Ladies of Horror: Crimson Peak

Written by Cat Wilson, catthewilson.com
Today’s pick is the gothic horror romance Crimson Peak. The main reason this movie is included, even though it barely passes the Becheld Test, is of the long herstory of women and gothic fiction from writers like Clara Reeve, Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley, Charlotte Brontë and even Jane Austin. As a homage, these writers the lead character in Crimson Peak, Edith, is determined to be a writer despite being patronized for her gender. Thomas, a handsome and mysterious man seduces her, using a line that is straight up paraphrased from Jane Eyre. Crimson Peak, is a story of betrayal with ghosts as a side plot. We would recommend this film to the more romantically inclined horror fans.

Crimson Peak has been criticized for not being feminist enough because of the love story in the plot. However we believe that feminism is about choice. We fight so we can choose to vote, marry or not marry, have sex or not have sex, have children or not have children. A stay at home mom with three kids is no less a feminist than a career gal be she bi-sexual, asexual, polyamorous or everything in between. The important thing is that we respect each other choices. So the act of a woman becoming romantically involved does not make her less a feminist. The problems occurs when media constantly shows only one perspective. We need more movies with women of all types and a film version of Frankenstein that get the feminist themes from the novel right, please.

SPOILER WARNING

Edith also goes after what she wants with her marriage and chooses the loss of her virginity. Her one sex scene is consensual and as a change features male nudity but not female. To quote Tom Hiddleston “We wanted to sort of redress the balance, and it's really important that Edith was calling the shots. She's the strongest character. She's a strong woman, and she's going to dictate how that goes down”. In the end Edith’s husband actions do not drive the plot. The climax is a battle between two women, Edith and her sinister sister in law Lucille. This is not a slappy catfight but a battle to the death. Finally it is Edith who saves herself.

Ladies of Horror: The Conjuring

Written by Cat Wilson, of catthewilson.com Today’s pick is the haunted house film, The Conjuring. This movie follows the basic modern ghost story model. A young family sinks their nest egg into a beautiful old house that turns out to be haunted, much like The Amityville Horror, except The Conjuring is so much better. This is a story about women; Loraine Warren and her daughter, then there is Carolyn and her five daughters who move into a house with a malevolent spirt which also was a woman. Men are present, the husbands and ghost investigators, but in this story the women portrayed as competent equals and ultimately it is the women that overcome evil through love and empathy.

Trigger Warning: If you don’t like seeing kids in danger or a dead dog don’t watch.

Ladies of Horror for October: The Uninvited 1944

Post Written by Cat Wilson catthewilson.com

For all the ladies attempting the horror movie challenge or if you want one classy spooky movie to watch, Lady has you covered. We are going to list scary movies with amazing ladies in them for Halloween. Our first suggestion is 1944’s The Uninvited. The story is based on Dorothy Macardle’s novel Uneasy Freehold. The film, even though Rick the main character is a typical 40’s male lead, is dominated by women; quirky female side characters, the ingenue and a memorable villainess. It’s a classic ghost story that is also full of complicated human relationships. The Uninvited passes the Bechdel test many times over.

Minor spoiler. My favorite lady character is actually the hero’s sister Pam. It’s rare in film to see siblings that aren’t the same gender, which is refreshing. Early in the film Pam is left for weeks to fix up the old manor house by herself. When Rick returns he wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of a woman crying. Rick is obviously spooked by this while Pam is simply relieved that he hears it too. His reaction is hilarious because he tries so hard to put up a brave front. You can watch this scene at the Turner Classic Movies website.