The Feminine Horror | Renegade Cut

[@kellybeck4579]

I think there is an argument to be made that Carrie isn't monstrous because of menstruation so much as people's reaction to it. Her first period is met with ridicule by her classmates and anger by her mother. Her classmates are the ones that link her to pig's blood by dumping it on her. Historically, menstruation has been demonized to the point that we still feel uncomfortable talking about it. That has real consequences, as women will avoid talking to doctors about issues with reproductive cycles. Our avoidance and ridicule is the true monster.

[@Kammerliteratur]

Thank you for your comment.

[@harriet2114]

Kekkai, in many cultures menstruating women are expected to keep away from sacred places for fear of contaminating them, in Japan for example if you are on your period you are forbiden from visiting shrines

[@luthientinuviel3883]

Yeah periods are just life. They shouldn't be demonized at all. My mom calls it a curse that goes with pain of childbirth, but she never, ever made me feel bad for getting it, she helped me when I was in awful pain and took care of me.

[@superporpcola165]

I was sitting with two guys and three girls, and one of them mentioned that they wipe back to front, and I told her that would cause yeast infections. I started explaining and after a minute or two both of the guys literally got up and left...we were all shocked

[@TheRazmereShow]

Reminded of the Lisa Simpson line "Why is it when a woman has any power or agency of her own she's branded as a witch?"

[@Killinemkid]

@@TheRealNormanBates Queen Elizabeth's mom and her sister wives would like to have a chat with you.

[@antoniusbritannia8217]

She turned me into a newt. . .

[@mischarowe]

If you've played the first tomb raider game (of the new ones: out in 2013) Lara Croft says something similar. "A woman wields that much power, sooner or later she's called a witch". I don't remember it word for word though that's what she meant.

[@ladyredl3210]

@@nd9814 true,which is why femminisum needs men to help,and women can't just dismiss men outright. It's not helpful or effective.

[@Gisellecollazo]

N D yes but this tends to be from other men instead of it happening from both women and men.

[@annabunovsky5628]

What I like about Carrie is that it feels like a cautionary tale about the genuine harm of repressing and shaming female sexuality. All of Carrie's fears and insecurities stem from ideas that her mother had put in her head, and Margaret herself feels tremendous shame over having enjoyed sex with Carrie's father before he left her. Because Margaret's only coping mechanism was to rely solely on the toxic philosophies of patriarchal fundamentalism, she created an environment in which both she and her daughter were doomed from the start. Everything that happens in Carrie happens because no one told Carrie what menstruation was, or how it was natural and healthy. No one told her that it was okay to love herself and like the way she looked. No one told her that it was healthy to be attracted to another person and want to have fun. No one told Margaret that enjoying sex was okay, and that Carrie's father leaving was his fault and no one else's.

[@annabunovsky5628]

That's another great insight! Admittedly, I haven't read the book, so the implication, or rather, confirmation, of rape was a little lost on me (that may have been intentionally left vague in the film due to censorship of the time, though the 70's were an infamously scandalous decade for film and Carrie is certainly not afraid of intense subject matter). Though I do know that domestic abuse, along with toxic religion and sins of the parents' impact on the lives of their children, are recurring themes in Stephen King's works (Carrie thematically seems to have a lot in common with It upon further inspection).@@edienandy

[@wvu05]

@@annabunovsky5628 That's actually not in the book at all. In the book, Margaret has premarital sex and is ashamed of it. Her husband didn't leave her, but he died in an industrial accident. The movie changes the source of shame, although I'm not sure why or the impact on the character.

[@masonallen3961]

I think a good reverse example of this trope is the film The Stepford Wives because it’s a horror film that plays on the fears of women instead of on the fears of men. More specifically the fear of women conforming to societal expectations and becoming subservient to their husbands.

