I feel that horror has been a reflection of society for decades. Varying from topics like religion, self-obsession, and racism, but there’s a certain way the female body is often portrayed. Topics like puberty, menstruation, and sexuality are often analogies to the horrors that the characters will face.
But before I get into that, what is body horror? Body horror, also known as biological horror, is a subgenre of horror fiction that “intentionally showcases grotesque or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body.” A main part of it is the human losing control over themselves for some reason, which leads to negative consequences.
The 2000 film Ginger Snaps, directed by John Fawcett, uses both menstruation and puberty as the main contenders for horror. For those who haven’t seen the film, it follows two sisters deemed outcasts by their suburban neighborhood for their interest in death, who must now deal with the consequences when one is bitten by a werewolf. There are subtle hints throughout the movie to showcase what the transformation is supposed to symbolize, like the emotional and physical changes in puberty. When it comes to girls, they’re often faced with heavy mood swings and intense emotions that they’re not sure how to regulate.
The main character, Ginger Fitzgerald, played by Katharine Isabelle, gets her very first period towards the beginning of the film, and not long after that, gets viciously attacked by a wild creature that they later learn is a werewolf. After the transformation starts to take place, Ginger seemingly goes through “puberty,” and the film showcases this with her drastic change in behavior and sudden interest in sexual activities.
Although the initial release in 2009 was deemed a box office flop, Jennifer’s Body resurfaced years later and became a cult classic. Directed by Karyn Kusama, the movie follows high school cheerleader Jennifer Check, played by Megan Fox, and her life after being kidnapped and sacrificed by a band who assumes she’s a virgin to gain fame from a pact with the Devil. After the sacrifice doesn’t work, Jennifer becomes a man-eating succubus who uses her sexuality to lure and kill.
The murder of Jennifer can be interpreted as a metaphor for sexual assault and the exploitation of women’s bodies. Instead of dying, Jennifer reclaims her body and hunts men who symbolize toxic masculinity. At the end of the movie, after Needy kills Jennifer and absorbs her powers, she breaks out of a mental asylum and kills the band in revenge for Jennifer. It’s shown that Needy is rightfully angry at the reason for her best friend’s death.
As one of the most iconic Sci-Fi horror movies, Alien features a crew traveling through space to return home in cryosleep when they are woken up by their computer, “Mother,” because of a distress call from an alien planet. One of the most iconic scenes from the film is after Kane, played by John Hurt, has the xenomorph embryo latch onto his body, and later has the embryo burst through his stomach, involuntarily giving birth to the xenomorph in a way. That scene and what happens to Kane can be interpreted not only as an unwanted pregnancy but also as a sexual violation.
While horror is a reflection of society, there is a clear difference between exploitation and empowerment. Each of the three films mentioned shows the loss of bodily control and the effects it has on a person. Some films will use the female body as a source of fear, while others will use it to reflect natural experiences. They show something natural to the female body yet turn it into something horrifying simply to get a message across. Horror about the female body, when done correctly, can not only disturb the viewer but also shift the way people view certain taboo topics.