A thought that occurred to me while I was watching THE EXORCIST
Horror movies almost ALWAYS prey on feminine fears… fears that are innate to the feminine experience.
In teen slasher films, girls are murdered in direct correlation with their dating or having sex with guys. In this way, the horror relates to budding female sexuality. In Halloween, the main character was babysitting, obviously popular among teenage girls.
And then you look at some of the more adult psychological thrillers and they’re again preying on feminine phobias, albeit adult feminine phobias. Often, supernatural elements are just metaphor. Rosemary’s Baby is about fear of pregnancy and betrayal by people you feel close to.
The Exorcist is about Ellen Burstyn’s maternal fear of raising a child almost ready to hit puberty. The demonic possession is a metaphor for the impending evils of adulthood intruding upon her innocent child and what mother doesn’t fear that? She is helpless, just as parents are helpless to stop the progression of their babies into the wicked world of adult sin.
The Shining was about Shelley Duvall’s fear of her husband; she had to protect her young son from the crazed masculine violence of Jack Nicholson. All these flicks are supposed to push a woman’s panicky fear buttons.
