monstrous feminine

A key contributor that popularises the feminist study of cinematic horror is undoubtedly Barbara Creed’s ‘Horror and The Monstrous Feminine’ (1986).
The majority of critical writings on the horror films women are portrayed only as victims. In The Monstrous Feminine Barbara Creed challenges this patriarchal view by discussing woman as monstrous feminine and using science fiction horror films as the basis for her theory. With reference to a number of classic films such as ‘Alien, the thing and invasion of the body snatchers’, she discusses the women of these films from a feminist and psychoanalytic perspective. Creed develops an accessible and convincing critique of horror as masculine catharsis of fundamental fears. I will here focus on Creed's monstrous feminine to analyse whether it is valid and focus on her strengths and weaknesses of her argument. If her reading consciously brings any truth to the films once applied.

Creed distinguishes between pre-oedipal and "arch...