Stepford Daughters: Tools for Feminists in Contemporary Horror

Stepford Daughters explores the intersection of class and gender horror, arguing that these films offer a space for oppressed people to understand and confront an increasingly ugly world. Examples include Hereditary, The Babadook, Get Out, and "coming of rage" films such as Assassination Nation and Teeth, which show women as monsters and avengers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 244 pages
Publication date: 17 November 2022
Publisher: Common Notions

Stepford Daughters, a novel by Johanna Isaacson, delves into an emerging wave of horror films that recognize the significance of understanding class horror and gender horror in tandem. Isaacson argues that this often-maligned genre offers a unique platform for oppressed individuals to comprehend, navigate, and confront an increasingly bleak and terrifying world. Films such as Hereditary and The Babadook depict women unraveling as the promises of family and paid work fall short, highlighting the disintegration of their identities. In Get Out, we witness the invisible labor performed by poor women and women of color, rendering domestic work as a form of possession. "Coming of rage" films like Assassination Nation and Teeth shed light on the ways social reproduction perpetuates a futureless horizon, leaving these heroines as the monsters and avengers we desperately need. Through their resilience and refusal to succumb to societal expectations, these characters become symbols of resistance and empowerment.

Dimension: 215 x 139 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781942173694