Do the pleasures of horror movies really begin and end in sadism? So the public discussion of film assumes, and so film theory claims. Carol Clo... read full description
reviews
Nov 07, 2007
Lauryl
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Okay, so at the moment, I'm actually halfway through it, but I'm enjoying it immensely, not least because it combines my love of horror movies with my love of analyzing the crap out of everything for its feminist implications. The writing is crisp and succinct and a bit less dry than reading, say, Laura Mulvey, but still dense with ideas and academic enough to satisfy the snob in me. Not too facile, I guess is what I mean to say. I also enjoy Clover's willingness to ask more questions than sh
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Dec 17, 2009
Dirk
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If you see only one movie this year, read this book.
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Aug 17, 2009
Mike
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Written almost two decades ago, back in ’92, Men, Women, and Chain Saws confronts the (then) prevailing consensus that horror movies were about guys watching girls get brutalized. The author argues that there is often a "final girl" who by the end of the movie fights back against the oppressor, and that the audience identifies with both sides of the pain equation. Not myself terribly versed in the genre I found her arguments compelling but also unverifiable. I'm not even sure if critic
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Nov 14, 2007
Tracey
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i liked this book... it got me thinking and reading more into the horror movies i know and love and even introduced me to some i now want to see. the end kinda goes off on a tangent i think but i love most of it... she has put a lot of thought into it.
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Feb 18, 2009
Felix
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Carol J. Clover in this book sets out to refute the thesis that horror films cater to sadistic impulses and that their viewers are identifying with the perpetrators of on-screen atrocities. This refusal to join the chorus of horror's condemnators alone makes me partial to her arguments. But its not just a question of personal taste. Clover's arguments in support of her own thesis (that male viewers cross-gender identify with female victims) are sound and convincing, supported by detailed analyse
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Apr 18, 2008
Dfordoom
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In Men, Women and Chainsaws, written in 1992, Carol J. Clover looks at the horror movies of the preceding two decades, focusing particularly on low-budget films and even more particularly on that most despised of all sub-genres, the slasher film. Clover disputes the traditional interpretation of such movies as being driven purely by male sadism towards women. She asks pertinent questions about why a form that appeals mostly to young men should feature almost exclusively female heroes, and shou
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Oct 08, 2010
eq
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I browsed through this book for academic purposes and not for a leisurely read. I wasn't a film major but having lived with one, I became interested in film studies by proxy and this book often comes up in discussions.
My main problem was with the footnotes. Take note: Anything that needs a half page of writing material in the footnotes should probably be incorporated into the actual text. Otherwise, you might as well call your book The House of Leaves.
Anyway, I thought it was More...
My main problem was with the footnotes. Take note: Anything that needs a half page of writing material in the footnotes should probably be incorporated into the actual text. Otherwise, you might as well call your book The House of Leaves.
Anyway, I thought it was More...
Feb 13, 2008
Leah
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I read this book a few years ago and then reread a bit of it this fall. It's a film crit view of slasher movies (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre being the first and best example), possession movies and rape/revenge movies, with the focus on gender dynamics and the fact that oftentimes female characters are filling in for a predominantly male audience. I can tell it's been a while since I took any English classes and even further since I decided I didn't want to be a professor, because the only thi
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Jun 26, 2010
Toestastegood
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While I may not agree with everything that Clover writes, and find that she takes her ideas a few steps beyond their logical end, this was a fascinating read. I am not a horror fan by any definition, but reading this book may be enough to make me give the genre another chance.
Sep 17, 2011
Jayne
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Super-dense critical theory, unfortunately quite dated now (originally published in 1990.) Thus, some of the films Clover focuses on are a little arbitary (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre II? Witchboard?) Having said that I would love to see her feminist take on the meta-horror of the 90's, and I also noted with great pleasure that towards the end she thought it was possible that vampires were going to get another go-round. Would love to know what she makes of Twilight, True Blood et al.
May 26, 2009
Alicia
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One of my very favorite pieces of gender-based film theory. I recommend this one to all horror-film loving females (and males) interested in deconstructing tropes common to the genre.
Oct 04, 2010
Bart
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Feminist perspective on slasher films and the horror genre in general. Very fascinating, but a taxing read.
Mar 25, 2008
Emily
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If you like B-grade horror flicks and have a hankerin' for feminist theory, you'll love this book . . . Clover looks at a huge spectrum of horror films, from the lowest of the low ("I Spit On Your Grave," "Ms. 45,") to big budget successes ("Halloween," "Carrie"), examining the role of gender, specifically the curious fact that although horror audiences appear to consist mostly of young white men, the characters these men identify with are overwhelmingly v
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Feb 22, 2008
Emily
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One of the most original, readable, and persuasive works of film scholarship out there, and, unlike so much academic writing, it's both complex *and* refreshingly clear. Clover's concept of "The Final Girl" -- like Laurie in "Halloween" or the screaming blonde in the cut-offs in the last half-hour of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" -- upturns all that tired male-gaze theory that cropped up in the wake of Laura Mulvey. (Her close reading of "Peeping Tom" is
Feb 05, 2008
Showbiz Jim
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Whether you like horror and slasher movies or not, Carol J. Clover's book is a landmark in queer/gender/feminist film criticism. I haven't seen most of the films she discusses and it still blew my mind. The way I read and interpret movies has completely changed because of this book. The writing is pretty academic, building complex, sophisticated arguements (frankly, she lost me in the last chapter), but the fist chapter alone is worth the price of admission.
Jan 08, 2012
Ren
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I wanted to like this book more than I did. The psychoanalytic method of film criticism forms the basis for her critique which she uses to present an interesting if problematic perspective on the slasher and other horror films. I didn't agree with everything she had to say but her perspective was certainly unique. She was a little obsessed with Texas Chainsaw 2 though. I felt there were more important films in the horror genre that she could have covered.
Feb 02, 2008
Steve
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Deeply interesting, but also deeply arguable. Clover's perspectives on Alien/Ripley are illuminating and, I feel, spot on. On the other hand, does I Spit on Your Grave realy deserve such a reading?
Having said this, it's a great book to read in a public space - realy gets attention, if that's what you're into!
Having said this, it's a great book to read in a public space - realy gets attention, if that's what you're into!
Apr 18, 2008
Whitney
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Fantastic critique of male/female spectatorship in horror film. "Her Body Himself" being the most famous/helpful chapter, I found the chapter on rape-revenge films to be fascinating. Plus, Clover is so funny. She makes the funniest jokes in a dry, chain-saw-humor kind of way.
Feb 26, 2008
Judd
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Nice to see a horror movie from a feminist perspective. Since reading and analyzing this, I see macho men in a whole new light: wearing tights and tassels wasn't just dynamic wrestling costumes, it turns out!
Feb 24, 2009
Brea
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as per alyx's suggestion, i only read chapters 1 and 3 of this. both were good. very academic - something i've almost forgotten how to read - but well-written, 90s feminist assessment of the horror genre.
Nov 25, 2007
Red
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No new information, but still an interesting book. Really a good book for anyone who's interested in horror films, or gender relations in film.
Jul 07, 2008
I haven't read this for a long time but it certainly gave me a strong foundation for discussing my favorite of genres...HORROR!
Aug 25, 2008
Dana
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Good stuff. Dissects modern and classic horror movies in relation to gender and their contributions to social commentary.
Oct 20, 2008
I hate horror movies, but this was extremely insightful, and my favorite part of Women in Film class.
