31 Days of October, Day 18

Last night's Halloween movie rewatch was Ginger Snaps.

It's been a long time since I've seen this movie. (Dane found it on Netflix for me. He joked that the movie is a whole new Bridgette [15yrs] old.) I remembered being blown away by it. but I'd forgotten a lot of it. Upon rewatch, it's one of the most under-rated Horror films in existence. It holds up really well better than a lot of films that people still go on about. (Much as I love the '70s version of The Thing, there's no contest as to which is a better film.) The use of lycanthropy as a metaphor for menstruation and STDs is just about perfect. And the instances of sexual harassment and bullying that the girls have to deal with in school are spot-on. (Sadly, not much seems to have changed.) One of my favorite things about the film is the girls' attitude toward menstruation--that it's gross, messy, painful and something one hopes to avoid--completely matched my own at that age. And maybe that's a big factor as to why I love the film so much. Most films about female puberty try to make it into this "beautiful, wondrous" thing. I never felt that way.

Speaking of struggles with feminine sexual maturity and metaphors...next up, Jennifer's Body.

Aside from the unfortunate "bisexual=indiscriminate" myth in play, this one is one of my favorites too. It's very well written, and portrays the problematic dynamic between the popular girl and the brainy/nerd girl quite well. I generally always pair these two films together because they're wonderful examples of (until recently) that rarity Feminist Horror.

And now for my last recommendation, Warm Bodies.

If you've not seen it, I don't want to spoil it for you, but there is a literary reference in play and for this reason Warm Bodies is one of the best zombie flicks I've ever seen, and I'm not generally a fan of zombie films. (I know. I know. Most people would recommend Night of the Living Dead, and even I will tell you that one is a good film--given it's budget--maybe even great.) I'm just saying, give it a try even if zombies aren't typically your thing. It's fucking brilliant.