However, I would suggest having a brief look at Creed's ideas in advance just so you know, what you are getting into as some topics in the book can be quite 'heavy' or even controversial. She performs close textual analysis of key horror films including Carrie, The Exorcist, Psycho and Alien. Exploring these figures within folklore and fairy tales, as well as in contemporary horror revisions such as films The Lure (2015) and Ginger Snaps (2000), we find rampant appetites unleashed at puberty and messy bodies beyond the control of society. very interesting to see a different perspective on well known films; it encourages more in depth critical readings of popular texts, and certainly stimulates discussion. Near the beginning of the book, she scolds the patriarchy for believing that there is no Monstrous Feminine.

Overall, Creed's work is of interest to feminist theory and psychoanalysis and how these theories can be applied to horror films.Freud applies this theory to Medusa, as Creed explains that Freud's compares the female genitalia to Medusa as men fear castration from the sight of her.

So one of the faces of the Monstrous Feminine, therefore, is the "femme castratrice", or female castrator. Throughout this piece, she makes connections to the notion of the ‘primal uncanny’, which suggests that men as monsters. Barbara Creed's ‘ Media Matrix: Sexing the New Reality’ [15] explores the impact of media and technology on subjects such as the self, identity, sexuality and representation in the public sphere. Creed examples that in examples where the monster is clearly defined as male, its status as male identifies it with a lack, and hence defines it as feminized. Mis]conceptions of female sexuality are inherent within the horror genre, as a common motif is that virtuous or "pure" women survive to the end of the film, and women who exhibit sexual behaviour commonly die early into the narrative.

We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. The Monstrous-Feminine as Avenging Zombie: The Girl With All The Gifts (2016), The Dark (2018), Atlantics (2019).