[@Toshimi1043]

A part of what makes the Stepford Wives concept so horrifying is how the men in the story were more than happy to get their "perfect" wives by killing the real women. It plays very well on the how the system is meant to remove the individual's agency, and how someone who you're supposed to love and trust can be selfish enough to betray you because they get some benefit at your expense, even though it's not good for them either. Much like how one of the saddest and most infuriating scenes to me in the Handmaid's Tale is where a woman's husband is not that bothered by the news of women being stripped of their jobs and money.

[@cacaubmad]

I was wondering what is your view on female ghosts (as a lot of horror movies have ghost women as the antagonist). I always felt they sort of represented male anxiety of women's revenge on the violence brought upon them, as they are often victims of violent males (as in the grudge). I've always seen a strong ambiguity towards women in horror movies. Horror quite often has female protagonists, while at the same time placing the undominated woman as a very dangerous threat. To me, it has always been the most interesting genre to think about female representation. Anyway! I'd love to see more on women and horror! :) Thanks for the video!

[@cacaubmad]

(I also apologize if my comment is confusing in anyway, as I'm not a native English speaker)

[@darkwriter_xx94]

That’s a really great point. I think you should explore that further. I’d be interested to read anything you might possibly write about it.

[@caitlinroseblaney226]

I totally disagree with the quote around 7:20 that says that we are supposed to see Carrie as “monstrous” because she bled. I believe that King was much more aware than that, and that he was intentionally playing off of men’s fears about women’s bodies *and* the mundane body horror that is puberty, menstruation, and being a woman in a patriarchal culture. At least until the ending of the story, the girls who make fun of Carrie and terrorize her for who she is and what she’s going through are the villains and the “monstrous” ones, and that’s how I think King meant it to be read and experienced when he wrote it.

[@leow3696]

In the copy of Carrie that’s sat on my shelf since I was sixteen, King wrote a foreword discussing two girls he knew while growing up. He referred to them as Sandy and Tina. Both girls were outcasts, bullied for their strange behaviour and the way in which they dressed, and he expresses regret at not standing up for them against the other kids. It’s been a while since I saw the film, but in the book, a fair bit is made of how late Carrie’s first period is. I’ve always believed that if anything, the book, at least, was intended to deconstruct fears about menstruation and womenhood.

[@StudyofSwords]

You'd do yourself a huge favour by NOT relying on Campbell for information on the historicity of witches and witchcraft, as he was heavily influenced by theories that have largely been discredited (Like the Murray Thesis). Robin Briggs "Witches and Neighbors" is a very good introduction into where more recent scholarship has moved.

[@rastabattiboy]

thank you lol.

[@milesunsworth6365]

The first time I saw The Witch, there was a Q+A with Paul Ineson and he said something that really stuck with me: "Back then, any woman who had any qaulity that men didn't approve of was called a witch and burned." Or something like that, I don't remember what he said exactly.

[@milesunsworth6365]

*Ralph Ineson* I may have been a bit drunk when I wrote this.

[@rastabattiboy]

but that's not what happened back then

[@nightmaresand808s]

@@rastabattiboy thats exactly what happened back then. Women could be accused of being a witch without any evidence, most of this fear was based in the male christian hierarchy.

[@ladyredl3210]

@@rastabattiboy actually, yes it is. There are numerous contemporary accounts of so called "troublesome " women being accused of witchcraft and killed. It was a way for men and the society at large to get rid of women who didn't conform.

[@caitlinroseblaney226]

I read “Carrie”, and I’ve seen the original film (screw the remakes) many times, and I don’t think her getting her period was the “onset” of any literal “curse” or powers... pretty sure she always had them. That scene was mostly to show how horrific high school can be for those who are ostracized, in my opinion. I also didn’t see her as a witch - her mother was much more of a classically stereotypical “witch” than she was, imo. Carrie’s character was telekinetic, but I never saw her as a witch.

[@margaritam.9118]

Insomniac DaydreamzZz That was her first period ever, in the book she thinks she’s wounded and dying.

