Woman as castrator: A psychoanalytic-feminist study of the castrating mother and Final Girl in the American slasher film.

... Name: Liam Stott English and Film & Media Studies Level Three Unit Title: AMDFMS399 Media Dissertation Unit Tutor: Rob Kurta Specialist Tutor: Marc O'Day Course Leaders: Marc O' Day/Melanie Selfe Title: Woman as castrator: A psychoanalytic-feminist study of the castrating mother and Final Girl in the American slasher film. Contents Introduction...........................................3 The castrating mother................................5 The Final Girl........................................19 Conclusion............................................29 Bibliography......................................31-32 Introduction This dissertation will explore how the woman is portrayed as castrator in the American slasher film using the critical approach of psychoanalytic-feminism. This will be achieved by analysing the female character as castrating mother and Final Girl. Gregory Waller states that the landscape of the modern American horror film is characterised by displaying pornographic violence against women (Waller, 1987: 8). For example, one of the most emblematic modern American horror sub-genres is the slasher film. The slasher film promotes sexual violence against women by categorically portraying the patriarchal male monster who subjects women to a subordinate and misogynistic position by butchering sexually promiscuous females

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