I really can’t place my finger on why females cannot make
decent horror films. In what has been labeled a misogynistic genre, female
performances have always excelled – often times establishing the careers of many
successful actresses. In many cases, renowned actresses get their start from
horror movies - or have you never heard of Jennifer Aniston, Rooney Mara, or Jamie Lee Curtis? So I can’t understand why female directors cannot do the same.
Perhaps the genre is devaluing of women in theory, but in practice, females
dominate. This is especially known within the slasher category – seeing as
everyone partakes in the Male Gaze. We don’t want to watch males suffer just to succeed (because we see that enough through the glass ceiling). In what
could be called an allegory for the female menstruation cycle, Carrie becomes an example of what is
acceptable and expected of females in society and what is not.
Apparently,
females can’t even make a period horrifying to the masses. This could be, in
part, due to the script, but I truly believe most female directors just cannot
translate and instill fear. I have some anxieties that even as women integrate
into the film industry, female directors fail within the horror genre. What
put me into this inkling was Karyn Kusama’s direction of Jennifer’s Body (2009). The performances were amazing, but it just
wasn’t scary. Perhaps this was a mistake from the marketing department, but I
was made to believe the film was supposed to be horrific. But I know for sure
that the Carrie remake was supposed
to be horrific. Right? Maybe it’s just the style of these high school period
pieces. Although my viewpoint only stems from Carrie and Jennifer’s Body, I
have a terrible feeling that women just weren’t built for the genre.
