The Subversive Grotesque: Resisting Misogynies in De Palma’s Carrie
Abstract
This research examines how Brian De Palma's film Carrie (1976) challenges patriarchy through plot, camera work and portrayal of grotesque woman utilizing theories of Misogyny of Chizuko Ueno and Abject Female. Carrie is taking place at Bates High in the fictional town of Bates in 1970s about a high school girl, Carrie, who faces bullying among her peers and oppression from her mother and eventually becomes a witch with magical powers. This study is based on Chizuko Ueno’s theory of misogyny and the concept of abject women, originally proposed by Kristeva and expanded by Creed to connect abject women with horror films, while Covino presented a critique of the abject which is taken as the core idea of this study. The analysis of Carrie reveals that the movie satirizes misogyny through its plot and cinematography and Carrie as a grotesque abject woman can be a subversive figure to resist patriarchy. Therefore, a new interpretation of Carrie combining the Chizuko Ueno’s Misogyny theory and abject women concept is provided in the study.
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