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House of Psychotic Women: Expanded Edition: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films
HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN has attained canonical status, having ushered in a new way of writing about film. Kier-La Janisse’s acclaimed book is an autobiographical exploration of female neurosis in horror and exploitation films that examines hundreds of films through a daringly personal lens. In this pioneering work, anecdotes and memories interweave with film history, criticism, trivia and confrontational imagery to create a reflective personal history and a consideration of female madness, both onscreen and off.
Following the extraordinary success of its 10th anniversary expanded hardcover re-issue, which features new reviews of 100 more films – many of which were inspired in part by the book itself – and hundreds of new images, FAB Press have now published an affordable paperback edition.
Cinema is full of neurotic personalities, but few things are more transfixing than a woman losing her mind onscreen. Horror as a genre provides the most welcoming platform for these crippling paranoia, desperate loneliness, masochistic death-wishes, dangerous obsessiveness, apocalyptic hysteria. Unlike her male counterpart - 'the eccentric' - the female neurotic lives a shamed existence, making these films those rare places where her destructive emotions get to play.
This sharply-designed book, including a 48-page full-colour section, is packed with 680 rare stills, posters, pressbooks and artwork throughout, that combine with family photos and artifacts to form a titillating sensory overload, with a filmography that traverses the acclaimed and the obscure in equal measure. Films covered include The Entity, The Corruption of Chris Miller, Singapore Sling, 3 Women, Toys Are Not for Children, Repulsion, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, The Haunting of Julia, Secret Ceremony, Cutting Moments, Out of the Blue, Mademoiselle, The Piano Teacher, Possession, Antichrist and hundreds more!
Following the extraordinary success of its 10th anniversary expanded hardcover re-issue, which features new reviews of 100 more films – many of which were inspired in part by the book itself – and hundreds of new images, FAB Press have now published an affordable paperback edition.
Cinema is full of neurotic personalities, but few things are more transfixing than a woman losing her mind onscreen. Horror as a genre provides the most welcoming platform for these crippling paranoia, desperate loneliness, masochistic death-wishes, dangerous obsessiveness, apocalyptic hysteria. Unlike her male counterpart - 'the eccentric' - the female neurotic lives a shamed existence, making these films those rare places where her destructive emotions get to play.
This sharply-designed book, including a 48-page full-colour section, is packed with 680 rare stills, posters, pressbooks and artwork throughout, that combine with family photos and artifacts to form a titillating sensory overload, with a filmography that traverses the acclaimed and the obscure in equal measure. Films covered include The Entity, The Corruption of Chris Miller, Singapore Sling, 3 Women, Toys Are Not for Children, Repulsion, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, The Haunting of Julia, Secret Ceremony, Cutting Moments, Out of the Blue, Mademoiselle, The Piano Teacher, Possession, Antichrist and hundreds more!
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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April 20, 2017
la femme hystérique
“It all started with Possession. Zulawski’s film, formally speaking, is perfection – its deep blue hues, its labyrinthine locations, the hypnotic cinematography of Bruno Nuytten. But that’s not what drew me to return to it again and again. There was something terrible in that film, a desperation I recognized in myself, in my inability to communicate effectively, and the frustration that would lead to despair, anger and hysteria.”
this is the first paragraph of kier la-janisse’s house of psychotic women, an autobiographical topography of female neurosis in horror and exploitation films. i’ve been meaning to write a review on this book for so long (i’ve started it, several times) but how do you explain to yourself that the representation of the damaged you see onscreen, mostly inside of horror narratives, is the one you relate the most?
as a woman, and a horror enthusiast, sometimes i feel the need to explain and defend myself for having such an intimate relationship with the genre. people often ask me, but what do you like about horror? why do you like seeing women go through such terrors? and yes, i used to ask myself the same question. why is it so reassuring to me to see women lose their minds onscreen?
i always find myself craving self-destruction and i wanted to know why, as a mentally ill woman, i wanted to understand this fascination for something that will devastate me completely. pop culture often reinforces stereotypes about mental illness, subjecting us to see ourselves as a terrifying public property, and it’s scary and revolting; but what i’ve found in my obsession with female neurosis in horror was a way to cope with my own neurosis, because this is what i know the most. horror shaped me as a person (since my childhood, my relationship with my dad, teen years, making friends, etc.) and it became a part of me, and to quote kier-la janisse, “I stayed there because of something in myself. And that ‘something’ was decidedly female.”
3 women, alucarda, diabel, carrie, la novia ensangrentada, femina ridens, let’s scare jessica to death. all these films bring me a deep sense of belonging, my own scarred psyche share something with these women - paranoia, desperate anxiety, apocalyptic hysteria; films that focus on the experience of being a woman and not being shamed for having such destructive emotions. i remember reading a blog post called “horror movies are one of the few places women are told their fears are real”, which it resonates deeply with me and the internalization of anxiety and guilt i sometimes feel for being a “crazy bitch.” and that’s where my personal appeal for extreme cinema comes from.
the unapologetic emotional excessiveness i find in isabelle adjani laughing and howling in a subway station, in françoise pascal suffocating her lover and dancing naked in a cemetery, in jeanne moreau as the “good woman” creating chaos in a small village, reflect on my own personal and interior experiences as someone who always felt one step away from darkness. “Everything we see onscreen is a fiction that we are asked to believe, and we believe in it because we can find truth in that fiction.”
“It all started with Possession. Zulawski’s film, formally speaking, is perfection – its deep blue hues, its labyrinthine locations, the hypnotic cinematography of Bruno Nuytten. But that’s not what drew me to return to it again and again. There was something terrible in that film, a desperation I recognized in myself, in my inability to communicate effectively, and the frustration that would lead to despair, anger and hysteria.”
this is the first paragraph of kier la-janisse’s house of psychotic women, an autobiographical topography of female neurosis in horror and exploitation films. i’ve been meaning to write a review on this book for so long (i’ve started it, several times) but how do you explain to yourself that the representation of the damaged you see onscreen, mostly inside of horror narratives, is the one you relate the most?
as a woman, and a horror enthusiast, sometimes i feel the need to explain and defend myself for having such an intimate relationship with the genre. people often ask me, but what do you like about horror? why do you like seeing women go through such terrors? and yes, i used to ask myself the same question. why is it so reassuring to me to see women lose their minds onscreen?
i always find myself craving self-destruction and i wanted to know why, as a mentally ill woman, i wanted to understand this fascination for something that will devastate me completely. pop culture often reinforces stereotypes about mental illness, subjecting us to see ourselves as a terrifying public property, and it’s scary and revolting; but what i’ve found in my obsession with female neurosis in horror was a way to cope with my own neurosis, because this is what i know the most. horror shaped me as a person (since my childhood, my relationship with my dad, teen years, making friends, etc.) and it became a part of me, and to quote kier-la janisse, “I stayed there because of something in myself. And that ‘something’ was decidedly female.”
3 women, alucarda, diabel, carrie, la novia ensangrentada, femina ridens, let’s scare jessica to death. all these films bring me a deep sense of belonging, my own scarred psyche share something with these women - paranoia, desperate anxiety, apocalyptic hysteria; films that focus on the experience of being a woman and not being shamed for having such destructive emotions. i remember reading a blog post called “horror movies are one of the few places women are told their fears are real”, which it resonates deeply with me and the internalization of anxiety and guilt i sometimes feel for being a “crazy bitch.” and that’s where my personal appeal for extreme cinema comes from.
the unapologetic emotional excessiveness i find in isabelle adjani laughing and howling in a subway station, in françoise pascal suffocating her lover and dancing naked in a cemetery, in jeanne moreau as the “good woman” creating chaos in a small village, reflect on my own personal and interior experiences as someone who always felt one step away from darkness. “Everything we see onscreen is a fiction that we are asked to believe, and we believe in it because we can find truth in that fiction.”
