Female Monstrosity, Body and The Exorcist (1973)

Prachi Kambli
Assistant Professor of English, Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College, L. Nappo Road, Matunga, Dadar East, Mumbai, India.

^{Full-Text PDF Issue Access}

Abstract

The present paper attempts to analyse the phenomenon of horror in relation to the female body. The study underscores the ubiquity of representations of female villainy seen across various cultures to understand how monstrosity is constructed and perceived. The study suggests that cultural manifestations of monstrosity often represent the fears, anxieties, and repressions regarding the female or the feminine. It argues that the female body perpetually exists in otherness. The study investigates the primary function of horror in order to call attention to the gendered channel of horror which necessitates the subjugation or brutalization of female characters in horror cinema. Furthermore, the paper also looks at the social implications of portraying recurring female ghosts in media and discusses the relationship between the male and female characters in horror. Alongside elaborating on female identity and its relation to horror, the paper analyses the condition of horror and monstrosity in the cult-classic film, The Exorcist. Deviating from its commonly studied elements, this research strives to identify and deconstruct how the film achieves monstrosity through the body of the female victim.

Keywords: William Friedkin, Kristeva, De Beauvoir, women in horror, female monsters, patriarchy, gender roles.