Following the release of the expanded 10th-anniversary edition of author and researcher Kier-La Janisse’s House Of Psychotic Women and ahead of actor and filmmaker Alice Lowe’s second feature Timestalkers, the two icons of the horror genre were in conversation at Chapter Arts Centre on Fri 4 Nov.
Canadian writer Janisse is famous for her unique, insightful and pertinent observations of the horror genre, and though train strikes cut the conversation short, this evening was no exception. House Of Psychotic Women is a compendium of female characters living with mental ill-health and intense emotional distress in horror, and a reflection of Janisse’s relationship with the genre.
When discussing the presentation of women in the genre, Janisse challenged the notion that feminists can’t find anything to enjoy in horror. She highlighted the tendency to call out many horror films as sexist and therefore unworthy of financial and cultural support, suggesting this downplayed the skill and contribution of women in the cast and crew.
Both Janisse and Lowe suggested that horror offered a platform for authentic feminine expression. Janisse highlighted that horror provided a platform for older actresses in particular to play complex, leading roles, with Lowe offering the example of Glenn Close in the horror-adjacent Fatal Attraction as an example of this. Janisse also commented on her excitement that she got to include so many films by female directors – including Lowe’s Prevenge – in the new edition of the book.
Lowe herself has struggled with getting older in the industry. At Chapter, she observed that after women pass 35, the industry’s obsession with presenting aesthetic perfection pushes them into tedious supporting roles of the “mother in a cardigan with adult children” ilk. As much as there’s nothing wrong with having children early, it’s frustrating when writers and directors see such women as having no personality or life experiences of their own, and tedious to endure conversations like:
“If they’re that age, and I’m my age, then I had them when I was 17. Did that affect my life in any way? How did that affect the choices I made?”
“It didn’t affect you at all. You’re fine. You and your husband have a great relationship and you have loads of sex.”
With all this in mind, the two introduced Lowe’s 2016 debut Prevenge – a horror-comedy about a young woman whose unborn baby is controlling her from inside the womb. Lowe said she created the film to challenge the notion that female characters have to be likeable or that mothers have to be soft; that all they do is stand in the kitchen in a cardigan.
Prevenge is a masterful debut: a sensitive and poignant analysis of the loneliness of single motherhood, grief and trauma-induced psychosis. The first 10 minutes is a slightly hard sell, as it takes a while for the film to warm into itself. The performance style is slightly too arched and melodramatic, presumably to grab the audience’s attention, but the film swiftly moves into a more comfortable blend of comedy and realism.
While hilarious and gruesome, the film also has some of the most beautiful and intimate moments that I’ve ever seen in cinema. The moments in Ruth’s hotel room, where she’s alone with her baby bump and her thoughts, are insanely powerful.
I don’t want to tell you too much about the film, other than it is a must-watch for fans of the comedy and horror genres alike (even my easily terrified, horror-hating boyfriend loved it). All I can say is that anyone who loves horror, female creatives and cinema needs to see the film – and to pick up a copy of House Of Psychotic Women.
words HARI BERROW
Want more film?
Get reviews, previews, interviews, features and more, from Wales and beyond.