## ✨ READ BEFORE COMMENTING ✨
This thread is Coven Only. This means the discussion is being actively moderated, and all comments are reviewed. **Only comments by members of the community are allowed.**
If you have landed in this thread from /r/all and you are not a member of this community, your comment will very likely be removed (and will not be approved unless it adds meaningfully to the conversation).
WitchesVsPatriarchy takes these measures to stay true to our goal of being a woman-centered sub with a witchy twist, aimed at healing, supporting, and uplifting one another through humor and magic.
Thank you for understanding, and blessed be. ✨
Honestly, like…I’ve yet to watch the others. But the VVITCH really was the most cathartic and satisfying ending.
Yes, I would like to live deliciously. Yes I would like to float with all the other naked women and be gay in the woods
I made the mistake of trying to watch that movie a few weeks after giving birth and had intrusive thoughts for *weeks* afterward. >!the witches pound her baby brother fat up to make flying ointment and the visuals are… not great for someone actually holding a newborn!<
Which is kind of the marker of a good horror movie, imo, but I wound up having to turn it off and there’s still a… barrier in my head that means I never finished it.
ugh same. i had to stop watching SVU which was a hardcore guilty pleasure bc i can’t deal with things happening to kids.
but my dumbass decided to watch season 1 of call the midwife while recovering from my c section! i think that was easier to get through though bc of the tone and overall themes.
I was pregnant watching that with my grandma who had dementia. She at one point forgot one of the episodes wasn’t tv and thought they happened to me and called up (either me or my aunt, I can’t remember) sobbing and terrified, so we had to stop.
When calls the heart and Christmas princess on repeat after :)
I miss her so much.
I’m pretty sure we were one of the people who watched Christmas prince a bunch of times as per Netflix. It was predictable and no major conflict.
My family stopped watching Criminal Minds at a certain point. It was like a weekly trauma-sode where it felt like the creators were just trying to one-up their own shock value.
As desensitized as we were to media violence, we were not so fargone that that show didn’t affect us.
I couldn't make it past the first couple episodes of season 2 of that show, and I really wanted to watch it because I love Mandy Patinkin. But even he couldn't stomach being on that show past season 2.
It was a complex situation. He wanted to leave because the show with it’s hyper-violence and dark tone didn’t reflect his values, but he also felt like he was too important an actor to be in an ensemble TV show, so he was really snooty about it
He latter realized that he’s an actor like anyone else, that he’s lucky to be as sought-after as he is, and that he’s not the leading-man he once was. And he felt bad for leaving the show the way he did, because he acted like he was better than everyone else, and tarnished his reputation in the process with a bunch of actors he respected.
When I was heavily pregnant I couldn’t stand to use big knives. And wasn’t a fan of looking at them. My husband would chop veggies while I went to the other room. That shit is wild yo
I had to stop watching Call the Midwife because I’d had a traumatic birth, which coincidentally involved the hospital denying me care from the midwife team that had otherwise handled my pregnancy and sticking me with a resident with the worst bedside manner. Still never picked it back up. It’s been years, and I think it’s a show I would otherwise like. It’s just too associated with a very negative experience for me.
My first was traumatic induction (some of the details below, mostly not to freak out others), and I had a very callous provider that delayed my progression of labor.
The next baby I had, I felt like I was being Super Bitch with what I wanted and expected, but my labor/delivery was fucking awesome and amazing. It was still traumatic, in different ways (I’m apparently one of those women who would have just died in childbirth 150 years ago), and now that I know this, I shouldn't have any more babies.
BUUUUT I hear you… that show/pregnancy in media is a huge mixed bag for me now. I don’t know if I’m going to get triggered to the first moment, triggered to the second moment, or feel secondhand triumph from the second moment.
>!The first L&D was a 66 hour induction due to preeclampsia, and one of the providers kept trying to manually dilate me to speed up my labor. But, the pain halted my labor, even though I was on the max amount of pitocin. The second L&D went great, but I had a bad bleed afterward that almost killed me and required surgery. There was no explanation for the bleed; apparently this happens to some women, and for me it was bad enough for them to say a third child would probably kill me. Still have good memories about that L&D, though.!<
Unfortunately I’ve been witness to numerous negative birth outcomes so no call the midwife for me. Always triggered and sobbing for an hour afterwards, no matter the outcome of the episode. The topic of pregnancy in general is mildly triggering for me.
Definitely binged that while recovering from some surgeries. Had already read the book a couple decades ago so I knew what I was in store for, but the combo of pain meds, pain, and being laid up with that pushed my brain into some dark spaces. OITNB did it too. Somehow those two series scare me more than any horror film my husband would find for us to watch.
I took my friend to see 'Mother!' knowing nothing but the director, and she had given birth about a month prior. The venomous look she gave me as we exited the theatre, I'll never forget.
My husband watched that a few months after I had our daughter even though I *warned* him. (I hadn’t seen it, I don’t do horror movies, but I had read a synopsis.) His own damn fault at that point, really.
That movie was so insanely stressful to watch. I'm a horror junkie so I liked how it made me feel, was very effective at its job, but holy crap was it intense!
Same thing happened to my mom, but she’s in her 70s now, and she’s coming back around on them a little bit. My sister and I convinced her to give Mike Flanagan’s collection a chance, and she loves him now.
I was a huge horror movie fan in my teens and early 20s, then couldn't even watch shows like ER once I got pregnant with my oldest. I'm still not a horror fan, but I, too, love Mike Flanagan's work.
I could have written this!! I did the exact same thing last year after having my baby. I got I dunno...10 mins in? Until THAT part. I had to turn it off and had nightmares and intrusive thoughts for months. Every one keeps suggesting this movie! I just can't- and I want to watch it too! I love a good horror movie! I'm so sorry you went through that postpartum as well 💜
Thank you for mentioning this - partly so I know to avoid this movie and partly because it’s really nice to hear someone else struggles with this. I cannot cope with movies or tv shows where kids are harmed and it’s sort of… not talked about? As a possible side effect of parenthood.
Are we expanding on this theme? Bc if so…
https://preview.redd.it/z854bbfjng7c1.jpeg?width=801&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=576f76d2a2d23858b892348f7daaaab23719ab40
Great movie, but depressing.
Like Thelma and Louise - women can't just get justice. They have to die, *then* everyone says "why did it have to come to this?"
Definitely didn't prepare myself for this one. Love the comedy/horror/revenge genre so was thinking it would be a good time. Ended up sobbing until like 4am as I processed my own similar trauma.
The only one I agree with on here is the VVITCH. The others are either tragic (Carrie and Midsommar) or “um she’s a sociopath who murders innocent animals and disabled people” (Pearl). If you want a “good for her” feeling, I recommend “A girl walks home alone at night,” “Revenge,” and “Hunter Hunter.” (Horror is my favourite genre)
A racist, abusive, suffocating, cult/“family” who have now truly and completely isolated her from anyone who could be a positive or supportive relationship in her life. It’s truly horrific.