September 1, 2017
Kier-La Janisse has written a very singular overview of horror films, her subset being those with a focus on female neurosis, and combined it with a sort of autobiographical account of her life. Aside from some jarring transitions between the personal material and the cinematic analysis, this works remarkably well. Janisse is a Canadian film programmer and her lifelong devotion to horror is jaw-dropping in its comprehensiveness. Horror is probably my favorite genre but she has seen and absorbed hundreds I’ve barely heard of, or not at all. The odd structure of the book works because it’s not about some trite “and this is how I got interested in horror”, but rather uses various horror cinema as clues to her own dark family history and psychology. I don’t say ‘dark’ lightly. The scariest things in this book aren’t about movies.
Example 1
Kier-La’s earliest memory is of waking up at night to a strange noise. She tries to investigate it; there’s a flurry of shadows and noise, then her mother sweeping her up and telling her everything is going to be ok but sounding scared. It remains a vague, indistinct memory until years later an aunt explains what it means. A man broke into the apartment and was raping her mother when little Kier-La ran into the room. It was dark, and her mother convinced the attacker to leave and that no one had seen his face. He left. Her mother credited her daughter with saving her life. Alas, this did not foretell a strong mother-daughter relationship in years to come, for many unhappy reasons.
Example 2
Kier-La buys at a yard sale a portrait of a girl in 19th century style and puts it near her bed so she can always see it. At night she convinces herself that she can see the girl’s lips moving and would stare at it for hours. She tells a friend about this, and the friend is so scared she refuses to come over anymore unless Kier-La gets rid of it, which she won’t do. She invents a story that the girl drowned and her spirit is now trapped in the painting. She leaves candy and other gifts at the foot of the painting as an offering, but when none of these disappear she gets scared that the girl’s rejected her and is going to steal her soul. She gets her mom to move the painting to the basement. Good call, Kier-La.
Example 3
Her mother had two unhappy marriages. During the second, after a particularly nasty argument, her mother went to a relative’s empty house nearby. Awhile later they got a call, her mother had passed out drunk and a fire had started in the house. She nearly died of smoke inhalation. When she was brought home from the hospital: the look on her face was horrifying. I had never seen her so full of spite and venom. My mother rarely swore, but on this day she had lost all sense of propriety. My greeting to her was met with, “You should have left me alone! Why couldn’t you have let me die?! I was in heaven! YOU TOOK ME OUT OF HEAVEN! I FUCKING HATE ALL OF YOU!!!”
Example 4
Inspired by the Farrah Fawcett movie Extremities, Kier-La invents a new game for her Barbie dolls and Jimmy Osmond doll. Barbie and friends would go off for a picnic in the country. Barbie wanders off alone, and Jimmy comes out from behind a bush and attacks and rapes Barbie. The end. No female revenge or miraculous escape. As Kier-La puts it, I hadn’t yet learned how rape can be used most effectively as a narrative tool—namely, as fuel.
HORROR MOVIES AND MISOGYNY
I found the best way to read this was dipping in and out of it over a long period. If I read too much in one stretch, the movies discussed (at least the ones I haven’t seen) would start to blur together. Janisse has a particular affinity for Italian giallo films, and I do not. (The book’s title, House of Psychotic Women, is actually an alternate title for a giallo film called The Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll.) In fact I realized reading this that the likely reason I haven’t seen very many giallo films is I don’t want to (sounds obvious, but I had never articulated it in my mind). There is the occasional delirious triumph of style over substance like Suspiria, but in general I find this sub-genre too naked in its misogyny and too contemptuous of coherent narrative. Speaking of, in any serious book about horror cinema, misogyny can be the elephant in the room if not addressed. I came to respect Janisse’s take on this. It really isn’t a priority of what she wants to discuss, but she is admirably candid and never tries to either rationalize or sweep it under any rug. (Which often is the case elsewhere. I frequently read user reviews on IMDb, and it’s amazing how reviewers will patiently explain how actually a particular flick isn’t misogynist at all, other films might be, sure, but never the one presently being discussed, somehow. It’s almost uncanny.) She discusses at length a Korean film called Bad Man (unseen by me, now and to the grave) which from her description sounds like one of the three or four most misogynist films ever made. And understand, Kier-La is defending the film. I can’t imagine what a description would sound like from someone who disliked it. But this sort of honesty won me over.
I hesitate to try to sum up her ideas, the book does not lean toward the academic (and thank you for that) and it’s not like she ties everything together with One Big Thesis. But essentially her fascination is with women in these films going out of their minds, dissociating, the internal or external factors that drive this, the coping mechanisms, the consequences for themselves and others. And she can zero in on this with a serrated precision. I don’t always agree with her takes, but her insight frequently gives you another way of perceiving these movies. Also, in case the above anecdotes give the wrong idea, while her personal relationships are apparently often volatile, her writing is very, um, Canadian, calm and analytical about often emotional material, self-effacing, with a dry and understated sensibility. I found that a nice contrast with the often grim matters being discussed.
HORROR EXPRESS TO MS. 45
Janisse had me in her corner from the first pages when she mentions Horror Express being one of the first movies she ever saw (!) and how a character in that film she calls The Man With Green Eyes would haunt her dreams for years. Horror Express does not fit her sub-genre of female neurosis films and so is not discussed in depth, but it is one of my all-time favorite pulp B-horror flicks that I’ve probably seen six or eight times over the years. A Spanish film with Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and a scene-stealing Telly Savalas that is just perfect in its low budget unpretentious efficiency and a genius narrative concept, cheesy title and all. A prime benefit of this book is just as a reference for dozens of films, obscure or not, that I can try to track down. When the last chapter finishes, you find there is still half the book to go. After the ten text chapters (I should add, very generously illustrated with pictures and poster art), the second half of the book is a detailed appendix, not only of the films already discussed, but many more that she didn’t have room for in the text. To pick one random example, she discusses a British film from 1977 called Prey, about a troubled lesbian couple who are visited by a strange man who unbeknownst to them is actually an alien who’s taken human form. I mean, what? Lesbian drama + an alien? Ok, it might well be terrible, but there was a time I would have walked over broken glass to see that, and I’d never heard of it.
Janisse is particularly engaged in discussing the rape-revenge sub-genre, and cites many examples. For her the pinnacle of these is Abel Ferrara’s Ms. 45, a tough watch psychologically (though not explicitly graphic to the degree of many other such films) but one that thinks through the tropes of these films much further than most. I saw this many years ago, kind of liked it but didn’t love it, but her analysis is interesting enough that maybe I should rewatch it.
…a rape scene is the single greatest justification for anything else in the film that follows—no matter how illogical, unbelievable, sadistic, misanthropic, graphic or tortuous. The audience will accept any direction the story takes because, culturally, rape is worse than death.
…it becomes apparent that watching these films, and writing about them, is an act of solidarity in and of itself; a provocative means of dispelling the threat their subject matter poses to us. I also think that my interest in them…is a vicarious means of revenge for what my mother experienced in front of me all those years ago.
THE LISTS
This is my own interpretation of what I think Ms. Janisse might consider some of the key films discussed, based on how passionately she engages with them. (Oh, and you might notice not every film is strictly speaking horror; Kier-La is flexible.)
Possession (truly one of the most bizarre and disturbing movies I’ve seen; Isabelle Adjani gives one of the most astonishing performances by anyone ever)
The Entity (about a woman sexually assaulted by a ghost; I know, sounds like a sleaze-fest, but it has a detached clinical tone and is actually rather compelling)
Martyrs (a despicable movie, pure torture porn; really, do not see this)
Ms. 45
A Gun for Jennifer
Defenceless: A Blood Symphony
May (a great movie about a sheltered woman who wants to connect, badly; highly recommended)
In My Skin
The Whip and the Body
Bad Guy
The Piano Teacher (says Kier-La: “I have so much love for (Isabelle Huppert’s character) that it’s hard to even describe”; says me: brrr….)
