March Issue, written by M. Leigh
WHERE ARE All THE BOOGEYLADIES?: Why can’t women be inherently evil, too?
An exploration of horror villains in honor of Women’s “Hyst-ory” Month
By: M. Leigh
A Brief Hys-tery of Women’s Health
A while back I woke up with vertigo. It eventually got so annoying I took a trip to my doctor. He looked in my ears and asked me if I had been stressed out. I told him I wasn’t any more stressed than usual. He told me I probably had allergies or some inner ear thing, then sent me on my way. With some medicine and some time, it eventually cleared up. A little while later, my husband woke up with the exact same ailment, saw the exact same doctor, and was given a heart test—pulse standing, pulse sitting—had his oxygen levels checked, the whole work-up. Turns out, like myself, he just had vertigo.
When he told me about all the tests he had been given, I was floored. They didn’t give me a heart test. They didn’t check my oxygen. My body is perfectly capable of having a heart attack too, isn’t it? My husband doesn’t have a concerning medical history, so why was he given more attention?
This wasn’t the first time my symptoms had been downplayed, and it certainly isn’t the only story I know of a woman’s symptoms being dismissed. In fact, there are thousands of years worth of evidence proving that women’s bodies (and minds) have been viewed as a completely different entity altogether. An entity more. . . volatile.
As a graduate student, part of my degree was the study of medicine and women’s health throughout history. Hippocrates believed that disruptive emotional outbursts and problems within the female body were due to a dissatisfied uterus. A uterus, that could, in fact, wander throughout the body on its own, causing a myriad of neurotic disorders. Thus, birthing (no pun intended) the term “hysteria.”
Even as late as the 17th and 18th centuries, female maladies from epilepsy to depression (and emotional instability, of course) were considered a result of a woman’s inability to function naturally in her destined role, that of a wife and mother. The cure? Bringing the uterus back to its appropriate location through sexual satisfaction. Though in contemporary times our knowledge of illness has advanced significantly, the notion of hysteria is still deeply imbedded in our societal and medical psyche. Or so says the uterus inside my ear making me dizzy.
As a horror writer, my medical experience got me thinking about male and female horror villains. I believe that male antagonists are treated differently than how my husband was treated at the doctor’s office. We typically don’t look for explanations of male evil. There is no test, no real examination. We take little time to try and figure out their symptoms. We accept them as simply evil.
Difference in Analysis of Villains by Gender
When I think about the quintessential horror villain—the thing that goes bump in the night, the thing under our beds, the thing that, no matter what I do, will always come back—I think of the Boogeyman. A nameless, faceless entity that has only one singular motivation—to come and “get” you. There is much folklore attached to the Boogeyman ranging from ghosts to hobgoblins, but for this argument’s sake, I’m going to stick with modern, contemporary horror. Mike Myers, The Shape himself, is a perfect example of the Boogeyman. There is little to no explanation of why little Mike Myers did what he did in the original Halloween. We don’t know why he stabbed his sister, we don’t know why it was on Halloween, we don’t know why he comes back to terrorize his home town, or why he can’t die. He is just inherently evil. I think as the franchise grew more explanation developed, but let’s just stick with what happened in 1978.
This got me thinking—has there ever been a female Boogeyman? Or, could there ever be a female Boogeyman with the concept of hysteria so deeply imbedded in our culture? Is there a woman who is a mindless, relentless evil being capable of terror without explanation? I am not so sure.
Discussing this topic with my husband, a fellow horror lover, he cleverly played on a quote from the movie Anchorman: “It’s Boogeyman, not Boogeylady.” And, I really think he hit the nail on the head. Concerning classic female villains, we always know where her uterus wandered to, making her less of a Boogey creature, and more of a result of either her environment, her trauma, or her own emotions. If a doctor is so willing to overlook what is making me dizzy, why can’t we do the same for women horror antagonists?
Does the Boogeylady Exist?
Now, as a women’s fiction writer, I love explanation. I want to know what makes a character tick. I want the back story. I want to know about every trauma, every broken heart, and how every malformed behavior trait started. The journey is what makes women’s fiction, “women’s fiction.” But, as a horror writer, I refrain from explaining too much. I would argue that if we know how the villain became a monster, it makes them more human and a lot less scary. For example, Hannibal Lector was far more terrifying before I read Hannibal Rising. While the backstory added to his complex characterization, to me he was no longer just the cannibal behind the glass, but instead a traumatized human man.
Now, I’m not arguing that classic male villains don’t come with explanation, although I would argue maybe not as much. Jason Voorhees is a legendary horror installment, and I suppose he had a bone to pick with those pesky camp counselors (don’t worry, I mention Mrs. Voorhees in a moment). Freddy Krueger was burned to death by the town, but we don’t know how he can hop in kids’ dreams. Leatherface has some serious family issues, I will give him that. Jack Torrence was an alcoholic. Candyman was brutally, unjustly murdered. I suppose many of them have their reasons as to why their voracious thirst for blood and power stemmed, but I would say we easily accept the male villain as inherently violent.
When exploring reasons for female evil, the witch is the first trope that comes to mind. Witches can cast spells, they have crazy powers, they terrorize for fun, and they live forever. They go against the natural concept of a woman, those who are supposed to nurture and care for children, not lure and eat them. There are many different cultural representations of the witch, most all are female and many reside in nature. One example is Baba Yaga, an old Slavic tale about an old woman who lives in the forest and has legs like a chicken. In Japan they have a Yamamba, or mountain witch. La Lechuza, a bruja who can take the shape of an owl in Mexican culture. All of these women, while classically terrifying and amazing literary and cinematic villains, don’t defy explanation. We know why they are evil. Their uteruses wandered to Satan a long time ago.
