Alien: The Perfect Genderqueer Organism
Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror, is a sub-genre that blends seamlessly science fiction and horror. It is a style and type of storytelling distinct from gothic horror and supernatural fiction that has an emphasis on fears of the unknowable, the foreign other, and the incomprehensible rather than gore, blood, and guts. While Lovecraft's works lack positive and/or consistent female representation, and should be heavily criticised and approached with caution, the genre in his name does not always and has drifted away from its namesake figure to form its own identity. There are books, graphic novels, and films that have broken open the doors to include more female characters while embracing his horror characteristics to scare the pants off us all. One such example of this is the film Alien (1979). This film is Lovecraftian horror embracing not only a strong female protagonist who brilliantly survives to the end but a lot of elements of queerness and gender-bending are key aspects of its visuals including its legendary metamorphosizing creature, the Xenomorph. And these aspects were intentional, expressed by film writer, Dan O'Bannon, and subsequently by the artist of the Xenomorph and all its phases, H. R. Giger. These two, along with an amazing director and cast, offered up a film that actually scared the pants off the patriarchy! The evidence for this is how many of the feminist, queer, and gender-bending elements were erased in subsequent movies and replaced with very familiar stereotypes and constructions.
Monster movies like Alien are incredibly revealing about cultural fears and anxieties, and they often reflect clearly what patriarchal structures of power are unsettled by or do not want to talk about. Alien is very much apart of these discourses, it is a culturally significant film in several ways, and yet the aspects of its queerness and gender-bending do not get discussed nearly enough. Given that the genres of science fiction and horror (separate or combined) are sadly still very much male-dominated, highlighting how Lovecraftian horror can be feminist and queer hopefully is one step forward to changing things for the better by revealing all the possibilities that exist for writers, characters, and gooey monsters that lurk around our universe.
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Alien: The Perfect Genderqueer Organism
1h 30m — 1 text track
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror, is a sub-genre that blends seamlessly science fiction and horror. It is a style and type of storytelling distinct from gothic horror and supernatural fiction that has an emphasis on fears of the unknowable, the foreign other, and ...
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Alien: The Perfect Genderqueer Organism
1 video
Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror, is a sub-genre that blends seamlessly science fiction and horror. It is a style and type of storytelling distinct from gothic horror and supernatural fiction that has an emphasis on fears of the unknowable, the foreign other, and the incomprehensibl...
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From Andro-Africanism to Europatriarchy
1 video
From Andro-Africanism to Europatriarchy: Decoding Masculine Power
Feminism has long fought patriarchy in its obvious and concrete forms—laws, media, and tradition. However, in the 21st century, patriarchy has found refuge in new systems like authoritarianism and populism, bringing with them new ...
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A History of Queer Women's Hairstyles
1 video
‘A History of Queer Women’s Hairstyles’ is a deep-dive into the hairstyles that queer women have worn throughout history. From the slick, modernist Eton Crops of 1920s lesbians which at once signalled sexuality and modernity to the long locks and beehives of 1950s femmes; from the shaved heads of...