The Monstrous Fantastic Conference Paper Abstracts - International ...

141. (FTV) Monstrous Masculinity CypressChair: Andrea HairstonSmith CollegeWill Smith: Heroism and Sexuality in SF FilmSharon DeGrawMichigan State UniversityHistorically, sf film has followed the lead of sf literature in relying on an Anglo, masculine triangle of protagonist, audience, and director/author.In the 1970s, however, sf films began including secondary black characters. Black male protagonists have become more common over the pastdecade. A single actor, Will Smith, has made great in-roads in the Anglo male tradition of sf film. Over the past 15 years, through a series offilms, Smith has become a leading sf actor in the United States. As Adilifu Nama asserts, “it is Will Smith who reinvigorated the status ofblackness in SF cinema.” Despite Smith’s tremendous success, however, he still remains hindered from a full range of human portrayal, in thatromance and/or sexuality are elided in his films. “If a movie is to appeal to a white [male] audience, the black actor must be neutered,” arguesStephen Barnes. Romance is not a staple of sf film, but there exists a discrepancy between the sexuality demonstrated by white male leads andblack male leads. Similarly, Smith displays greater sexuality in his non-sf films. Several techniques are utilized to circumvent black malesexuality. Comedy, a sidekick role, and being in a pre-existing relationship are general film techniques, while aliens, technology, sexism, andapocalyptic/sacrifice are specific to sf. In Smith’s early sf career, comedy and the sidekick role dominate films like Men in Black and Wild WildWest. I, Robot offered Smith’s first serious, lead role in a sf drama, but he remained a sexual object and the nascent romance between DelSpooner and Susan Calvin was safely repressed. I Am Legend solidified Smith’s lead status, as he replaced the iconic Charlton Heston as RobertNeville. However, Heston’s inter-racial romance in the 1971 version is completely cut. It is only in Smith’s latest sf film, Hancock that someromance and sexuality are finally incorporated. While this budding romance too is quickly truncated by a pre-existing relationship and Smith’scomedic role returns in full force, the movie offers hope for the future. Testing the racial acceptance of sf viewers, Hancock suggests thatSmith’s tremendous likability will finally overcome lingering racial prejudice against the expression of black male sexuality.Testosterone Overdose: Grendel as Monstrous Masculinity in Beowulf FilmsA. Keith KellyGeorge Gwinnett CollegeOver the past half dozen years the Beowulf story enjoyed a flash of popularity among filmmakers. Robert Zemeckis’s animated version wasreleased with much spectacle and little acclaim in 2007, while 2005 witnessed the screening of “Beowulf and Grendel,” shot in Iceland andstarring Gerard Butler. While these two films were quite different in their depictions of the Anglo-Saxon poem and its plot, there was a markedsimilarity in one particular way Grendel was presented particularly vis a vis Hrothgar and Beowulf himself. Both monsters, and in fact bothfilms, displayed a certifiable overdose of testosterone—and not simply in the hack-n-slash way one might expect. Ranging from the overtlyFreudian presentation of the twisted and hideous Grendel (who in effect serves as a walking phallus), and a seductive Angelina Jolie as hismother in Zemeckis’s production, to the rather sympathy-inspiring Grendel in “Beowulf and Grendel,” monstrosity in both films is directlylinked to masculinity. Furthermore, one might argue that masculinity gone wrong is in fact the source of monstrosity in both adaptations, andthe motivations for conflict in the tale. In this paper I propose to look not so much at the success or failure of the screen adaptations of thisgreat poem, but at the portrayal of monstrosity as twisted masculinity in each.From Final Girl to Initial Beast: Becoming the Male Monster in Halloween 4, Haute Tension, and Other Modern HorrorMike MarraIndependent ScholarIn her “Final Girl” theory, film scholar Carol Clover explores the connection between the antagonist and protagonist in slasher films, usually amale and a female, respectively. She has illustrated this connection in various papers and publications, most notably in her book, Men, Womenand Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. However, there seems to be a very thin line between “becoming the final girl” and“becoming a mindless killer”. This analysis will explore how far many of these “final girls” go in their quest for revenge and whether or not it iswarranted. Are these outbursts of violence justified or have they become no better than the evil that originally stalked them? In this paper, Iplan to analyze various texts (films, televisions programs, video games, etc.) that contain these thematic elements and draw connectionsbetween the characters, the circumstances, and the final girl theory. The method for this paper is textual analysis. With this method I willinterpret the various texts at my disposal; in this case this includes the Halloween series of films, Haute Tension, and other applicable texts. Byanalyzing these texts through the lens of the final girl theory and other relevant theories, conclusions will be made. This paper is relevant for anumber of reasons. First and foremost, this study has never been conducted before. This is fresh research that will enrich the pool ofknowledge concerning the aforementioned texts. Also, this analysis will further flesh out Clover’s original theory and expand upon it for evenmore research in the future.