Szamanka
My own list of others discussed that I would particularly recommend:
Alice Sweet Alice
Audition (not for the squeamish)
Bedeviled (intense Korean revenge drama)
Cat People (probably my fav. horror flick of the ‘40s)
La Ceremonie (maybe Claude Chabrol’s best)
The Devils (maybe Ken Russell’s best)
Don’t Look Now
Hard Candy (a heart of stone revenge flick, great stuff)
Inside (French extreme horror, not for the squeamish)
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (very flawed but good ‘70s horror with a great ending)
Phenomena (aka Creepers) (a giallo I liked with a very young Jennifer Connolly)
Red White and Blue (the rare extreme horror that’s a great movie)
Séance on a Wet Afternoon (great British ‘60s drama, sad and mournful)
Sisters
Trilogy of Terror (the great Karen Black in 3 Richard Matheson stories; Zuni Fetish Doll!)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (weirdly, everyone remembers this wrong; it’s not camp, it’s bleak and somber, and brilliant)
And finally, some great titles of movies I've never seen:
The Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll/ House of Psychotic Women
Can Go Through Skin
Don't Torture a Duckling
Four Flies on Grey Velvet
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
A Night to Dismember
The Rats are Coming! The Werewolves are Here!
Example 1
Kier-La’s earliest memory is of waking up at night to a strange noise. She tries to investigate it; there’s a flurry of shadows and noise, then her mother sweeping her up and telling her everything is going to be ok but sounding scared. It remains a vague, indistinct memory until years later an aunt explains what it means. A man broke into the apartment and was raping her mother when little Kier-La ran into the room. It was dark, and her mother convinced the attacker to leave and that no one had seen his face. He left. Her mother credited her daughter with saving her life. Alas, this did not foretell a strong mother-daughter relationship in years to come, for many unhappy reasons.
Example 2
Kier-La buys at a yard sale a portrait of a girl in 19th century style and puts it near her bed so she can always see it. At night she convinces herself that she can see the girl’s lips moving and would stare at it for hours. She tells a friend about this, and the friend is so scared she refuses to come over anymore unless Kier-La gets rid of it, which she won’t do. She invents a story that the girl drowned and her spirit is now trapped in the painting. She leaves candy and other gifts at the foot of the painting as an offering, but when none of these disappear she gets scared that the girl’s rejected her and is going to steal her soul. She gets her mom to move the painting to the basement. Good call, Kier-La.
Example 3
Her mother had two unhappy marriages. During the second, after a particularly nasty argument, her mother went to a relative’s empty house nearby. Awhile later they got a call, her mother had passed out drunk and a fire had started in the house. She nearly died of smoke inhalation. When she was brought home from the hospital: the look on her face was horrifying. I had never seen her so full of spite and venom. My mother rarely swore, but on this day she had lost all sense of propriety. My greeting to her was met with, “You should have left me alone! Why couldn’t you have let me die?! I was in heaven! YOU TOOK ME OUT OF HEAVEN! I FUCKING HATE ALL OF YOU!!!”
Example 4
Inspired by the Farrah Fawcett movie Extremities, Kier-La invents a new game for her Barbie dolls and Jimmy Osmond doll. Barbie and friends would go off for a picnic in the country. Barbie wanders off alone, and Jimmy comes out from behind a bush and attacks and rapes Barbie. The end. No female revenge or miraculous escape. As Kier-La puts it, I hadn’t yet learned how rape can be used most effectively as a narrative tool—namely, as fuel.
HORROR MOVIES AND MISOGYNY
I found the best way to read this was dipping in and out of it over a long period. If I read too much in one stretch, the movies discussed (at least the ones I haven’t seen) would start to blur together. Janisse has a particular affinity for Italian giallo films, and I do not. (The book’s title, House of Psychotic Women, is actually an alternate title for a giallo film called The Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll.) In fact I realized reading this that the likely reason I haven’t seen very many giallo films is I don’t want to (sounds obvious, but I had never articulated it in my mind). There is the occasional delirious triumph of style over substance like Suspiria, but in general I find this sub-genre too naked in its misogyny and too contemptuous of coherent narrative. Speaking of, in any serious book about horror cinema, misogyny can be the elephant in the room if not addressed. I came to respect Janisse’s take on this. It really isn’t a priority of what she wants to discuss, but she is admirably candid and never tries to either rationalize or sweep it under any rug. (Which often is the case elsewhere. I frequently read user reviews on IMDb, and it’s amazing how reviewers will patiently explain how actually a particular flick isn’t misogynist at all, other films might be, sure, but never the one presently being discussed, somehow. It’s almost uncanny.) She discusses at length a Korean film called Bad Man (unseen by me, now and to the grave) which from her description sounds like one of the three or four most misogynist films ever made. And understand, Kier-La is defending the film. I can’t imagine what a description would sound like from someone who disliked it. But this sort of honesty won me over.
I hesitate to try to sum up her ideas, the book does not lean toward the academic (and thank you for that) and it’s not like she ties everything together with One Big Thesis. But essentially her fascination is with women in these films going out of their minds, dissociating, the internal or external factors that drive this, the coping mechanisms, the consequences for themselves and others. And she can zero in on this with a serrated precision. I don’t always agree with her takes, but her insight frequently gives you another way of perceiving these movies. Also, in case the above anecdotes give the wrong idea, while her personal relationships are apparently often volatile, her writing is very, um, Canadian, calm and analytical about often emotional material, self-effacing, with a dry and understated sensibility. I found that a nice contrast with the often grim matters being discussed.
HORROR EXPRESS TO MS. 45
Janisse had me in her corner from the first pages when she mentions Horror Express being one of the first movies she ever saw (!) and how a character in that film she calls The Man With Green Eyes would haunt her dreams for years. Horror Express does not fit her sub-genre of female neurosis films and so is not discussed in depth, but it is one of my all-time favorite pulp B-horror flicks that I’ve probably seen six or eight times over the years. A Spanish film with Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and a scene-stealing Telly Savalas that is just perfect in its low budget unpretentious efficiency and a genius narrative concept, cheesy title and all. A prime benefit of this book is just as a reference for dozens of films, obscure or not, that I can try to track down. When the last chapter finishes, you find there is still half the book to go. After the ten text chapters (I should add, very generously illustrated with pictures and poster art), the second half of the book is a detailed appendix, not only of the films already discussed, but many more that she didn’t have room for in the text. To pick one random example, she discusses a British film from 1977 called Prey, about a troubled lesbian couple who are visited by a strange man who unbeknownst to them is actually an alien who’s taken human form. I mean, what? Lesbian drama + an alien? Ok, it might well be terrible, but there was a time I would have walked over broken glass to see that, and I’d never heard of it.
Janisse is particularly engaged in discussing the rape-revenge sub-genre, and cites many examples. For her the pinnacle of these is Abel Ferrara’s Ms. 45, a tough watch psychologically (though not explicitly graphic to the degree of many other such films) but one that thinks through the tropes of these films much further than most. I saw this many years ago, kind of liked it but didn’t love it, but her analysis is interesting enough that maybe I should rewatch it.
…a rape scene is the single greatest justification for anything else in the film that follows—no matter how illogical, unbelievable, sadistic, misanthropic, graphic or tortuous. The audience will accept any direction the story takes because, culturally, rape is worse than death.
…it becomes apparent that watching these films, and writing about them, is an act of solidarity in and of itself; a provocative means of dispelling the threat their subject matter poses to us. I also think that my interest in them…is a vicarious means of revenge for what my mother experienced in front of me all those years ago.
THE LISTS
This is my own interpretation of what I think Ms. Janisse might consider some of the key films discussed, based on how passionately she engages with them. (Oh, and you might notice not every film is strictly speaking horror; Kier-La is flexible.)
