She Never Died - A Monstrous Feminine

What is the monstrous feminine?

According to Susan Lurie, it is “the notion of the castrated woman; a phantasy intended to ameliorate man’s real fear of what woman might do to him… specifically, he fears that woman could castrate him both psychically and in a sense physically” (The Monstrous-Feminine, Creed). In other words, the monstrous feminine is representative of “male anxieties”, identifying the woman as the castrator through her “reproductive functions” (Blackwell). With that in mind, I would like to present you with what I believe to be one of the most accurate representations of the monstrous feminine in indie horror film history. 

Written by Jason Krawczyk and directed by Audrey Cummings, “She Never Died” is the first of its kind, serving as a nearly perfect representation of Barbara Creed’s monstrous feminine in various ways. The film begins with a brief altercation involving an unnamed woman and a faceless man driven by his perversion as he attempts to attack her as she walks alone at night. Although this is initially implied, several unique elements lead the audience to this conclusion. First, it is the assortment of missing person flyers that she passes at 00:01:16, creating a subtle form of dramatic irony where we are almost guided to the belief that she will be kidnapped by the end of this scene. Second, the score transitions in tone following the initial interaction between the woman and the faceless man. The man announces that she’s dropped a roll of money and although she states that it does not belong to her, he persists and the background music makes a dramatic switch, transitioning from a semi-lighthearted entry into a low, grueling shrill, indicative of the change in pace as we, along with the initial girl, enter a space of imminent danger. The faceless man now becomes the monster, looming behind her like a dark shadow–nearly personifying the male ego–and picking up his pace despite her requests to be left alone. The suspense rises when he grabs hold of the woman and she fights to relieve his grasp. The audience now sits in anticipation of what will happen next. Will she escape? Or is this where her story ends? Before we can come to that conclusion, the man is gripped from the waist and thrown aside by a mysterious woman. At this moment we are introduced to our anti-hero and primary protagonist, Lacey. A black woman who, despite her smaller physique, serves as one of the most powerful characters in the film. With a hunger for human body parts, immortality and regenerative capabilities, social ineptitude, and a drive to protect those who are incapable of protecting themselves, she defies all “patriarchal norms” and becomes one of the most accurate representations of the monstrous feminine. 

Throughout the rest of the film, we are introduced to Charlie Godfrey, a struggling detective suffering from the abduction of his daughter, and Suzzie, a victim who is eventually saved by Lacey amid her pursuit of one of the main antagonists, Terrance Remander–the man with rings. Along with Remander, we are later introduced to his sister Meredith Remander, also known as the woman in white, and learn that they are both in charge of a trafficking ring where they kidnap civilians and sell footage of their brutalization through live streams on the black web. The moment that Lacey and Godfrey cross paths, we learn that they are both in pursuit of the same person with extremely different motivations. Godfrey seeks Terrance in hopes to receive answers on the abduction of his daughter, while Lacey reveals her wishes to avenge a girl who had “plastic thrown over her head by the man with rings”. Either way, they both want to achieve the same goal: find Terrance Remander and persecute him for his actions. For that reason alone, they choose to work together and Godfrey, with the help of Suzzie, becomes a significant contributor to Lacey’s success. 

Suzzie becomes important following a growing attachment to her savior, Lacey, making various efforts to strengthen their relationship and crack the seemingly impenetrable shell that Lacey withholds. With that being said, the moment that Lacey’s life is in peril, Suzzie immediately leaps to the rescue, not only because she feels indebted to her, but also because of the emotional and semi-sensual nature of their relationship, even if Lacey does not recognize it as such. However, we are given hints of her yearning to experience these feelings at the very end of the film when she expresses that she would like to feel and remember a relationship that she had with her son from a past life. In a sense, it can be argued that Suzzie has reopened Lacey’s desire to love and be loved. 

