Castration is a big theme in basically every movie we watched over this term. I Spit on Your Grave is particularly fond of this trope as well. So I wanted to ask, why is it such a big deal in horror films?Aside from the obvious fear most people have of genital mutilation, men, in particular, have a hefty fear of this. Which is odd considering 30% of men in the USA had their penis snipped right after being born. According to Freudian Theory, the penis and other phallic symbols are also the sources of masculinity and power. Which explains why so many weapons in horror films are considered phallic. But it is when men lose that power that the horror starts. What they are left with is a lack of power which leads them to become scared, they ultimately become Not Men.
<- This poster is from the 2010 remake but the way it is set up is meant to imply the threat of castration to the audience, the handles are the man's knees and the blades hover in what lies between. The cutesy line "It's Date Night" also adds to the sexual implications, the words themselves are whats being cute. This line has no meaning in the movie itself either, there are no dates, no cutesy moments, just pain and gore.
In most slasher films the man must fight to keep his phallus and the "final girl" ultimately earns one by killing the monster at the end (or at least she appears to before a million sequels are made). But here it is more eventful, Jennifer earns a phallus when she kills her attackers. There is never a moment where the audience has to wonder when she will be able to actually fight back. She uses a rope, a gun, a knife, an ax, and the propeller of a motorboat to attack and kill her victims. Not all of these are inherently phallic, in fact, only two of them really are. The moment she cuts Johnnys penis off with a knife is the moment she fully earns her phallus.
The power is in the phallus and the fear is in losing it and becoming powerless like the women who have to fight to earn their phallus.
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