Feminist Body Horror and Abjection in Black Christmas (2019)
Abstract
The article investigates the ways in which feminist body horror, abjection, and the female gaze transform the slasher horror film genre through the feminist remake of Black Christmas, directed by Sophia Takal in 2019. By re-framing the slasher narrative through the story of Mu Kappa Epsilon (MKE) sorority's fight against the Delta Kappa Omicron (DKO) fraternity and their eventual victory over the fraternity, Takal’s remake of Black Christmas exposes toxic masculinity and highlights female empowerment and truth-telling. The film subverts and reconstructs the narrative of traditional slasher movies, thus raising questions pertaining to the objectification of female characters and attempts to critique social norms related to gender and power, thereby encouraging female characters to regain autonomy and break up male-centred narratives in traditional horror films. This analysis of Black Christmas (2019) delves into the role of feminist horror films in challenging gender inequality and subverting traditional social norms. This research highlights the importance of a feminist critical re-interpretation of films in the slasher genre which have a tendency of being exploitative. The implication of this research is that 21st century women horror directors escalate the transformation of the aesthetics of horror by utilising the female gaze in their cinematic treatments of the slasher genre, thereby inviting newer angles to the ongoing discourse of gender stereotypes in the genre.
Keywords: Feminist Body Horror; Abjection; Body Horror; Female Gaze; Gaze Theory
ABSTRAK
Article ini menyiasat keseraman badan feminis, konsep kekejian (abjection) dan perspektif (pandangan) wanita mentransformasikan genre filem seram “slasher” melalui pengolahan semula feminis filem Black Christmas yang diarahkan oleh Sophia Takal pada 2019. Dengan merangka semula naratif slasher melalui kisah perjuangan pertubuhan perempuan Mu Kappa Epsilon (MKE) menentang persaudaraan Delta Kappa Omicron (DKO) dan kemenangan akhir mereka ke atas persaudaraan tersebut, pengolahan semula Black Christmas oleh Takal mendedahkan sikap toksik kejantanan serta menyerlahkan pemerkasaan wanita dan pemberitahuan kebenaran. Filem ini menumbangkan dan membina semula naratif filem slasher tradisional, sekaligus menimbulkan persoalan yang berkaitan dengan objektifikasi watak wanita. Di dalam masa yang sama Takal mengkritik norma sosial yang berkaitan dengan jantina dan kuasa, sekaligus menggalakkan autonomi dipulangkan kepada watak wanita untuk memecahkan naratif berpusatkan lelaki dalam filem seram tradisional. Analisis filem Black Christmas (2019) ini menyelidiki peranan filem seram feminis dalam mencabar ketidaksamaan jantina di dalam norma-norma genre filem tersebut. Penyelidikan ini menyerlahkan kepentingan penafsiran semula secara kritis feminis terhadap filem dalam genre slasher yang mempunyai kecenderungan untuk mengeksploitasi wanita. Implikasi penyelidikan ini ialah pengarah filem seram wanita abad ke-21 berpotensi meningkatkan transformasi estetika seram dengan menggunakan renungan wanita dalam prosedur sinematik mereka bagi genre slasher, dengan itu mengundang perspektif yang lebih baharu kepada wacana stereotaip jantina yang berterusan dalam genre tersebut.
Kata Kunci: Keseraman Badan Feminis; Konsep Kekejian (Abjection); Keseraman Badan; Renungan Wanita; Teori Renungan
Keywords
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