Men, Women and Chainsaws by Carol J. Clover

(Of course, he ends up making what is more obviously a feminist movie, not having to even have the women tormented too much before they want to spit on somebody’s grave.)Īfter Tarantino’s interview reminded me I thought I should read the book again, so I ordered a used one online. Ordinarily this would mean that she would go on to survive and defeat, escape from, maybe even kill Stuntman Mike. In the first half of Death Proof he uses alot of the slasher movie conventions discussed in the book, setting up Butterfly as what Clover calls “the Final Girl.” The biggest clue is that she has “the investigative gaze,” she’s the one who notices Stuntman Mike’s car and keeps eyeing him, and is scared of him. I had read it mentioned recently in the Fangoria horror magazine, when Quentin Tarantino mentioned it in an interview about Death Proof. I think it’s been an influential book, but I don’t know anybody else who’s read it, so it was a surprise to hear it on the morning news. I paraphrase it alot when defending these kinds of movies (a pretty regular past time these days).

I read the book years ago and it really affected my view of slasher movies. Clover is a very academic book exploring gender issues in slasher, possession and rape-revenge films, mostly from the ’70s.

Men, Women and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film by Berkeley professor Carol J. What the hell? This was a weird coincidence.

Monday morning I heard a phrase on the radio that surprised me: “men, women and chain saws,” said in a somewhat dismissive voice.

Men, Women and Chainsaws by Carol J. Clover