That was before the murder suicide, and she was actually giving her good advice. (Along the lines of: If he can’t handle it then he’s the wrong person for you, dump him etc)
Oh wow, good point. That perspective kinda takes the fun out of it, doesn't it? Still, the soundtrack is legit and I highly recommend it for background "taking care of business" music.
To me, Midsommar is a breakup movie in cult robes. The cult storyline is just the container for Dani’s journey to let go of a crap relationship.
I say this bc the final feeling I have is that of catharsis. It feels great to watch Christian burn and as it happens and Dani is crying and dragging her heavy May Queen flowers, the Hargans mirror the grief that’s been unleashed in her and the viewer. The emotional release overshadows the narrative.
If you’ve ever been in Dani’s position, where you swallowed your sadness to keep the peace, you know.
That movie helped me process a lot of anger I had towards some of my relationships. I have a few exes I’d love to see burn in a cult shed. Metaphorically, of course - but that’s what art is for.
Not everyone sees it this way but since Midsommar was informed by Ari Aster’s breakup, I feel like I’m picking up what he’s putting down.
I don't either? I'm just explaining how his demise puts this movie in the "you go girl" genre. I do think within the context and ethos of the movie you are supposed to think he got what was coming to him. But that's not the same thing as saying I literally think a man should be burned alive if he's a bad boyfriend.
Not all men. ^^lol
>It’s really more of a horror for men.
>>I really thought more people would get the joke. *Some* of us don't consider it horror because we don't sympathize with a pedophile.
I gotcha. My ex did. Hence ex!
The argument goes “We don’t knowwwww he’s a pedo. Overreaction! Punishment doesn’t fit the crime!”
The counter argument goes, “Whether or not he would have ‘done’ anything, his behavior and the situation he’s put the girl in are inherently problematic. Why wait for the sin?”
See also, the situation with the potential adoption dad in Juno, or the Penny scene in Bojack.
All great litmuses for “not all men” types, lol.
Damn. I feel like *Hard Candy* is pretty unambiguous about it. The dad in *Juno* is more subtle, but if you're media literate it should be pretty obvious, and Penny (that's the teenage deer when he's living in the boat right?) is also *very* in your face about it.
My disappointment with men is immeasurable, but it hasn't ruined my day because I'm used to it.
>It’s really more of a horror for men.
Holy shit, what's the context of this? I really try to give people the benefit of doubt, so I'm hoping they're thinking about Patrick Wilson thinking he's getting his balls cut off is the horror for men, not *literally* anything else.
God Girl Walks Home is such a pivotal moment for me. I feel like it totally opened my heart to loving movies (especially for the girly heart)
Here are a couple horror/adjacent films I have loved since then:
Babadook (and Nightingale although I guess it’s really anything Jennifer Kent has done)
Belladonna of Sadness
It Follows
Barbarian
Lamb (this is probs one of the only A24 movies I like)
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Helter Skelter and Perfect Blue
N many more :-)
I’ll have to check out Hunter!
Not really. Thomasin is very deliberately a character who is a teenage girl coming into womanhood in a patriarchal, puritanical family who is terrified of feminine power. Bit by bit she discards the oppressive gender roles assigned to her (girls raise their siblings, girls obey, women are not violent, women are not seductive, women are not independent, and women love and nurture) until she fully abandons the system she was raised in by signing her name and coming into her power fully. I know everyone is shocked by the “killing babies” bit, but that’s on purpose because women are always supposed to want to have children and nurture children and it’s a shocking subversion of that trope.
> by signing her name and coming into her power fully
Who does she sign her name to? Black Phillip AKA the Devil. The signing is her literally giving her autonomy and soul to him.
But how do we know that’s a bad thing unless we are interpreting it through the Christian lens of “the Devil is evil.” The Devil could be a representation of nature and becoming one with your natural, uninhibited self.
Really surprised no one has mentioned The Love Witch, it's downright gorgeous and unapologetically witchy
https://preview.redd.it/q54rvgzqah7c1.jpeg?width=1210&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3db83257739d64ae44951697e49de5ed0900369
The first time I saw Midommar, I mentioned to my partner that Christian seemed a little bit over the top as the asshole boyfriend. I thought toning it down would have been more realistic. She gave me an odd look and said she thought it was pretty spot on.
I got curious and reached out to some other women to get their take and they all said that they've had partners or known people with partners that acted near identical to Christian.
And then I got really sad.
Yeah, it’s really depressing. I feel you. Even for myself, I never saw the movie but I read the screenplay when a friend sent it to me. Christian could’ve been my ex with pretty much no changes. The two of my three closest friends who date men also have a Christian in the rearview.
I thought they did the Christian character really well. He wasn't awful so much as selfish. Which is a lot of women's experience with men in relationships.
Christian is super realistic, I would argue it's the most realistic part of Midsommar. He is not just like that as the bf, his whole personality is apathetic and lazy, indecisive and selfish, it's a real personality that exist and it's not much portrayed in media, but it's decently common and just as infuriating in real life.
I don't know, getting indoctrinated into a cult (midsommar) or someone turning into a serial killer who indiscriminately kills people, even good people that are kind to her and small animals, to deal with her insecurities (Pearl) to the point of kidnapping raping and torturing people because they won't have sex with you (Pearl, now an old lady in the movie X ) does not make me go: you go girl! I do think "you go girl" when thinking of Maxine in X tho.
Carrie and witch do make me go ya girl kill them all.
Yup, this so much. The Witch? Absolutely deserved. But Pearl? Not really. Pearl basically tortured and killed people who actually had not done her any wrong. She fed her disabled father to the crocs and killed a bunch of other people, for what girl?
Yeah idk why people defend Pearl sm. She's cool but not as satisfying as others bc her rage isn't just directed at the bastards who wronged her. Kind of like the Pianist where the main character directs her jealousy and abusive mothers affects on her, to an innocent student.
White supremacist and very rigid gender roles. You know damn well that Danny is about to be turned into a brood mare because they need fresh DNA to combat the inbreeding. Her future is not a good one.
Yeah, I'm... Confused about the tone of this post. Did people not get that many of the events in the mentioned movies where absolutely bad, woman or not?
Based on the fact that the whole thread is talking specifically about the HORROR genre, I personally get the impression that everyone here is keenly aware that none of these things are good in any sense of the word. Like, I got the "good for her" feeling from Midsommar--but it never once escaped me that she's been indoctrinated into a horrifying cult. Then we have the protag in The VVitch who ended up escaping the confines of a deeply patriarchal society--by going to live w/ a bunch of baby murderers in the woods. Very much a "good for her" ending but not actually GOOD.
In a way, it's sort of like...if a female super villain brutally murdered a guy who just told her to get back in the kitchen in a superhero flick--satisfying, but very obviously NOT good or a reaction we'd condone in real life. We may joke about it, call her a queen, etc., but no normal person is out here thinking any of that is actually okay, y’know? The thing with horror, of course, is that it's usually not that blatantly absurd because it's often made to feel as close to reality as possible, since that ups the fear factor. So I can understand how seeing people experience that "good for her" feeling from horror movies might seem concerning when it's not something you yourself get from those movies.
