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March 2008
What Is a Feminist Horror Film Anyway?
Six years ago I read the seminal book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film by Carol J. Clover. I had been struggling with feelings of contradiction. On the one hand I held strong feminist ideals while on the other hand lay an incredible obsession with horror movies (a genre that next to porn was considered blatantly misogynist). It wasn't until reading Clover's book that I stopped to think a connection might exist between gender, feminism, and horror. Maybe they didn't counteract each other? And even more mind blowing: maybe they complimented each other rather nicely? The first concept to blow my mind was that of "The Final Girl." Clover coined this term to describe the female character that always survives at the end of a slasher movie. The Final Girl evolved with the flow of our cultural landscape. In 1974 her name was Sally and she ran away from Leatherface, screaming and falling, only to be rescued by a passerby. She was helpless and made no attempts at fighting back. But just like women in society began to mobilize and fight for change, so did our Final Girl. Four years later Laurie Strode fought Michel Myers in Halloween with everyday objects turned into weapons: a hanger in the closet, knitting needle to the neck, etc. In 1984 Nancy took it a step further and created elaborate Home Alone like booby traps for Freddy Krugar. And in 1996 Wes Craven brought us Sydney in Scream. She was the first Final Girl who could fuck her boyfriend and save the day all in one swoop. Studying these evolutions became a passion and I watched and read into every slasher/horror movie I could get my hands on. Somehow I went from calling what I was doing "gender study in the horror genre" to "studying feminist horror film." It confused readers of my zine and left me feeling wordless when interviewers would ask me "what is a feminist horror film anyway?" And so I value this chance to sit and write an editorial for Broadsheet about my (still forming) thoughts on what makes a film feminist vs. just a typical horror film that may not be inherently feminist but one that is fascinating to look at in relation to culture and gender studies. After all, these are two very different monsters. The majority of horror films are not inherently feminist. In fact a large majority of horror films haven't gone through puberty yet and retain the staple caricature of "dumb blonde sexpot" who must always die first. Not to mention the death of male characters always happens so fast, while the death of a female is drawn out excessively and with less clothing. I refuse to write these films off as garbage. I love these slasher films. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly is exciting about watching them—maybe it's a safe way to work out rage when you watch a movie like this? All I know is it seems satisfying to see the sexual repression and gender commentary about American culture played out to the extreme. It's awesome to see a woman consistently saving the day—how many genres can you name with that credit to its name? None. Besides, due to the low budget nature of these films you often are in for a great comedy. Clover argues that the male audience identifies with our Final Girl and cheers as she fights to save the day. This does not mean our Final Girl is a feminist character as much as a character outside the typical patriarchal plot lines. Studying gender in the horror film means looking at the way gender roles are portrayed over time. Who is the killer? Why is the killer angry? Who is the target? Who dies? Who saves the day? How is it all played out? What was happening in our culture when the film was made? What was the audience response? How did the images/story make the female audience feel vs. the male audience? Who is the film marketed to and in what ways? These are the types of questions one would ask when studying a horror film from gender perspective. The answer to these questions might shine light on collective fears we hold as a society or changes in the culture that are being played out in horrific ways on screen. When the 70's and 80's slasher film rose to popularity it was no coincidence that the women's liberation movement was in full swing. This could be read as a backlash to women's rights or maybe the Final Girl saving the day over and over presented a new way of viewing cinematic heroism? Gender studies allow us to view the way women's roles change in these films over time. In order for a horror film to be Feminist it needs to have certain characteristics. I am still very much working out these criteria in my head and the more I sit and think about these criteria the more questions arise and the more complex it becomes. So bear with me as this is the first time I have written on this specifically. In order for a film to get the honorary label of "feminist" it must deal with themes specific to the female experience. The story must be from a female perspective. It must portray women as powerful and complex beings. It must not reinforce gender stereotypes or have a big set of titties bouncing around covered in blood for no reason other then titillation. Keep in mind I am not saying horror films that don't have all of these are bad. The majority of horror films don't fall into this criteria. One of the best examples of feminist horror would be the Canadian film Ginger Snaps (2000), the story of two sisters who face the horrors of menstruation/body changes/sexuality. The film uses the metaphor of becoming a werewolf to show the changing body of Ginger. The sisters are the central focus and they are true to the suburban outcast high school girl experience. A close relative to the feminist horror film would be the socially conscience horror film. Socially conscience horror films (like any Romero film for instance) are very linked to the feminist horror film because feminism in general tackles many social issues other than "women's rights." The National Organization for Women (NOW) has on its agenda: disability rights, lesbian rights, heath care, immigration, affirmative action, and more. And those familiar with the zombie world of Romero might remember that his films are often about war, consumerism, and apathy. So I suppose defining a feminist horror film could be as controversial as defining feminism: a word that holds much fear in our culture. For many people the word feminism and horror have always gone together simply because feminism is a scary thing for many people. It conjures up images of man haters burning bras and ugly false stereotypes that make feminism a dirty word. So I propose to you the reader that you think about these things next time you watch a horror film. How does the film relate to our cultural landscape? Do you see yourself reflected in the female experience being portrayed on screen? Is this movie really a metaphor for a larger social issue? Start contemplating these questions and together we can come up with our own set of criteria on what makes a horror film truly feminist, culturally significant, and awesome to watch! We want to be scared but not insulted. We as the female audience deserve horror films that were made with us in mind. |
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