Table Of Content“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 fem-
inism’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 con-
temporary 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).
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Firstpublished2022
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knownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinany
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DOI:10.4324/9781003036654
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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 mon-
strous-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.
