Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968–1980)

Columbia University English professor Johnson (Waste and the Wasters) explores the intersection between 1960s and ’70s horror films and the feminist movement in this urgent critical study that doubles as a call to arms. The book was born out of a lecture Johnson gave about the 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. She realized the movie—about a woman whose pregnancy has sinister consequences—was an ideal lens for understanding the fight for women’s rights, as were other thrillers of the time. For example, Johnson argues that the 1979 film Alien was not only a commentary on forced reproduction but also a direct response to the public’s fear that women would become eligible for the draft under the Equal Rights Amendment. Also explored is the 1975 film The Stepford Wives, which Johnson paints as a dystopian tale of domestic abuse. Johnson highlights each film’s relevance through sharp historical observations and astute readings, pulling dark political realities from movies that on the surface are about extraterrestrial or supernatural realms. This astute survey will fire up readers to fight back against the patriarchy. (Sept.)