House of Psychotic Women (Paperback): An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films

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In the author's case, the film finds that rare, strange place where the internal and external worlds of the characters mix - that dreamland where unreality and reality are one in the same. There are doppelgangers, spastic fits, alien creatures, bleeding mouths - supernatural phenomena presented as part of the reality of the film. That simplistic question that dogs so many modern films "is it a dream or isn't it?" is thrown out the window: Of course it's a dream and it isn't. It doesn't matter. The film displays female neurosis in potentially the most realistically manner possible. Janisse treats these films seriously, as if their creators had secret knowledge of the inner working of the human heart and were trying to express that knowledge, and whether that expression was conscious or unconscious doesn't really matter. GROUNDBREAKING…House of Psychotic Women is one of the most influential pieces of film analysis of the 21st century. Kier-La Janisse is a legend in the genre community.”-Screen Anarchy If you've been reading this blog for a while or have listened to my podcast, you've probably heard me mention "House of Psychotic Women" many times over the years. Like Janisse, I have always used movies (and books) to help me understand myself; unlike Janisse, I don't have the guts to put my inner demons out there for other people to consume and dissect. For those who have missed my previous spiels about this fantastic book, here's a brief rundown. Shot in a remote mining community in Wales with a low budget and a lot of LSD, The Under Side Of The Underneath is almost unclassifiable. As unique an experimental film as you’re ever likely to see, the movie is as compelling as it is fiercely angry. Shot with a rough and tumble style that almost seems better suited for a documentary, the movie isn’t always an easy one to watch, but it’s fascinating regardless. With many of the cast members on acid and clearly under the influence of the psychedelic drug, and its director reportedly heavily intoxicated throughout most of the shoot herself, the movie makes great use of a score that is heavy on strings and which somehow adds to the overall feel of insanity that Arden and company capture with the project. In 2017 Janisse and producer Andy Starke of Rook Films pitched a television series based on the book at the Frontieres International Film Market.

Kier-La Janisse - Wikipedia Kier-La Janisse - Wikipedia

Next up is 1985 vampire horror comedy I Like Bats, directed and co-written by Grzegorz Warchol. The film presents itself a gothic horror film with the free visual style popularized during the Polish New Wave. Or rather, it’s presented in a style that apes the conventional trappings of American horror and comedy productions, but done with such aesthetic transgression towards those productions that it becomes its own thing. Simply, just see it. It follows the life of a single young female vampire Izabela (Katarzyna Walter), who loves to feed on the various suitors and sleazebags that enter her orbit. But soon she meets the man that has her feeling a different thirst, a romantic one! This is perhaps the best discovery in this set and is indicative of the kind of essential curation that is offered throughout the set. I truly cannot recommend watching it enough. Imagine my surprise and delight when I first encountered Kier-La Janisse's "House of Psychotic Women," a book that seamlessly blends film analysis with memoir. By using movies to help her understand her own life, Janisse leads both herself and the reader to more meaningful conclusions than any piece of detached academic writing ever could. Early on, she writes, "We have more patience, or perhaps even empathy, for fictional characters than we do their real-life counterparts. Faced with neurosis in film or literature, we want to investigate rather than avoid." By combining the two genres, Janisse breathes life into the "psychotic women" we see on screen by explaining how they fit into her own narrative. It's a book that still feels radical in its methodology and vulnerability, even ten years after its first release. The book is worth reading for its discussion of "Possession" (1981) alone. It's a film about memory, identity, and how well any of us can trust our own perception. In this way, it reminds me of "Mulholland Drive" (2001) and "L'Avventura" (1960). The aforementioned are better films, but "Footprints" is worth watching for the wonderful cinematography by Vittorio Storaro (this release contains a lengthy interview with him) and a killer performance by Brazilian actress Florinda Bolkan, who also stars in "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin," among many other eurotrash films that I've immediately added to my watch list. Balkan's cheekbones could cut a bitch. "The Other Side of the Underneath" "The Other Side of the Underneath" is the only British feature film of the 1970s solo-directed by a woman. If this image doesn't convince you to watch it, I don't know what will. Kier-la Janisse's encyclopedic House of Psychotic Women” levitates above the niche sub-genre of autobiography through cinema. Layers of knowledge, confession, and imagination mingle to produce a narrative that invites re-reading and re-interpretation. On one level, it is a memoir of personal trauma expressed through horror heroines everywhere from classic horror to giallo to exploitation to more arthouse fare like Robert Altman’s “Images.”Yet author Kier-La Janisse‘s book — intriguingly subtitled “An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films”—reaches beyond both autobiography and cinema to conjure a space where collective female neurosis is a sane response to insane circumstances.The Glass Ceiling; All the Colors of the Dark; Gently Before She Dies; Anima Persa; Let's Scare Jessica to Death; The Reincarnation of Peter Proud; The Haunting of Julia Nicoletta Elmi: Italian Cinema's Imp Ascendant — A Video Essay By Film Scholars Alexandra Heller-Nicholas And Craig Martin runs twelve minutes and goes over how Elmi started as a child model in 1968 before moving on to TV commercials and then appearing in Death In Venice, A Bay Of Blood and Baron Blood which made her the 'go to girl' for certain roles. We then hear about her work in Deep Red, Footprints, Who Saw Her Die, Flesh For Frankenstein and her most substantial role in The Night Child before then starring in Demons as an adult. The piece then dissects her different characters, what made her work different and the importance of her role in Footprints. House of Psychotic Women is for the horror aficionado as well as the horror curious. Janisse weaves her own life into an intensely personal exploration of the genre, challenging the reader to reconsider the films in all of their complexity. I devoured this compelling, surprising, and moving book.” The movie is devoid of blood and there isn’t even much in the way of fang-bearing. Don’t go into this one expecting much of a horror movie, despite a few eerie moments, as you won’t get one. That said, those who can appreciate different takes on the vampire cliché and can appreciate a slow burn should find this wholly unique picture quite rewarding.

House of Psychotic Women | Kier-La Janisse | Woman in Revolt House of Psychotic Women | Kier-La Janisse | Woman in Revolt

Sandwell, Ian (2016-05-13). "Frontières to include TV shows for first time". Screen . Retrieved 2021-06-19.Each film is also given a short video introduction by Kier-La Janisse herself. They’re a bit lower in resolution due to the laptop camera being used. That doesn’t really harm the terrific introductory commentary given by Janisse, though. Oh, and for fans of animal surprises during interviews, there’s a really good cat that pops up during those intros.

House Of Psychotic Women Rarities Collection (Severin Films House Of Psychotic Women Rarities Collection (Severin Films

It is perfect how she uses Rebecca to discuss jealousy of your lover's ex girlfriends. I also loved when on psychology and hysteria she uses The Brood.Find sources: "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( May 2015) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Janisse is particularly engaged in discussing the rape-revenge sub-genre, and cites many examples. For her the pinnacle of these is Abel Ferrara’s Ms. 45, a tough watch psychologically (though not explicitly graphic to the degree of many other such films) but one that thinks through the tropes of these films much further than most. I saw this many years ago, kind of liked it but didn’t love it, but her analysis is interesting enough that maybe I should rewatch it.