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Originally Posted by Dr. Otto
I'm reticent about seeing that one. Misogyny might be an inevitable subtext of most horror movies (hell, I'm posting on a forum entirely centred AROUND fetishistic imagery of women being transformed into different things), but from what I've heard, the female-hating in W&B is through the effin' roof.
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I haven't seen the film, so I cannot speak to whether or not it's misogynist in tone or theme, but I am wary of prejudging anything based on its subject matter.
As you mention, this entire thread (and ninety-five pecent of the forums) could easily be construed to be misogynistic, and we'd find ourselves in the defensive explaining to a newcomer why we think that that isn't the case. I'd say that most of us firmly believe that fiction and fantasy are just such, and bear no correlation to the actual attutudes and behaviour of those of us that engage in or enjoy them.
Re: misogyny being an inevitable subtext in horror movies; I believe you're thinking primarily of slasher films, and the boring old trope of the "sluts getting what's coming to them" while the virginal lead survives? Or of the "women exist to be victims/props/recuees" of men spiel? As a fan of the genre, I've got to stick up for horror, and I would say confidently that the vast majority of these clichés appearing in slashers has less to do with misogyny, intentional or otherwise, and much more to do with hackneyed, lazy writing and direction.
It's much easier to follow an established template (see vampire movies) than it is to create something new. And quite often, the attempt to create something new is even more disastrous (again, see vampire movies).