[@gforskli4307]

I think she's a witch in the way she has unexplainable powers. Let's be honest, what's really scary about witches is that they are women with more power than you and that you can't understand how this power works. Basically men were scared of having their superior status questioned and looking dumb. Must be terrible finding another human being making decisions by themselves instead of complying to your every wishes.

[@carrie.m]

@@margaritam.9118 I think they meant Carrie always had her powers, that they didn't start after the period.

[@isobelduncan]

"The curse" is another word for a woman's period. That could've been what he was alluding to. Like a play on words.

[@TheMovieDoctorful]

I'm shocked that you're doing a video on feminine horror, yet not once mention Cat People (1943), Ginger Snaps or Jennifer's Body. You could do entire videos alone on the deep feminine themes of those movies.

[@CorbCorbin]

TheMovieDoctorful The 80s Cat People, has many psych-sexual layers, going on in it, with both men and women, and touches upon incest, and the consequences of suppressing a woman's sexuality. Innocent Blood has some nice layers, involving the traditional male and female roles in cinema, and life in general, while within the vampire subgenre.

[@kosmaraisanen482]

Ah, Cat people is so dang good

[@jennyr4057]

Agreed, I was fully expecting ginger snaps to get some mention in this video (though this is still excellent)

[@celeritas2-810]

And Hard Candy for the castration trope

[@oof-rr5nf]

I love Jennifer's Body soooo much 😭

[@RaSunTheThird]

I can never understand hetrosexual mens fear of vaginas. Even as on myself. That freud quot is just alien to me. Maybe im just weird or its freud who is, which can be a posibilty since he seam to think incest thoughts are common.

[@hangukhiphop]

Vagina Dentata always struck me as odd because there's obviously real-life precedence for teeth in places where men like to insert their penises LMAO

[@ladyredl3210]

@@margaritam.9118 ha! Perfect.

[@ladyredl3210]

As a lesbian, same. Maybe it's linked to men's fears of being tied down to a family? Because sex creates babies?

[@rottensquid]

Another great one. But my first thought was, there's no such thing as "simply a gender swap." Gender swaps are never just a cosmetic change. Consciously or not, they are a quest to explore the core, fundamental changes in the subtext of a character. If Wolverine is a romanticisation of toxic masculine trains, then a female Wolverine shifts everything that character represents, making something wholly new. The desire to explore this, whether its well explored or not, is a desire to explore gender itself, and its deeper ramifications. In the cosplay world, gender swapping is done all the time, from swapping Harley Quinn and the Joker to Lara Croft (who is, when all is said and done, a brilliant gender swap of Indiana Jones.) And it's never "simply a gender swap." There's always a deeper intention, a deeper exploration of gender in every single one, whether conscious or unconscious. Changing gender changes everything.

[@oof-rr5nf]

Bro, awesome comment. I'm swooning. 💖💕

[@francescobirsaalessandri3992]

Freud did much more harm than good. I suggest everyone to read Deleuze&Guattari's "Anti-Oedipus"

[@partytime8092]

Freud was actually addicted to coke and probably high when writing his most famous stuff.

[@caitlinroseblaney226]

It’s also quite fascinating to me - and says a lot about the gender dynamics of our culture - that horror is the cinematic genre in which women have the most speaking roles, and that it’s mostly as victims.

[@BloodylocksBathory]

Bringing in Freud now becomes a subject of interest and discussion on its own. His essays take on a more sinister tone when one realizes just how personally invested he is in these theories about men inherently wanting to mate with their mothers and the idea that women have no agency of their own (hysteria and so on). Granted his work still went on to influence patriarchal perception of women worldwide, so perhaps his own intent and personal feelings is a moot point. That said, it's cool that stories and films have evolved since these early cliches and that we have deconstructions of said cliches. The female monster, much like the feminist claiming of Lilith, has become a figure of the woman reclaiming her power and agency.

