Scream with Me : Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980)

A compelling and timely exploration of the horror genre from award-winning scholar Eleanor Johnson that sheds light on the nexus between classic horror films and women’s rights, bodily autonomy, and more. In May 2022, Columbia University’s Dr. Eleanor Johnson watched along with her students as the Supreme Court of the United States overturned decadesof judicial precedent and reversed Roe v. Wade. At the time, her class was in the middle of studying the 1968 horror film Rosemary’s Baby which led Johnson to an epiphany: horror cinema engages directly with the combustible politics of women’s rights and the despotic atmosphere in America. Scream with Me reveals with intellect and empathy how classics like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Shining expose and critique issues of reproductive control, domestic violence, and patriarchal oppression. These films, beloved by horror fans, show with blood and terror the sinister nature of gender roles, the isolation of domesticity, and the ever-present threat lurking in the shadows behind our own thresholds. Here, Johnson weaves these iconic films into the fabric of feminism, revealing that true horror lies not in rare situations and the supernatural but in the familiar confines of the home. While celebrating seminal horror films, Johnson also encourages us to wrestle intimately with the surface scares to understand the deeper messages at play. Scream with Me is an unflinching and timely recognition of the power of this genre to shape and reflect cultural dialogues about gender and autonomy.