Does Horror Have A Women Problem?

[@miramorrigan5464]

About Frankenstein: Some messages can be taken about the responsibilities of a parent. The fear that a living being you created can become damaged, violent, and a threat to you and your loved ones. Adding to that… If my memory is accurate, Victor Frankenstein abandoned his creation because he was disturbed by his physical appearance and declared the experiment a failure. And the creature is met with overwhelming abuse and fear from any humans he encounters. He handles that pain by lashing out violently. - so another theme/takeaway is the fear and shame of a parent who’s personal failings scarred a child - and the deadly consequences that followed. Just something I wanted to share.

[@BetterWithBob]

Ooh excellent point :D

[@fitzytail896]

I believe Women shine in horror movie genres. I remember my classmate theorize why most women survive in horror movies is because it's either the Killer is underestimating his prey or it has something to do with the Yin and Yang aspect that (this is his own interpretation) Man represents the Light so they are strong in the morning and Woman Dark so they are strong at Night and since most horror movies are at night the women tend to last longer than the men.

[@BetterWithBob]

Ooh that's a really interesting perspective

[@meeamea]

I've never heard the yin/yang/day/night thing, but it'd be interesting to see how many films might intentionally go that route .

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

Like the inclusion of 28 Days Later. Selena's arc is part of what makes it one of my favourite horror films. Also loved just how far you went with the genre. Really exploring every part of it!

[@BetterWithBob]

The fact that they let Cillian Murphy keep his accent was a nice little touch too.

[@miramorrigan5464]

Love this! In the past I avoided horror because the imagery was too much for me(although that may have been because of the specific movies I was shown). But over the last few years I've been getting more into the genre. Especially with movies like Ginger Snaps, The Craft, Tamara, American Mary, and Teeth. You deserve more recognition. And Carmilla was published before Dracula, yet it's often overlooked, so thank you for talking about it.

[@BetterWithBob]

I wish we could get a proper 'definitive' adaptation of Carmilla so more people could know of it. The Vampire Lovers is I think the closest and, while Ingrid Pitt was quite good, the film isn't really anything I've found :(

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

This is actually a really well put together piece. Well done Bobby :)

[@BetterWithBob]

The 'actually' is making me overthink everything 😝

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

@@BetterWithBob haha, you've of course made some good stuff before, but this might be your best work :)

[@thequarryproductions1101]

Very interesting video. You should look up Dr Sarah Cleary, she was a lecturer of mine in college that is an expert in Horror. I'm nearly certain she has a doctorate in it. She's made similar arguments about horror being very pro women/children.

[@BetterWithBob]

A doctorate in horror is the most awesome thing I will hear about for a while :D

[@thequarryproductions1101]

She was up there as probably my favourite lecturer, she does a lot of horror related events around the country and she has a podcast called Deadly Doses, you should check it out.

[@BetterWithBob]

@@thequarryproductions1101 I've already followed her on Twitter 😊

[@theangelproductions]

Have you ever seen I Spit on Your Grave? I've heard 50/50 opinions on whether it's a feminist film or exploration trash lol.

[@BetterWithBob]

Haven't seen it yet but I've read about it a bit. For what it's worth, the director was inspired to make it after encountering a rape victim and seeing how unhelpful the police were when he helped her report it. So I guess intent would matter a lot in that sense. One feminist critic protested it when it first came out but then years later changed her mind and said she could see it as a feminist film.

[@BetterWithBob]

And I'm actually watching that film tonight 😂

[@himurakenshin3879]

I've checked out the first two movies of the I Spit on Your Grave reboot trilogy, and let me tell you, it's not your typical exploitation flick or some preachy feminist agenda. The first one is like this intense dive into trauma, a gritty tale of survival and payback - think of it as a modern-day female Count of Monte Cristo, but with a serious brutality upgrade. Now, the second movie? Even better. It throws in lessons about hospitality for the broken and a message of redemption, suggesting that revenge isn't the be-all and end-all. Plus, it's a stark warning about the ugly side of the porn industry and the exploitation of women, with some seriously unfortunate consequences.