Possession (truly one of the most bizarre and disturbing movies I’ve seen; Isabelle Adjani gives one of the most astonishing performances by anyone ever)
The Entity (about a woman sexually assaulted by a ghost; I know, sounds like a sleaze-fest, but it has a detached clinical tone and is actually rather compelling)
Martyrs (a despicable movie, pure torture porn; really, do not see this)
Ms. 45
A Gun for Jennifer
Defenceless: A Blood Symphony
May (a great movie about a sheltered woman who wants to connect, badly; highly recommended)
In My Skin
The Whip and the Body
Bad Guy
The Piano Teacher (says Kier-La: “I have so much love for (Isabelle Huppert’s character) that it’s hard to even describe”; says me: brrr….)
Szamanka
My own list of others discussed that I would particularly recommend:
Alice Sweet Alice
Audition (not for the squeamish)
Bedeviled (intense Korean revenge drama)
Cat People (probably my fav. horror flick of the ‘40s)
La Ceremonie (maybe Claude Chabrol’s best)
The Devils (maybe Ken Russell’s best)
Don’t Look Now
Hard Candy (a heart of stone revenge flick, great stuff)
Inside (French extreme horror, not for the squeamish)
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (very flawed but good ‘70s horror with a great ending)
Phenomena (aka Creepers) (a giallo I liked with a very young Jennifer Connolly)
Red White and Blue (the rare extreme horror that’s a great movie)
Séance on a Wet Afternoon (great British ‘60s drama, sad and mournful)
Sisters
Trilogy of Terror (the great Karen Black in 3 Richard Matheson stories; Zuni Fetish Doll!)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (weirdly, everyone remembers this wrong; it’s not camp, it’s bleak and somber, and brilliant)
And finally, some great titles of movies I've never seen:
The Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll/ House of Psychotic Women
Can Go Through Skin
Don't Torture a Duckling
Four Flies on Grey Velvet
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
A Night to Dismember
The Rats are Coming! The Werewolves are Here!
February 5, 2024
04/2023
The odd mixture of the writer covering her own life and meaningful films makes perfect sense to me. She uses movies to make a point or to lead into her life. It is unusual but it works.
Many of these films I haven't seen, due to not watching subtitles or 21st century products. Most Giallos are dubbed, but not all.
The memoir sections are very personal and honest. And luckily does get better as she grows up.
It is perfect how she uses Rebecca to discuss jealousy of your lover's ex girlfriends. I also loved when on psychology and hysteria she uses The Brood.
I had also meant to agree with the writer, Ms. 45 is far better and more entertaining than I Spit on Your Grave.
The odd mixture of the writer covering her own life and meaningful films makes perfect sense to me. She uses movies to make a point or to lead into her life. It is unusual but it works.
Many of these films I haven't seen, due to not watching subtitles or 21st century products. Most Giallos are dubbed, but not all.
The memoir sections are very personal and honest. And luckily does get better as she grows up.
It is perfect how she uses Rebecca to discuss jealousy of your lover's ex girlfriends. I also loved when on psychology and hysteria she uses The Brood.
I had also meant to agree with the writer, Ms. 45 is far better and more entertaining than I Spit on Your Grave.
July 10, 2015
This is great. Film theory encompassing a swath of psychologically heightened genre cinema that I've clearly been drawn to as well over the years (given how many of the these films I've seen), all bound together by a kind of illustrative memoir the dovetails almost too well with themes. "Too well" would imply disbelief, "almost" grants this a harrowing conviction. An altogether great reference, as well, and lavishly laid out with stills, old promo art, etc.
October 28, 2015
The second I heard about this book I was intensely interested in reading it, but the hefty price tag was daunting. Then just a few weeks ago I saw that it had finally come out in a more affordable kindle version, so I was on it like the proverbial Duck on a Junebug. House of Psychotic Women is not an ideal book for digital reading—all those beautiful stills and all I have is this rudimentary B&W kindle, basically the E-reader equivalent of dial up—but then again, now that I've finished it I don't have to try to find room on my already bursting bookshelves for another oversized, fancy pants film book. Anyway, Panisse's personal, autobiographical approach to examining horror and exploitation films is wonderfully realized. This could have read as horribly self-indulgent oversharing but in her hands becomes the fascinating story of a woman from extremely dysfunctional origins making her way, despite a lot of daunting odds (at times it seems as though Panisse was the living embodiment of the kind of girls Linda Blair played in 70's TV movies like Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic or Born Innocent). With the struggles she endured, it's no wonder she was so drawn to movies featuring Women on the Verge (or well past) Nervous Breakdowns in bona-fide classics like Rebecca, Cat People, and Marnie; cult faves like Let's Scare Jessica to Death and The Haunting of Julia; and obscurities like The Whip and the Body and Secret Ceremony. Panisse reminds us of the power of art—high, low, and everywhere in-between—to help us escape, to process, and sometimes transcend our life problems, issues, and concerns. She's an excellent, brave and honest writer, scholarly in a way, but never academic (really, you can only be so academic when writing about The Blood Splattered Bride or Love Me Deadly). Final score: 4 ½ out of 5; if you're at all interested in the type of films covered here you owe it to yourself to check this out, especially if you have a nice E-reader or feel expansive enough to drop some cash on the print version.
January 25, 2025
waow...i liked this a lot more than i thought i would!! i will admit i was a bit uncertain about the autobiographical parts to begin with because the film analysis is so fantastic i was like why the hell would i want to hear about your boring life omfg but upon reflection i've always thought it kind of weird when i'm reading academic articles about disturbing things (<- all of my fields of study) and there's no giving way to personality.. even though anyone who has ever experienced an inclination towards these topics Has some sort of personal connection or fascination..so....but really the film analysis is excellent, i watched one of the giallos she analyses (Autopsy 1975) and i got so much more out of it than i would've if i'd watched it without reading this book first.. #Approved
August 3, 2019
amazing film criticism, amazing memoir!!!!!! One of my fave movie-related books ever
January 6, 2021
This is a highly idiosyncratic book combining film scholarship with autobiography, in which author Kier-la Janisse uses examples from horror movies involving "crazy" women to illustrate an account of her own turbulent life, particularly her relationship with her mother. Janisse is fearless in her self-examination, and often seems determined to portray herself in the most unflattering terms possible. Her writing is strong and blunt, and the autobiographical elements are fascinating. In addition, her knowledge of horror film history runs very deep and her critical faculties are extremely sharp, so that I found myself wanting to see every single movie she discussed.
House of Psychotic Women deserves to stand with Nightmare USA by Stephen Thrower as one of the best non-academic studies of the horror movie published in recent years. You may need to steel yourself before reading it because Janisse pulls no punches in depicting both real-life and cinematic violence, but if you have a strong stomach and any interest at all in the genre, I recommend it very highly. Unlike most books in this category, it's one to read cover to cover.
House of Psychotic Women deserves to stand with Nightmare USA by Stephen Thrower as one of the best non-academic studies of the horror movie published in recent years. You may need to steel yourself before reading it because Janisse pulls no punches in depicting both real-life and cinematic violence, but if you have a strong stomach and any interest at all in the genre, I recommend it very highly. Unlike most books in this category, it's one to read cover to cover.
July 12, 2020
It’s an idea so astonishing, so perfect and so simple it is almost unbelievable that HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN is a first in world literature: the author gives us a dysfunctional-coming-of-age memoir that is shot through with her teenage (and beyond) obsession: horror movies—particularly those with loony female leads. A work of film criticism (of the kind defined by genre, not by auteur efforts) is stitched with Bildungsroman in a way that makes them Ourobouros inseparable. Almost all the titles in here will astonish you—as will the stories of a gnarly Winnipeg 70s/80s upbringing that makes Dennis Hopper’s OUT OF THE BLUE look like the Trapp family gathered round the guitar.