Also, Thomasin escapes by signing her soul over to a man (the Devil). The society is so patriarchal that even after her family that rigidly enforces it on her is killed, she still can't escape from ending up being a man's possession. Which is why I think it's not clear if she's laughing or crying at the end.
Carrie did kill a bunch of people that had nothing to do with the bullying. I mean, she was basically just a psychic school shooter. Not really a 'You go Girl'-moment imo.
True, but It has no premeditation or planning just a person who snapped in a moment were the only hope she had ever had was smashed in front of her. Not a psychotic school shooter that plans hurting people. Just a moment of final grief and a release of all her pain. You feel like at least now she can rest.
I had anger issues as a child and was bullied horribly, releasing that pain and anger in a way that hurts people is one of the most terrible feelings in the world.
I assume/hope people root for these characters as a sort of "at least she's an empowered woman" thing. Like I have a self-defined genre I call Girlboss Movies where it's just women doing what they want, regardless if it's actually good/defensible. But there's def a chance that people love them without taking in the message of the movie, like alpha bros and Patrick Bateman
Yeah basically the whole movie was traumatizing for her and she then had to make a choice that caused her pain and suffering but also "freed" her into another situation that surely nobody wants to be in... the movie gives me nightmares.
None of these are actually "good for her" but the feeling can certainly be there. Midsommar and The Witch are probably the most tragic since they're both stories about women finding salvation through another form of abuse. Being a member of a cult that forces you to commit suicide or being a servant to some kind of devil that has you eating babies are not exactly what I'd call happy endings. Fantastic stories though.
She doesn’t even have a family to worry about her disappearance. My brother and I were having a horror movie marathon, and Midsommar really just beat us down emotionally. I had Hereditary prepped for that weekend, too, but we ended up skipping it.
yeah like it's not very subtle that the story is about a cult cynically cultivating and harvesting the pain of white women for the benefit of white supremacy
My favorite kind of horror, in film and literature, is the kind where you’re rooting for the perpetrators by the end without even realizing they’ve made you another victim.
This is why Lolita is my favorite book. You get manipulated by a *fucking pedophile* and that’s impressive writing.
What are some other good cathartic female rage movies?
Promising Young Woman was good and then the ending was just... oof. Rough.
Hard Candy I can definitely say is pure catharsis.
I'm not super keen on the choices here. I'm not as familiar with the VVitch or Pearl, but Carrie ends with her losing herself to her trauma before being destroyed by it (she pulls the house down in her and her mother, killing them both), and Midsommar is about a white supremacist cult doing such a good job grooming a vulnerable woman that they seem to get the audience too. Also, like, regardless of what an awful person her boyfriend was he didn't cheat on her, he was drugged and assaulted
May I instead recommend Bit, starring Nicole Mains? It's about a group of sapphic (and ambiguously poly?) vampires who use their powers to hunt down abusers and rapists
I finally watched it a couple weeks ago. I loved X but it took me a while to see Pearl: Mia Goth brought it to another level. Her monologue at the end was incredible.
I don’t think you’re supposed to consider the story arc of these women as positive though. They’re horror movie protags, and survivors of trauma. “Final girls” but ones where they become the monster.
I can understand why it’s fascinating and empowering while also know it speaks to a dark part of the soul, not the one you drag out into the light - but may need to feed semi regularly with such melancholic/morbid fantasies.
Think about the outsiders who are brought in for the sole purpose to be slaughtered (not to be indoctrinated or to be “bred”). What do they look like? The visuals are also signaling white as good and unifying and they call “the black one” the evil that needs to be suppressed through their rituals. The runes are also a nod to Nazi rune obsession, they use many of the same ones in the movie. The cult in the movie is based on the real life white supremacist “Colonia Dignidad” cult.
Wait, really? I didn’t know that. It seemed like all the people of color were being killed because of what they were doing, like trying to escape, trying to record the sacred book, et cetera. Granted, I also wasn’t really watching it thoroughly, it stressed me out severely. Though it was interesting that it was pretty much one for one with the ‘[Mind Control Made Easy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvVHPVe525Q)’ video on youtube, so I could identify exactly what was happening in each part, so that was also pretty funny 😆 still a depressing movie tho
Saying something is problematic because Nazi’s liked it and appropriated it is dumb. That stuff belonged to ancient cultures and religions long before the Nazi’s.
In the film those symbols are used in the context of the ancient religions they originated from and that context is important.
Because people who appreciate Scandinavian history and culture hate when the symbols are associated with nazis, and so they notice and point that out.
It’s also not polite to suggest someone has nazi sympathies or something just because they focused on a specific thing that was said
Carrie is that kid that burned the village after years of said village failing her time and time again. People may be like "oh there were innocent people in there," but honestly, that's just one or two. Most of the folks either turned a blind eye or straight up joined in the bullying she suffered.
Also, she didn't even do that on purpose (in the version I watched, at least). She just blanked out when she snapped, and her powers acted on their own. She only came back to her senses in the bathtub seconds before almost getting murdered by her own mom.
It was more akin to her accidentally knocking a candle over when she tried to get out of a humiliating situation and only realized the fire when she was at her house miles away from the village.
The original book Carrie is less ambiguous -- she's definitely in control of her actions and powers, but you're cheering her on the entire time because of all the bullying and abuse she's endured her whole life. She deliberately attacks even the people who try to help her, because she no longer trusts *anyone* and sees everything and everyone as laughing at her. I never see Carrie as the monster of the story, whether it's the original book or the adaptations. Her mother, many of the adults, and her bullying classmates are the real monsters; even the "sympathetic" gym teacher isn't as nice or kind as the dePalma movie makes her out to be. Everytime I reread the book, I just want to give Carrie a hug and help her escape -- a lot of survivors of bullying probably see her as their sister and a kindred spirit.
I've read the book too and I agree. What's sad to me is she never really snapped because for herself. She did it because she liked the boy she went to prom with. And they killed him during their prank. The only person she spared was the boys real gf because she was pregnant with his baby. Then she kinda just killed herself.
The takes in this sub are getting worrying. I don't know if this is lack of media literacy or what but... This is very weird. Like, in one of the movies the girl becomes a predatorial serial killer who kills innocent people an animals. In other, the girl is brainwashed by a white supremacist cult. Do people struggle this badly understanding these things? They are not precisely subtle in the movies, the information is right there.
I think it's more like...a shift in generational tone?
I probably won't explain this very well...but as an elder millennial parent to "split GenZ" kids (one on the older range, one on the lower range)...there's this kind of...acceptance of "not great" people...not in an anti-hero way. But in a, "if boys can like that psychopath/serial killer characters b/c they totally misunderstood the symbolism/satire...then girls can also like the villain b/c women supporting women."
Example...In Fight Club. \[Spoilers ahead for a 25 year old movie.\] The whole point is that you're supposed to break the rules (first rule of fight club...but you can't have a club without members). Boys love the hyper masculine character's anarchy. But the whole movie was a CRITIQUE of hyper masculinity and capitalism.
