The 1976 horror film, Carrie, represents the monstrous feminine and the use of voyeurism to truly show the true monster that Carrie is, and not the hero she is often made up to be. The opening shot of the film provides the viewers with a seductive journey through a teenage women’s locker room, only to be abruptly ended by Carrie’s first period and a group bullying effort on her by the other girls. This use of voyeurism draws the male viewer into the film only to be shocked by the end result. This is supported by Shelley Stamp’s writings on “Horror, Femininity, and Carrie,” when she writes, ” Carrie’s puberty is depicted as a violent departure from the self-sufficient auto-eroticism of prepubescence she experiences in the shower.”
The monstrosity of femininity is soon cranked up a notch when Carrie discovers her telekinetic powers as a result of the first period. Carrie reaching the early stage of womanhood is greeted with an inhuman and supernatural ability, which often is seen in her times of rage and frustration, shown above. Stamp once again supports this thought in her writings, “Menstruation and female sexuality here are inseparable from the ‘curse’ of supernatural power, more properly the domain of horror films.
In addition to the telekinetic abilities showing the monstrous feminine, Carrie is looked after by two maternal figures with conflicting ideologies. Carrie’s mother, Miss White, is a strict, controlling, and religious mother that does not allow Carrie any privileges that a teenage girl has. The other is the gym teacher, Miss Collins, who is a robust, powerful, and seductive woman that begins to look after Carrie when she is targeted by the other girls. Miss White is not letting Carrie do anything other than pray and study, while Miss Collins is encouraging Carrie to masquerade herself with makeup, products, and apparel. Shelley Stamp provides a concise and accurate analysis of these woman when she writes, “Both women are obsessed with physical punishment and the body.” There is no in between for Carrie, which inevitably leads to her rebellion against Miss White, and ignorance to Miss Collins, resulting in the horrific prom events, shown above.
Carrie provides both absolute ends of the feminine spectrum, displaying both as monstrous. The entire film revolves around women and the horrific and cataclysmic effects that they have on the films plot. As a result of Carrie’s havoc, an ambiguous ending leads to the demise or insanity of the female players in Carrie.
Derek Stoberl CMS 353 