How to Build a Better Monster

Calling new perspectives!

I’ve been reading Isabel Cristina Pinedo’s Recreational Terror: Women and the Pleasures of Horror Film Viewing, and I was particularly interested in her chapter titled, “The Cultural Politics of the Postmodern Horror Film.”

At the very beginning of this chapter, Pinedo states that “not all postmodern horror films bring to fruition the feminist potential of the genre. But that is not to say that they are otherwise without progressive potential . . .” (97). Pinedo’s statement echoes the feelings I have been having lately in my study. I’ve been watching horror films, but I feel suddenly stumped. I’m finding fewer and fewer instances of “woman portrayed as witch,” “woman as castrating bitch,” and more instances of “this is a person plagued and changed by a variable we’ll call X.” I guess that I’ve recently come to examine the genre on more explicit psychological grounds and less through the lens of a feminist or gender studies scholar.

Perhaps my feelings are a result of not reading enough; until this point, I’ve been focusing mostly on feminist and psychoanalytic readings. However, a lot of the cases on which feminist arguments of the genre have been made are based on “older” horror films, and the theories of Creed, Clover, and others need to be updated as the genre develops.

But where Creed and Clover can refer to classics like The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Nightmare on Elm Street, there are few contemporary horror films that have earned such critical acclaim or immediate prestige. It seems that most of today’s horror films are produced by a Hollywood company and therefore lacking originality, and released in theaters where they are met with no real enthusiasm except of that offered by teenagers. Or, if there is any success, it’s underground in nature, and the dialogue about the film is reserved to aficionados and experts.

There are some recent trends in horror film that I’ve been studying lately. And as of right now, I don’t see any immediate correlation between the plots and the many feminist arguments I’ve read so far in my research.

The Zombie Film: A zombie revival has occurred due to the recent remake of Dawn of the Dead and the parody Shaun of the Dead. Zombie films appeal to our “perverse pleasure” in seeing “the corpse as abomination” (Creed 11). Here, I think Kristeva’s theory of Abjection holds up well, since the idea of “the living dead” clearly challenges purity and the boundary between what is alive and what is not alive.

However, I am reluctant to analyze the zombie movie through a feminist lens. I think it’s interesting to note that I embarked on this study after first seeing the Dawn of the Dead remake. I was originally intrigued to study women’s roles in horror as sexualized objects – in my first viewing, I noticed that the leading female figure wears tops with plunging necklines, and another woman trapped in the mall engages in kinky sexual acts while trying to make the most of her life. But after a second viewing, I can’t see these minute details building to a solid feminist analysis of the film, and they certainly don’t seem to confirm Creed or Clover’s arguments. Also, although I did not do a count of the number of male zombies and of female zombies, I think most viewers will agree that the most horrifying (or most memorable) zombies, were once men. The one exception might be the one woman in the mall who sneaks off to give birth to her zombie child. Yes, she’s a zombie too now.

I am questioning whether the zombie film (or just contemporary zombie films) can be subjected to feminist critique of horror films. Perhaps there is a greater fear than just the fear of women, which is commonly presented in the genre.

The New Teen Slasher Flick: In my readings so far, I have not yet come across any mention of teen slasher sensations like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. At the time of their release, these films were met with such box office success, and yet no one (or few) have written about them at all. Is this because they follow the old formula of Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street: Weird male psycho killer + oversexed group of teens + one upstanding young girl = boring, predictable plot? Surely there are differences between these movies and their forefathers that would prove worthy of analysis.

There is also a new crop of thrillers (well, would-be thrillers; they’re often poorly written and directed, and therefore predictable and unexciting) which often feature teens or young adults (early twenties) at the core of the story. Films like Darkness Falls, Fear Dot Com, Joyride, and Cabin Fever are ultimately devoid of surprising, innovative plots, but teens flock to these films nonetheless. I would like to study the audience of these films in order to develop a better understanding of what viewers “get” from these films. Are certain lessons taught, or behaviors encouraged? Feelings purged? What purpose do these films serve if they’re weak in their execution of horror conventions?

You may have seen trailers for the upcoming release of Saw, which “critics” are calling the scariest movie of the year. I admit that previews for this film seem pretty solid, and I’m tempted to see it. But considering my past experiences with films that appear similar in style and type, I doubt there’s a point. Or, is the genre changing yet again?

Japanese Remakes: Japanese horror is a newer interest of mine, and originally, I was warned that it would be hard to study the genre against the readings I’ve been doing, since they wouldn’t account for cultural differences. However, more and more Japanese horror films are being remade with American casts and through American film styles, and I see these remakes as becoming a subgenre of the American horror film.

This trend started in 2002 with the release of The Ring, but American audiences are now enjoying The Grudge. In spring of 2005, part two of the Ring series will appear in theaters, and a remake of Hideo Nakata’s Dark Water, featuring Jennifer Connelly, will follow.

Takashi Shimizu, director of Ju-On (The Grudge), offers some interesting insight on the role of women in Japanese society: “From ancient times, and historically speaking, Japanese women have always been told to stay inside the house and walk one step behind their husband,” the director said, pointing out that ‘Okusan,’ a Japanese word for a wife, literally means ‘inside person’

“Women had been long confined by their husbands and society and their anger and frustration had been bottled up inside. I am drawn to their deep grudge and female tenacity,” he said.

It is not surprising then that many Japanese horror films (ghost stories, specifically) deal with women who are frustrated with their position in the home. Split homes and families are a common theme, which may account for their popularity with American audiences. Perhaps there are fewer cultural differences in Japanese and American horror than we had imagined.

I guess that what all my doubts add up to is that I think there is a greater issue, a greater fear, at work in the horror film. Creed and Clover feminize that fear, providing examples for how women have often been portrayed as the monster. However, I’m now feeling limited by this reading, and would like to see other analyses of monsters. Going back to Pinedo’s statement that “not all postmodern horror films bring to fruition the feminist potential of the genre,” I think that horror film has a lot to offer in its critique of society. Those interested in the horror genre would benefit from analyzing films from a Marxist perspective, or through New Historicism.

Posted by Kate Cielinski at November 7, 2004 3:11 PM