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“In her new book Barbara Creed identifies a radical new cinema arising inthe 2000s thatcentresthemonstrous-feminine—thefocusofhergroundbreaking1993bookThe Monstrous-Feminine—but no longer as the object and victim of the male horror film, rather as the subject and agent of a Feminist NewWave Cinema, as ‘a liberating and transformativefigure’.Shepresentsafascinatingandoriginalstudyofthehorrificinofa widerangeoffilms,mainlydirectedbywomenbutsomealsobymen,extendingand enrichingourunderstandingofhorrorinfilm.CentraltoCreed’sstudyofthesefilmsis the ideaof abjection developedbyJuliaKristeva that Creeddrewupon inherearlier book,butnowemphasisingitsroleinajourneyofrevoltandtransformation,an‘inti- mate revolt’ in Kristeva’s words, that is a ‘questioning of one’s own being’. It is feminism’sfocusonthesocialandethical,Kristevasuggests,thathasledtoarevalorisingof sensoryexperienceandwhichiscentraltoCreed’sclaimthatthisnewcinemaisfem- inistfor,sheargues,thesefilms‘constituteakeyterrainfortheexplorationofethicsand lived sensory experiences of women and others who are oppressed’. The monstrous- femininethatsheexploresisnotnecessarilytheconventionally‘horrific’butratherthe unassimilable to conventional ideas of the feminine in film—in Nomadland the widowedwoman,inCarol,thelesbianmother.TheMonstrous-FeminineinFeministNew WaveCinemare-writeshowwemaythinkoffeministcinemaandfeminineagency.It isessentialreading.” —Elizabeth Cowie, Emeritus Professor of Film Studies, University of Kent, author of Representing the Woman: Psychoanalysis and Cinema “Throughaseriesofilluminatingandinspiringanalysesofqueerandfeministrevolt,The ReturnoftheMonstrous-Feminineprovidesacompellingdemonstrationofthecontinuing relevanceoftheconceptofthemonstrous-feminineforthestudyofcinema.Workingat the cutting-edge of psychoanalytically informed feminist film criticism, Creed offers invaluableinsightsintotheemancipatorypotentialsofwhatsheidentifiesasFeministNew Wave cinema. Through nuanced and sophisticated readings of a wide range of films engagingwithmonstrosity,CreedtraceshowFeministNewWavecinemaembodiesa vitalforceforsocialchange.Thistimelybook,whichiscomposedofaseriesofcasestudies offilmsbycontemporarywomendirectors,representsamajoradditiontofeministfilm theoryandanimportantcontributiontobroaderdebatesaboutgenderandsexuality.” —Nicholas Chare, Professor of Art History, Université de Montréal, author of Sportswomen in Cinema “Across a range of genres that deal with the horrific, Barbara Creed demonstrates thattheconceptofmonstrosityhastransformedintoatoolofempowermentinthe hands of female directors of the ‘feminist new wave cinema’. She revisits Kristeva’s notion of abjection to address the revolts against ‘the abject male’ in sexual, racial, and class aggression. In her characteristic clear writing style, in depth analyses of filmsandtelevisionseries,aswellastheoreticalandfeministinsightsCreedmanages once moretocapturethespiritofthetimes andhas written anotherclassic bookin film studies that matches the first iteration of The Monstrous-Feminine.” —Patricia Pisters, Professor of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, author of New Blood in Contemporary Cinema: Women Directors and the Poetics of Horror RETURN OF THE MONSTROUS- FEMININE This follow-up to the classic text of The Monstrous-Feminine analyses those contemporary films which explore social justice issues such as women’s equality, violence against women, queer relationships, race, and the plight of the planet and its multi-species. Examining a new movement—termed by Creed as Feminist New Wave Cinema—The Return of the Monstrous-Feminine explores a significant change that has occurredoverthepasttwodecadesintherepresentationofthemonstrous-femininein visual discourse. The monstrous-feminine is a figure in revolt on a journey through thedarknightofabjection.Takingparticularinterestinwomendirectorswhocreate thefigureofthemonstrous-feminine,incinemathatforegroundseverydayhorrorsin additiontoclassichorror,CreedlooksatarangeofdiversefilmsincludingTheBaba- dook,AGirlWalksHomeAloneatNight,Nomadland,Carol,Raw,Revenge,andthefilm and television series The Handmaid’s Tale. These films centre on different forms of revolt, from inner revolt to social, supernatural, and violent revolt, which appear in FeministNewWaveCinema.Theserelateinthemaintotheemergenceofarangeof socialprotestmovementsthathavegatheredmomentuminthenewmillenniumand givenvoicetonewtheoreticalandcriticaldiscourses.Theseinclude:thirdandfourth wave feminism, the #MeToo movement, queer theory, race theory, the critique of anthropocentrismandhumananimaltheory.Thesetheoreticaldiscourseshaveplayed a key role in influencing Feminist New Wave Cinema, whose films are distinctive, stylish,anddiverse. This is an essential companion to the original classic text and is ideal for students in Gender and Media, Gender and Horror, Gender and Film, and Feminist Film Theory courses. Barbara Creed is Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Uni- versity of Melbourne. She is the author