[@NekoJesusPie]

I think a lot can be said about alien and rosemary’s baby which make a horror out of the physical situation of pregnancy and the social one respectively.

[@KOTEBANAROT]

Pregnancy forced on men nonetheless...

[@Hephaetus666]

I'm curious as to where Jennifer's Body lands in this conversation in its entirety

[@yungsolopath2603]

Or even the 2005 Tamara film?

[@margaritam.9118]

“Darling, that thing between you legs, does it bite?” - Freddie Mercury.

[@marielpare8290]

My dad is an English and History teacher, who reads enough doctorate level books for fun about folklore to say that yes, this is accurate. Lots of horror stories had their roots in cautionary tales from centuries (even millennia) ago, and the stories are typically aimed at adolescents who need to “stay in line”. Pre-Christian societies found femininity to be powerful, not necessarily evil, but too much power in one direction can lead someone astray. Think of cautionary horror stories or modern horror flicks where a main character enters a dark tunnel into a terrifying realm. Or emerges from a dark, bloody, or slimy and slithering underworld. Tunnel symbolism, symbols of openings, and mysterious characters that are females are all purposely and subconsciously done. Coraline is a great example, and so is Stranger Things. Another great one is The Lighthouse. The two men are fighting over the light atop the very phallic symbol of power, but the source of the light is within an oval shaped containment, which leads to demise. TL;DR if you think it’s about sex or vaginas, it is

[@gibberishname]

neat, but i wish it went MORE in depth.

[@renegadecut9875]

There are links to the sources in the description if you want to learn more.

[@jayisdeadbydawn]

I'm surprised no mention of Ginger Snaps, Suspiria (particularly in the witches section) or Jennifer's Body. That said, I still enjoyed this video and the sources that you included

[@renegadecut9875]

I reference Ginger Snaps in a recent video about suburban horror, and I made an entire video on Suspiria. There are thousands of horror movies, and my videos are usually between 10 - 15 minutes. Only so many references.

[@nobodylistens5322]

Okay, this settles is. I'm gonna write a few short horror stories to get back into writing this Halloween season. Thanks for inspiring me, Leon!

[@Osiris12345]

Interesting video. I think it's important to make note of the duality of the slasher genre. While it's true women are slaughtered in these films, most of the victims are men and the final survivor is almost always a woman. Now one could argue that this is sexist in itself because we are conditioned to feel more scared for a woman in danger but the fact that the heroine is usually the one who ends up killing the villain in these films could definitely be seen as empowering. I know final girls also get a lot of criticism for being “boring” or “virginal”, subscribing to a patriarchal Christian ideal, but you have characters who are incredibly clever and resourceful, like Nancy from the original Nightmare on Elm Street. And it’s no coincidence that this genre of horror has a lot of female fans. Just some food for thought.

[@lakkaya8561]

You referenced Clover, Creed and Mulvey! Yes! The type of content I came here for. However, sad that Linda Williams and her theory of 'when a woman looks' did not get a mention! Great video.

[@inkajoo]

I wish you went into more detail about how witches were regarded before the church deemed them amoral.

[@vlogo4371]

Eh, I just start cheering for them. Like, VVitch failed to make the ending horrifying; her shit family is gone and now she can fly! 15 year old me woulda loved that

[@AutumnintheNorth]

Agreed, but the movie's subtitle give a clue about the ending: "A Puritan Folk Tale." Eggers used primary sources, like journals and court transcripts from the time, to create a story that Puritan elders would tell to young people as a cautionary tale. Thomasin's father was prideful and challenged the authority of the church elders, leading to them leaving the safety of the community and making them easy targets for the Devil and his witches. Her brother was seduced by a witch who was beautiful, alluring, and dressed immodestly (for the time). Thomasin herself was homesick for the material comforts of England, selling her soul for earthly powers and pleasures. For the Puritans, this is a horrifying ending and the morals of the story are clear: Never question the church elders. Never long for earthly comforts. Revile lust and shun beautiful women. Fear, conform, and obey, and you will be protected. The fact that we see Thomasin's ending as a happy and triumphant one shows how far we've come as a nation and a society, and that's really a beautiful thing :3

[@dawert2667]

I really love the stories with a female monster that deal with casual sex. The reversal is so interesting: the woman is no longer vulnerable, the man is. The man is punished for casual sex as opposed to the woman.