September 11, 2013
My very favorite film books typically exist in two categories: Either as analysis & lists of films I've yet to discover (Film as a Subversive Art, The World of Fantastic Films, Nightmare USA, etc) or as an in-depth behind-the-scenes mixture of anecdotes and remembrances (Easy Riders Raging Bulls, Pictures at a Revolution, Cronenberg on Cronenberg) which illuminate aspects of films I love and, in their own ways, make me love them more.
House of Psychotic Women is a completely unique film book in that it uses the films it studies as an almost psychological analysis of the life of its author - it really feels like a therapeutic exercise but also presents an answer to the oft-remarked question: "Why do you watch such bizarre/gross/disturbing movies?" The author's life is presented as a prime example of juvenile delinquency, borderline (and maybe not so bordeline) mental illness, and the loneliness and despair (at times) of institutionalized and foster life. In other words, the author had it really tough for a while. It seemed to me that in these films she analyzes, she finds comfort in expressions of emotions and situations she had consciously and un/sub-consciously experienced. And of course, these films are among the most extreme in the world of disturbing cinema - Possession, Antichrist, In My Skin, Martyrs, The Woman - as well as the standard roll-call of genre & exploitation directors - Rollin, Fulci, Argento, Bava, Franco...
I'm just gonna say right off the bat that I was drawn to the book because of the films she chronicles. There is absolutely a common thread running from Cat People, Black Narcissus, Repulsion, Persona, and Red Desert to 3 Women, The Brood, and The Entity - (I almost guiltily admit to loving many of these films) but the crown jewel in her analysis (and a common recommendation to adventurous viewers when I worked at the video store) is her in-depth look at Andrej Zulawski's 1981 film Possession. Some times it felt to me that most of the movies in the book are stepping stones to Possession, that the author primarily wanted to express why such a strange and bonkers film means so much to her. I've seen Possession maybe 5 times in my life (originally the truncated american version while I was in high school, then several viewings when I worked at the video store, then finally a restored version on the big screen where I dragged two companions who approached the film with smug skepticism but walked out shaking their heads agreeing "that movie is bonkers.") - it is definitely the type of film that the scavenger cinephile seeks out - initially received with a collective "what?" when it first came out, its stature has grown as film (especially in the genre and independent film worlds) becomes blander and more calculated. There is nothing calculated about Possession. It is way, way out there. But why would someone respond to a film that is so unpleasant, that at times feels as if it is made by and starring mental patients?
In the author's case, the film finds that rare, strange place where the internal and external worlds of the characters mix - that dreamland where unreality and reality are one in the same. There are doppelgangers, spastic fits, alien creatures, bleeding mouths - supernatural phenomena presented as part of the reality of the film. That simplistic question that dogs so many modern films "is it a dream or isn't it?" is thrown out the window: Of course it's a dream and it isn't. It doesn't matter. The film displays female neurosis in potentially the most realistically manner possible. Janisse treats these films seriously, as if their creators had secret knowledge of the inner working of the human heart and were trying to express that knowledge, and whether that expression was conscious or unconscious doesn't really matter.
So basically I loved the book. I related to the structure, and found that in the middle of all of this pain and extreme imagery, there are actually some instances of humor - a testament to the author's ability as a writer. The book feels loved - that some sanity was found in the process of its creation. That alone makes it a special exploration into cinephilia; the hidden gems unturned throughout its pages are just gravy on one tasty plate of mashed potatoes.
(And I guess the answer to why anyone would subject themselves to horror and extreme emotions, I'm reminded of David Bowie's last line in his Ziggy Stardust album: "You're NOT alone!")
House of Psychotic Women is a completely unique film book in that it uses the films it studies as an almost psychological analysis of the life of its author - it really feels like a therapeutic exercise but also presents an answer to the oft-remarked question: "Why do you watch such bizarre/gross/disturbing movies?" The author's life is presented as a prime example of juvenile delinquency, borderline (and maybe not so bordeline) mental illness, and the loneliness and despair (at times) of institutionalized and foster life. In other words, the author had it really tough for a while. It seemed to me that in these films she analyzes, she finds comfort in expressions of emotions and situations she had consciously and un/sub-consciously experienced. And of course, these films are among the most extreme in the world of disturbing cinema - Possession, Antichrist, In My Skin, Martyrs, The Woman - as well as the standard roll-call of genre & exploitation directors - Rollin, Fulci, Argento, Bava, Franco...
I'm just gonna say right off the bat that I was drawn to the book because of the films she chronicles. There is absolutely a common thread running from Cat People, Black Narcissus, Repulsion, Persona, and Red Desert to 3 Women, The Brood, and The Entity - (I almost guiltily admit to loving many of these films) but the crown jewel in her analysis (and a common recommendation to adventurous viewers when I worked at the video store) is her in-depth look at Andrej Zulawski's 1981 film Possession. Some times it felt to me that most of the movies in the book are stepping stones to Possession, that the author primarily wanted to express why such a strange and bonkers film means so much to her. I've seen Possession maybe 5 times in my life (originally the truncated american version while I was in high school, then several viewings when I worked at the video store, then finally a restored version on the big screen where I dragged two companions who approached the film with smug skepticism but walked out shaking their heads agreeing "that movie is bonkers.") - it is definitely the type of film that the scavenger cinephile seeks out - initially received with a collective "what?" when it first came out, its stature has grown as film (especially in the genre and independent film worlds) becomes blander and more calculated. There is nothing calculated about Possession. It is way, way out there. But why would someone respond to a film that is so unpleasant, that at times feels as if it is made by and starring mental patients?
In the author's case, the film finds that rare, strange place where the internal and external worlds of the characters mix - that dreamland where unreality and reality are one in the same. There are doppelgangers, spastic fits, alien creatures, bleeding mouths - supernatural phenomena presented as part of the reality of the film. That simplistic question that dogs so many modern films "is it a dream or isn't it?" is thrown out the window: Of course it's a dream and it isn't. It doesn't matter. The film displays female neurosis in potentially the most realistically manner possible. Janisse treats these films seriously, as if their creators had secret knowledge of the inner working of the human heart and were trying to express that knowledge, and whether that expression was conscious or unconscious doesn't really matter.
So basically I loved the book. I related to the structure, and found that in the middle of all of this pain and extreme imagery, there are actually some instances of humor - a testament to the author's ability as a writer. The book feels loved - that some sanity was found in the process of its creation. That alone makes it a special exploration into cinephilia; the hidden gems unturned throughout its pages are just gravy on one tasty plate of mashed potatoes.
(And I guess the answer to why anyone would subject themselves to horror and extreme emotions, I'm reminded of David Bowie's last line in his Ziggy Stardust album: "You're NOT alone!")
September 1, 2012
The always wonderful FAB Press does it again. Kier-la Janisse's book is part memoir, part examination of a number of horror and exploitation films with neurotic, often shamed female characters at their center. Having been a viewer and fan of many of these films for years, it was refreshing to read a female perspective on them. Janisse's writing is clear and easy to read, even when revealing some pretty harrowing details from a life that has clearly been, at times, a pretty rough road. The second half of the book is a compendium of films with female neurosis at the center (some of which are discussed in greater detail in the first half of the book.) Highly recommended for fans of exploitation films. We need more voices like this.
November 24, 2023
took me a really long time to finish this because it’s basically like a textbook. But there is so much great information and the author ties in her experiences and how they shaped her into horror about unhinged women. Myself, “crazy” women horror movies really make me feel seen as an neurotic and hypersensitive woman. Also the end has a huge list of all the movies she talked about and it’s basically a “must watch” list of great films!!!
September 10, 2019
97 stars for the sentence “Namely, the films I watch align with my personal experience in that every woman I have ever met in my entire life is completely crazy, in one way or another.”
April 5, 2021
Informative and brave.
June 22, 2022
cried.
December 30, 2022
what a way to end the year... likely the best book i read all year. i felt extremely at home at the House of Psychotic Women and I'm sad I finished it so quickly...
