Women are represented as monstrous figure in Filipino horror films through their biological made-up and reproductive function, but in the recent years, women’s mental health problems are used to depict their monstrosity. This study discusses the “Mental-Monstrous-Feminine” to explain how mental illness is used as a source of monstrosity among female characters in select Filipino horror films from 1990 to 2019. It uses textual analysis of the films’ creative, narrative, technical and social aspects, giving consideration to essential film elements related to the filmmaker’s perspective and biases. This paper discusses the manifestation of gender disparities and societal injustice by analyzing the representation of mentally ill women in the said genre that may have caused the birth of Mental-Monstrous-Feminine. This character has not been explored before, and this is the first time the Mental-Monstrous-Feminine gets a name which people are used to calling as “psycho,”a derogatory term given the struggles of people with mental health concerns. This study concludes that Mental-Monstrous-Feminine continues to exist as long as male directors tell the story, and that Filipino horror films use undiagnosed mental illness as a source of monstrosity because it is convenient to attribute fear to the unknown. Filipino women must start directing horror films to draw a new path for women in this genre. This research is a good take-off point for further study on the connection between mental illness and fear, and female representation as the horrific and on a theoretical level, as the abject.

Authors:
Errianne Rojo, Lyceum of the Philippines University - Cavite, Philippines

About the Presenter(s)
Errianne Rojo is the CEO and Creative Director of her own film studios in the Philippines, Stuff & Croo Studios, Inc. She is currently teaching Film Production at the Lyceum of the Philippines University - Cavite campus.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erri-rojo/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Tuesday Schedule

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