[@JeffreyDeCristofaro]

Horror NEVER had a Woman problem - if anything the women were part of the best of almost EVERY horror film made!!! And as a horror film buff, I can say that this genre deserves FAR more respect and understanding, particularly as a genre that has long empowered women long before the lazy super-empowered "Mary Sue" trope started contaminating our cinemas! 🤮 Here are just some of my favorites right off the bat, not even including Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Linda Hamilton or Neve Campbell: - Kathleen "The Panther Woman" Burke, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932) - Simone Simon, CAT PEOPLE (1942) - Lillian Gish, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955) - Barbara Steele, BLACK SUNDAY (1960) - Meiko Kaji, BLIND WOMAN'S CURSE (1970) - Lucy Graham, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) - Marilyn Burns, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) - Olivia Hussey, BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974) - Gaylen Ross, DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) - Samantha Eggar, THE BROOD (1979) - JoBeth Williams, POLTERGEIST (1982) - Barbara Hershey, THE ENTITY (1983) - Deborah Harry, VIDEODROME (1983) - Catherine Mary Stewart, NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984) - Lori Cardille, DAY OF THE DEAD (1985) - Mathilda May, LIFEFORCE (1985) - Geena Davis, THE FLY (1986) - Ashley Laurence, HELLRAISER (1987) - Cathy Tyson, THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW (1987) - Shawnee Smith, THE BLOB (1988) - Joely Richardson, EVENT HORIZON (1997) - Naomie Harris, 28 DAYS LATER (2002) - Maribel Verdu, PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006) - Maika Monroe, IT FOLLOWS (2014) - Anya Taylor-Joy, THE WITCH (2016)

[@meeamea]

People who think that horror has a "woman" problem and who think they need to be more "feminist" are usually looking at it from a perspective of current feminism, which favors women being undeniably better than men, not equal. Infallible, perfect people who outclass the men in the film (maybe with some struggle, but not too much). It's a poor cover to their underlying feelings towards men IRL, which is general dislike. I think you summed it up very well in your last line. In most cases where the women are portrayed poorly in very obvious ways, the men are also portrayed poorly. It's frequently a case for poor character writing, and dialogue that is only meant to be functional. I don't think I've seen a horror movie where ONLY the women in the film are portrayed poorly. In slashers where characters have sex and are immediately killed, the men usually die simultaneously, or within minutes of the woman for the same reason (indisposed, distracted, poorly positioned etc.). It's simply convenient to ignore the fact that men die, which falls into the cultural norm that sees men as disposable. A lot of effort and money is thrown at causes that are said to help women, but if a victim is a man, it's not given the same attention. Most homicide victims are men, most homeless are men, most drug addicted are men, but in the city me and my husband left, there was one mens shelter, and half a dozen for women.

[@BetterWithBob]

Very well put :)

[@Aster_Risk]

The problems you mentioned all come from the same sexism that is mainly created and held up by men. It actually sounds like you want to drag women down and victimize only men.

[@mickeyhart7507]

I'd also say it's thought by people who just haven't seen many actual horror movies. The good and the fun ones, like Black Christmas - technically a slasher, but still.

[@MyYoutube-s1i]

Your rant is beyond nonsensical. First of all, you’re lumping all feminists together and claiming that “feminist” is one thing, but only because you want to portray it negatively. That really shows your agenda. Second of all, going on about charities in this context. Really? Your post missing out the fact that most charities were started up by women and women have had to push and push for their rights. Men do not push to set up charities anywhere near as much. Bring this up and you get the inevitable “men get turned down when they try to help other men”. Basically, they just don’t wanna do it. As for men being the biggest victims of homocide, well yes, with the vast majority of killers being other men. The reason anyone makes an issue out of men killing women, aside from the fact that there’s always a big strength imbalance, is the fact that many murders of women involve misogyny and many murders of men are random or drugged related and have nothing to do with gender.

[@MyYoutube-s1i]

Your rant is beyond nonsensical. First of all, you’re lumping all feminists together and claiming that “feminism” is one thing, but only because you want to portray it negatively. That really shows your agenda. Second of all, going on about charities in this context. Really? Your post missing out the fact that most charities were started up by women and women have had to push and push for their rights. Men do not push to set up charities anywhere near as much. Bring this up and you get the inevitable “men get turned down when they try to help other men”. Basically, they just don’t wanna do it. As for men being the biggest victims of homocide, well yes, with the vast majority of killers being other men. The reason anyone makes an issue out of men killing women, aside from the fact that there’s always a big strength imbalance, is the fact that many murders of women involve misogyny and many murders of men are random or drugged related and have nothing to do with gender.

[@BradLad56]

Ya know, I think the term misogynistic is thrown around way too much these days. The same can be said of other certain other terms but they aren't relevant to this topic.