January 31, 2024
I can’t imagine being this vulnerable in a written work
🫡🫡🫡
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March 1, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. I’ve never read a book about film analysis, so this was a good introduction. Hard to say if I will seek out more film analysis books tho. This one was unique in that the author weaved in her personal life story into it and how these movies she discusses have reflected her life and how they have impacted her.
Janisse does an amazing job at analyzing female neurosis in horror movies, in a way that is accessible. It’s super fascinating how directors and actors have pushed themselves to represent extreme, grotesque, and thrilling ideas that are sometimes unsettling and hard to digest. There’s an underlying theme of how sexism and women’s roles throughout the decades have influenced the way women are depicted, as well as how an audience perceives it. Even though I have not watched a majority of these movies, she still managed to keep me engaged throughout the entire book.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the stills from all the movies as well as the promotional posters. I’d love to own a physical copy of this book one day.
I think different reviews offer a much better analysis of specifics of this book than I can provide, so I will end my review here.
Link to a list of all the movies she discusses:
https://mubi.com/en/lists/house-of-ps...
Ps - half of the book is an appendix so it’s not as long as I thought, unless you’re into reading through an entire appendix. The stills continue in the appendix tho, which I skimmed through
Janisse does an amazing job at analyzing female neurosis in horror movies, in a way that is accessible. It’s super fascinating how directors and actors have pushed themselves to represent extreme, grotesque, and thrilling ideas that are sometimes unsettling and hard to digest. There’s an underlying theme of how sexism and women’s roles throughout the decades have influenced the way women are depicted, as well as how an audience perceives it. Even though I have not watched a majority of these movies, she still managed to keep me engaged throughout the entire book.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the stills from all the movies as well as the promotional posters. I’d love to own a physical copy of this book one day.
I think different reviews offer a much better analysis of specifics of this book than I can provide, so I will end my review here.
Link to a list of all the movies she discusses:
https://mubi.com/en/lists/house-of-ps...
Ps - half of the book is an appendix so it’s not as long as I thought, unless you’re into reading through an entire appendix. The stills continue in the appendix tho, which I skimmed through
September 10, 2025
Props to this book for predating the every-nonfiction-book-is-actually-a-memoir trend by about a decade.
At some point I realized that my urge to read this book is probably the same as my urge to listen to May Leitz talk about the worst movies imaginable. That point was probably around the time Nekromantik came up.
Overall I found this to be compelling listening, although I waffled about whether I preferred the analytical or autobiographical content, and whether I would have preferred that Janisse had read the Freud and Lacan she didn't want to dive into in order to write a straightforwardly academic book. Her knowledge of her subject is immense, and she covers a dizzying number of films. At times they began to blur together for me, but the fact that her discussions of movies I've seen (May, Possession, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, and Antichrist to name the ones I can think of off the top of my head) were the most interesting makes me want to make a project of watching all the films covered and then reread the book.
My Tubi watchlist won't know what hit it.
At some point I realized that my urge to read this book is probably the same as my urge to listen to May Leitz talk about the worst movies imaginable. That point was probably around the time Nekromantik came up.
Overall I found this to be compelling listening, although I waffled about whether I preferred the analytical or autobiographical content, and whether I would have preferred that Janisse had read the Freud and Lacan she didn't want to dive into in order to write a straightforwardly academic book. Her knowledge of her subject is immense, and she covers a dizzying number of films. At times they began to blur together for me, but the fact that her discussions of movies I've seen (May, Possession, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, and Antichrist to name the ones I can think of off the top of my head) were the most interesting makes me want to make a project of watching all the films covered and then reread the book.
My Tubi watchlist won't know what hit it.
January 5, 2025
dare i say this is life-changing!!!! it’s not only a thorough example of how to analyze film both thematically and metatextually, but this book uses direct lived experiences to discuss the importance of reflection and subjectivity of memory in ways i’ve never even seen before. janisse is absolutely on fire here and has indirectly given me (and every reader who chooses to invest) tools to navigate my life memories thus far, creative perspectives to analyze films more intentionally, and hundreds of killer films to add to my watchlist. a new favorite book has entered my life!!!
May 17, 2017
Highly original and personal, this book combines memoir with an analysis of the horror film genre. It includes a beautiful image gallery and an excellent appendix "of horror and violent exploitation films that feature disturbed or neurotic women as primary or pivotal characters." If you grew up watching Creature Features, if you are still unable to look away when faced with representations of violence, you will want to add this book to your library.
Want to read
February 7, 2025GUYS I AM A PROUD OWNER OF THIS FUCKING BOOK YEAH YEAHHHH YEAHHHHH YEAHHHH
September 27, 2022
для мене ця книга — темний двійник «жінок, що біжать з вовками» і початок моєї кінематографічної ери.
а ще наприкінці є величезний список хоррорів/психологічних триллерів (в алфавітному порядку) з короткими рецензіями авторки?? делішес.
а ще наприкінці є величезний список хоррорів/психологічних триллерів (в алфавітному порядку) з короткими рецензіями авторки?? делішес.
April 7, 2023
The last time I was summoned for jury duty in NYC I read The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This week I had jury duty in Los Angeles and read House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films by Kier-La Janisse. I only read the classics. #FridayReads
April 10, 2024
TW: transphobia(cont'd below)
Those who enjoy horror films, horror generally, memoirs, and feminist theory will enjoy this book. Especially if you are the age of the author, growing up in the 80s/90s, you may be more familiar with some of the titles and be further interested. I wasn't familiar with the majority of the titles and I still enjoyed and found value in it. Child Janisse was neglected, surrounded by violence and abuse, and was even unhoused, so be prepared for traumatic/heavy topics. Of course, if you're reading about horror exploitation films, that may be a given. TRIGGER WARNING: I would have given this a 5, but there was one transphobic remark in the text that I think could have been reworked for the updated release. She was talking about the final reveal/scare in a film and said something along the lines of . I interpretted it as that the remark was meant to be analysis of that specific film's POV and the time of release(80s or 90s) and not the author herself's POV/current feelings, but it could still be hurtful to some. There was no other hints of transphobia I caught.
Those who enjoy horror films, horror generally, memoirs, and feminist theory will enjoy this book. Especially if you are the age of the author, growing up in the 80s/90s, you may be more familiar with some of the titles and be further interested. I wasn't familiar with the majority of the titles and I still enjoyed and found value in it. Child Janisse was neglected, surrounded by violence and abuse, and was even unhoused, so be prepared for traumatic/heavy topics. Of course, if you're reading about horror exploitation films, that may be a given. TRIGGER WARNING: I would have given this a 5, but there was one transphobic remark in the text that I think could have been reworked for the updated release. She was talking about the final reveal/scare in a film and said something along the lines of . I interpretted it as that the remark was meant to be analysis of that specific film's POV and the time of release(80s or 90s) and not the author herself's POV/current feelings, but it could still be hurtful to some. There was no other hints of transphobia I caught.
December 21, 2018
Excellent!
September 20, 2023
I don't quite know where to start with this book. First of all, its layout and photographs are absolutely stunning. I would definitely say that it's a must-read for any female horror/exploitation fan out there. Although I am a hopeless cinephile that isn't my niche. I learned quite a bit, but without that insider shorthand I'm sure my reading experience was quite different compared to a hardcore horror aficionado.
The idea of film analysis spliced with autobiography is uncharted territory. It's an interesting concept but completely dependent on the person being profiled and how the films help in charting their history. The strange thing about this book is that although you find yourself awash in Janisse's life story and how it links to these films, there is never a sense of closure. These events (often traumatic) are fragmented and crystalized, but remain unresolved.