[@lizabee484]

Ah a reference to Men, Women and Chainsaws in the first few minutes? Yes this is the rhetorical analysis I came here for 👍🏻👍🏻

[@yungsolopath2603]

What about 1999's Rage the Carrie sequel? She discovered her powers, not through menstruation but through emotion. I would like to see more Feminine slasher/ horror films. That are directed or viewed from a Female perspective.

[@32kuba32]

There could be a whole 1 hour video essay on the mother stereotype in horror movies

[@snowy5344]

amazing video helped me out with writing my essay!

[@Gravitynaut]

This is a phenomenal video, I'm curious if you at all considered exploring the elements of transphobia present at the base of Norman and Buffalo Bill's characters in Psycho and Silence of the Lambs, whether by intention or by proxy

[@renegadecut9875]

A topic for another video down the road.

[@willow8415]

My mother let me read Carrie in 5th grade. WTF.

[@jonsklaessens9126]

I'm currently reading Barbara Creed's "The Monstruous Feminine" so this video could not have been dropped at a better time.

[@honeyrumham]

“Norman himself is effable” Indeed he was. Anthony Perkins was very cute. 😂

[@FaeQueenCory]

God, Freud is terrible. I also don’t think it’s fair to paint Norman Bates with the gay-panic brush, as the real life guy the character was based on, Ed Gein, was possibly gay (more likely trans) and went crazy from his terribly puritanical mother... similar to how Dahmer was gay, but that’s not relevant to why he was a serial killer.

[@oof-rr5nf]

I did not even know this was based on a true story. And he did not mention that either. I think he was coming at it from the perspective of the film being a self-contained narrative. And his conclusion made sense to me tbh. I watched this film at a stage in my life when I was way more clueless about banality of gender roles and the fact that Norman was a crossdresser definitely heightened my own discomfort (an internal discomfort that I would not have ever voiced then and don't feel anymore - but still. It was there.)

[@M0oranshi]

Of course it's not relevant, but that wasn't the point he was making. His point was that there was a 'gay panic' because gays were brushed with feminine stereotypical attributes, and like the person above me said, that was used to make the audience more uncomfortable.

[@bizzy1648]

This was such an excellent video! Great research and very spooky in a whole new way. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@heeeyyy2947]

Great video - I took a class with this exact topic once and I watched some of the best horror movies ever

[@kr5746]

Renegade Cut where have you been all my life ??!!!

[@PaulOrtiz]

I’ve done almost nothing this afternoon except binge on your channel. So interesting!

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

One of my favorites has always been Cronenberg's The Brood, the protagonist's ex having an externalized womb in her lap, literally giving birth to embodiment of her rage to attack him, their daughter, their friends and family. He said that it was conceived during his own bitter divorce, and I believe it, it's so raw. And like so much of Cronenberg's work, he frames it with the stark horror of nature, a sort of awful wonder.

[@jennyr4057]

this is so well done, thank you.

[@Dissent1]

You could expand this to superhero movies. Superpowered women causing mass destruction has been a subject of a lot of male anxiety.

[@VegimorphtheMovieBoy]

Great work with this one. Reminded me of the Women in Film class I took in Undergrad where we ready Mulvey's book and watched several films of the horror genre as well, although they were slightly different entries like The Fly, Aliens, and Trouble Every Day by Claire Denis. Aliens was my favorite of the bunch, because of the characters, world, story, and action that it created, although it definitely plays up the themes of motherhood and a female character acting like "one of the guys". Kind of ironic that it opened the doors for female action heroes but still had Ripley driven by maternal desires (although I maybe oversimplifying it just a bit as she was also driven by her desire to overcome her trauma from the first movie).

