Horror Films and Misogyny as a Critique of Western Hegemonic Patriarchy: Lars von Trier
Presentation Type
Oral and/or Visual Presentation
Presenter Major(s)
Communications - Advertising and Public Relations
Mentor Information
Justin Pettibone
Department
Liberal Studies
Location
Kirkhof Center 2216
Start Date
10-4-2013 12:00 AM
End Date
10-4-2013 12:00 AM
Keywords
Culture, Gender, Historical Perspectives, Philosophy/ Literature, Religion
Abstract
Lars von Trier's Antichrist is a symbolic descent into insanity that includes violent events and prolific allusions that make it the ideal horror film to be analyzed as emblematic of the genre. Most unsettling about the film is not its gore but the disturbing implications it makes about the human psyche and how it is controlled by hegemonic patriarchy. The given consent that is necessary to hegemony can be traced to the tales of Christian and Jewish tradition. It is what ruled the minds of the people who participate in patriarchy and the mistreatment of women globally. This film's portrayal of She displays the patriarchal trends in Western civilization and has been labeled as a misogynistic work. Ideas from Gramsci and Nietzsche are important to the central thesis of dissecting Antichrist as a testament to the patriarchal trend in horror films. However, the ultimate question perhaps is the purpose of creating a film of this nature. Is this film art for provoking these thoughts?
Horror Films and Misogyny as a Critique of Western Hegemonic Patriarchy: Lars von Trier
Kirkhof Center 2216
Lars von Trier's Antichrist is a symbolic descent into insanity that includes violent events and prolific allusions that make it the ideal horror film to be analyzed as emblematic of the genre. Most unsettling about the film is not its gore but the disturbing implications it makes about the human psyche and how it is controlled by hegemonic patriarchy. The given consent that is necessary to hegemony can be traced to the tales of Christian and Jewish tradition. It is what ruled the minds of the people who participate in patriarchy and the mistreatment of women globally. This film's portrayal of She displays the patriarchal trends in Western civilization and has been labeled as a misogynistic work. Ideas from Gramsci and Nietzsche are important to the central thesis of dissecting Antichrist as a testament to the patriarchal trend in horror films. However, the ultimate question perhaps is the purpose of creating a film of this nature. Is this film art for provoking these thoughts?