Mother, May I (Die)? an Analysis of Motherhood in Horror Films
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Mother, May I (Die)? An Analysis of Motherhood in Horror Films Masterarbeit Zur Erlangen des akademischen Grades des Masterstudium Medien an der Philosophisch-Kulturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät an der Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck Institut für Medienwissenschaft Eingereicht bei: PD Mag. Dr. Christian Quendler Eingereicht von: Rebecca Lee Lennington Innsbruck, November 2018 Mother, May I (Die)? Acknowledgements 3 1 Introduction 3 2 Motherhood 7 2.1 Recruiting Mothers 7 2.2 Psychoanalytic view 9 2.3 Postmodern Family 10 2.4 Barbara Creed on Monstrous Women 13 3 Domestic Mother 13 3.1 The Placeholder Mother 14 3.2 The Mother Meal 15 3.2.1 The Others 15 3.2.1.2 Discussion of The Others 23 3.2.2 Mother! 24 3.2.4 Discussion of Mother! 26 4 Mentally Vulnerable Mothers 27 4.1 Understanding Grief 27 4.2 Overview of the Mentally Vulnerable Mother 28 4.2.1 The Babadook 29 4.2.1.2 Discussion of The Babadook 37 4.3 Hereditary 38 4.3.1 Discussion of Hereditary 50 4.4 Lights Out 52 4.4.1 Discussion of Lights Out and further analysis 58 4 Heroic Mothers 59 4.1 The Warrior 60 4.1.1 Orphan 61 4.1.2 Discussion of Orphan 69 4.1.3 Poltergeist 70 4.1.4 Discussion of Poltergeist 75 4.2 The Saint 76 5 Corrupting Mothers 78 5.1 Corrupting Mother 79 5.2.1 1922 80 5.2.1.2 Discussion of 1922 83 5.2.2 Carrie 84 5.2.2.1 Discussion of Carrie 88 5.2.3 Psycho 88 5.2.3.1 Discussion Of Psycho 92 6 Conclusion 93 Works Cited 96 Lennington 2 Mother, May I (Die)? Acknowledgements This work is dedicated to all three of my Heroic Mothers--my mom, my dad and my step-mom. They didn’t have to endure stab wounds or fight their way through Hell and back to be my Warriors.Their selflessness brought me to Innsbruck and allowed me to stay. Thank you to every professor I’ve had at the University. I have learned from each of you and I will be going home a more intelligent, confident person because of you. And finally, thank you Professor Quendler for being my advisor. Your patience and understanding was invaluable and allowed me to finish my thesis with a clear head. Lennington 3 Mother, May I (Die)? 1 Introduction Horror films explore blurred distinctions. The lines between living and dead, material and immaterial, good and evil, safe and unsafe are constantly complicated within the genre. This is what makes women in horror an interesting topic to explore. Specifically, women who have given birth embody these blurred boundaries. Within the womb of a mother, matter transitions from non-life to life. The woman is therefore completely unique in nature, her body is the only vector for the transition from matter to life, while there are myriad vectors for the opposite transition from life to matter (this transition of course being death). The connection between life and death and the transition from one state to the other, will be discussed in greater depth throughout the course of this thesis. The horror films reviewed in this thesis were chosen according to their social relevancy, and include both modern films and ones dating as far back as the 1960s. To determine social relevancy, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) was consulted, particularly with regard to their rankings of horror films. Movies were chosen from the list of Highest Rated Horror Feature Films With At Least 25000 Votes1. The films had to have a mother character either physically or as a symbol relevant to the plot. The films had to be in English and be explicitly classified as horror according to the website. Throughout the course of the research, it became quickly apparent that there is a paucity of Mothers of Color and non-heteronormative storylines. Indeed, most of the films involve characters who fall into the category of middle to upper class Caucasians. This must be acknowledged, as the analysis of the portrayal of motherhood will inherently leave large portions of the population unaddressed because they are simply underrepresented within the genre. It must also be noted here that this research centers around cisgendered women. The literature read and referred to also focused entirely on cisgendered men and women. As this research will reveal, the genre in general would benefit from a greater diversity of characterization. Additionally, in this examination of the filmic representation of mothers the perceived sexism of the genre will be explored. 1 “Feature Film Rating Count at Least 25,000 Horror.