Aside from that, there were two concepts that I could immediately identify when viewing the film. First, the representation of the female gaze, and second, a brief and subtle nod toward female eroticism and fetishization within horror films. With the first concept, there are a few moments where we can notice its utilization. Firstly, we must define the female gaze and its significance. Throughout history, horror films have gained notoriety in appealing to the male gaze through over-sexualization and brutalization of women as well as other primary elements that factor toward the overall masculinization of the audience member. With the female gaze, we counter that, allowing the audience to experience pleasure and experiences through the woman’s gaze. In She Never Died, we experience it at 00:10:50 after her first on-screen kill. She stares in the direction of a man who escapes her attack while licking the dead man’s blood from her fingers, remaining stoic, but emanating a glimmer of pleasure as she relishes the taste of his flesh. We also experience it between 01:14:18 and 01:15:43, where Lacey is bound in chains with knives gruesomely driven into various parts of her midsection. She has been captured by Terrance and is chosen to headline the sibling’s repulsive live stream, being viewed as an immediate money-maker due to her regenerative abilities. At this point of the film, Suzzie has successfully infiltrated the space that both Lacey and Godfrey have been held captive in and after finding Lacey, yells her name. Suzzie’s call can be viewed as a form of empowerment, as the woman suddenly begins to free herself from bondage, cracking her bones to escape the grip of the chains. Terrance has left the room to confront the disturbance, but his henchman remains. Despite acting as a semi-domineering male figure, the henchman suddenly wears a look of immense fear, calling out for his boss as their “prisoner” escapes. As she finally stands to her feet, the audience recognizes a look of contempt, anger, and lust as Lacey stares at her prey before her attack. With bared teeth and a low growl emanating from her chest, we are greeted with an almost animalistic version of Lacey that was merely hinted at a few times before. Finally, she attacks and we are given a moment to reflect on one of the most powerful scenes in the film based on the look of fear in Terrance’s eyes as he finally realizes that he has now reached his end. His manhood is stripped, and we are greeted with a personification of castration in its most human form. 

Finally, we can discuss the brief and subtle nods toward female eroticism and fetishization presented throughout the film. We encounter it first the moment that Godfrey meets Meredith after being captured. While explaining their business, Meredith reveals that she is in charge of the trafficking elements of their partnership and adds that Terrance is mainly into “fetish and snuff”. This detail is significant because we experience an example of his arousal before Lacey’s transformation at 01:14:04, where he nearly moans “yeah” in satisfaction before saying “Lacey you look magnificent”, as we are given a frame of her abdomen adorned with knives. This is why the ending scene is profound; because immediately following his symbolic castration, we now see half of his head rolling towards Meredith’s feet and take delight in the look of horror on her face the moment she realizes who it is. 

She Never Died is a film that reaches beyond contemporary horror, falling directly into a lane of its own. It is a sufficient representation of the female gaze and eroticism in horror, while also choosing to defy stereotypical tropes by including a dark skin woman as the primary protagonist, monstrous feminine, and final girl. This film defies all expectations and I genuinely hope to see more of its kind. 

Women who worked on the film: 

Audrey Cummings - Executive Producer

Lieann Koivukoski - Line Producer

Jennifer Mesich - Producer

Larissa Mair - Casting 

Sheilagh McGrory - Prosthetic Makeup Artist / Makeup Department Head 

Ashley Nay - Key Hair Stylist

Vanessa Tyra Smith - Assistant Makeup Artist

Andrea Novoa - Production Manager

Alice Kim - Second Assistant Director 

Alexis Hoxar - Sound Mixer

Sharon Canovas - Stunt Performer

Ruth Chiang - Stunt Rigger

Ivett Gonda - Stunt Double (Michelle Nolden)

Ashley St. Jean - Co-casting Director / Extras Casting 

Larissa Mair - Original Casting 

Colleen Rush - Casting Associate

Mila Patriki - Colorist 

Georgia Villeneuve - Location Manager

Tami Scott - Script Supervisor 

Hannah Jong - Office Production Assistant

Cast

Olunike Adeliyi - Lacey

Kiana Madeira - Suzzie

Michelle Nolden - Meredith 

Katie Messina - Janice 

Diana Barbeau - Trafficked Girl 

Chloe Rose - Sandra