The Monstrous-Feminine

This literary work, The Monstrous-Feminine, by Barbara Creed, offers a fresh and feminist perspective on the portrayal of women in horror films. Creed argues that the female reproductive body is the prototype for all monstrous characters, challenging the patriarchal view of women as only victims. With reference to classic horror films like The Exorcist and Psycho, she analyzes the seven different 'faces' of the monstrous-feminine, including the archaic mother and the castrator. This thought-provoking book questions Freudian theories of sexual difference and offers a new interpretation of classical and contemporary film and theoretical texts.