Misfit Sisters: Screen Horror as Female Rites of Passage

by Sue Short

This timely study breaks new ground in exploring how recent film and television horror texts articulate a female rite of passage, updating the cautionary concerns found in fairy tales of the past, particularly in warning against predatory men, treacherous females and unhappy family situations.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Film

207 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2007

Reviews

[didi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As they dance together she learns that he did not write the poem in class that she had considered ‘beautiful’.
Although surprised, and seemingly disappointed, when asked if this matters, she simply shakes her head and smiles. It is enough just to be with him. Carrie thus happily assumes the appropriate reaction of loyalty and unchecked devotion, appearing to have gleaned more from the women’s magazines seemingly pored over in preparation for the big night than make-up tips alone. They appear perfect together…

[Whitney Borup · Rating 3 out of 5]

This takes a more pragmatic view of horror than I'm used to reading about in a film study. While many theorists of yesteryear make claims of misogyny directed towards the entire genre, Short takes a more fragmented view, separating the parts of each film from their whole. I think a narrative is a sum of its parts (including the horrible downfall of so many of horror's female protagonists), and in the case of film - meant to be viewed in one sitting - this seems especially so. While Short never throws away the punishment dished out at the end of these films, she does tend to skip over it as merely a part of the genre that tends to be misogynistic instead of a moral that can overarch the entire narrative. However, juding by character identification of so many of these "misfit sisters," I don't think her point is moot.

[Rachy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who's read Clover and was dissatisfied with her theory, or felt she was missing something, this book's for you.

Clover blew everyone out of the water with her "final girl" theory in which the surviving female subverts her femininity to defeat the monster at the end of the film. In Misfit Sisters, Short redefines the Final Girl, challenging Clover's view.

It's a shame this book hasn't yet found its place in the academic horror canon. Short's theory is refreshing, articulate, and timely. It could well change the way we think about horror.