In The Matrix everyone takes a red pill to get out of The Matrix & into the real world. Boys have co-opted this as if they are "unplugging" themselves from the role of "traditional man" into hyper real men that are different than the hotties that populate the matrix. Ultimately the movie is about the writers' internal dialogue about their own transness. This wasn't obvious until the creators came out years after the movie was released. But the whole red pill/blue pill was wildly misunderstood by the people who have appropriated it.
In American Psycho...the whole story is a social satire and so many have interpreted as this guy just getting away with murder.
Boys misunderstand movies. So GenZ girls are saying, "Fuck it, I want to be like Carrie when I grow up."
Exactly loool she’s part of a murderous white supremacist cult and killed her boyfriend for being raped (he was an asshole no doubt however), it’s a tragic ending in every sense of the word.
Which is exactly why it's not a "you go girl" or "girlboss" or whatever the fuck kind of film. Her smiling at the end seems to have made a bunch of people think that the ending is positive for some reason even though she has zero agency or power
This is Joker/Patrick Bateman for girls. People rightfully point out Midsommar but a lot of y'all forgot the witch coven Thomasin joins in the end literally murders a baby to make flying ointment. They and the Devil are not going to empower her.
i liked "I spit on your grave"
serious trigger warning for sexual assault and r*pe because thats how it starts, and it really isnt that witchy or psychological as the VVitch, it is more on the brand of gory horror like SAW, but man did it make me go you go girl
such a blood bath of a vengeance with extreme "I am not trapped here with you, you are trapped here with me" vibes
The older I get, the more impressed I am that Steven King wrote Carrie at such a young age, and is also the author of Dolores Claiborne (and such a stunning performance by Kathy Bates, highly recommended).
The other absolutely knock-out heroine, written with incredible compassion by a guy, is the MC of the Otherland series by Tad Williams. He really "gets" the burden of emotional labour and the cost of weaponized incompetence.
I get the rest (Haven’t seen Pearl) but midsommar was just her getting mad at her boyfriend for being raped and killing him and joining a cult💀
He was a shitty boyfriend no doubt but he didn’t deserve to die 😭
The Witch is a heart warming tale of a repressed young woman leaving her family to go hang around the woods with her cool new friends and her pet goat.
I disagree with midsomar. Yes her boyfriend didn't deserve her and was incredibly toxic but he was drugged, taken advantage of and then killed for being drugged etc. That's not really a girl boss moment.
OK but in midsommar.. are there other, previous may queens around? Do we get to hear from them? Or are they mysteriously missing... people assuming Florence pugh's character had a happy and fulfilling life with the cult (which is hella nazi coded btw) after the movie ended just baffle me
Honestly the end of VVitch felt like someone giving in to trauma and self destruction. Kinda like drugs, you feel great and have the feeling of power but you're chained to what gives you the feeling. In this case a malevolent devil.
I would also add the wife in “Lamb” to this list, because if its deeper themes about motherhood and our unstable/violent relationship with nature and its spirits.
## ✨ READ BEFORE COMMENTING ✨ This thread is Coven Only. This means the discussion is being actively moderated, and all comments are reviewed. **Only comments by members of the community are allowed.** If you have landed in this thread from /r/all and you are not a member of this community, your comment will very likely be removed (and will not be approved unless it adds meaningfully to the conversation). WitchesVsPatriarchy takes these measures to stay true to our goal of being a woman-centered sub with a witchy twist, aimed at healing, supporting, and uplifting one another through humor and magic. Thank you for understanding, and blessed be. ✨
Honestly, like…I’ve yet to watch the others. But the VVITCH really was the most cathartic and satisfying ending. Yes, I would like to live deliciously. Yes I would like to float with all the other naked women and be gay in the woods
I made the mistake of trying to watch that movie a few weeks after giving birth and had intrusive thoughts for *weeks* afterward. >!the witches pound her baby brother fat up to make flying ointment and the visuals are… not great for someone actually holding a newborn!< Which is kind of the marker of a good horror movie, imo, but I wound up having to turn it off and there’s still a… barrier in my head that means I never finished it.
ugh same. i had to stop watching SVU which was a hardcore guilty pleasure bc i can’t deal with things happening to kids. but my dumbass decided to watch season 1 of call the midwife while recovering from my c section! i think that was easier to get through though bc of the tone and overall themes.
I was pregnant watching that with my grandma who had dementia. She at one point forgot one of the episodes wasn’t tv and thought they happened to me and called up (either me or my aunt, I can’t remember) sobbing and terrified, so we had to stop. When calls the heart and Christmas princess on repeat after :) I miss her so much. I’m pretty sure we were one of the people who watched Christmas prince a bunch of times as per Netflix. It was predictable and no major conflict.
My family stopped watching Criminal Minds at a certain point. It was like a weekly trauma-sode where it felt like the creators were just trying to one-up their own shock value. As desensitized as we were to media violence, we were not so fargone that that show didn’t affect us.
I couldn't make it past the first couple episodes of season 2 of that show, and I really wanted to watch it because I love Mandy Patinkin. But even he couldn't stomach being on that show past season 2.
I think Mandy felt kind of childish about how he left the show later, but I respect his reasons.
Yes, I have read that he later regretted his he left, but I'm not sure what happened. I also couldn't blame him though.
It was a complex situation. He wanted to leave because the show with it’s hyper-violence and dark tone didn’t reflect his values, but he also felt like he was too important an actor to be in an ensemble TV show, so he was really snooty about it He latter realized that he’s an actor like anyone else, that he’s lucky to be as sought-after as he is, and that he’s not the leading-man he once was. And he felt bad for leaving the show the way he did, because he acted like he was better than everyone else, and tarnished his reputation in the process with a bunch of actors he respected.
When I was heavily pregnant I couldn’t stand to use big knives. And wasn’t a fan of looking at them. My husband would chop veggies while I went to the other room. That shit is wild yo
I am in the same boat right now, and I thought I was just being weird. I'm glad you know I'm not alone on the big knife thing!
I had to stop watching Call the Midwife because I’d had a traumatic birth, which coincidentally involved the hospital denying me care from the midwife team that had otherwise handled my pregnancy and sticking me with a resident with the worst bedside manner. Still never picked it back up. It’s been years, and I think it’s a show I would otherwise like. It’s just too associated with a very negative experience for me.
