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Although Rosemary’s Baby is considered a classic horror film by many, and a feminist film by some, I had never given the flick any thought, nor had I seen it before.  Once again, my self-imposed Halloween Movie Marathon gave me the excuse to check out something I otherwise might not have, and particularly with the recent Roman Polanski developments, this seemed like as good a time as any to give it a shot.

Themes of female oppression and patriarchal dominance abound in this film, which was based on the book of the same title by Ira Levin, who also wrote the novel The Stepford Wives.  Although I’ve never had much interest in the Nicole Kidman Stepford Wives remake, after Rosemary’s Baby I’m interested to see the original and some more of Levin’s interpretation of mid 20th century women’s roles. My thoughts on whether or not this is a feminist film after the jump.

After all the hype, coverage, and controversy regarding Teeth around the feminist blogosphere, I had to add this to my marathon list.  I’ll admit, I was worried.  Would it be as scary as I had convinced myself it would be?  Would it be overly gross?  Would there be too much sexual assault?

Whether or not Teeth has been the scariest film I’ve watched for our Halloween Movie Marathon, it has certainly been the most disturbing in many ways.  It made me laugh, it made me cringe, it made my stomach turn, it made me feel empowered, it made me feel angry.  Consider this your warning: Brace yourself for some pretty graphic themes and plenty of spoilers after the jump.

I can remember watching The Craft at sleepovers during 8th and 9th grade, collecting old books on witchcraft (always history books and never spellbooks, much to my adolescent disappointment), and playing with tarot cards and Ouija boards by candlelight.  I’m reminded of Willow’s mom (Buffy shoutouts, yo) brushing off her witchcraft as an “adolescent phase.”  In a lot of ways, I think it fits – the search for empowerment, female power, and sisterhood are all common components of the teen girl experience.

The Craft exemplifies all of these themes, as well as addressing other teen (and generally human) issues such as slut shaming, racism, beauty ideals, domestic violence, and sexual assault.

When Sarah and her father relocate to a new town, she is taken in by three aspiring witches as their fourth – completing the circle and representing all the elements.  While her friends, Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle, work diligently at their craft, magic comes naturally to Sarah and she is able to bring to fruition the spells that they have been trying to complete.  However, things begin to turn bad, and when Sarah tries to leave the group she is harassed, until she demonstrates her superior power, scaring the other girls off and returning to a seemingly peaceful life. A closer look at the themes listed above after the jump.

If Carrie is a story about the horrors of adolescence, Misery is a story of the horrors of middle age.

When romance author Paul Sheldon is in a terrible car accident, his life is forever changed by an act of (bad) fortune as Annie Wilkes pulls him from the vehicle.  A former nurse, Annie sets Paul’s broken bones, medicates his pain, and shelters him in her own home, claiming that the phone lines are down and she couldn’t get him to a hospital.  Soon Paul realizes that Annie, his #1 fan, is much more than he bargained for – she keeps him locked in his room, heavily medicated, and prohibits him from contacting anyone to let them know he’s alive.  Annie forces Paul to rewrite his last novel, which was not to her liking, and as she fetches supplies he explores her home, learning about her treacherous history as a nurse and searching for an escape.  Paul must constantly be on the lookout for any opportunity to escape, and tread carefully so as not to tip off (or set off) Annie.

The film reverses the roles of typical hostage films, plays with the caretaker role women are so often expected to fulfill, and gives us a deeper glance at Stephen King’s Freudian complex with mothers.  An investigation of these themes after the jump.

Carrie is a classic horror-meets-coming-of-age flick, and it incorporates a wide range of themes, from menstruation to bullying to domestic violence to religiosity.  Stephen King has fallen from favor over the years, but a number of his works have stood the test of time.  Carrie is one of those gems.

Of the films I’ve watched for our Halloween Movie Marathon, Carrie has been the most frightening, and also the most deeply tragic.

