The fact that the books cover roughly the same period is important, enabling some measure of cross-genre comparison with reference to external events. Despite the apparent gulf between these two texts in terms of subject matter and approach, an analysis of the authors' arguments suggests certain strong relations between gender issues in mainstream and "slasher" or "stalker" movies. Jeffords' book relates the dominant themes during Ronald Reagan's presidency to dominant themes in contemporary Hollywood action films, focusing particularly on the images of masculinity to be found in such films. The former aims to analyze the meanings generated around gender in horror films of the late 1970s and 1980s, and audience reactions to these messages. Clover and Hard Bodies: Hollywood Masculinity in the Reagan Era by Susan Jeffords. In this review I intend to assess and compare two recent books on socio-cultural issues in film: Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film by Carol J. New Brunswick NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1994. Hard Bodies: Hollywood Masculinity in the Reagan Era. Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Hard men, soft men: cinematic manliness by Marian Jebb JUMP CUTĬopyright Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, 1996, 2006Ĭlover, Carol J.
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