79 L’ATALANTE 32 july - december 2021 NOTEBOOK · FEMALE ARCHETYPES AND THE STAR SYSTEM IN THE HISTORY OF SPANISH CINEMA JUAN MEDINA-CONTRERAS PEDRO SANGRO COLÓN FROM THE “FINAL GIRL” TO THE EMANCIPATED HEROINE: FEMALE ARCHETYPES IN THE [REC] SAGA Of all film genres, horror is probably the one that most effectively combines the paradoxical pleas- ure offered by experiencing uncomfortable sit- uations with the liberating potential of tasting forbidden fruit (albeit vicariously). Miguel Án- gel Huerta (2019: 175) describes cinema as the ideal device for experiencing a kind of catharsis through exposure to our own fears and phobias in the ritual of the dark theatre. Carlos Losilla sub- scribes to the same argument, adding that in addi- tion to their phobias, horror film spectators are ex- posed to their own disturbing or sadistic instincts (Losilla, 1999: 34). In the prologue to a monograph on the theme of women’s fears, Desirée de Fez offers a different perspective when she explains that she adores horror films because they allow her to observe her fears from the outside and thus be able to interpret them (de Fez, 2020: 8). This article analyses the “final girl” archetype described by Carol J. Clover (2015) and its rela- tionship with the monstrous feminine discussed by Barbara Creed (1993), taking the [REC] film saga (Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza, 2007-2014) as a case study. The set of references invoked by the films’ creators is explored here based on an analysis of their female protagonists, the reporter, Ángela (Manuela Velasco), and the character of the bride, Clara (Leticia Dolera), in addition to the role of other female characters who appear in the saga, particularly the sinister child Tristana Me- deiros (Javier Botet). Although women in horror films have tra- ditionally been relegated to the role of victim or survivor, for some time now a new kind of female character who actively and independently takes on the leading role has been gaining prominence. As will be argued here, Balagueró and Plaza’s saga constitutes a precedent for this new model of femininity in the genre.