of six books, including The Monstrous- Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis (1993), now in its ninth edition; Darwin’s Screens: Evolutionary Aesthetics, Time and Sexual Display in the Cinema (2009); and most recently Stray: Human–Animal Ethics in the Anthropocene (2017). Her recent research is in Feminist New Wave Cinema, ethics in the Anthropocene, and animal/human studies. Her writings have been translated into 11 languages for publication inacademic journalsand anthologies. She is the director of the Human RightsandAnimalEthicsResearchNetwork(HRAE).Barbarahasbeeninvitedto participate in international research events, including at the Courtauld Institute (UK), the Yale Centre for British Art, and the Cultural Programs of the National Academy of the Sciences (US). She is active inthe wider community and has been on the boards of Writers Week, the Melbourne International and the Melbourne Queer Film Festivals, and film critic for The Age, The Big Issue, and ABC National Radio. RETURN OF THE MONSTROUS-FEMININE Feminist New Wave Cinema Barbara Creed Coverimage:JohnCullinane(artist).Title:‘HarpyandVictim’(2008). OilonLinen.51(cid:1)41cm. Firstpublished2022 byRoutledge 4ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN andbyRoutledge 605ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10158 RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness ©2022BarbaraCreed TherightofBarbaraCreedtobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkhasbeen assertedinaccordancewithsections77and78oftheCopyright,Designsand PatentsAct1988. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedor utilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,now knownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinany informationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthe publishers. Trademarknotice:Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarksorregistered trademarks,andareusedonlyforidentificationandexplanationwithoutintentto infringe. BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Acatalogrecordhasbeenrequestedforthisbook ISBN:978-0-367-47817-9(hbk) ISBN:978-0-367-47816-2(pbk) ISBN:978-1-003-03665-4(ebk) DOI:10.4324/9781003036654 TypesetinBembo byTaylor&FrancisBooks CONTENTS Acknowledgements ix Introduction: The Monstrous-Feminine in Feminist New Wave Cinema 1 1 The Monstrous Mother as Magician: The Babadook 22 2 Unwomen: Dare to Revolt: The Handmaid’s Tale, Film and TV Series 34 3 #MeToo—Rape and Revolt: Promising Young Woman, Revenge, The Nightingale 51 4 The Monstrous-Feminine Forgets Her Manners: Nomadland, Carol, The Assistant 68 5 Vampires, Feminism, and Ethnicity: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night 84 6 The Monstrous-Feminine as Femme Fatale, Alien, and Black: Under the Skin 95 7 Queering the Monstrous-Feminine: Jennifer’s Body, The Lure, Thelma 111 8 Female Cannibalism and Eating the Other: Raw, Trouble Every Day, In My Skin 127 viii Contents 9 Furiosa: Eco-Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: Spoor, Woman at War, Mad Max: Fury Road 142 Filmography 157 Index 161 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Since the publication of the first volume of this study, The Monstrous-Femi- nine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis, in 1993, I have been amazed by the number of friends, colleagues, and even those I do not know, who have spoken so enthusiastically about their attachment to the figure of the monstrous-feminine whom they have always seen as a woman in revolt. Almost 30 years since her first appearance, women continue to fight for their vision of the way they see the world. Filmmakers, artists, and writers in particular have voiced their passionate beliefs about social justice issues, particularly female empowerment. They have no problem with female monsters showing the way. In particular, I am indebted to Alexandra McGregor from Routledge who unexpectedly invited me to think about a new collection of essays on the role of the monstrous-feminine in films of recent years. These essays quickly grew into a full-length book, so impressive is the global output of feminist directors whose increasing focus is on woman as female monster who sets out to challenge male violence and the patriarchal symbolic order. Alexandra offered invaluable support throughout. Thanks also to the Routledge team, Eleanor Catchpole, Reanna Young, and Victoria Chow, for their excellent support with the book’s produc- tion. Victoria’s keen editorial eye has proven invaluable. A special note of appre- ciation to Nonie May from the University of Melbourne for her outstanding research work and critical feedback. I am especially indebted to Nicholas Chare, Jeanette Hoorn, and Audrey Yue who co-edited, Re-Reading the Monstrous-Feminine: Art, Film, Feminism and Psychoanalysis (Routledge 2020), a critical and thoughtful re-appraisal of the 1993 volume. I found the collection of essays written by scholars from a range of disciplines proved inspirational and invaluable in shaping the direction of this second volume.