Carrie
Carrie, Screencap via United Artists
Sub-Genre: Supernatural
What it’s about: Carrie is a shy and unassuming high school student who was raised by a single mother in a religious and abusive household. One day, she is bullied and humiliated by some of the girls at school, led by Chris. One of the other girls, Sue, feels guilty about hurting her and tries to make up for it by asking her own boyfriend to take Carrie to prom. But around the same time that Carrie is exploring her newly discovered telekinetic powers, Chris is developing a plan to further humiliate Carrie. The results are disastrous, and, of course, iconic.
What makes it feminist: Carrie is a foremother of feminist horror. From the Stephen King novel, to the original 1976 movie, to the Chloe Grace Moretz remake, the story has captivated audiences around the world for one reason – Carrie’s power. Her telekinesis is one thing, but her ability to harness it is something else entirely.
Carrie begins the movie as a meek, sheltered girl who defers to the power of others – her mother, the bullies at school. But the discovery of her telekinesis changes her world. As many women do when they first discover a particular talent or passion, Carrie begins to see herself as a person who has and deserves power. She starts to feel confident for the first time in her life. Her supernatural power helps her transform into an unstoppable force, fighting back against those who oppress her. While she’s a little more ethically discerning in the remake, the original Carrie gave us a full-tilt force of nature, forever changing the way we see women in horror movies.
Ginger Snaps
Ginger Snaps, Screencap vai Motion International
Sub-Genre: Werewolves
What it’s about: Ginger and Brigitte are inseparable teenage sisters living in the suburbs of Canada. When a bunch of dogs in their area are murdered, they decide to kidnap the school bully’s dog as a prank. But on their way, they are confronted with a gigantic creature that bites Ginger. Throughout the next few weeks, strange changes begin happening to Ginger’s body; she starts growing hair near where her wounds from the attack were, and she even develops a tail. When she starts acting aggressively and violently, Brigitte realizes that she is becoming a werewolf. Brigitte and her friend Sam must figure out how to develop a cure before Ginger completes her transformation and turns on them.
What makes it feminist: Any werewolf movie centered on teenagers is likely to be a metaphor for puberty and growing up. But the specific focus on female adolescence sets Ginger Snaps apart. Relating Ginger’s werewolf transformation to her transformation from a girl to a woman highlights all kinds of feminist issues, including those related to her physical transformation and perceptions of the female body.
But most notably, the movie says a lot with Ginger’s mental transformation. As her body changes, her personality and state of mind are changing as well. Ginger becomes more aggressive and belligerent. And, very notably, she becomes more sexual. All of these are traits that are traditionally considered improper for a woman to possess. In overall society, women are expected to be subservient, sweet, and most of all, virginal. And Ginger’s changes spark her loved ones’ concern, implying a general expectation of meekness and passivity based on her gender. But Ginger comes to embrace these qualities; she enjoys the confrontation and her sexuality. Over the course of the movie, Ginger becomes a more confident person, despite her becoming a monster.
Trigger Warning: A rape occurs in this movie.