Call for Writers: Women in Horror Films

Some scary-looking pumpkins.

Confession: I love horror films. Sometimes I endlessly scroll through Netflix in search of the film that will most scare the shit out of me. Of course, many horror films subject their women characters to endless torture, brutal deaths (usually as punishment for engaging in sexual relationships with men), and gratuitous nudity as they inevitably fall seventeen times while running from the Almost Always Male killer. I struggle to reconcile the sexism-induced rage I often experience while watching horror films–especially with this recent eruption of the “torture porn” genre–with my need to get the shit scared out of me. (You can play The Never-Ending Story on repeat only so many times before The Nothing starts ruining your life For Real.) We can’t, however, ignore Carol J. Clover’s Final Girl theory. She argues in her book Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, that horror films are actually obsessed with feminism in that they force male viewers to identify with the Final Girl, the lone girl who doesn’t die, who gets her shit together, who kills the killer (or at least escapes him). I can think of several Final Girl films off the top of my head: Halloween, Scream, Friday the 13th, and many more exist. Others believe Clover’s theory doesn’t hold up, arguing that the Final Girl theory excuses the audience’s sadism.

Well, Bitch Flicks is interested in reading your perspectives on women in horror films. We’ve compiled a list of women-centered horror-esque flicks that fascinate us, and we welcome your analysis. Note that “women-centered” doesn’t necessarily mean “feminist,” and the film you choose might in fact be anti-feminist; but as for guidelines, reviews should be from a feminist perspective (and you can certainly choose not to discuss the Final Girl theory in your review).  
If you’re still not sure, take a look at reviews in our Horror category, which include Drag Me To Hell and Let the Right One In
Email us at btchflcks(at)gmail(dot)com if you’d like to contribute a review. We accept original pieces or cross-posts. The DEADLINE for us to receive your finished review is Friday, October 21st.
Some of our film suggestions include (but are definitely not limited to) the following: 

Rosemary’s Baby – 1968
Open Water – 2003
The Mist – 2007
The Descent – 2005
Nightmare on Elm Street – 1984
A Tale of Two Sisters – 2003 (Taiwan)
The Silence of the Lambs – 1991
Pan’s Labyrinth – 2006
The Exorcist – 1973
Audition – 1999
Halloween – 1978
Alien – 1979
The Ring – 2002
Rec – 2007
Ju-on – 2000
Jennifer’s Body – 2009
Ginger Snaps – 2000
May – 2002
Slumber Party Massacre – 1982
Carrie – 1976
The Company of Wolves – 1984
Teeth – 2007
Day of the Woman – 1978
Scream – 1996
Gothika – 2003
When a Stranger Calls – 1979
The Others – 2001
The Orphanage – 2007
The Roommate – 2011
Single White Female – 1992
Mother’s Day – 1980
Insidious – 2011
Red Riding Hood – 2011
The Ward – 2011
Carnival of Souls – 1998
Die! Die! My Darling! – 1965
What Lies Beneath – 2000
The Blair Witch Project – 1999
Sorority Row – 2009
Case 39 – 2010
Paranormal Activity – 2007

Emmy Week at Bitch Flicks – Call for Writers

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards: Sunday, September 18 at 8pm

 

Announcing…Emmy Week at Bitch Flicks! 

We’re looking for reviews and/or analysis of Emmy-nominated Television shows as well as character analysis of the Emmy-nominated Lead Actresses and Supporting Actresses. We’re leaving the topics wide open; the only criteria is that the analysis focuses on how the show portrays women in some way. Feel free to browse our Television category on the sidebar for examples and ideas. But we’re open to ALL proposals, so don’t limit yourselves. Finished pieces must be completed (and e-mailed to us) no later than Friday, September 2nd. We are open to original pieces and cross posts (with permission). Here are the possibilities: 

Reviews and/or analysis of:

  • Outstanding Comedy Series nominees
    • Glee
    • Parks & Recreation
    • The Office
    • Modern Family
    • 30 Rock
    • The Big Bang Theory
  • Outstanding Drama Series nominees
    • Boardwalk Empire
    • The Good Wife
    • Mad Men
    • Friday Night Lights
    • Dexter
    • Game of Thrones