By the time I finished the book I realized that "House Of Psychotic Women" is a parade of issues and neuroses that are as violent and Freudian as its films, but not much more. It begins with a rape and ends with a funeral while the in-between is a self-autopsy on a body riddled with scars- undeserved, jagged and deep, but most of them self-inflicted. When it was over I was actually shocked that it ended where it did. It was like the credits rolling while you sit in silence and think, "That's it? That can't be it."
I think this has less to do with Janisse's writing and more to do with how dissimilar the two of us are. I might not be the best person to review this, and chances are there is a lot in here that will be useful to plenty of other readers. Like the films she analyzes, there is a lot of identification and catharsis for others to find and process and feel less alone. If you read this and find something you needed, then it will definitely be worth it.
The idea of film analysis spliced with autobiography is uncharted territory. It's an interesting concept but completely dependent on the person being profiled and how the films help in charting their history. The strange thing about this book is that although you find yourself awash in Janisse's life story and how it links to these films, there is never a sense of closure. These events (often traumatic) are fragmented and crystalized, but remain unresolved.
By the time I finished the book I realized that "House Of Psychotic Women" is a parade of issues and neuroses that are as violent and Freudian as its films, but not much more. It begins with a rape and ends with a funeral while the in-between is a self-autopsy on a body riddled with scars- undeserved, jagged and deep, but most of them self-inflicted. When it was over I was actually shocked that it ended where it did. It was like the credits rolling while you sit in silence and think, "That's it? That can't be it."
I think this has less to do with Janisse's writing and more to do with how dissimilar the two of us are. I might not be the best person to review this, and chances are there is a lot in here that will be useful to plenty of other readers. Like the films she analyzes, there is a lot of identification and catharsis for others to find and process and feel less alone. If you read this and find something you needed, then it will definitely be worth it.
August 20, 2025
Не сказати, що я за своє життя читала багато книжок з кіношного аналізу, але ця точно була найкраща! Окрім того, що авторка володіє неймовірним багажем знань (і неймовірним смаком!) в різних сферах, котрий дозволяє їй вміло й цікаво аналізувати фільми з погляду психології та культурного й історичного контексту, вона також написала книжку, котра буде цінною кожному відданому фанату горорів — особливо жінкам. Як жінка, котра в житті стикалася з питаннями, навіщо я дивлюся свої відверто мізогінні та жорстокі до жінок фільми, я почувалася почутою під час прочитання. Добірка фільмів, котрі аналізує авторка, є дуже різноманітною, але серед них трапляються картини, котрі заведено вважати доволі проблематичними в плані зображення жінок — наприклад, те ж джалло чи експлуатаційне кіно. Вся книга присвячена тому, як у цих роботах себе можуть знайти ті жінки, що дійсно переживали схожі жахливі події та стидні емоції, котрим вони більше ніде не можуть знайти репрезентації.
На цю тему можна говорити багато й навряд це є виправданням для багатьох творців, котрі використовували ці теми виключно для експлуатації, але в цьому є своя правда: всі, наприклад, знають, що терпіти насилля — це неправильно, але жінки зі стокгольмським синдромом насправді існують, і з цим важко боротися навіть зі знанням, що це неправильно; сексуалізувати власні травми — це неправильно, але �� жінки, котрі крізь це проходять, при цьому живучи у світі, котрий лише радий цим скористатися; фантазії про зґвалтування — це щось, у чому соромно зізнатися, але вони є дуже розповсюдженими серед жінок з різних причин. Цей список можна продовжувати довго. Безумовно, є фільми, котрі аналізують вищезгадані питання з більш критичної й тактовної оптики, але іноді куди легше шукати себе в героїнях, котрі не мають ніякої норми моралі, в яку мають вписуватися. Я величезна фанатка експлуатаційного кіно не тільки за його дивні сюжети й ще більш дивний гумор: мені подобається бачити таких само дивних героїнь у перебільшених і нереалістичних контекстах, де їм просто дозволено існувати. Зараз, у часи популярності психотерапії, обговорень здорових стосунків, самооцінки та поведінки, багато людей навряд можуть чесно сказати, що вони вписуються в ці норми.
Спочатку я не зовсім розуміла, як авторка буде поєднувати розповіді про своє життя з аналізом горорів, але їй це вдалося так легко й невимушено. Життя в неї було дуже тяжке — насилля в родині, втечі з дому, спроби самогубства, наркотики, селфхарм, життя в дитячих будинках та ланцюг з аб’юзивних стосунків. Іноді навіть не розумієш, як одна людина зуміла це прожити. При цьому я давно не відчувала такої книжкової радості, як від глав про те, як вона все ж прийшла до того, щоб здобути освіту, знайшла себе у світі кіно, почала організовувати фестивалі, збирати довкола себе цікавих та впливових людей і побудувала своє життя. Цікавих історій про андеграундну кіношну сцену у неї багато — наприклад, саме авторка та її настирливі листи й апеляції досягли того, що «Некромантик» став доступний для погляду у Канаді. Мені також подобається, з яким гумором вона часто ставиться до свого життя — іноді не соромно було й трохи посміятися: наприклад, зі згадок того, як вона, почавши самостійне життя, не мала нормального ліжка й спала в труні; чи її фанатських листів до Даріо Ардженто, котрі вона перекладала за допомогою словника й прикидалася дванадцятирічною дівчиною, аби пояснити цим свою погану італійську.
Це дуже чесна й смілива книга: авторка не боїться визнавати й власні помилки та те, як, наприклад, її дитинство зробило з неї саму доволі токсичну в стосунках людину. Вона доволі детально й відкрито говорить про свої маніпуляції чи страшні ревнощі (до речі, її перший чоловік — це людина, котра залишила в неї під дверима конверт зубів, бо не знала, як по-іншому проявити свою увагу. Її життя складалося, м’яко кажучи, незвично в багатьох деталях). Я постійно думала, що не змогла б так само щиро про таке розказувати.
З деякими моментами мені хотілося і сперечатися. Наприклад, глава про жіночий мазохізм залишила достатньо змішані враження. Авторка, звісно, не заперечує того, що сексуальні бажання також формуються соціумом та гендерними ролями, але складалося відчуття, наче вона трохи ігнорує цей контекст на користь особистого досвіду чи виправдання режисерів, котрі навряд знімали фільми про жіночий мазохізм з великої симпатії та глибокого дослідження цієї теми. При цьому зараз мені здається, що це, можливо, одна з моїх улюблених глав у книзі, до якої я точно найпершою повернуся — поряд з вищезгаданими недоліками, мені все-таки сподобалося, як авторка знімає з цієї теми певний сором та табуйованість і говорить про те, що мазохістські бажання можуть символізувати для кожної конкретної жінки, не сприймаючись при цьому символом покори.
Легких шляхів у житті я не шукаю, тому читала цю книгу потроху цілих вісім місяців — перед прочитанням кожної глави я хотіла подивитися всі згадані в ній фільми, котрі мене цікавлять. Вийшло так, що їх було багато. Тут є все від Гічкока до одного з сиквелів японської треш-франшизи «Guinea Pig» (і до прочитання з них я дивилася тільки друге). Від недовгого пошуку складається враження, що деякі зі згаданих фільмів дивилася лише авторка. Це створює доволі цікавий і не завжди зрозумілий контраст — як зразок певної поведінки чи типажу героїнь одночасно може використовуватися популярний фільм, котрий ледь не першим спадає на думку, і якесь нікому не відоме кіно за три копійки, котре не дожило навіть до статусу культового у вузьких колах. Та це все-таки фільми, важливі для авторки, тож вони можуть бути будь-які. Мені здається, що багато робіт вона цією книгою популяризувала. Окреме задоволення — це те, з яким захопленням тут описаний Possession. Цілу книгу тільки й думала, що цей фільм є квінтесенцією всіх інтересів та смаків авторки й мала рацію.
А після основної частини на вас чекає величезний апендикс, у якому перелічена ще неймовірна кількість фільмів, котрі підходять під тематику книги, з описом сюжету й невеликим авторським аналізом.