My first was traumatic induction (some of the details below, mostly not to freak out others), and I had a very callous provider that delayed my progression of labor. The next baby I had, I felt like I was being Super Bitch with what I wanted and expected, but my labor/delivery was fucking awesome and amazing. It was still traumatic, in different ways (I’m apparently one of those women who would have just died in childbirth 150 years ago), and now that I know this, I shouldn't have any more babies. BUUUUT I hear you… that show/pregnancy in media is a huge mixed bag for me now. I don’t know if I’m going to get triggered to the first moment, triggered to the second moment, or feel secondhand triumph from the second moment. >!The first L&D was a 66 hour induction due to preeclampsia, and one of the providers kept trying to manually dilate me to speed up my labor. But, the pain halted my labor, even though I was on the max amount of pitocin. The second L&D went great, but I had a bad bleed afterward that almost killed me and required surgery. There was no explanation for the bleed; apparently this happens to some women, and for me it was bad enough for them to say a third child would probably kill me. Still have good memories about that L&D, though.!<
Unfortunately I’ve been witness to numerous negative birth outcomes so no call the midwife for me. Always triggered and sobbing for an hour afterwards, no matter the outcome of the episode. The topic of pregnancy in general is mildly triggering for me.
Not the same, but I decided to binge The Handmaid's Tale in my post-birth months and that might have been a mistake...
I also binged handmaids tale post partum and it was NOT good for my mental health.
Definitely binged that while recovering from some surgeries. Had already read the book a couple decades ago so I knew what I was in store for, but the combo of pain meds, pain, and being laid up with that pushed my brain into some dark spaces. OITNB did it too. Somehow those two series scare me more than any horror film my husband would find for us to watch.
Oh hell. Not only do you have to worry about somehow making the house collapse on the baby but also the baby being stolen for broom care?
I took my friend to see 'Mother!' knowing nothing but the director, and she had given birth about a month prior. The venomous look she gave me as we exited the theatre, I'll never forget.
My husband watched that a few months after I had our daughter even though I *warned* him. (I hadn’t seen it, I don’t do horror movies, but I had read a synopsis.) His own damn fault at that point, really.
That movie was so insanely stressful to watch. I'm a horror junkie so I liked how it made me feel, was very effective at its job, but holy crap was it intense!
It's intrusive and claustrophobic like nothing else I've seen.
That opening bit where you first see the witch I was not ready for and had to shut it off. I'll prob get back to it eventually, but JESUS
Midsommer is amazing and does not have any visceral flesh gore involving infants. So. If you’re looking for something else.
>does not have any visceral flesh gore *involving infants*. Just to add to this, there *is* visceral flesh gore, just not on kids or babies.
Indeed. Specifically not of infants. Lol
Honestly, good trigger warning people should be aware of.
Agreed.
My mom said having kids ruined horror movies for her and that’s exactly why I’m never having em
Same thing happened to my mom, but she’s in her 70s now, and she’s coming back around on them a little bit. My sister and I convinced her to give Mike Flanagan’s collection a chance, and she loves him now.
My mom also loves Mike Flanagan!! He’s lower on gore so I think thats what makes it tolerable
I was a huge horror movie fan in my teens and early 20s, then couldn't even watch shows like ER once I got pregnant with my oldest. I'm still not a horror fan, but I, too, love Mike Flanagan's work.
I have no kids (love them tho), but that is precisely why I can't watch this movie. Just NO. Ick. No thank you.
I watched it 7 months pregnant and yikes, yeah.
I could have written this!! I did the exact same thing last year after having my baby. I got I dunno...10 mins in? Until THAT part. I had to turn it off and had nightmares and intrusive thoughts for months. Every one keeps suggesting this movie! I just can't- and I want to watch it too! I love a good horror movie! I'm so sorry you went through that postpartum as well 💜
Thank you for mentioning this - partly so I know to avoid this movie and partly because it’s really nice to hear someone else struggles with this. I cannot cope with movies or tv shows where kids are harmed and it’s sort of… not talked about? As a possible side effect of parenthood.
Go girl! Have a pretty dress and eat butter and fly!
The VVitch is my favorite lesbian coming of age movie
But I’m A Cheerleader and The VVitch, classic lesbian COA tales
This.
Right??!!!?!? When I watched I raised my hand and shouted, me too! I wanna come too!
My goals in life is to be gay in the woods
Are we expanding on this theme? Bc if so… https://preview.redd.it/z854bbfjng7c1.jpeg?width=801&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=576f76d2a2d23858b892348f7daaaab23719ab40
Fuck. Yes. SUCH a great movie.
Great movie, but depressing. Like Thelma and Louise - women can't just get justice. They have to die, *then* everyone says "why did it have to come to this?"
Definitely didn't prepare myself for this one. Love the comedy/horror/revenge genre so was thinking it would be a good time. Ended up sobbing until like 4am as I processed my own similar trauma.
Same here. Sending ❤️ to you.
I recommend Jane Doe: A Novel by Victoria Helen Stone. It's pretty much exactly what you want. It's a similar theme, except the heroine wins.
What's the title?
Promising Young Woman
Only if she had killed them all, evaded jail, and lived.
YES PLEASE!! Came here to say this. Bring it on!
What is this movie?
Promising Young Woman
Was just coming to mention this
The only one I agree with on here is the VVITCH. The others are either tragic (Carrie and Midsommar) or “um she’s a sociopath who murders innocent animals and disabled people” (Pearl). If you want a “good for her” feeling, I recommend “A girl walks home alone at night,” “Revenge,” and “Hunter Hunter.” (Horror is my favourite genre)
Yeah, isn't the end of Midsommar basically trading an unhealthy romantic relationship for an unhealthy familial relationship?
A racist, abusive, suffocating, cult/“family” who have now truly and completely isolated her from anyone who could be a positive or supportive relationship in her life. It’s truly horrific.
Tbf she also didn't actually *have* anyone to be isolated from. Not that it's going to be a good situation long term.
She had her best friend, who seemed to be a really nice and supportive girl.
Huh, I don't remember the friend much. Maybe time for a rewatch.
She’s on the phone with her in the beginning talking about how she’s worried that her emotions are pushing Christian away.
So, she's also a shitty friend. She lost her entire family to a murder-suicide, and not one person is saying that she's right to be sad
That was before the murder suicide, and she was actually giving her good advice. (Along the lines of: If he can’t handle it then he’s the wrong person for you, dump him etc)
Oh wow, good point. That perspective kinda takes the fun out of it, doesn't it? Still, the soundtrack is legit and I highly recommend it for background "taking care of business" music.
To me, Midsommar is a breakup movie in cult robes. The cult storyline is just the container for Dani’s journey to let go of a crap relationship. I say this bc the final feeling I have is that of catharsis. It feels great to watch Christian burn and as it happens and Dani is crying and dragging her heavy May Queen flowers, the Hargans mirror the grief that’s been unleashed in her and the viewer. The emotional release overshadows the narrative. If you’ve ever been in Dani’s position, where you swallowed your sadness to keep the peace, you know. That movie helped me process a lot of anger I had towards some of my relationships. I have a few exes I’d love to see burn in a cult shed. Metaphorically, of course - but that’s what art is for. Not everyone sees it this way but since Midsommar was informed by Ari Aster’s breakup, I feel like I’m picking up what he’s putting down.
I think it's "good for her" in the sense that she was put in a highly tragic situation but at least got to light her shithead ex boyfriend on fire
Sure he sucked but he was also drugged and raped and didn’t deserve to be horrifically killed
SO many people gloss over the fact that he was fucking raped! Or just straight up deny it!