[@adamtengku]

I love love love your work, it never disappoints. That is all.

[@abuyousef6224]

Very nice. Chapter II, Castrator, is set to "Star Eater", a staple track in it's genre.

[@callmema14]

Your analysis is so detailed! 👏

[@digapygmy70]

Great video! Have you done one on Rosemary's Baby? That film for me, as a woman, is the fucking scariest, and I've always been curious as to how it was created by a man who terrified women.

[@Companion92]

Really good video. I wrote an college essay about this like last year.

[@SickOfItAll1988]

The Witch Hammer wasn't even commissioned, the author was an old school incel, who wrote it because he was kicked out of a German city after trying a witch hunt there.

[@nightmarefiles1]

👀 new to the channel

[@renegadecut9875]

Welcome.

[@christophermeade1532]

Highly fascinating video, as usual. I don't usually comment on here but I felt like making an exception here for some reason. Also, props for giving mention to Species (even though you don't particularly like the film).

[@renegadecut9875]

Thank you. As for Species, it holds a "special" place in my heart. It's rated R as heck, and I saw it in the theater when I was thirteen. I wasn't too impressed then, but it has a goofy cheese factor. Also, for such a lowbrow film, it has a stellar cast. Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker and a young Michelle Williams. A bunch of Oscar winners and nominees in this movie.

[@christophermeade1532]

You're welcome.

[@perilouspage7257]

The vagina dentata myth has always been so fascinating to me. The fact that it's seen in the archaeological record of several separate societies shows the widespread belief in the supernatural power of women. The same goes for myths surrounding menstruation. Yours was a great analysis and I'd love to read the book that inspired it.

[@KRAPYBARA84]

Holy crap. Loved this 😍😍

[@d003yloops6]

Really enjoyed this one!

[@QuinnYouTube]

This was one of your best videos to date

[@linkeragon7885]

we rilley need a good female slasher

[@gaillewis5472]

The idea that women comfortable in their sexuality will be killed in horror films is a disgusting cliché.

[@paoladelapena8973]

awesome videos, keep making more!

[@adrian6591]

The power to create life that women have made men afraid and jealous of them . Sorry not sorry.

[@ellencarpenter]

Hell yes Laura Mulvey's Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema should be required reading for everyone

[@eadlynjune]

I do have disagree with Barbra though on Carrie. Periods are natural but in a way, blood coming out of you from an unfertilized egg is kinda weird. I’m saying this personally experience. Just like blood from a wound, blood from a vagina is still blood. While none of this is inherently scary you can make it scary and that’s what horrors about. If she’d just gone “aw shit it’s my period again” I maybe would have laughed instead. I feel like she made this a bit more deep or something than it’s suppose to. I dunno, I guess if something inherently masculine can be scary why not something inherently feminine?

[@rebeccaclark9131]

I do agree with you that periods are kinda weird (although you could say the same about the vast majority of things the body does) but i do think your look at this form too culturally neutral a perspective. Periods aren't considered weird by most cultures for most of history they're considered downright disgusting and something to be ashamed of. A lot of cultures historically cut women out of society when they were on their period because of how 'dirty' the idea of it was. And think we in the western world (I don't know about other cultures) don't actually know for certain what women up until the 19th century did when they were on their periods. As in we don't know what they used as pads or tampons. Which is crazy when you think about it considering half the population have this quite substantial issue every month, considering underwear between the legs wasn't a thing until the 19th century (they were all bare under their dresses), and putting things up your vagina, especially before you were married, was sacrilege, yet we only have guess work at what half the population they did to stop blood getting everywhere every month because of what a hidden thing periods were.

[@jahipalmer8782]

Teeth is one of the best movies ever!

[@IvyHilts]

This video is SO good. So, so good. I usually think about the female ghost figure through out history and in different cultures. Always the woman in white with the long (usually black) hair (sometimes brushing it, sometimes covering the face) that seduces and kill men or wants to steal children. Always that fear, always portrayed by a woman (rarely a man). The witch, the ghost...

[@lieutenyant3360]

you pointed out that it's men who are villains/heroes but women who are victims. women have no agency; even when they're the villain- it's the motherly instinct, female hysteria, or some greater motive that drives them

[@moonlily1]

My favorite female horror villain is May Canady of the indie horror movie 'May', a film to me which is about internalized objectification, where the character sees herself as a collection of body parts rather than a whole human being.

[@pong86r]

i'm just seeing this now, but the Propagandhi song "Ladies' Nite in Loserville" is perfect for this

[@Carols989]

This is such an interesting video! I didn't even know that book existed, def gonna buy it now. Thanks!

[@M0oranshi]

For the "Castrator" part, I do understand your choice of psycho as an example but that one is very ambigious and it felt a bit like going into theories too much while there are alot more that are way more blatant and to the point than you're making. It would be nice to see some Lars Von Trier bullshit and 'Misery' in that category.

[@stitchedwithcolor]

Always fun to examine these archetypes and consider what they might mean. I thought your discussion of the latter two archetypes was particularly strong. One very small thought, if i may...? In the past, when i've seen people talk about feminine horror, it's usually been used to talk about horror stories specifically focused on the fears and experiences of women, like bluebeard's bride or crimson peak. So at the beginning of the video, i was a little puzzled by the differing meaning. No shade, mind, just my experience.

[@michellejesica]

I was really hoping you were going to mention Sleepaway Camp tho

[@wheelwatcher05]

That was my immediate thought when I saw the title. I haven't even finished the video yet. Still one of the most memorable final scenes ever.

[@GuillaumeRangheard]

I believe the Malleus Maleficarum was NOT commissioned by the Church, but made to look so by the author. Not that the Church did not share some of the author's beliefs, but he was more of a lone wolf.

[@margaritam.9118]

Ugh I instantly thought of Hitchcock’s Birds and the way he treated the leading actress on set.

[@breakuprecordsandtapes]

On the subject of the 3rd archetype you could possibly fix the Bacchae in there. Though driven mad by Dionysus (coded gay), the women are supposed to be a source of fear. Their disregard for male social order and giving in to their appetites fits quite nicely into what you were talking about at the end!

[@jess_paige]

I've read Laura Mulvey and Barbara Creed, its good shit

[@darkservantofheaven]

on the witch title card, what clip is that from? its so spooky looking

[@cowslane1]

Is impossible to include everything, but man I wish you mentioned Ginger Snaps.

[@melissamayhemthe3rdesq]

To quote Barbara Creed: Because of what we can glean about gender attitudes from this feminine horror in film, there must be some value in analysis. Now that might be namedropping XD But for the rest you did a nice job, provoking my thoughts for the start of weekend. Thank you :)

[@myu2k2]

Carmilla is a novella about a woman vampire that predated Dracula by over 25 years. It has a lot of lesbian undertones to it, as the vampiress main victim was also a woman.

[@JRMilward]

A lot of the observations you and the cited authors make are explored in great detail in Stone's 1976 book, "When God Was A Woman", though in the context of ancient history and religion rather than film. The points about the demonisation and subjugation of women and women's sexuality are exactly the same, and I'm glad you used the word "patriarchal" because that really is the cornerstone of these prejudices and damaging archetypes.

[@dovecraplin376]

thank you!

[@MythopoeicNavid]

Jess Zimmerman's "Women and Other Monsters" (2021) explores this concept along the mythological and social stigmas as well, showing that the fear and phobia associated with the feminine horror goes back a good few centuries as well. I would say that giantesses are another example. On film, while played for laughs the Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and her many imitations equated femininity with the kaiju archetype popularised by Kong & 'Zilla. Much of the horror in Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens are both feminine as well (to the point where it took a gender-neutral protagonist to oppose the Queen Xenomorph time and again). Finally, another trope can be the association of femininity with domestic horror: To a patriarchal audience, the equating of the household and its various trappings with the imagery of the womb, the cave, the labyrinth become connected once associated with the claustrophobia of the haunted house or mansion. Consider how both films like Resident Evil (2000), I Am Mother (2020) are films 20 years apart and yet feature the same trope of a feminine A.I. keeping the protagonists "trapped." Thus, the Gothic horrors of the haunted house become an extension of the central female figure in the narrative herself. So yes, plenty of horror on-screen. Thanks patriarchal Hollywood >:(

[@killerfoxraspberryplays8903]

Have you seen the kill count ? Like almost all the Friday the 13th has a super high male victim count and so dose Halloween

[@olliepaige9317]

What’s that one song that gets used for the into in a lot of these videos? I really like it

[@young_cheeseburger]

Would modern films like Midsommar, Hereditary, and Us fit in this category or would they be considered subversive?

[@nunuri7894]

I think theyre gendered as well, but in other more interesting ways. Midsommar is really subversive tho

[@deannasmith4443]

@8:41 castration anxiety has always seemed to me to be the root of cis-male transphobia. @12:56 isn't that entirely premised on a projection though? when you consider the prevalence of war-rapes and "corrective" rape against lesbian and bi women? loving your channel

[@supermira2473]

the sirens in ancient Greece tempted Odysseus with knowledge. they were also half chicken ladies who sung prettily, not sexy half-naked girls.

[@antoinehicks2681]

No mention of Silent Hill?

[@AgentLayla526]

I'm reminded of PhilosophyTube's video on witchcraft and how it totally fucked up women's rights for years and now I'm sad

[@NonApplicable1983]

1:23 the cinematic gays owo

[@adeer87]

UwU

[@celinak5062]

9:17 he looks so familiar That, isn't Eliot, is it?

[@celinak5062]

IT IS!

[@margaritam.9118]

“Causing penis to disappear” Me: wait what?

[@paulinathompson1239]

All the "seductive vampiress" trope characters are particularly annoying to me as a history fan because they just blatantly ignore historic example of the female vampire myth, aka Elizabeth Bathory. She exhibited far more traits one would now attribute to Dracula than Vlad the Impaler ever did. And she REALLY wasnt a seductress. She was an absolute maniac who was able to horrifically abuse young poor women in her land BECAUSE most of the men around her were willing to condone violence against women. The historic basis of female vampires is just SO different than the sexy lady vampire archetype, its almost comical.

[@memicoot]

Interesting but when you started quoting Freud I kind of lost interest - we all know Freud isn't taken seriously by any respectable psychologist!

[@renegadecut9875]

Yeah, that's not really the point. I wasn't saying he was right. I was using his quote to show how men like Freud see women. Nobody was magically making penises disappear either, it's just a historical reference to show fear of women.

[@danielhuelsman76]

So this is what men are afraid of women for, but what do men fear in other men? Or women of women? Or women of men? What are those archetypes?

[@MegaRainbowfly]

Anybody can find the paper she mentions in the video about women's sex drive being represed socially?

[@oof-rr5nf]

This was incredibly fascinating! I love the subject of gender. But don't use Freud as a source? That dude was seriously wack.

[@renegadecut9875]

He's not a source, exactly. He's not correct. The point of quoting his ridiculous view on the subject is to show an example of fear of women.

[@oof-rr5nf]

@@renegadecut9875 omfg that you for replying!!! I love your work. Though I am only a handful of video essays in. And noted.

[@theocnetwork1521]

I'm new here and I like it 🤗

[@renegadecut9875]

Welcome!

[@BINFP]

Does anyone know the song at the beginning?