The early 2000s wereMegan Fox’s dream era in Hollywood, tagged as one of the hottest actors on the rise, starring alongsideShia LaBeoufin theTransformersfranchise. While helping a robotic alien race, she starred in the now cult classic horror movieJennifer’s Body. Originally underappreciated when it was released, the 2009 movie is prime slasher horror fun, featuring a female lead who’s ready to kill, not be saved. But Jennifer Check wasn’t the first of her kind on the scene. Four years beforeJennifer’s Body,the supernatural horror filmTamarafollowed a similar storyline: a young high school teen who becomes a vengeful spirit with no intentionof stopping her bloodshed.Jenna DewanledTamarain a bloody, teen angst-filled movie that wasn’t a critical success, but has just enough of what horror fans want if looking for a Friday night alternative toJennifer’s Body.
What is ‘Tamara’ About?
Tamara Riley (Dewan) is a shy and introverted high school student who is constantly bullied after school by her classmates. After being humiliated far too many times by the popular crew and the mean-spirited cheerleader, Tamara takes solace in a dark ritual. When a prank during a school party goes terribly wrong, Tamara dies in a tragic accident. But her story doesn’t end there.Fueled by anger and a desire for revenge, Tamara’s spirit returns from the dead as a powerful and vengeful ghost.Nowpossessing supernatural abilities, she sets out to punish those who wronged her, humiliated her, one by one. As the body count rises, the surviving students realize they must confront all the wrongs they committed and find a way to stop Tamara before it’s too late. Will they survive when the person after them is pushed too far and sets out for blood?
‘Tamara’ Puts Female Wrath at the Forefront of the Movie Narrative
In horror cinema, female characters oftenoccupy the role of the Final Girl. Their survivors who confront the killer and emerge victorious, exemplified by characters likeHalloween’s Laurie Strode or Sidney Prescott inScream. These characters are not helpless; rather, their strength lies in resilience, resourcefulness, and moral clarity.TamaraandJennifer’s Body,however, invert this convention by centering onfemale antagonists who wield their power offensivelyrather than defensibly. Tamara sheds her former shy, overlooked persona after death,transforming into a forceful, vengeful presence that commands fear and fascination.She channels her rage through supernatural abilities, becoming a campy yetterrifying femme fatalewho pursues revenge with calculated cruelty.
Tamara aligns with Carrie White, where female rage and agency drive the narrative. LikeCarrieandJennifer’s Body, Tamara disrupts expectations: she’s neither a passive victim nor a moral paragon,but a protagonist in her own violent narrative.Her power, sexuality, and relentlessness make her alluring and horrifying. The film puts female wrath as a central force rather than relegating women to objects of desire or sympathy. Tamara, Jennifer, and Carrie were all victims of a crueler game that turned them into instruments of their own vengeance, reshaping their pain into power. LikeCarrie, Tamara established an earlier example of a female-led horror narrative that embraces sadistic empowerment.
Tamaradidn’t exactly hit well with critics, having suffered from a limited theatrical release, minimal marketing, and poor timing. Critics were also lukewarm, often missing the campy intent and focusing instead on its low-budget production values, like shoddy VFX and less-than-powerful dialogue.What stood out inTamarawas Dewan as the titular character.She embodied the flip-the-switch persona her character needed — seamlessly transforming from a timid, bullied teen into a show-stopping, red-hot antagonist who refuses to take anyone’s abuse any longer. Dewan captured both sides of the character with precision, making the shift feel earned rather than abrupt.Her portrayal of Tamara brought a magnetic energy to the screen, drawing viewers in with the contrast between vulnerability and unapologetic power.Despite what critics feltTamaralacked in or failed at,there’s no denying Dewan gave the movie its needed edge.
‘Tamara’ Has Its Decent Kills to Make Things Interesting in the Horror Genre
The 2006 movie is by no means a top-of-the-list contender for one of the goriest or graphic films to rival hits likeSaworFinal Destination, but it has a respectable dose of creative thrills. Tamara’s revenge wasn’t just about brute force and carnal death like inJennifer’s Body;it often carried a psychological sting, making her victims suffer in ways that reflect their cruelty towards her.Using her newfound powers, she makes one of her assailants hallucinate, leaving him to cut off his ear and tongue, and stab himself in the eye. Another worthwhile horror scene is when Tamara uses gluttony to kill one of them and forces her to gorge herself intrue body-horror-driven self-destruction. The movie made the most of its budget, relying on atmosphere and pacing to give viewers something to latch on to.
Each kill resonates with chilling purpose, as her victims, who once buried her with little remorse, now confront her horrifying return, a relentless force of wrath and retribution. BothTamaraandJennifer’s Bodyuse the female antagonist’s trauma as a foundation for her killing spree.Tamara, once looked down upon by her peers as trash, uses this newfound sex appeal and powers to enact specific revenge.Her methods of murder are tied to the social dynamics that led to her death.Meanwhile,Jennifer’s Bodypunishes those who underestimate Jennifer and reduce her to an object of lust, while satiating her demonic hunger.
DespiteJennifer’s Bodygaining cult status in the horror genre and Tamara being largely overlooked,the 2005 movie has the framework that audiences loved in Fox’s movie four years later. Tamara isn’t five-star worthy, but tackles enough horror genre traits with a twist on a femme fatale. The final girl is thrown out the window and replaced by a vixen in heels who isn’t out to be the damsel in distress, but rather a victim ready to kill, who is left battling the scars of her past and the person she’s become.