 Character analysis pieces for:

  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nominees
    • Cathy Jamison (Laura Linney) in The Big C
    • Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco) in Nurse Jackie
    • Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) in Parks & Recreation
    • Molly Flynn (Melissa McCarthy) in Mike & Molly
    • Virginia Chance (Martha Plimpton) in Raising Hope
    • Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) in 30 Rock
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nominees
    • Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss) in Mad Men
    • Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) in Friday Night Lights
    • Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
    • Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) in The Killing
    • Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) in The Good Wife
    • Harriet Harry “Korn” (Kathy Bates) in Harry’s Law
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nominees
    • Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) in Glee
    • Elka Ostrosky (Betty White) in Hot in Cleveland
    • Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) in Modern Family
    • Various Characters (Kristen Wiig) in Saturday Night Live
    • Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) in 30 Rock
    • Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) in Modern Family
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nominees
    • Margaret Schroeder (Kelly Macdonald) in Boardwalk Empire
    • Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) in Mad Men
    • Mitch Larsen (Michelle Forbes) in The Killing
    • Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi) in The Good Wife
    • Mags Bennett (Margo Martindale) in Justified
    • Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) in The Good Wife
The Details:
  • All pieces must be complete and emailed by Friday, September 2nd
  • If you intend to submit, please email a brief description of your piece as soon as possible.
  • Contact us at btchflcks(at)gmail(dot)com.

Mad Men Week at Bitch Flicks – Call for Writers

Mad Men…it’s on.

Announcing…Mad Men Week at Bitch Flicks! Monday, August 29th – Friday, September 2nd!


We’ve alluded to it…and now it’s here. 
We invite readers to submit original and/or cross-posted (with permission) pieces on Mad Men, for a week-long focus on the AMC series. We hope to find various perspectives and differing opinions on the show, start new conversations, and continue discussions that have been going since the show’s debut. 

The details:

  • All pieces must be emailed by Friday, August 26th
  • If you intend to submit, please email a brief description of your piece as soon as possible.
  • Contact us at btchflcks(at)gmail(dot)com.

Need some ideas? Here are some themes you could write about (you can also propose your own):
Character analysis of Betty
Character analysis of Peggy
Character analysis of Joan
Character analysis of the (individual) men
The supporting women
Sexual assault in MM
Race in MM
Betty Draper and the Feminine Mystique
Sexual harassment in the agency
Motherhood in MM
Female bodies and the male gaze of MM
MM and Feminism
MM and Enlightened Sexism
Review/analysis of pivotal episode(s)
Favorite lines/moments
Fashion & the performance of the feminine
Critique of article you’ve read about the show
The possibilities are endless…

We look forward to reading your pieces for our first Theme Week here at Bitch Flicks!

Calling All Writers!

The Academy Awards air February 27th, and we’d love to have some guest writers review the Best Picture nominees.

We currently need reviews for:

  • Black Swan
  • The Fighter
  • Inception
  • The Kids Are All Right
  • The King’s Speech
  • 127 Hours
  • The Social Network
  • Toy Story 3
  • True Grit
  • Winter’s Bone

Obviously, some of these films deserve more commentary, in the context of our site, than others. We’d love to have reviews (in some form–check out our different featured styles of reviews) for the above films before the end of February. We welcome cross-posting. If interested in contributing, email us at btchflcks at gmail dot com.

Update: All films have reviewers! Stay tuned for the Best Picture nominee reviews between now and the Oscar ceremony on Sunday, February 27th.

And, for fun, check out the 2010 reviews, too:

    Call for Writers!

    We’ve been pretty quiet here–okay, silent–for the past few months.

    Two busy women run Bitch Flicks, and we’d love your help keeping up on current movies and television.

    If you write a blog about feminist issues in media, we’d love to feature your pieces on Bitch Flicks. If you’ve seen a movie (in theatres or on DVD) that you can’t stop thinking about, write a post for us. If you have suggestions for a movie/TV show you think we should review, let us know.

    Contact us at btchflcks(at)gmail(dot)com, and stay tuned for new reviews and commentary!