Tag: horror

Little Girls in Horror Movies Dress How Girls Dressed in the 80s

Little girls in horror movies all dress like little girls from the 80s. That’s true even for upcoming releases like M3Gan . But why? I don’t think young girls have dressed like that for decades. I usually see young girls dressed in hoodies, jeans and leggings. You don’t see bows, mary janes, ankle socks and dresses a lot anymore. Why does feminine clothing for little girls give people the creeps?

I dunno. It’s just kind of unfortunate that an old fashioned visual of girlhood is presented as evil and destructive. My thinking could be dated but I like to think of young girls as sweet and innocent people who are vulnerable and in need of protection. Perhaps that’s why this horror movie trope works. But it’s worth it to question what these stories of creepy and evil young girlhood do to our perception of feminine youth and innocence. What does this imagery do to young girls?

The evil little girl film trope is not new but it is enduring. In films like “The Bad Seed” and “The Shining” the creepy little girls were typical looking little girls for that time. Young girls now commonly wear clothes that are unisex or mature. So I think the choice to style creepy girls, even if they are an AI robot, in traditional little girl clothing is a deliberate action. I’m likely over thinking this. But I consider myself to be a film scholar and critic. Let me know what you think. Do you think horror films about scary little girls that actually look like little girls have negative connotations and ramifications?

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Child’s Play 2019: A Short Review

I recently watched the 2019 remake of the 1988 film Child’s Play.  I saw the original Child’s Play when I was a teenager.  Just about everything from the 90s is corny so I didn’t have very high expectations for the film.  I didn’t care for the new Child’s Play.  The film was ridiculous then and it’s worse now.

If you’re not familiar with the plot of the film, Child’s Play is about a homicidal, red headed doll named Chucky that causes chaos for a single mother and her son.  In the 80s version Chucky was possessed by the spirit of a hardened Chicago criminal.

child's play 1988

In the latest version Chucky was installed with artificially intelligent software and was programmed by observing things in his environment.  I there was a part in the film where the Chucky doll that went crazy was hexed in the Asian factory where he was manufactured by a disgruntled employee.

Chucky is eager to please his owner Andy and is very possessive over him which spurs part of the killing spree.  But some of the murdering happens without any provocation whatsoever.  Chucky just goes off on people and starts doing crazy s—.  Early in the film it is established that Andy has a hearing problem.  I don’t know why they writers added that because it played no part in the film whatsoever.

Not only is this film franchise a negative depiction of red heads but there are some very negative depictions of Black people in this movie.  That could be an essay within itself but I don’t feel like editing clips.  Trust me, the Black roles in this film are cringeworthy.

After several gruesome deaths and thousands of dollars worth of property damage the film ends because Andy’s mom twists the dolls head off.  Much like in the earlier film I don’t know mom didn’t destroy the doll in the first place.  The film moves along quickly though and seems short even though it is two hours.  I can’t recommend that you spend two hours of your life on this movie.  But if you enjoy corny horror films you may enjoy Child’s Play.