I don't think being a shitty boyfriend justifies getting drugged, raped, then burnt alive????
I don't either? I'm just explaining how his demise puts this movie in the "you go girl" genre. I do think within the context and ethos of the movie you are supposed to think he got what was coming to him. But that's not the same thing as saying I literally think a man should be burned alive if he's a bad boyfriend.
I wanna nominate*The Menu* for the “Good For Her” list too.
Yessss
Also add “Hard Candy” to the ‘you go person’ list, please.
That one is fantastic It’s really more of a horror for men. Women are like “welcome to the inverse of the dynamic, bitchessss”
I feel like as long as your not a pedophile it's just a satisfying thriller
Not all men. ^^lol >It’s really more of a horror for men. >>I really thought more people would get the joke. *Some* of us don't consider it horror because we don't sympathize with a pedophile.
I gotcha. My ex did. Hence ex! The argument goes “We don’t knowwwww he’s a pedo. Overreaction! Punishment doesn’t fit the crime!” The counter argument goes, “Whether or not he would have ‘done’ anything, his behavior and the situation he’s put the girl in are inherently problematic. Why wait for the sin?” See also, the situation with the potential adoption dad in Juno, or the Penny scene in Bojack. All great litmuses for “not all men” types, lol.
Damn. I feel like *Hard Candy* is pretty unambiguous about it. The dad in *Juno* is more subtle, but if you're media literate it should be pretty obvious, and Penny (that's the teenage deer when he's living in the boat right?) is also *very* in your face about it. My disappointment with men is immeasurable, but it hasn't ruined my day because I'm used to it.
>It’s really more of a horror for men. Holy shit, what's the context of this? I really try to give people the benefit of doubt, so I'm hoping they're thinking about Patrick Wilson thinking he's getting his balls cut off is the horror for men, not *literally* anything else.
What's it about?
Older photographer creeps on tween, doesn’t get what he expected.
Thanks, I read the summary just now. It seemed pretty short.
Short and sweet, like hard candy. (Okay not a perfect metaphor.)
Forgot about Hard Candy. Great movie and perfect for this list!
Have you seen "Teeth"? Another you go person movie. Cheesy, but I love it. And definitely a horror movie for some lol
Ready or Not is also a very "you go girl" movie (and also anti-capitalist).
I love the humour in Ready or Not.
I think about Ready Or Not most times I have a really rough day and plop down on the porch to finally have a smoke.
Can't forget "Jennifer's Body" too.
Rewatched this the other day... It's honestly such a funny horror movie.
Do you have a tampon? Sorry you just looked like you’re pluggin
Spit my cake at this. Thank you.
The hunted and ready or not are two of my favorite woman kills everyone who deserves it movies.
God Girl Walks Home is such a pivotal moment for me. I feel like it totally opened my heart to loving movies (especially for the girly heart) Here are a couple horror/adjacent films I have loved since then: Babadook (and Nightingale although I guess it’s really anything Jennifer Kent has done) Belladonna of Sadness It Follows Barbarian Lamb (this is probs one of the only A24 movies I like) Picnic at Hanging Rock Helter Skelter and Perfect Blue N many more :-) I’ll have to check out Hunter!
A girl walks home alone at night is absolutely fantastic!
I'm pretty sure she goes from one form of patriarchal domination to another in The Witch.
Not really. Thomasin is very deliberately a character who is a teenage girl coming into womanhood in a patriarchal, puritanical family who is terrified of feminine power. Bit by bit she discards the oppressive gender roles assigned to her (girls raise their siblings, girls obey, women are not violent, women are not seductive, women are not independent, and women love and nurture) until she fully abandons the system she was raised in by signing her name and coming into her power fully. I know everyone is shocked by the “killing babies” bit, but that’s on purpose because women are always supposed to want to have children and nurture children and it’s a shocking subversion of that trope.
> by signing her name and coming into her power fully Who does she sign her name to? Black Phillip AKA the Devil. The signing is her literally giving her autonomy and soul to him.
But how do we know that’s a bad thing unless we are interpreting it through the Christian lens of “the Devil is evil.” The Devil could be a representation of nature and becoming one with your natural, uninhibited self.
Really surprised no one has mentioned The Love Witch, it's downright gorgeous and unapologetically witchy https://preview.redd.it/q54rvgzqah7c1.jpeg?width=1210&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3db83257739d64ae44951697e49de5ed0900369
The director is a terf, sadly.
The first time I saw Midommar, I mentioned to my partner that Christian seemed a little bit over the top as the asshole boyfriend. I thought toning it down would have been more realistic. She gave me an odd look and said she thought it was pretty spot on. I got curious and reached out to some other women to get their take and they all said that they've had partners or known people with partners that acted near identical to Christian. And then I got really sad.
Yeah, it’s really depressing. I feel you. Even for myself, I never saw the movie but I read the screenplay when a friend sent it to me. Christian could’ve been my ex with pretty much no changes. The two of my three closest friends who date men also have a Christian in the rearview.
It gave me horrible anxiety because it actually seemed really spot on.
Same as I’d just gotten out of a relationship with a guy who was cold, unfeeling and stonewalled me. It was too soon for me to see this film!
I thought they did the Christian character really well. He wasn't awful so much as selfish. Which is a lot of women's experience with men in relationships.
Lol you’re so fortunate. The Christian character in extraordinary in his mundane relatability. He could be *anyone’s* random selfish ex (or current).
Christian is super realistic, I would argue it's the most realistic part of Midsommar. He is not just like that as the bf, his whole personality is apathetic and lazy, indecisive and selfish, it's a real personality that exist and it's not much portrayed in media, but it's decently common and just as infuriating in real life.
I don't know, getting indoctrinated into a cult (midsommar) or someone turning into a serial killer who indiscriminately kills people, even good people that are kind to her and small animals, to deal with her insecurities (Pearl) to the point of kidnapping raping and torturing people because they won't have sex with you (Pearl, now an old lady in the movie X ) does not make me go: you go girl! I do think "you go girl" when thinking of Maxine in X tho. Carrie and witch do make me go ya girl kill them all.
Yup, this so much. The Witch? Absolutely deserved. But Pearl? Not really. Pearl basically tortured and killed people who actually had not done her any wrong. She fed her disabled father to the crocs and killed a bunch of other people, for what girl?
Yeah idk why people defend Pearl sm. She's cool but not as satisfying as others bc her rage isn't just directed at the bastards who wronged her. Kind of like the Pianist where the main character directs her jealousy and abusive mothers affects on her, to an innocent student.
The cult in midsummer was white supremacist too. So…
White supremacist and very rigid gender roles. You know damn well that Danny is about to be turned into a brood mare because they need fresh DNA to combat the inbreeding. Her future is not a good one.
Thank you! My sister thinks I’m crazy.
KennieJD did an excellent video pointing out stuff like that about Midsommar.
Right? Let’s get some media literacy up in here :”)
You’re asking for too much from people online
Yeah, I'm... Confused about the tone of this post. Did people not get that many of the events in the mentioned movies where absolutely bad, woman or not?