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/search/title?genres=horror&sort=user_rating,desc&title_type=feature&num_v otes=25000,&pf_rd_m=A2FGELUUNOQJNL&pf_rd_p=2406822102&pf_rd_r=1K2913Y7A 092HRKVRNN9&pf_rd_s=right-6&pf_rd_t=15506&pf_rd_i=top&ref_=chttp_gnr_12. Lennington 4 Mother, May I (Die)? The horror genre has also been maligned for its often intense and gruesome violence. However, it is the visceral nature of these films, which makes the experience of watching them powerful. Feelings of dread often linger long after the viewing has ended. However, these films can leave the audience with more than just an increased paranoia in the dark, as there are other more insidious concepts that can persist as well. Just as much as a film can condition an audience to fear a clown, the same film can also have the power to lead an audience to accept premises that have a greater impact on reality, such as perceived gender norms. Throughout the research for this thesis, four subcategories of mother became manifest; firstly, there is the Domestic Mother (The Others, Mother!). She exists mainly within the context of her home and family. She is never (or rarely) shown to leave the house. The critique of the quality of portrayal of this subtype of mother, depends on the quality of characterization. Often these mothers will fail to have conversations outside her family. If employment is established, it usually takes place within the home and she is the only one depicted performing chores. In these cases if there is a disturbance within the domestic sphere, she may be the first to notice, and will be frequently rebuffed by her husband when she brings up concerns. This first subcategory of mother adheres generally to traditionally idealized gender roles. The second subtype of mother is the Mentally Vulnerable Mother (Lights Out, The Babadook, Hereditary). Mothers who fall into this subcategory may have mental disorders, which act as a catalyst or doorway for evil. A mother in the Mentally Vulnerable category need not be diagnosed with a mental disorder; she simply has to have her mental vulnerabilities exploited for the purpose of horror. Oftentimes, if a mental disorder is present, it is poorly defined. This mother is often depicted taking medication, though it is often vague and is shown only to indicate the presence of a mental disorder without having to delve into medical exposition. However, the mother need not be on medication or even have indications of therapeutic treatment in order to fall into this category. Fitting into the mold of the Mentally Vulnerable Mother is also the grieving mother, who may or may not be shown to have received a diagnosis for her grief, but due to mental turmoil, she serves as a catalyst for horror (The Invitation, The Babadook). The mental disorder of a woman, particularly one who has given birth, has more power to it in these films, than the mental disorder of a man. It must be noted here that grief itself is not a mental disorder, but in the context of the Mentally Vulnerable mother, the grief has not been dealt with, and it has become a vector of Lennington 5 Mother, May I (Die)? vulnerability. See the table below2 for further information regarding the definition of mental disorders used in this paper: This table refers to “mental disorders” which will be the preferred term in this thesis, rather than “mental illness.” Grief is being included in this subtype for the purposes of this thesis, because despite it being not being a “disorder” it often manifests as such when not dealt with in a healthy manner (The Babadook) which makes it a vulnerability to be exploited. Further, there is literature to support the concept of prolonged grief as a disorder that will be later discussed. The third subtype of mother is the Heroic Mother (Orphan, Poltergeist). This mother will stop at nothing to save her children from a perceived threat. She will literally battle demons to save her children. In this case, the Heroic Mother has the strongest bond with her children, stronger than that even of the father. The husband either is absent or plays a less vital role in the rescue of the children. She can perceive when they are safe or in danger and she often is the only one who can save her children. The Heroic Mother can also be seen as a saintly symbol, who through her death drives the plot in significant ways (The Shallows, Get Out). The fourth subtype of mother is that of the Corrupting Mother (Carrie, Psycho, 1922). This version of motherhood manifests itself in different ways, but ultimately this woman has 2 Stein, D J et al. “What is a mental/psychiatric disorder? From DSM-IV to DSM-V” Psychological medicine vol. 40,11 (2010): 1759-65. Lennington 6 Mother, May I (Die)? birthed horror within the movie that could only stem from her role as mother and the way she fills it.