So we set Francine loose with a password and she began typing:
The casual film goer may think of horror movies as kids stuff, and more specifically, boys' movies -- a marginally acceptable outlet for adolescent fantasies of sex and violence that would bore Sigmund Freud.
However, a more informed viewer can view and review horror films from a feminine perspective, finding a surprisingly rich genre.
Yes, male fantasy stereotypes are doled out by the coffin-load. Horror movies often feature one or more of the following archetypes: The virginal heroine, the preying vamp, and even the ultimate failed-fantasy woman (The Bride of Frankenstein) for a certain type of man we should all avoid. (If ever there was a film that acted as an antidote to dreary romantic comedies, James Whale's comically bleak warning against "the fix up" is it.)
Every genre of fiction has certain tropes that can be as crippling as they are necessary, and when used well, exemplary. Some horror films recognize that the damsel in distress may stop running, falling and screaming at some point and fight back against whatever nasty nightmare the filmmakers dreamt up as an antagonist.
Ladies: If you're not a fan of horror films, you're not paying attention. If the gore bothers you, there are many less-gruesome alternatives that provide superficial scares -- the most basic enjoyment the genre has to offer, aka, the film-as-thrill-ride -- but also unexpected depth. Please understand though, eventually you're going to see a zombie gnawing on human flesh, or some other awful thing. It's only a movie.
Here is a short list of suggested viewing to get you started. Freak out the man of your choice when you invite him to watch one of these with you. He'll think he's got a free pass to watch a movie and nothing more, but you'll scare him good when the film ends, you turn off the television, and begin Platonic discourse on perceived feminist angles to the story.
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Cat People
Dir. Jacques Tourneur
(1942)
Context adds much to the feminine -- not necessarily feminist -- themes here. The United States had just entered WWII, and American men were leaving home to uncertain, violent conflict across the globe. So the story of an upstanding American male hero (Kent Smith) tempted by a dark, mysterious European woman (Simone Simon) is psychologically loaded. The wholesome American blonde (Jane Randolph) may prevail, but not before the lusty, unpredictable [batshit crazy? -- ed.] brunette nearly kills him. It's a beautiful black and white film with great performances and genuine tension ... and also gypsy curses.
Black Sunday
Dir. Mario Bava
(1960)
What could be more offensive and terrifying to the shaky grip of the patriarchy than a woman who dares to master arcane knowledge of the pagan arts? For the crime of witchcraft, Princess Asa (Barbara Steele) gets the iron maiden and stake-burning treatment from the Christian men of 17th century Moldovia. Two centuries later she rises from the grave to make good on her promise to exact revenge. Her 19th century doppelganger, Katia (also Barbara Steele) isn't the alter-ego of Asa as much as a repressed version of her. Does Katia even want to be rescued by the valiant, well-intentioned Victorian men who would rather not see her possessed by a 200-year-old Satanist? Though the film isn't terribly scary, it's a visual feast with gorgeous gothic ruins and moody cinematography.
Season of the Witch Dir. George A. Romero
(1973)
This is the most openly feminist horror movie made, and an under-seen gem. Joan (Jan White) has everything a modern housewife could want: husband, kids, suburban home, and an endless string of cocktail parties to plan and attend with the other wives she calls her friends. She's bored to the point of numbness. Experimentation with witchcraft leads to real life horror. There is not subtext here, as Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero lays it out plainly in a film released at the height of the Women's Liberation movement.
The Descent
Dir. Neil Marshall
(2005)
Is this the first true post-feminist film? Should it even be associated with feminist ideas? Neil Marshall's dread-filled tale of spelunkers trapped in an already occupied cave terrifies and thrills with an efficacy lacking in many modern horror movies. What prompts the inclusion of The Descent on this list is that all the leads are played by women and there's absolutely nothing remarkable about that fact. Yes, by design the dynamic between them is different than if they'd all been men. But the script, performances and directing does not comment on their gender at all, and that's why it works so well.
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Some worthy runners up include Alien (Sigourney Weaver's consummate badass performance as Ripley set the bar high for tough women on screen) and Halloween, with the Freudian symbolism and Victorian subtext of the chaste heroine (Jamie Lee Curtis) surviving while sinners around her die. We'll toss A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream in there too though the former's a stretch and the latter might cause fights that fall outside the parameters of civil debate.
This list is meant as a launch pad. Get out there, find some horror movies with potential for feminist discourse and dig in. You may find more than you anticipated.