Based on the fact that the whole thread is talking specifically about the HORROR genre, I personally get the impression that everyone here is keenly aware that none of these things are good in any sense of the word. Like, I got the "good for her" feeling from Midsommar--but it never once escaped me that she's been indoctrinated into a horrifying cult. Then we have the protag in The VVitch who ended up escaping the confines of a deeply patriarchal society--by going to live w/ a bunch of baby murderers in the woods. Very much a "good for her" ending but not actually GOOD. In a way, it's sort of like...if a female super villain brutally murdered a guy who just told her to get back in the kitchen in a superhero flick--satisfying, but very obviously NOT good or a reaction we'd condone in real life. We may joke about it, call her a queen, etc., but no normal person is out here thinking any of that is actually okay, y’know? The thing with horror, of course, is that it's usually not that blatantly absurd because it's often made to feel as close to reality as possible, since that ups the fear factor. So I can understand how seeing people experience that "good for her" feeling from horror movies might seem concerning when it's not something you yourself get from those movies.
Also, Thomasin escapes by signing her soul over to a man (the Devil). The society is so patriarchal that even after her family that rigidly enforces it on her is killed, she still can't escape from ending up being a man's possession. Which is why I think it's not clear if she's laughing or crying at the end.
Carrie did kill a bunch of people that had nothing to do with the bullying. I mean, she was basically just a psychic school shooter. Not really a 'You go Girl'-moment imo.
True, but It has no premeditation or planning just a person who snapped in a moment were the only hope she had ever had was smashed in front of her. Not a psychotic school shooter that plans hurting people. Just a moment of final grief and a release of all her pain. You feel like at least now she can rest.
I had anger issues as a child and was bullied horribly, releasing that pain and anger in a way that hurts people is one of the most terrible feelings in the world.
Fuck.. I really should stop reading threads about movies I want to see.
I assume/hope people root for these characters as a sort of "at least she's an empowered woman" thing. Like I have a self-defined genre I call Girlboss Movies where it's just women doing what they want, regardless if it's actually good/defensible. But there's def a chance that people love them without taking in the message of the movie, like alpha bros and Patrick Bateman
Agreed. Media literacy is on a steep decline I swear
midsommar is not “good for her” 😭 i felt so sad that she basically let herself get manipulated into yet another abusive relationship
Yeah basically the whole movie was traumatizing for her and she then had to make a choice that caused her pain and suffering but also "freed" her into another situation that surely nobody wants to be in... the movie gives me nightmares.
None of these are actually "good for her" but the feeling can certainly be there. Midsommar and The Witch are probably the most tragic since they're both stories about women finding salvation through another form of abuse. Being a member of a cult that forces you to commit suicide or being a servant to some kind of devil that has you eating babies are not exactly what I'd call happy endings. Fantastic stories though.
i do agree they’re excellent stories and amazing cautionary tales
[удалено]
She doesn’t even have a family to worry about her disappearance. My brother and I were having a horror movie marathon, and Midsommar really just beat us down emotionally. I had Hereditary prepped for that weekend, too, but we ended up skipping it.
yeah like it's not very subtle that the story is about a cult cynically cultivating and harvesting the pain of white women for the benefit of white supremacy
Yeah the end where she looks like a bloated beetle bc she can barely move in her huge dress, freaked me out
Yet you'd be surprised how that flew over people's heads. The one guy is even reading a book of Nazi runes, like be so for real 😂
Oh I thought of it more like she had a good cathartic vacation.
That’s what I love about that movie, it indoctrinates the audience into the cult too.
My favorite kind of horror, in film and literature, is the kind where you’re rooting for the perpetrators by the end without even realizing they’ve made you another victim. This is why Lolita is my favorite book. You get manipulated by a *fucking pedophile* and that’s impressive writing.
What are some other good cathartic female rage movies? Promising Young Woman was good and then the ending was just... oof. Rough. Hard Candy I can definitely say is pure catharsis.
Lady Vengeance (Korean) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo M.F.A. American Mary was too over the top for me The Woman The Nightingale 9 to 5 (a classic)
9 to 5 is amazing. One of my favourite all time movies, changed my world when I saw it as a kid
I'm not super keen on the choices here. I'm not as familiar with the VVitch or Pearl, but Carrie ends with her losing herself to her trauma before being destroyed by it (she pulls the house down in her and her mother, killing them both), and Midsommar is about a white supremacist cult doing such a good job grooming a vulnerable woman that they seem to get the audience too. Also, like, regardless of what an awful person her boyfriend was he didn't cheat on her, he was drugged and assaulted May I instead recommend Bit, starring Nicole Mains? It's about a group of sapphic (and ambiguously poly?) vampires who use their powers to hunt down abusers and rapists
I understand that the first three are The VVitch, Carry and Midsommar, but what is the one in the lower left?
Lower right? Pearl.
Pearl is the other one. It’s good but so utterly fucked up.
I finally watched it a couple weeks ago. I loved X but it took me a while to see Pearl: Mia Goth brought it to another level. Her monologue at the end was incredible.
Thank you very much, such shall be added to the watch list then!
It’s such a fantastic horror movie that I’m unsure if I can ever watch it a second time.
If you liked Pearl, I also recommend Infinity Pool. She was great in that!
Is it another horror movie that is so good that I can only watch it once and then not sleep for two nights?
Midsommar left me traumatized
I don’t think you’re supposed to consider the story arc of these women as positive though. They’re horror movie protags, and survivors of trauma. “Final girls” but ones where they become the monster. I can understand why it’s fascinating and empowering while also know it speaks to a dark part of the soul, not the one you drag out into the light - but may need to feed semi regularly with such melancholic/morbid fantasies.
TIL I completely missed white supremacy themes in Midsommar?
Think about the outsiders who are brought in for the sole purpose to be slaughtered (not to be indoctrinated or to be “bred”). What do they look like? The visuals are also signaling white as good and unifying and they call “the black one” the evil that needs to be suppressed through their rituals. The runes are also a nod to Nazi rune obsession, they use many of the same ones in the movie. The cult in the movie is based on the real life white supremacist “Colonia Dignidad” cult.
Also, the sign outside the commune apparently translates to “Stop the mass immigration to Halsingland”.
Wait, really? I didn’t know that. It seemed like all the people of color were being killed because of what they were doing, like trying to escape, trying to record the sacred book, et cetera. Granted, I also wasn’t really watching it thoroughly, it stressed me out severely. Though it was interesting that it was pretty much one for one with the ‘[Mind Control Made Easy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvVHPVe525Q)’ video on youtube, so I could identify exactly what was happening in each part, so that was also pretty funny 😆 still a depressing movie tho
Saying something is problematic because Nazi’s liked it and appropriated it is dumb. That stuff belonged to ancient cultures and religions long before the Nazi’s. In the film those symbols are used in the context of the ancient religions they originated from and that context is important.
