film.

The villain wins at the end of the film.

Gone Girl features the bleakest ending to a film.

The film ends with Nick Dunne choosing to stay with Amy Dunne, when he discovers that they are going to become a family.

The ending shot is extremely disturbing, as Amy makes eye contact with Nick, giving him a creepy smile as Nick realizes that their relationship is possibly not leading to a happy ending.

It felt like Nick gave up, and as the viewer, we were forced to give up along with his character. He chose to live with a monster, instead of facing the consequences of finding a way to take her down.

I think deep down, Nick did love that he now knew this dark side of her and was willing to now expose his real self to her like she did.

This ending is the equivalent of the final girl getting killed by the horror slasher, leaving the fans disappointed and angry. It was the perfect horror ending, and that image of Amy smiling will stay with me for years!

Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn