Women in Horror: Exploring the Monstrous Feminine Theory
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- Discussing all the tropes of femininity in horror through the eyes of Barbara Creed and Monstrous Feminine Theory.
Ig and Letterboxd @ rachellydiab
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hi all 🌹 I use the phrase ‘the burning times’ in this video, which i wasn’t aware is often used to describe a much more exaggerated version of what actually took place throughout the 14th-17th centuries. There are recorded accusations of witchcraft, trials and few instances of death as punishment - but I didn’t realise that The Burning Times narrative perpetuates the idea that this happened to hundreds of thousands/millions of women. All of this is to say, it wasn’t an accurate way of describing the period - sorry for this misuse.
The witchcraft stuff was just the robbing of rich women by gangsters who got control of the local government.
Once they offed the (mostly widowed) witches typically their large estates were emptyed out and auctioned off to friends dirt cheap
Gosh you killed this! Indian films also have several monstrous feminine esp cause we’ve also had it in our "avataar" stories. Movie recommendations- stree, bulbul, bhootakalam, andhadhun, makadee..
@@Booyawatchin Thank you! And great recs thank you again!!
My very favorite thing is when someone tries to throw female movie villains as a red herring against feminism. Like, "ha! so you admit women CAN be evil too!" "...yes, dude bro, that's the point, women are human too."
Truly! hahah, kings we know
Well, ngl, the way how feminists behave, I can't blame them. Feminists would generally have you believe all men are inherently and irredeemably evil while women can do no wrong, or, if they do something wrong, we're supposed to presume it stems from some kind of trauma or victimhood and therefore sympathize with her. (Never mind that men are never allowed to use that excuse.)
@@miguelthedrawtistthose aren't feminists, they are "feminists". Feminism is that both men and women should have equal rights.
@@johnlastname8752as a traditional feminist I do sadly have to say the movement has been co-opted by feminists so radical that they kinda looped back around to being sexist somehow. I’m a feminist but the amount of violent and seething hatred I get from other feminists when they find out my dream is to be a stay at home mom and housewife is unreal. I just want a nice family, and I want to make sure my future kids have support and not to rely on babysitters and such. And I love to cook and that’s so much cheaper than buying processed food, not having a job saves more money than having one sometimes because you don’t need to pay for convenience essentially ever. It’s not so out there, but I feel like it is sometimes with the negative reactions I get to that😞 sorry for the paragraph, I wanted to vent lol
@@miguelthedrawtist
Check out statistics on violent crime and get back to me.
But seriously. Feminists don’t think women can’t do bad. They want equality.
However anyone that denies males do more violent shit are in denial.
“It feels good to be feared for something you’ve been shamed and scolded for” basically sums up the dark appeal of stories like this for me. Great video!
Say "I don't want to be a mother" and you get all the fear you want, expression via hate.
Yes
Yup
"im going to attack them sexually"
Michael Bluth voice in my head: theres gotta be a better way to word that
lmao
tbh i thought that was an intentional choice
I think men are just afraid of women getting revenge lmao
I can’t argue with this hahaha
Yep. See shit ton of male revenge movies that are loved. Women revenge? Oh it’s just revenge porn.
Afraid of a female😂
Lmfao😂
For some maybe i think the fear is men of themselves you see a women is the bearer of children if she doesnt care then what good is she to men. And that's the fear for the good men it is a fear that you will be forced to be evil by need by necessity. You see its the good man who is the real horror he needs a reason to be evil because he doesnt obtain joy from it. Its just a job that must be done.
As for men who enjoy doing evil stuff what is to be said they enjoy the idea they dont care to see the world burn anyways and we would all be living like beasts with only them.
My dad was physically abusive occasionally. But because he had terrified me on occasion I was ALWAYS on eggshells, hoping I wouldn't set him off. He'd go from sleepy cuddle bear to berserker in milliseconds sometimes. All recognition or logic gone from his eyes and only a beast left to "teach me a lesson".
When I was 8yrs old my dad saw Jurassic Park and mentioned multiple times in my hearing how much it scared him.
From then on, when I pretended to be an animal, it was always a velocoraptor. I wanted to be the thing that could scare my dad. I craved it more than I craved beauty or skills or praise. If it had been offered to me, I would have joyfully, gleefully embraced becoming a terrifying Monster.
I wanted to be the Melificent- dragon. I wanted to be a gargoyle. I wanted a poisonous bite and claws long enough to gut a man. I dreamed I was a beautiful white werewolf, as big as a draft horse, running free and fearless on all fours.
It is exhaustingly frightening to be physically powerless against the strength and speed of men I'm surrounded by as an adult. And being forcably rapped* as a teen by someone I thought was a friend only increased my craving for a greater physical power of my own.
Still to this day (I'm 39 now), I'd rather be a truly grotesque monster than a model.
Where's MY dark fairy godmother when I need her, huh?
I'm so sorry to hear you went through this, but what a fascinating insight ❤ I can definitely understand wanting to be grotesque in the face of true fear - Beauty can't protect us from real horrors i suppose.
Thank you for watching 🌹
I read in a werewolf book that a sign of a werewolf is a woman wearing a white fur coat. You can still be a werewolf. Much love.
"We need more gothic horror or I'll die"
Realest statement
Not enough of it, that's for sure. Especially in cinema.
This is why I enjoyed Jennifer's Body because Jennifer's sexuality is the REASON she survives, albeit demonically, she was able to get revenge due to her "lack" of purity. I LOVED THIS VIDEO TYSM!!
I'm a writer currently working on a novel about a Regency-era merchant ship full of men being attacked by a siren-esque monster that punishes men who chose to abandon their wives/mothers/daughters/female loved one back on shore to go sailing. The monster is frequently just referred to as "her" or "the beast" (mostly because I haven't got a good name for her yet) and I specifically wanted her to be female attacking a ship of only men because I've always found that interesting.
Here's the thing of it: I'm a trans man, someone who no longer identifies with womanhood but still loves the beautiful, incredible power of it. Watching this video (and others), as well as listening to my female friends talk of their own experiences, has been very affirming for me, because sometimes I feel as though making the only female character (save for some flashbacks with my main character's mother, as well as the numerous mentions of wives) the monster. My good friend (who is both a woman and a writer) loves my monster, which is comforting--the last thing this world needs is another male author writing about female power that doesn't apply to him. At the same time, I get to explore a part of myself that no longer suits me, so I come from a unique perspective.
I want my novel to be an exploration of male-centered societies, the consequences of a woman scorned, and the power of women as imperfect, unsexy, monstrous beings of their own choosing. I want to play on reader expectations. For example, the first man to die on the ship is affable, well-liked by everyone, and widely considered to be selfless and giving by the rest of the characters. His guise for leaving his wife (who is pregnant) is a natural love for sailing and adventure. It's written so that the rest of the characters--and the reader--think that he's an entirely blameless victim, but from another perspective, it's very selfish to leave someone behind--especially in my character's case, where he will be gone for months and potentially die, leaving his wife and child alone in a male-dominated society with no female agency, but he goes out anyway. I want it to be a play on male cowardice, and how men are often lauded for the bare minimum--something I've come across more and more in my transition.
Anyway, I truly find the concept of feminine monstrosity incredibly fascinating. Forgive me for such a long, self-indulgent post; this video is simply wonderful and really got me thinking.
Your novel so far sounds amazing! I would love to read it once it's done, is there any way for us to keep up with it? :)
I hope the book writing goes okay. However, your description feels like a caricature of sailors as “bros before hos” guys with a hobby rather than sailors from the early 1800s. I don’t think sailing really is all that selfish at that time period as that description seems to make it. Sailors out at sea for months are dealing with harsh working conditions, poor diet, cruel punishments, dangerous situations, extreme isolation, and are at the whim of weather.
With that in mind, they aren’t sailing because it is a fun thing - it was a way to make a living. Many times it was one of the only choices if men couldn’t find work in agriculture or the city. Without any work to do, people in that time period were an extra burden on their families. Many sailors weren’t abandoning women because they were selfish, it was because it was the only real chance of living they could get. A majority of men wouldn’t want to go through that experience if they had the option.
Based on what you have, it feels like you are imprinting a lot of modern life into a specific way of life from 200 years ago.
I’m hoping this doesn’t sound too rude, but I found your comment and I wanted to give my impression. I like the idea, but it feels like a caricature of bros rather than sailors from the time period. A solid book on that time period to check out if you haven’t is “Two Years Before the Mast”. It isn’t the Regency period of the UK, but it is from an American perspective of sailing in the 1830s (or 40s).
@@gregatkins1866 Hello, and thank you for the response. I should have specified in the original post that I am actually a graduated (summa cum laude) English literature major with an emphasis and concentration on history. I am also a hobby historian on top of this, with my main point of focus being on the early and mid 19th century. I am quite knowledgeable of what I'm writing about (and I love Two Years Before the Mast! It is one of the books I studied for my major). Do take what I say in earnest when I say your perspective is valid but, I think, coming from a place of incomplete information and assumption of my own ability. I barely scratched the surface of my book in that post and do defend it in the sense that it is far more complicated than I implied in my brief post. I have the knowledge, experience, and learned study of sailing history--especially that of Regency and Victorian periods--and am quite aware of the social/working nuances of the time. I discuss it at length in my book, with a great deal of the characters feeling as though they must sail because they have no other choice. For example, I have a couple characters who were pressed into service and many who were born into it. I do not take history lightly--it is a great, great passion of mine and research/historical writing is my ultimate passion and pastime.
Thank you!
TL;DR: I was a historian and literature history major and did not give enough information or credentials in my original post but yes, I am aware of the information you provided. I thank you for your response!
Cool lemme read
Very interesting, quite curious what kind of protagonist you have then, Really powerful idea you have there
Yes, it feels good to be feared.In my life i’m sick of being a victim. I don’t want to be the virgin final girl, or the one who gets punished. If I’m in a horror film I want to be the one who brings chaos and horror to those who harm me.
Amen.
Just once I'd like to see the "bad" girl defeat the monster/killer.
Yeah, I wanna be like Terminator’s Sarah Connor, she was a bada$$ that survived a cyborg.
I’m so glad to see someone finally giving Lucille Sharpe’s character depth the praise it deserves! I haven’t been able to find any analysis videos on her
Omg she's fantastic! I may do a full video on Crimson Peak one day because it really is one of my favourites- I've never really understood the lack of enthusiasm for it
I’m a woman who loves horror because so many characters are women both monsters and the victims and the heroines. They’re are some of the few films that pass the becdal test. 2 women often talk to each other about things other than a man often.
Good point actually! Never thought about it like that
Yesssss thank you! I wish you had also gone into the fear of reproduction too. One of the most inherent fears of female monsters is... the monster is female. *She can make more monsters.* She is capable of birth, oftentimes without 'male' assistance, or the males are barely worth mentioning. I don't think I have to tell you about the incels who fear women will evolve past needing men. The Aliens movie is dead on the nose with that one. ALL of the aliens who slaughter people are female. The 'males' are mindless drones that die when they're done. Even Stephen King's IT talks about this- the IT monster is discovered to be pregnant, and the urgency to destroy IT became ever higher. IT had to be killed before it could give birth. Hell, say what you will about Stephanie Meyer's The Host, but the part where it was discovered that any Soul could split into hundreds more was a point of horror, disgust, and fear is also dead on the money. I think taking the 'capable of making babies and oh no what if they can do it without men?!' is a gigantic part of it all. Because, historically, pregnancy and the capability to make more people is something that people covet (to the point of being HORRIBLE about it) but are also intimidated by.
I actually hadn’t thought of reproduction so literally, but that’s a really interesting point!
@@rachellydiabhave you read Frankenstein? That’s the reason he decides not to make a female bride for the monster. He initially is going to do it. But then he remembers that females can reproduce, and the idea of the monsters having progeny and birthing a whole new race is so monstrous to him that he destroys the female body that he has created and was about to bring to life. That’s the final straw for the monster and why he then goes on to destroy Frankensteins life and kill everyone he loves. Starting with his bride!
I actually haven't! But that's so interesting. I'm not a huge reader, although Mary Shelley and Shirley Jackson are high on my priorities list @@ellebee4112
Frankenstein, prob the one example of Birth Myth instead of the usual DeathMyth @@ellebee4112
I'm pretty sure that incels are simply waiting for android gfs and don't care about women "evolving", mostly because human beings have stayed the same for centuries when it comes to their core nature, and we simply invent technology to do shit for us so we have more free time for ourselves, and the idea of using it for reproduction it's also being explored... And if anyone read Brave New World and took a nice long look at the alienating state of modern Western society, I don't think it's necessary to explain why that's a terrible idea.
The mother-daughter dynamic of hatred in my experience comes from the subconscious idea that I have to be like her, and I just didn't like my mother in that way, I love her as a caregiver and someone to look after me but I didn't want to be her, because we are kids and we still want to be look after no thinking that we have to look after people. Like just imagine if we told boys they have to start practicing parenting skills, I think am not alone when I say that many women marry with men-childs they cannot cook or do laundry by themselves, the wife has to be their mothers. Some mothers treat their son better than their daughters making a resentment that could last a life time.
Also being told that I look like my dad and that my mom is always elegant, organized and clean, while I have (undiagnostic) autisms/ADHD make me feel worse.
I think this totally makes sense! It's a little freudian, and although I think he was mostly a nutter it's so so true that our parental dynamics have a mammoth impact on who we are!
I hope you're able to find some healing from the ways that's affected you x
This is quite possibly the best commentary on the female monster I’ve ever seen ❤
What a comment 🥲 thank you so much for watching x
@@rachellydiab How do you make a female character with sex appeal without sexualizing them? Is it possible to make female characters that just simply want to be saved by a man they are in love with? Where's the line drawn here?
Honestly this is a huge question that I couldn't answer here and now!I know I don't want to see a world of monotonous female characters who are void of real traits. So yes, I hope and think characters like this are possible - and the creators intention and earnest self analysis can really dictate whether it's done successfully or not! @@etabiansosin
Yes, female monsters. Not feminine monsters.
Because a powerful woman, in full control of her power, is what most men are afraid of.
Amen brother
Thank you for mentioning Crimson Peak. That movie is wonderfully costumed and such a great Gothic theme!
Crimson Peak is one of my fave movies too! Love this topic. Even wrote a essay about it in filmschool
Isn't the best! I also wrote an essay on it and it was the only thing I ever got an A on hahaha
This is covered in video games as well too. Think Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or The Forest.
bloodborne
Especially Silent Hill 3! The whole thing is about unwanted pregnancy and assault/the reality of coming of age as a woman. Really horrifying once that clicks while playing. There’s even a giant p*nis monster; and the main antagonist is a woman. It really isn’t spoken about enough! D:
As a man, I can see the sexist connotations in the monstrous feminine archetype. If used incorrectly in culture and fiction, this looming shadow of evil femininity can be used as justification to hurt or oppress real women. From an entertainment perspective though, the monstrous female is my favorite type of horror villain. Whether it's Snow White's evil stepmother, the creepy little girls from the Shining, or more likeable examples like Batman's Harley Quinn, the inversion of femininity from something pure and nurturing into something evil is both terrifying and endlessly entertaining. I especially love stories where the complex motives of the evil female are properly explored so that she's made into more of a complete character and not a 2D stereotype.
The way you bellowed BALENCIAGAAAAA had me howling 😂❤
I love Fay Weldon's reading of Dracula. Taps into Stokers's fear of female genitalia, his overbearing mother and his latent, and not so latent, homosexuality.
This was a really interesting breakdown. I love that some women can find these movies empowering since one thing that always puts me of is when a movie is either too sadistic and/or focuses on the victimisation of women. Being the cinematic outcast or rebel genre that horror can be we can get examples of non stereotypes that mainstream movies have ignored for too long and then handled clumsily contributing to so many infuriating "woke/anti woke" labels. There are numerous wonderful examples of strong women in genre movies either as the villains or as heroines who give as good as they get and it's for this reason that I have no shame in enjoying many slashers despite their varying quality. Growing up on these movies taught me that all people can have strength in many different ways regardless of gender or conformity. It's a fascinating subject to study and well done handling it without the political bias that seems to poison everything lately.
Love this. I think as film goes horror actually displays so much difference and nuance across the board. I never felt like the genre categorically pigeonholed women. Thank you so much for watching and commenting!
Part of why I kind of like X, the typical “pure” girl actually ends up getting killed whereas one of the promiscuous ones is the sole survivor. It feels like you’re set up to think that the “pure” girl will be the only survivor, not only by the narrative in the movie but also the fact that most horror movies are aggressively trying to kill promiscuous women as quick as possible, and the goody “pure” girl always survives. I like it when they subvert expectations 👍
Thank you! I've always felt that Teeth is an underrated feminist masterpiece.
How good! I'm planning on doing an exploration video just for Teeth (-:
@@rachellydiab can't wait to see it!
I grew up on a farm. I watched piglets, calvs and foals get born. No problems.
I sufferrd from Tocophobia since the day I learned I could get pregant to. Because I learned about all the effects of human pregnancy in sxx education classes and at home.
Nope, not worth the risk.
I really enjoy sxx but my Tubal Ligation took my whole life to next level.
Finally SAFE!!!
I don't say pregnancy is disgusting. I am just to educated about all the risks.
Hello fellow tokophobic human. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember. 😅
As a health professional, knowing all the risks and pain, the debilitating life long issues and psychological toll us women will experience when and after giving birth, I think getting pregnant is some of the most insane, stupid and irrational thing I could do. And yet, i'm always happy and moved to tears when mothers give birth or when they talk about how much they love their children, despite what it costs them.
Then again, as a woman in a patriarchal world, maybe being pregnant wouldn't be so scary if there weren't all this ambiant misogyny, both at hospitals, and at home.
The fact that women still have to give birth on their backs...
My favorite line in this video is my favorite of all your videos I've seen: "We are monsters, and we know that better than anyone." Very empowering. I love it!
@@anamae03 thank you ❤️❤️
Carl Jung*. Also, look up Sabina Spielrein. She was the woman who inspired many of his ideas, though tragically she is overlooked in history. It pertains to this video.
Very good essay. Both genres (and the new ones) can be monstrous because humanity in its current consciousness has not yet developed a complete understanding of its being, although it should be noted that men have had a greater opportunity to create poetic disfigurements.
Thank you so much! That actually hadn't occurred to me at ALL... "the opportunity to create poetic disfigurements" is both beautifully worded and such an interesting point.
@@rachellydiab But it's okay to disagree a little because if there is a certain "sexist" abuse, greetings, beautiful wise woman 🌷
Men use physical vioence
Women use psycholical violence.
Think back to highschool, what was the bullies like and what which genders bullied people how?
Of course, theres always exceptions to any rule.
I actually talk about this in my video on revenge! Amy Dunne (Gone Girl) doesn’t have the physical strength of her partner so she uses psychological tools to torture him. It’s a really interesting distinction in male/female victim revenge movies!
Yea
Dawn's Tussy had me howling lmfao
both youtube-censor friendly and also very slay hahah
Holy crap, did the TH-cam algorithm actually deliver this gem to me?? A funny, well-researched, thought-provoking dive into one of my favourite subjects & you're a KIWI?? Massive aroha for this, instant subscribe from a grateful Ngai Tahu lady. Can't wait to get into your other videos. GREAT pants btw! xx
haven’t found a channel this good in so long!! so excited to binge all of the videos
@@Salma-d2e Ahh thank you!! so cool 🌹🌹
Men as ghosts dont really sell it, they fit in as slasher villains tho or any monster that can be hurt physically like werewolves.
That was an impressive summary of female monsters. Lots of points I never even thought about. Well done
Thank you !! 🙏
I like a lot of these points. Female movie monsters are some of the best movie monsters, though. Jennifer check was one of the best i think, but lilith from bordello of blood was iconic too. But one of the pluses of female movie monsters is that they sometimes make men feel like they're the ones who should be scared in particular.
As usual you remain a genius and my favorite person to hear speak some provocative theory about film!!
u always speak straight to my heart!! I’m so glad you enjoyed x
Fear me, for I am a lesbian, both a monster and a tamer of monsters.
Spoooooky!
I can’t wait for your video on Poor Things!!! Excited to hear your thoughts on that movie!
definitely something i’d like to do in the future, thank u!!
Thank you, youtube algorithm, for randomly recommending this video over a year after its release. Instant sub.
Crimson Peak mentioned!!! Yes, really is not as loved as other Del Toros' works, I like how he take that tropes and makes twists or deconstructe them, better them and make them be more complex. Also here for jungle and Freud hate
Thing is, some of this is clearly done from fear and hatred of women with no inside sympathy for a female though process, but a lot of the stuff that's most obvious and explicit about it actually come out of respect for women. I think it's about saying, "Okay, things associated with men have been dissected for good and evil and played with for full nuance, but what about women. Originally a lot of what we see is just hate of all things female and transgressive--an excuse for men to justify hating women with power, but, a reaction to that has been to go deeper and not bulk at seeing how far into what the dark female might be we can see if we admit that it has to start with some grounding in the actual relatable humanity of women and their experience. Something like Alien or Jennifer's Body draws us in because women and the female body get to be villain and victim, often at once, and we get to explore what it might mean for women and feminine stuff to be both as complexly good and as complexly bad as all things male or un-gendered. Suddenly it's okay for women to say "Show us the worst of what we can be and we will be the first to hate us." The key is being able to trust that every dark thing isn't about how much triggering pain we can show women in or how much lazy reaction we can get out of an audience, but about pushing us to see and deal with what really makes human experience and bodies scary and for either sex. Let's have evil come out of things feminine that we can say "that--she, it--is crazy." But that's not hateful because there's something to say after that about how things and people can be dangerous in a real way, just as we can have a productive conversation a frightening character with diagnosable mental health challenges, but that becomes less possible the more that character is just some generic "crazy axe murderer" type or some such steriotype.
Frfr, this was quite enlightening. Hadn't realy considered all the implications in media until you pointed it out.
Hey thank you - Glad it was interesting!
I usually never use the comment section on TH-cam but, DAMN I COULDN'T AGREE MORE WITH EVERY WORD YOU SAID! ready to binge all of your videos 😎
Stoppppp this is so nice!! thank u for being here x
Me, a 30yo American white man, 54 seconds into your video, your hair is blue(ish). And it actually looks pretty good. NGL, that look does look look good. Like, someone with the "unintentional bedhead," look. You pull it off. I'll comment again at the end of the video too.
That, "Balenciaga..." line delivery at &:10 got you the subscription.
I appreciate the love given my drunken typo @ 7**:10
I love Crimson Peak so much! "Sexy goth daddy Tom Hiddleston" is just art, I want it on a mug under a picture of him.
GODS I resonate with this so hard!! Makes me think of Verna, from The Usher series by Mike Flanagan. She is my favorite, I idolize her 🤩🙌🤘🌸
I watched crimson peak forever ago and loved it, but we rented it from redbox so i couldn't remember what it was called. I'm so glad you mentioned it in this video
aw i’m glad i could help! isn’t it fantastic
as a long-time horror fan, it's quite interesting to see the stark difference in hollywood and asian horror. a lot of asian horror seems deeply rooted in older cultures that often take a far more mythical degree of archetypal fears, while hollywood seems to have a lot more of modern causes of fear, one being the political stuff such as the topic of the video.
for example, take the original japanese "ring" movie. it may be framed with technophobia, but the monster herself (sadako) is deeply rooted in japanese yokai folklore. the korean "a tale of two sisters" is pretty much based on an old korean folktale about dead children getting their revenge. there's a lot of other asian titles deeply inspired or rooted in buddhism, buddhist "hell", reincarnation, the "hungry ghost" doomed to roam, various types of local animism particularly ones that involve contacting or fighting an evil spirit, and so on and so forth. there's a lot of asian titles ranging from S-tier to mediocre to terrible cliches, but i've noticed that a lot of the really good ones tend to hearken back to older belief systems and folklore.
otoh, hollywood tends to have a "rational" (for lack of a better word) way of manufacturing horror stories, and this "rationality" seem to go hand in hand with the current era. it's very rare to see a hollywood horror film that's squarely rooted in much older cultures (like native american). even the supernatural stuff usually involves or is in the same league as the ouija board, which is a modern invention / take on the idea of ghosts and spirits. comparing the ouija board style of horror of the movie "the exorcist" to something like the exorcism scene in the korean film "the wailing", the evil spirit of the exorcist movie is decidedly tied to western christianity so it's basically "god vs satan" while in the korean film "the wailing", even though there is a christian reference, somehow that movie is a struggle between "humanity vs evil", which is frankly scarier.
YES CRIMSON PEAK! One of my favorites, I have seen few movies of its kind.
It's so special! Not quite the same vibe, but I'm hoping Poor Things will provide some of the same sickly whimsy.
great v-essay! Was not expecting to hear kia kaha. So nice to hear a slice of NZ 😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
omg Im so happy to have found this channel, amazing work!
Eek thank you!
The way the new Alien movie use several of these archetypes. Love this video and the book rec.
Growing next to a lot of women and being recently married to one made me realize two things: Life as man is simple, and the female reproductive system terrifies me.
Bleeding, recurring pains, the whole body altering experience of pregnancy, amongst a lot of other things. It all sounds like a form of existential horror, and it makes me anxious and worried for my wife and the women around me.
That does not even include the constant policing and control that society imposes on women's bodies (which is another form of horror), just the hand nature gives to them.
Yet, women just live, persisting through the horrors. For that alone, it makes women terrifying, but also admirable.
Great exploration - this'll definitely inform my future reading in this area, thanks especially for the citations!
That's awesome, thank u for watching!
As an offshoot of embracing the visceral horror of feminity, I also like horror monsters that are feared that I relate to as an autistic person. Since I was always seen as weird anyway, it was comforting to be feared enough for people to let me be instead of acting on their disgust by bullying me. Playing into their fear and disgust kept them from being worse to me and people like me, so for a long time I related to monsters and generally found myself sympathising with non-human characters far more often than any human POV protagonist (which is why I didn't like reading teen fantasy and similar genres of book, because the "quirky girl" protagonists were exactly like the people - boys and girls - who acted monstrously towards people like me).
I will never look at the alien in the same way!
Its fascinating, right!
Hearing that quote about alien makes me go huh, wonder if that's why I wasn't concerned about stuff.
This video was way more insightful and informative than I thought it was gonna be, amazing video. It makes me even more proud to be a woman
Love. Wish this was like 2 hrs long
That was amazing. Thank you❤
Thank you 🥰
I imagine this wouldn’t be your usual go to, but I hope you give a game called Bloodbourne a look. If nothing else see a video or two of the story mode. That game is fuuuuuull of the monstrous feminine themes and visuals and characters and monsters crossed with eldritch horror.
I love horror, i love women and i love this so much
Star Wars, Return of the Jedi
The Stallac you show isn't from the original movies. It'sfrom the CGI "enhanced" Versionsnummer.
It was ment to resemble an ant trapping bug that really exists.
I personally have problems with Leia shows half naked as a slave of Jabba and her toxic RomCom relationship with Han. He is great as a friend for Luke but a Princess dating down to a guy that is that aggressive towards her is just the typical Hollywood toxic relationship disguised as "They hate and disrespect each other, make him break all her standarts and call it True Romance!"
Oh this is so well done. I might just have to add the monstrous feminine to my reading list now
@@Dantalliumsolarium thank you 🌹🌹
I knew it was probably gonna be mentioned, but i still popped at the mention of Alien (1979) lol
@@AAAAAMMM Alien forever !!!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!! Great work
thank you!!! So kind!
great video, but the burning times aren’t real. i’m sure other people must have commented about this even though i’m not seeing it. kaz rowe has a great video about the misconceptions and its origins that’s really good. otherwise, you’ve done a great job going over this subject!
hi! thank you for drawing my attention to this - I wasn’t aware that the common perception of the phrase ‘The Burning Times’ described such an exaggerated version of events. Good to know and i won’t use it again! Thank you for watching 🌹
NOT THE BALENCIAGA SCREAM LMAO 💀💀😭😭😭
Bro I just watched a few of your videos ugh your mind ! I think theres this innate fear of birth and pregnancy that women have too at least if they've never had children, it's an incredible terrifying thing that we knew there was like a 1/10 chance of dying from before modern medicine! Also I'm interested in exploring the idea of like infertility and gender non-conformity or more generally how women who don't fit the desirability standard are framed as monstrous in this type of thing too sorry I'm so high I never comment on videos but my brain is churning so hard I'm so glad I found your channel! Have a good day !!!
Ahh thank you!!! Ahahha, love ur thoughts, stay high mama
Just found your channel, and I’m hooked! Great insights.
Thank you so much! Happy to have you here (-:
OMG LOVE THIS VIDEO
OBSESSED
YOU WERE SO MOTHER FOR THIS VIDEO OMG
WHY DID IT TOOK SO LONG?
AHH THANK YOU 💓💓
LOVED this video!! So well done!
Thank you so much for watching 💜
LOOOOOOOOVE the outfit changes
About "exorcise" you are into something, because I heard a theory that she was being SA and she ask the demon to protect her so the perpetrator would stop doing it. I like this theory because I always wonder why nobody at fist thought that may she was SA and her weird behavior was just symptoms.
It really does make me laugh that from the beginning of time men have always been so afraid of women. Really shows why we were so chained down back then and now as women are becoming more independent and aware how men that want to "be fathers" actually become an overgrown child to add to the bunch, causing us to become married single mothers, we no longer want to deal with that and it is driving men insane to the point where they still believe shaming and threatening us is the way to make us bend to their will. Not anymore ❤ I'm proud of us all 💅🏻
you know, in my own writing, i have a habit of writing comically evil women more frequently than i realize (not always comical, as in my older writing it was more "scary", but because of jokes from my friends, i started making it almost comical in a way). some of it is a sort of play on fictional tropes, but also very strange fears i had as a child. i think it stems from the fear of my own developing self, and the rejection of it in a way. theres a billion reasons why and a billion ways you can twist it, but this idea seems to sum up a lot of it simply. A lot of the fears stem from things such as the discomfort of physical closeness (realizing in the process i am also attracted to women which explained why i always identified with certain male characters given my personality, i identified as trans for a while before realizing i really kind of didnt identify that way after a few years), things like intimacy and you know sexuality, discomfort with my own body, as well as themes of emotional instability and possessiveness/control, which are results of personal experience
but in a way, as time went on, i was able to reconcile with certain fears and morphed perceptions of certain concepts, as i started to realize why they disturbed me. and that understanding led to the realization of how ludicrous it is, or overcomplicate very simple facts of life in my mind, in a way that unsettled me.
it can be more of a dark reflection of our own selves, more than we might realize
This is really interesting. the 'fear of your developing self' is honestly such a fascinating concept and something I can see so many people relating to - as you say, overcoming it really comes down to comprehending where it all stems from!
Thank you for watching x
Great video🖤
I honestly wish there was more human women villains, even if some aren’t three dimensional. Because so many shows today have to redeem a lot of villain women (mainly in shows). Like can I have a female villain where she is a monster and stays a monster?
I loved this analysis! Subbed 🥰
The framing of the opening shots of this video cannot be an accident. Get out of my miiiinndddd with that subtle subconscious reinforcement of explicitly stated themes within the video.
Such a beautiful video thank you
Thank you! 💐
Me hearing about crimson peak wanting to watch it. You immediately about to spoil. Me taking off my headphones and yodelling while glancing down to spy about when you're done 😂😂😂 next time maybe time stamp til after spoiler?
@@rosellavaughn5394 omg sorry! yes can do x
as a woman in the very early stage of puberty at 35 years of age /(started hrt last week aaaaaaa), this video made me cry and also feel immensley powerful
Congratulations!! That makes me so proud that it's empowered you
yay@@rachellydiab
Since you started at 35 already, you will be able to join the 40% really soon! Do your best!!! xoxo
Puberty is so hard, I'm so glad you feel empowered my love❤
Congratulations!
Go waatch Ginger Snaps it's a must watch during hrt puberty!
I would add in the body horror of not just puberty but of menopause. Think about it, it's a second puberty for women. It is one thing to transform from a girl into a woman, that is frightening enough but the hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods, weight gain, and mood changes in our older age when we have responsibilities and now have to take on yet another drastic change of our biology. Being a woman is just...body horror marathon.
i think the use of the monsterous feminine in horror and the confusion around people embracing it excitedly forgets about humanity's love of monsters throughout history.
most countries have at least a few tales of monster lovers (human and supernatural creature falling in love or "getting it on" at the very least).
and the goes just as much for men falling for monsters as it does for women.
a contemporary example of feminine monsters that are not meant to be feared but to be physically attractive would be the monster girl encyclopedia books from the manga medium and lady Dimitrescu from resident evil 8
even jen from Jennifer's body and queen akasha from queen of the damned are monsters in film that are meant to scare the audience but end up being attractive partially because of their physical beauty and partially because of the fact that they are dangerous.
and while jen and akasha are still relatively human looking, the nurse from the silent hill franchise is very clearly and in human monster yet people consistently find both the game and film versions of the nurse monster to be attractive and desirable while still being terrifying. and somehow pyramid head from the same franchise works as and male counter part of a monster that theoretically should be terrifying and yet is lusted after by fans of the series.
.
actually would be pretty cool to see a video essay like this going over monster lover fans and the unintentionally/unconventionally attractive monster in film.
my own knowledge goes more over anime and videos games and less about film and the actual psychology about what drives some people to be into creatures like gorgons, mermaids, vampires, demons, ghosts, etc.
i need a list of all the movies thats shown in this video 😭
“We need more Gothic Horror or I will die” ❤❤❤❤
Jung divorced his friendship with Freud due to his inability to let go of sexist, racist, and anti-spiritual outlook on psychology. It’s important not to confuse their ideas and theories.
Crimson peak sounds a lot like the fall of the house of usher by Poe
I don’t know why the narrator misspells Jung as Yung-has she never seen Carl Jung’s name in print?I did like some of her points,like the idea of women’s bodies being presented as grotesque,dangerous and weird undermining the male ideal of the slim,firm,pristine female body.
Thanks for another banger 👏🏻
thank you for watching 💜💜
Dude this is the best thesis on these movies...I've liked and subscribed. Women scare weak men, they can't even deal with tampons being a thing(Tampon Tim;despite that also being aimed at transphobia). Women at large, not doing exactly what the weak willed patriarchal figures (demure and mindful ;)) is so scary, or gross. Why is menstruation soooo much more scary or gross than pooping...pooping is way grosser than periods...but incels have no trouble buying toilet paper...but god forbid they buy tampons or pads.
@@TheShepherdFilms Thank you!!! And yes the underlying fear many men (and frankly, women) have of the female bodies natural processes is absolutely bizarre 👀
loved this video!
can someone tell me which movie was featured in the video (the one with the pregnant woman being sk*nned) that looks terrifying. also great video!
Amazing and interesting video
Aliens franchise was such great films 🎥 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼the Art work and everything was such amazing work at its time.
Yeah how incredible is Giger! His work still really gets under my skin...
@@rachellydiab 😄is okey is Art, we supposed to get a reaction from it .
Just thinking on the idea of embracing this concept, and a movie you have shown bits of through this - Suspiria (2018). That feels like a movie that takes the Monstrous Feminine and looks at it almost from a totally female perspective. It is a movie about Feminine Power, and how it can be misused against other women. The core issue in the movie is a power struggle, and the lead of one side is using the coven's power for her own purposes, to the detriment of young women she was trying to steal the bodies of.
I have a personal opinion about the story that what Susie Bannion is, is an avatar of Mother Suspiriorum who was born into the world so she could come to the dance school without being recognised, so she could set everything straight.
How does this intersect with Monsterous Feminine theory IMO? The women of the coven were being monsters, so their monster goddess had to manifest and tear down the part of the coven that was going against her will. The bigger Monster destroyed the monsters, and it is all Feminine Power against Feminine Power. That does not make the Feminine Power of the movie evil, just amoral.
I think I just fell in love with you!! 😍 This was fantastic!!
@@pimpgrizzle ahhh thank you 🥲❤️
My new, "how do i look?" is "too cute?" I want to be scary and vile because they already hate me anyway.