Feminism & Rape-Revenge Films
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 12-4-2012 12:00 AM Day of the Woman?: Feminism & Rape-Revenge Films Kayley A. Viteo The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Alison Hearn The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Arts © Kayley A. Viteo 2012 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons, Women's History Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Viteo, Kayley A., "Day of the Woman?: Feminism & Rape-Revenge Films" (2012). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1018. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1018 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DAY OF THE WOMAN?: FEMINISM & RAPE-REVENGE FILMS (Spine Title: Day of the Woman?) (Thesis format: Monograph) by Kayley Ann Viteo Graduate Program in Media Studies A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Kayley Ann Viteo 2012 THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION Supervisor Examiners ______________________________ ______________________________ Dr. Alison Hearn Dr. Tim Blackmore Supervisory Committee ______________________________ Dr. Carole Farber ______________________________ Dr. Susan Knabe ______________________________ Dr. Kimberly J. Verwaayen The thesis by Kayley Ann Viteo entitled: Day of the Woman?: Feminism & Rape-Revenge Films is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts ______________________ _______________________________ Date Chair of the Thesis Examination Board ii Abstract This thesis examines the horror film sub-genre of ‘rape revenge’ for the ways it reflects and helps to constitute broader public debates about women and feminism. In order to do so, it examines two well-known representatives of the sub-genre, Last House on the Left and I Spit On Your Grave. Both of these films were initially made in 1972 and 1978 respectively and were recently remade in 2009 and 2010. This thesis examines both the originals and the remakes of these films within and against their socio-historical context, with a specific focus on dominant discussions about feminism and women taking place at the time. The thesis also examines the films in terms of their narrative structure and general aesthetic elements. The combination of textual, historical and comparative analysis allows this thesis to examine the way the films express cultural fears and anxieties about women and traditional gender relations. The thesis concludes that the rape-revenge sub genre acts to condition the ways in which common perceptions of femininity, feminism, and sexual assault are portrayed, and indeed reproduced, in the social world at large. Keywords Feminism, Genre, Horror films, History, Textual analysis, United States iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank both of my supervisors, Dr. Alison Hearn and Dr. Susan Knabe, for their help, patience, and wise counsel. I would also like to thank my mother for tireless moral support. Finally, thanks to LKK, a survivor. iv Table of Contents Certificate of Examination.................................................................................................. ii Abstract.............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. iv Chapter 1 ........................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 1 Theoretical, Methodological Framework, & Literature Review .................................. 11 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................ 11 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 15 Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 17 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 2 ......................................................................................................................... 26 Introduction................................................................................................................... 26 The Originals ................................................................................................................ 27 The Anti-Rape Movement .......................................................................................... 38 Backlash Against Feminism & the Anti-Pornography Movement ............................ 43 The Remakes................................................................................................................. 46 Post-9/11 & Beyond .................................................................................................. 50 Chapter 3 ......................................................................................................................... 54 Introduction................................................................................................................... 54 Last House on the Left (1972) ...................................................................................... 55 Act One ...................................................................................................................... 56 Act Two ..................................................................................................................... 65 Last House on the Left (2009) ...................................................................................... 73 Act One ...................................................................................................................... 74 Act Two ..................................................................................................................... 78 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 85 Chapter 4 ......................................................................................................................... 90 Introduction................................................................................................................... 90 I Spit On Your Grave (1978) ........................................................................................ 91 Act One ...................................................................................................................... 92 Act Two ................................................................................................................... 101 I Spit On Your Grave (2010) ...................................................................................... 104 Act One .................................................................................................................... 105 Act Two ................................................................................................................... 115 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 119 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 127 Bibliography.................................................................................................................. 133 Curriculum Vitae.......................................................................................................... 137 v 1 Chapter 1 Introduction “Feminist” horror films are compellingly complex cultural objects. This complexity is due to the two categories that are linked together in the name: feminism and the horror genre. The horror genre is often thought of as misogynistic, superficial and without any cultural relevance; indeed, the genre is seen to propagate a patriarchal perspective that offers no pleasure for, or excludes, female spectators. Of course, the category of feminism is not without its own complexities and problems. Debates about what feminism is , or who feminists are and what they believe, have raged throughout the first, second, and third ‘waves’ of feminist social movements. These two internally complex categories, as they are brought together in the genre of feminist horror film, produce passionate debate, not only among feminist horror fans, but also within the general North American population of film viewers. Given this, it becomes crucial to analyze popular culture texts, especially those whose feminist sensibilities, or lack thereof, are openly contested, for the ways in which they contribute