Description
Book SynopsisTaking a theoretical, historical and critical approach to horror directed by women, Bloody Women considers how the gender landscape of horror filmmaking is changing. It unearths the long and rich history of female-fronted horror films that predate the better-known The Babadook. It explores whether the genre provides a perennial springboard for rising stars behind the camera and if the malleability of horror makes it a genre of choice for visionary film-makers eager to stretch their wings. Is there a way in which female-helmed horror films are distinct from male-led projects or do the unique experiences of womanhood of different directors lead them to create unique work? Are there defining qualities and characteristics that can be attributed to the horror of women directors and how are such unique voices shaping horror and influencing the industry? Women directors of horror are becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore. As Canadian horror filmmaker Jen Soska cautions, “A revolution has started.”
Table of ContentsIntroduction (Victoria McCollum and Aislinn Clarke)
1. Horror’s Founding Mothers: Women in Proto-cinema, Visual Avant-gardes and the Silent Era (Erica Tortolani)
2. Women’s Filmmaking and the Male-Centred Horror Film (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)
3. Angela Bettis: Herstory in Horror (James Francis)
4. Stitches, Screams and Female Beauty: Canadian Women Horror Film (Shelby Shukaliak, Eve O’Dea and Ernest Mathijs)
SCREENPLAY - Trim by Mayumi Yoshida
5. ‘They’ve Got Something You Haven’t. A Cock’: Exploring the Gendered Experience of Women Directors of Horror in Britain (Amy Harris)
6. At Our Table: Conceptualising the Black Woman’s Horror Film Aesthetic (Ashlee Blackwell)
SCREENPLAY – Paralysis by R. Shanea Williams
7. Women in Horror Film Festivals: Representation, Dark Storytelling and an International Community of Filmmakers (Kate R. Robertson)
8. But Are You Really into Horror: Female-Centric Horror Film Festivals, Horror Curators and Industry Champions (Anna Bogutskaya)
9. Short Sharp Shocks: An Interview with Women Who Make Horror Shorts (Brian Hauser)
SCREENPLAY – Childer by Aislinn Clarke
10. His Canon, Herself: Teaching Horror as Feminist Cinema (Dan Vena, Iris Robinson, Patrick Woodstock)
