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Explicitly Teenage HorrorBy, Julia Mickey
What is a teen horror film
Imagine “Clueless” or “Mean Girls” mixed with “Evil Dead” or “28 Days Later”You follow teenagers, usually high schoolers, through a string of bad decisions that end up
resulting in something demonic and unreal
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Jennifer’s Body (2006)
❏ Written by Diablo Cody (Writer of Juno), directed by Karyn Kusama
❏ 42% on Rotten Tomatoes❏ 47% on Metacritic❏ 5.1/10 on imdb❏ “...an unholy mess. I mean that as a
compliment. Yes, the movie’s gory set pieces are executed with more carnivorous glee than formal discipline, and its story is as full as holes as some of it’s disemboweled victims. But coherence has never been a significant criterion for horror movies.”
Quick Rundown of the Film
Needy is the average all-american girl. SHe’s not too prude, not too provocative, not too smart, not too dumb, not too pretty, not too ugly; she’s perfectly average.
Jennifer is the exact opposite. She’s not prude at all, quite intelligent, and extremely popular. She’s also Needy’s best friend.
“The relationship between Needy and Jennifer is rivalrous, sisterly, undermining, sadomasochistic, treacherous and tender.”
← Amanda Seyfried Megan Fox →
An unpopular, local band attempts to make a deal with the devil in order to become wealthy and famous. In
order to complete the deal, they need to sacrifice a virgin. Jennifer, in an attempt to sleep with the
band, lies about being a virgin and then becomes the band’s sacrifice. Since she wasn’t a virgin, she became a demon. SHe begins to terrorize the town, but reveals herself to Needy. It becomes Needy’s mission to save her
friend, and the town.
Wow Julia, this movie looks awful… WHy should I watch itThis bomb soundtrack:❏ Florence and the Machine❏ Hayley Williams❏ Panic! at the Disco❏ and many other 2000s artists
Actually a well-written movie, with enjoyable characters and clever one-liners.
You’re not watching this movie for the plot, you’re watching because it’s hilariously bad and overtly sexual and clearly trying to appeal to teenagers
All Cheerleaders Die❏ 47% on Rotten Tomatoes❏ 45% on Metacritic❏ 5.2/10 on imdb❏ “Within the first hour, All Cheerleaders die cycles from an
indie romance, to feminist polemic, to genuine horror, to horror satire, to titillating B-picture. But somehow, this film coheres. It seems shabby, but is impeccably assembled.” - Whitney Seibold
(2013) Directed by Lucky McGeeWritten by McGee and Chris Sivertson
This Movie Can’t Pick a Plot❏ Maddy datED Leena❏ Tracy is dating Terry❏ Maddy wants to tear down the dogs and
the bitches for mysterious reasons, so she joins the cheerleading squad
❏ Terry cheated on Tracy❏ Tracy cheats on Terry with Maddy❏ Leena is still in love with Maddy❏ Leena is a witch❏ And none of this even touches the
supernatural shenanigans yet
Another Amazing Soundtrack
It’s the first day of senior year and the night before, the “Dogs” thought that the “bitches” all died in a car accident that was caused by the football Captain due to some… anger management problems
Cabin in the Woods (2012)❏ Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, directed by Drew Goddard
❏ 91% on Rotten Tomatoes❏ 72% on Metacritic❏ 7/10 on imdb❏ “A horror-movie attic sale is, in essence, exactly what
Cabin in the Woods is, an attempt to exorcise the genre of its formulaic possession by stuffing the movie full of its most overused and predictable elements — and then dumping them through clever skewering.” -Ian buckwalter
Presentation is ImportantThe movie was advertised as a pure horror film that promised to be gory and suspenseful. This confused many when they went to the theater and learned the actual plot of the film, and how five kid’s lives were in the hands of two middle aged men sitting at a desk.
The Bechdel Test and the Mako Mori Test
1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it2. Who talk to each other3. About something besides a man
All three films pass this testhttp://bechdeltest.com/
1. at least one female character2. who gets her own narrative arc3. that is not about supporting a man’s story
All three pass this test as well, but if you replace Maddy with a man, then All Cheerleaders Die would not pass (Leena is the only passable character)
How are teenagers and women viewed by movie writers and producers
Women in these films are overly sexualized to no end. While at points it could be perceived as empowering and truthful to society, it’s overdone and pure fanservice or unnecessary in most cases. Sex isn’t needed to further a male
character’s character development, yet it’s used as a tool for writers to create “better” female characters.
All Cheerleaders Die was surprisingly the most tame in this category and actually involves sex in the plot as
opposed to randomly throwing it in there and then ignoring it
Caitlin Staseyjust about as progressive as you can get: outspoken feminist and member of LGBTQA community, and Founder of Herself.com.Herself.com is a website dedicated to erasing the over sexualization of women, and to build the strength of female sexualities. It involves interviews with different women from around the world and their unique perspectives on what it means to be a women, what sexuality is to them, how their sexuality has been influenced by religion, embarrassment over development/puberty, and other topics that have become skewed for women within society such as marriage and abortion.
Bibliography❏ Scott, A. O. "Hell Is Other People, Especially the Popular Girl." The New York Times 17 Sept. 2009, Movie Reviews sec.: n. pag.
Print.❏ Seibold, Whitney. "Review: All Cheerleaders Die." Nerdist. N.p., 13 June 2014. Web. 10 June 2015.❏ Buckwalter, Ian. "'Cabin In The Woods': A Dead-Serious Genre Exorcism."NPR. NPR, 12 Apr. 2012. Web. 10 June 2015.