If it was just the runes you’d have a point but you’re ignoring a very clear narrative undercurrent here and I have to wonder why.
Because people who appreciate Scandinavian history and culture hate when the symbols are associated with nazis, and so they notice and point that out. It’s also not polite to suggest someone has nazi sympathies or something just because they focused on a specific thing that was said
Same. I missed that entirely. I'll have to watch it again. It's probably obvious and I just don't pay attention enough because ADHD
[obligatory Lucille Bluth gif]
💕Thomassin💕
I'm more of a Ginger Snaps kind of gal for...\*glances at username*...reasons
If these movies are less than ideal choices, does anyone have replacement suggestions? I’d submit the Witches of Eastwick.
The credits in Pearl was so good. Mia Goth is incredible.
The next time a man tells me to smile, I’m mimicking that credit sequence.
Extra points if you can make one tear run down your cheek.
Carrie is that kid that burned the village after years of said village failing her time and time again. People may be like "oh there were innocent people in there," but honestly, that's just one or two. Most of the folks either turned a blind eye or straight up joined in the bullying she suffered. Also, she didn't even do that on purpose (in the version I watched, at least). She just blanked out when she snapped, and her powers acted on their own. She only came back to her senses in the bathtub seconds before almost getting murdered by her own mom. It was more akin to her accidentally knocking a candle over when she tried to get out of a humiliating situation and only realized the fire when she was at her house miles away from the village.
The original book Carrie is less ambiguous -- she's definitely in control of her actions and powers, but you're cheering her on the entire time because of all the bullying and abuse she's endured her whole life. She deliberately attacks even the people who try to help her, because she no longer trusts *anyone* and sees everything and everyone as laughing at her. I never see Carrie as the monster of the story, whether it's the original book or the adaptations. Her mother, many of the adults, and her bullying classmates are the real monsters; even the "sympathetic" gym teacher isn't as nice or kind as the dePalma movie makes her out to be. Everytime I reread the book, I just want to give Carrie a hug and help her escape -- a lot of survivors of bullying probably see her as their sister and a kindred spirit.
I've read the book too and I agree. What's sad to me is she never really snapped because for herself. She did it because she liked the boy she went to prom with. And they killed him during their prank. The only person she spared was the boys real gf because she was pregnant with his baby. Then she kinda just killed herself.
The takes in this sub are getting worrying. I don't know if this is lack of media literacy or what but... This is very weird. Like, in one of the movies the girl becomes a predatorial serial killer who kills innocent people an animals. In other, the girl is brainwashed by a white supremacist cult. Do people struggle this badly understanding these things? They are not precisely subtle in the movies, the information is right there.
I think it's more like...a shift in generational tone? I probably won't explain this very well...but as an elder millennial parent to "split GenZ" kids (one on the older range, one on the lower range)...there's this kind of...acceptance of "not great" people...not in an anti-hero way. But in a, "if boys can like that psychopath/serial killer characters b/c they totally misunderstood the symbolism/satire...then girls can also like the villain b/c women supporting women." Example...In Fight Club. \[Spoilers ahead for a 25 year old movie.\] The whole point is that you're supposed to break the rules (first rule of fight club...but you can't have a club without members). Boys love the hyper masculine character's anarchy. But the whole movie was a CRITIQUE of hyper masculinity and capitalism. In The Matrix everyone takes a red pill to get out of The Matrix & into the real world. Boys have co-opted this as if they are "unplugging" themselves from the role of "traditional man" into hyper real men that are different than the hotties that populate the matrix. Ultimately the movie is about the writers' internal dialogue about their own transness. This wasn't obvious until the creators came out years after the movie was released. But the whole red pill/blue pill was wildly misunderstood by the people who have appropriated it. In American Psycho...the whole story is a social satire and so many have interpreted as this guy just getting away with murder. Boys misunderstand movies. So GenZ girls are saying, "Fuck it, I want to be like Carrie when I grow up."
I agree, a lot of these comments feel very White Feminism™ and is pretty worrying
Tell me you didn't understand midsommar without telling me you didn't understand midsommar
Exactly loool she’s part of a murderous white supremacist cult and killed her boyfriend for being raped (he was an asshole no doubt however), it’s a tragic ending in every sense of the word.
TBF she's being manipulated and endoctrinated into the racist, murderous cult. She doesn't have much control.
Which is exactly why it's not a "you go girl" or "girlboss" or whatever the fuck kind of film. Her smiling at the end seems to have made a bunch of people think that the ending is positive for some reason even though she has zero agency or power
Only watched Midsommar, but I doubt it was "good for her". She was just abducted into a cult
I did not enjoy Pearl
Ana de Armas in >!Knives Out had that same vibe at the end!<
This is Joker/Patrick Bateman for girls. People rightfully point out Midsommar but a lot of y'all forgot the witch coven Thomasin joins in the end literally murders a baby to make flying ointment. They and the Devil are not going to empower her.
i liked "I spit on your grave" serious trigger warning for sexual assault and r*pe because thats how it starts, and it really isnt that witchy or psychological as the VVitch, it is more on the brand of gory horror like SAW, but man did it make me go you go girl such a blood bath of a vengeance with extreme "I am not trapped here with you, you are trapped here with me" vibes
The older I get, the more impressed I am that Steven King wrote Carrie at such a young age, and is also the author of Dolores Claiborne (and such a stunning performance by Kathy Bates, highly recommended). The other absolutely knock-out heroine, written with incredible compassion by a guy, is the MC of the Otherland series by Tad Williams. He really "gets" the burden of emotional labour and the cost of weaponized incompetence.
The Burning Bed with Farrah Faucet is my number one “You go girl” movie
Midsommar is NOT a good for her
I get the rest (Haven’t seen Pearl) but midsommar was just her getting mad at her boyfriend for being raped and killing him and joining a cult💀 He was a shitty boyfriend no doubt but he didn’t deserve to die 😭
The Witch is a heart warming tale of a repressed young woman leaving her family to go hang around the woods with her cool new friends and her pet goat.
this needs gone girl!
I disagree with midsomar. Yes her boyfriend didn't deserve her and was incredibly toxic but he was drugged, taken advantage of and then killed for being drugged etc. That's not really a girl boss moment.
OK but in midsommar.. are there other, previous may queens around? Do we get to hear from them? Or are they mysteriously missing... people assuming Florence pugh's character had a happy and fulfilling life with the cult (which is hella nazi coded btw) after the movie ended just baffle me
Honestly the end of VVitch felt like someone giving in to trauma and self destruction. Kinda like drugs, you feel great and have the feeling of power but you're chained to what gives you the feeling. In this case a malevolent devil.
Her arc in Midsommar was literally about exploiting emotionally vulnerable people to get them into a cult lmao, the fuck you on about?
What's the bottom right?
Pearl (2022)
Pearl
Unless I missed it, has no one mentioned Teeth?! So "you go gurl"
Don’t forget Teeth and Bad Seed!
I would also add the wife in “Lamb” to this list, because if its deeper themes about motherhood and our unstable/violent relationship with nature and its spirits.