We can also cross out vampires, werewolves, and demons—all of which stem from some kind of curse or infection. I loved Jennifer’s violent kills in Jennifer’s Body, Ginger’s rage in Gingersnaps, and Claudia’s treachery in Interview with the Vampire. While all are excellent commentaries on the female experience, their evil stems (or is at least exaggerated) from a bite or curse.
So aside from the witch or demon, women are predominately portrayed as either sneaky, vengeful, jealous, or obsessed. All “hysterical” explanations for behavior. That pesky uterus just makes us all kinds of confused. Even female Disney villains (those who are not witches) have some serious obsessive tendencies. The Evil Stepmother didn’t like the non-biological kid she was left with and had eyes on climbing the social later. Cruella was obsessed with fashion. Maleficent was pissed she wasn’t invited to the party. Recently, Disney films have added even more explanation for why these ladies are so unhinged, but ultimately these villains are nasty because they are self-serving.
Many famous female villains are also portrayed as vengeful. Something happened to them in this life or right before they died that causes them to inflict pain on others. La Llorona drowned her children because she was mad at her husband, now she’s stuck haunting children forever. Kuchisake-Onna an adulterous woman maimed by a Samurai, is cursed to wander the earth tormenting men. Jennifer from I Spit on your Grave goes on a killing spree after an assault. Mrs. Voorhees wants to avenge her son. Carrie was bullied by just about everyone including her own mother. Sue Ann waited years for a chance for revenge in Ma. These women had reasons (some very justifiable) to support their violent retaliation. They were pushed to some sort of brink and their wraths must be suffered.
Another common female villain trope is the woman obsessed. Her uterus is in a full tailspin and there is no hope for a safe landing. Usually, she is obsessed with a partner or a certain type of lifestyle where she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Esther from Orphan is obsessed with having a man all to herself. Pearl is obsessed with being famous. If we sneak over to the thriller genre I could also name Alex from Fatal Attraction, Adrian from Crush, Amy from Gone Girl, Hendra from Single White Female. The list goes on. These ladies have their sights on a companion and when it doesn’t go their way, they can’t just let it go. Gothic horrors give another interesting example of where women obsess over the protection of a family legacy or property. Rose from Get Out fits nicely into this category where she sees her deeds as necessities toward some kind of “greater good” for her family. So does Lucille from Crimson Peak who wanted to protect her home and her secrets.
Boogeyladies that Defy Explanation
Out of all my research, the only female villains that came close to being Boogeyladies are Samara from the American version of The Ring and Annie Wilkes from Misery. Yes, I know Samara is vengeful from being thrown down a well and we have an explanation for her whole “7 days” thing, but she was clearly evil when she was adopted by her parents. She made horses dive into the sea, she never slept, and she would “show” people unspeakable horrors to the point where it affected the entire island community. Why? Where did that evil come from? Would it have continued had she not be killed? Most likely. We were never given any real explanation. She was just a super creepy kid. Maybe she wasn’t old enough to be given an explanation; however, when she comes to collect her souls, she has clearly grown up, painted more as a stereotypical vengeful female.
While I would also like to place Annie Wilkes into the woman obsessed category, the glimpses into her past indicate a deeper evil—one that was with her long before she became familiar with Paul Sheldon. Annie seems to justify her actions with a righteous belief system, but where did this stem from? It’s not really explored in depth in the book.
Now, please don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t like these female villains. I love all of them and all the complexities that make them legendary evils. But what I would really love to explore is a female entity that has no “hysterical” attributes. No real causality of what makes them an evil to be reckoned with. I want a true Boogeylady. I want the female Mike Myers. Give me Emily—who, for no reason at all, at the age of nine went next door and cut her neighbors feet off. Why? We don’t know. She just likes feet. Maybe she ends up in a mental hospital. Maybe she wanders into the woods, a bundle of feet slung over her shoulder, and disappears. Maybe she likes to come back in the Spring time to gather new feet. Maybe she can’t be killed. She is pure legend—never dictated by others or influenced by her uterus (as I am brainstorming this, I’m kinda falling in love with Emily, so if you value your feet, please don’t think about stealing her).
Recently, I watched Superhost on the Shudder network. Rebecca was an amazing villain. Relentless and terrifying without any explanation as to why she does what she does. I waited in fear for the moment where she would explain how she never had a family of her own, or possibly she was jealous of others’ fancy homes or jealous of other couples. But, no. She was an Emily. A Boogeylady—plain and simple. And, it was SO MUCH FUN.
I would really love to explore a kind of horror where women are the evil to be feared, not so much the evil to be explained. They are in the background, like any good Boogeyman. They are lurking in the dark creating chaos and watching the main characters react. I want to explore horror where women can be seen as takers of life instead of just the destroyers of lives. She should be feared because if she gets you, you WILL die. . . or at the very least lose your feet. I just want her to be evil incarnate—not sneaky, not in cahoots with the devil, not vengeful because someone left her, or jealous of what she doesn’t have.
And please, if you know of a Boogeylady that I am missing, please let me know. I want to celebrate these women. We should put their faces on sweatshirts alongside Michael and Jason. We can wear their mask at Halloween. Our Boogeyladies don’t have to be influenced by their “female nature.” They can just inherently be. We can explore without having to demystify. I think as writers we can surely accomplish this.
But, of course, that could just be the uterus in my ear talking.
M Leigh is a women’s fiction horror writer from Woodinville, Washington. She is a board member with the PNWA and has been published with Flame Tree, Black Hare, and Dark Rose presses. Most recently
her story, “The Spring Hare,” has been turned into a serial for Stygian Lepus Magazine and her story, “The Bucket,” is featured in It Came from the Trailer Park, Vol 3 by Three Ravens Publishing. Her first
novel, Stitches, is currently under agent representation.
You can find more at
https://www.mleighstories.com/ and @mleighstories.