Sneja Gunew
"Witty, succinct, a pleasure to read. The critique of Freudian theory comprises a total re-conceptualization of the status of the feminine within psychoanalytic debate."
Book Description
The Monstrous-Feminine examines how horror films play on men's fears of women. Barbara Creed argues that when a woman is constructed as monstrous, it is almost always in reference to her capacity to reproduce and to mother. Using detailed readings of Carrie, The Exorcist, Psycho and Alien among others, Creed identifies the seven faces of female monstrosity--archaic mother; monstrous womb; vampire; witch; possessed monster; deadly femme castratrice and castrating mother.
Creed also challenges the Freudian concept that a woman terrifies because she is castrated, arguing that it is instead her role as castrator that creates horror for men. The Monstrous-Feminine analyzes what these images mean for feminist film theory as a whole and give new insights into the construction of masculinity.
