Carrie

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.