Це була дуже цікава книга, до якої я буду неодноразово повертатися. Можливо, колись я навчуся пояснювати свою любов до жанру хоча б з третиною цього розуму й глибини, а до того буду тішитись можливістю посилатись на цю книжку.
На цю тему можна говорити багато й навряд це є виправданням для багатьох творців, котрі використовували ці теми виключно для експлуатації, але в цьому є своя правда: всі, наприклад, знають, що терпіти насилля — це неправильно, але жінки зі стокгольмським синдромом насправді існують, і з цим важко боротися навіть зі знанням, що це неправильно; сексуалізувати власні травми — це неправильно, але �� жінки, котрі крізь це проходять, при цьому живучи у світі, котрий лише радий цим скористатися; фантазії про зґвалтування — це щось, у чому соромно зізнатися, але вони є дуже розповсюдженими серед жінок з різних причин. Цей список можна продовжувати довго. Безумовно, є фільми, котрі аналізують вищезгадані питання з більш критичної й тактовної оптики, але іноді куди легше шукати себе в героїнях, котрі не мають ніякої норми моралі, в яку мають вписуватися. Я величезна фанатка експлуатаційного кіно не тільки за його дивні сюжети й ще більш дивний гумор: мені подобається бачити таких само дивних героїнь у перебільшених і нереалістичних контекстах, де їм просто дозволено існувати. Зараз, у часи популярності психотерапії, обговорень здорових стосунків, самооцінки та поведінки, багато людей навряд можуть чесно сказати, що вони вписуються в ці норми.
Спочатку я не зовсім розуміла, як авторка буде поєднувати розповіді про своє життя з аналізом горорів, але їй це вдалося так легко й невимушено. Життя в неї було дуже тяжке — насилля в родині, втечі з дому, спроби самогубства, наркотики, селфхарм, життя в дитячих будинках та ланцюг з аб’юзивних стосунків. Іноді навіть не розумієш, як одна людина зуміла це прожити. При цьому я давно не відчувала такої книжкової радості, як від глав про те, як вона все ж прийшла до того, щоб здобути освіту, знайшла себе у світі кіно, почала організовувати фестивалі, збирати довкола себе цікавих та впливових людей і побудувала своє життя. Цікавих історій про андеграундну кіношну сцену у неї багато — наприклад, саме авторка та її настирливі листи й апеляції досягли того, що «Некромантик» став доступний для погляду у Канаді. Мені також подобається, з яким гумором вона часто ставиться до свого життя — іноді не соромно було й трохи посміятися: наприклад, зі згадок того, як вона, почавши самостійне життя, не мала нормального ліжка й спала в труні; чи її фанатських листів до Даріо Ардженто, котрі вона перекладала за допомогою словника й прикидалася дванадцятирічною дівчиною, аби пояснити цим свою погану італійську.
Це дуже чесна й смілива книга: авторка не боїться визнавати й власні помилки та те, як, наприклад, її дитинство зробило з неї саму доволі токсичну в стосунках людину. Вона доволі детально й відкрито говорить про свої маніпуляції чи страшні ревнощі (до речі, її перший чоловік — це людина, котра залишила в неї під дверима конверт зубів, бо не знала, як по-іншому проявити свою увагу. Її життя складалося, м’яко кажучи, незвично в багатьох деталях). Я постійно думала, що не змогла б так само щиро про таке розказувати.
З деякими моментами мені хотілося і сперечатися. Наприклад, глава про жіночий мазохізм залишила достатньо змішані враження. Авторка, звісно, не заперечує того, що сексуальні бажання також формуються соціумом та гендерними ролями, але складалося відчуття, наче вона трохи ігнорує цей контекст на користь особистого досвіду чи виправдання режисерів, котрі навряд знімали фільми про жіночий мазохізм з великої симпатії та глибокого дослідження цієї теми. При цьому зараз мені здається, що це, можливо, одна з моїх улюблених глав у книзі, до якої я точно найпершою повернуся — поряд з вищезгаданими недоліками, мені все-таки сподобалося, як авторка знімає з цієї теми певний сором та табуйованість і говорить про те, що мазохістські бажання можуть символізувати для кожної конкретної жінки, не сприймаючись при цьому символом покори.
Легких шляхів у житті я не шукаю, тому читала цю книгу потроху цілих вісім місяців — перед прочитанням кожної глави я хотіла подивитися всі згадані в ній фільми, котрі мене цікавлять. Вийшло так, що їх було багато. Тут є все від Гічкока до одного з сиквелів японської треш-франшизи «Guinea Pig» (і до прочитання з них я дивилася тільки друге). Від недовгого пошуку складається враження, що деякі зі згаданих фільмів дивилася лише авторка. Це створює доволі цікавий і не завжди зрозумілий контраст — як зразок певної поведінки чи типажу героїнь одночасно може використовуватися популярний фільм, котрий ледь не першим спадає на думку, і якесь нікому не відоме кіно за три копійки, котре не дожило навіть до статусу культового у вузьких колах. Та це все-таки фільми, важливі для авторки, тож вони можуть бути будь-які. Мені здається, що багато робіт вона цією книгою популяризувала. Окреме задоволення — це те, з яким захопленням тут описаний Possession. Цілу книгу тільки й думала, що цей фільм є квінтесенцією всіх інтересів та смаків авторки й мала рацію.
А після основної частини на вас чекає величезний апендикс, у якому перелічена ще неймовірна кількість фільмів, котрі підходять під тематику книги, з описом сюжету й невеликим авторським аналізом.
Це була дуже цікава книга, до якої я буду неодноразово повертатися. Можливо, колись я навчуся пояснювати свою любов до жанру хоча б з третиною цього розуму й глибини, а до того буду тішитись можливістю посилатись на цю книжку.
I once told a friend that my life was just a succession of obsessing over the wrong things. “What would your life look like if you ever obsessed over the right thing?” she asked. It would look like this. Like a book, being finished.
April 11, 2021
Kier-la Janisse's encyclopedic, impassioned knowledge of film would overwhelm even Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino.
There are three parts to this big, dense book: an autobiography enhanced by analysis of the movies that helped her navigate sinister times; a collection of gorgeous full-color posters and photos; and an alphabetical guide to films about women overcome by obsession, paranoia, hysteria, and terror. Despite the subtitle referencing "horror and exploitation," the movies belong to all genres and all strata of notoriety, from Hitchcock's "Marnie" to extremely gory short horror films.
Janisse's twin obsession with psychological horror and bloody gore reminds me of an awkward exchange from "Siskel & Ebert" that is frequently quoted in my household:
"Roger, you called this movie a gore-fest. There is no gore in this film."
"There's a lot of psychological gore, Gene. People are basically making each other bleed inside by how they're treating each other." -- Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert reviewing "Hush" in 1998
There are three parts to this big, dense book: an autobiography enhanced by analysis of the movies that helped her navigate sinister times; a collection of gorgeous full-color posters and photos; and an alphabetical guide to films about women overcome by obsession, paranoia, hysteria, and terror. Despite the subtitle referencing "horror and exploitation," the movies belong to all genres and all strata of notoriety, from Hitchcock's "Marnie" to extremely gory short horror films.
Janisse's twin obsession with psychological horror and bloody gore reminds me of an awkward exchange from "Siskel & Ebert" that is frequently quoted in my household:
"Roger, you called this movie a gore-fest. There is no gore in this film."
"There's a lot of psychological gore, Gene. People are basically making each other bleed inside by how they're treating each other." -- Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert reviewing "Hush" in 1998
December 23, 2012
Probably the one book that'll satisfy both horror/cult film fans and sociology/psychology majors... Most of the films discussed aren't the ususal suspects; there's a lot of giallo, and the work of directors like Andrezj Zulawski are prominently featured. The most shocking thing of all, is the revelation of the darker side of Canada as the author talks about her past experiences.
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