Carrie is the story of a high school senior (Carrie White) who is outcast by her peers largely as a result of her strict religious upbringing.  Her mother makes the rounds to visit the parents of her classmates in an attempt to convert them, and when Carrie has her first period (a traumatic locker room experience) her mother punishes her for the sin she has committed.  Taken under the wing of her gym teacher, Miss Collins and asked to prom as an act of charity, things momentarily look up for the young woman until a terrible prank at the prom (dumping pigs blood on her after she “won” prom queen – surely another jab at the locker room incident) unleashes Carrie’s telekinetic rage on the community.

Even in this brief synopsis we can glimpse the following themes: the dangers of female sexuality and sexual development, domestic violence, questions about charity and outreach, and religiosity.  I take a closer look at each of these after the jump.

I have a vague memory of watching the second Resident Evil film sometime during my freshmen year, but had never seen the original.  Female lead, major role for Michelle Rodriguez, and I was good to go.  However, my partner regularly plays Resident Evil 4, which has always creeped me out (things jumping out at you and attaching themselves to your body isn’t really a fun concept for a video game, IMHO) but I decided, in the spirit of our Halloween Movie Marathon I’d give it a shot.

As with Aliens, the film was less scary than I had convinced myself it would be.  It certainly had its flaws (initial Mila Jovovich nude scene in the shower, ever shortening little red dress), but again this was a film where the lead roles could have just as easily been cast as male with minimal changes to the script or plot, but were instead enriched by being cast and written for female actors.

Some comparisons between Resident Evil and Aliens, Alice in Wonderland, and other observations after the jump.

Never having seen any of the Alien films, but having heard good things about Sigourney Weaver’s character, I consulted an Alien fan about which film to watch, and 1986 sequel Aliens it was.

My first encounter with anything Alien related was a scary monster popping out of the ceiling in a Disney World theme ride at the age of 7, so I was pretty concerned that I wasn’t going to handle the beasts well.  However, the movie was much less scary or even suspenseful than I had expected.  In fact, it was kind of slow, predictable and boring.

That’s not to say that there weren’t any interesting themes.

‘Tis the season to pee your pants, spill popcorn all over the floor, and sleep with the lights on.  Typically, I’m not into horror films, blood and guts and all, but there are some notable exceptions here.  After all, Buffy Summers and Dana Scully were the idols of my adolescence, and I’ve been known to have a Dexter marathon now and then.

So in honor of Halloween, we’ll take a look at the roles of women in a selection of horror films this week.  Expect classics like Carrie, Misery, and Rosemary’s Baby and some newer flicks like Resident Evil and Teeth.  I haven’t seen most of these yet, so we’ll see if I get tricks or treats.

What are some of the Halloween flicks you’re watching to get in the holiday spirit?

I saw Jennifer’s Body last night (bummed I couldn’t make it opening weekend, but such is life), and for all the feminist debates about whether or not it (or Diablo Cody or Megan Fox) has any merit, I have to say I liked it.  I’m not usually the horror-movie type, but like it or not, this one was different.

For one thing, its kind of refreshing to see women in a horror film who aren’t completely helpless and don’t spend all of their time shrieking, crying, running, and hiding.  You don’t spend much time in this film perched on the edge of your seat waiting for the Big Bad to jump out and attack the poor little woman – in fact, you spend more of your time on the edge of your seat waiting for the Big Bad to jump on and attack the poor horny boy.  It’s amazing how disorienting it was to watch male characters struggle to get away from a teen in a prom dress, not because they shouldn’t want to, but because it’s so rare to see a woman not only powerful, but on offense rather than defense.  For once, both the villain and hero were female and the prey were male, and not the other way around.

Based on this premise, one might think that the film has some feminist under(or over)tones, and yet the reactions in the webisphere have been pretty strongly divided.  Yes, the film is titled “Jennifer’s Body” – there is some objectification inherent.  Yes, Megan Fox is a babe and there is a fair share of (implied) nudity.  Yes, Amanda Seyfried is pretty beautiful for a “mousy” best friend.  Yes, there is some girl-on-girl action.  And yes, sex has some graphically violent consequences.  BUT…

My analysis (spoilers and all) ahead.

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