Review: 'Feeding the Monster: Why horror has a hold on us' by Anna Bogutskaya

So why do you like Horror films, hmm? Is it all the blood and gore? The violence, the scares, the chills? If you've ever had these questions posed to you, always accompanied with some judgement, then Feeding the Monster might be as useful to you as it was to me. Anna Bogutskaya may not be able to provide all the answers, but she will help you take multiple steps towards answering those questions. Thanks to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub. Date: Faber and Faber
Publisher: 15/08/2024

Zombies want brains. Vampires want blood. Cannibals want human flesh. All monsters need feeding.

Horror has been embraced by mainstream pop culture more than ever before, with horror characters and aesthetics infecting TV, music videos and even TikTok trends.

Yet even with the commercial and critical success of The Babadook, Hereditary, Get Out, The Haunting of Hill House, Yellowjackets and countless other horror films and TV series over the last few years, loving the genre still prompts the question: what's wrong with you? Implying, of course, that there is something not quite right about the people who make and consume it.

In Feeding the Monster, Anna Bogutskaya dispels this notion once and for all by examining how horror responds to and fuels our feelings of fear, anxiety, pain, hunger and power.

I am a Horror fan, something I frequently have to explain to others, but also occasionally to myself. Why am I, someone who has solidly identified as a Feminist since she learned what that is, so obsessed with a genre which seems to thrive on violence against women? Well, I am very glad to report that Anna Bogutskaya has had similar thoughts and explains them better than I can in Feeding the Monster. In this book, Bogutskaya dives into Horror from a Feminist perspective, asking not just why women, or people in general, might enjoy the genre, but also what it can do for us. Bogutskaya focuses specifically on Horror films from 2014 on, films which have been considered part of the "elevated horror"-genre, a label Bogutskaya criticises. I agree that the idea of "elevated horror" diminishes the genre overall, but I did also enjoy how Bogutskaya traced the trends of the last decade of Horror. While I think most people by now accept that Horror has a place in our culture, there is still a certain stigma attached to it, but books such as Feeding the Monster, which so thoughtfully and intimately dissect our obsession with it, will hopefull change that. 

Feeding the Monster is divided into five chapters on fear, hunger, anxiety, pain, and power. In the Introduction, as mentioned above, she explores her own love for Horror and what a Feminist Horror might mean. Each of the chapters then explores the theme through various films, and the occasional TV show, linking, for example, the haunted house and its changing forms in cinema to the housing crisis, or motherhood as an ever-changing focal point for Horror. The chapter on 'Pain' was very intriguing, considering aspects of body horror, which I have always found fascinating. It is Horror, yes, but it also the body made something different, new, and other, which can be a form of freedom. It also looks at dance, especially the Suspiria remake, which I adore, and Black Swan. This chapter also used Julia Kristeva's concept of the abject, which I am quite fond of myself as well, despite not being very into psychoanalysis as a theoretical framework. But it worked here, looking at all those things that disturb us and our boundaries as a form of grotesque and painful beauty. The chapter on 'Hunger' explores, as I had hoped, cannibalism. I have become more and more intrigued by cannibalism, even in my work on medieval literature, and how it can be seen as a form of (quite obsessive, sure) love. Bogutskaya explores the decadence and romance of the Hannibal show (a favourite of mine) and women devouring one another and the world in the likes of Yellowjackets and Raw. My favourite, however, was the final chapter on 'Power', where Bogutskaya questions why we no longer create capital-M monsters, like Freddy Krueger or Leatherface. A fascinating conclusion she draws is that we have come to a point where it might be easier to join the system than fight it, become one of the monsters that drains others, exploits others, than fully resist it. It's not the most optimistic of conclusions, but it gives a whole lot of food for thought. 

Feeding the Monster is as much a depiction of Bogutskaya's personal journey with Horror as a book of analysis. It is definitely angled more towards popular audiences than academic ones and this is reflected in the tone. Bogutskaya includes not just personal anecdotes about her own life, but also has delightful little footnotes which made me feel like I was in a direct conversation with a funny and knowledgable friend, rather than sitting in class. However, Bogutskaya does bring in scholarship and history, reaching beyond modern Anglophone cinema to explore French and occasional classic films, etc. She will bring in monster theory, gender and queer theory, and talk about cinema, meaning you will walk away from this book with new insights into the films she discusses. I appreciated the strong focus on Feminism throughout, especially as a woman still wondering why she likes Horror at times. It is worth saying here that Feeding the Monster goes into plot details extensively, which makes sense. So if you want to keep a film unspoiled for yourself, you might need to skip certain sections. Overall, Feeding the Monster is a great insight into Horror films of the last decade, with insightful takes and, surprisingly, quite a few laughs!

I give this book...

5 Universes!

Feeding the Monster was exactly what I wanted it to be: an insightful and personal take on Horror, which leaves room for further thought. I picked up some film recommendations and even new favourite podcasts (shout out to Academy of Horror!). I look forward to reading more by Anna Bogutskaya in the future.