The document discusses several theorists' perspectives on gender in horror films. Julia Kristeva believes horror films use the female body as an abject thing and relate bodily fluids like blood to menstruation and birth, constituting motherhood as something society is taught to find disgusting. Shelly Stamp Lindsey analyzes Carrie as depicting the failure to contain the "monstrous feminine" and showing what happens when women gain power. Aviva Briefel argues that horror films portray menstruation as the start of monstrosity, with pubescent girls seen as monstrous and the female monster unable to control emotions during menstrual pain.
2. Julia Kristeva
• Horror films use the female body as a form of
an abject. The bodily fluid, blood, gets related
to the period and birthing only the female
body can perform.
• This Constitutes motherhood as something
society is taught to be disgusted with feeding
into this patriarchal world.
3. Shelly Stamp Lindsey
• Carrie is not about liberation from sexual
repression, but about the failure of repression to
contain the monstrous feminine
• Carrie is purposely portrayed in this manner
because she demonstrates what happens when
women gain power and are no longer repressed.
• Carrie ultimately tells its audience that they must
live as a patriarchal world and if they do not then
this is what will come of it.
4. Aviva Briefel
• Menstruation is the start of monstrosity. Once
a girl has reached her puberty she is seen to
be monstrous.
• Horror films feed into the female monsters
identity through menstruation. She concludes
that having your period makes you weaker.
• The female monster is unable to control their
emotions when pain occurs whereas male
monsters are unable to feel pain.
