Rhetorics of Rage: How Women Directors Are Shifting Revenge Narratives in the Horror Genre

ABSTRACT While ranks of women behind the camera have grown in the horror industry, common misconceptions that women simply “don't do horror” persist. However, the last decade has seen a radical shift in the genre, and women directors are expanding the genre to unsettle audiences in innovative ways. This essay analyzes Promising Young Woman (2020) in the context of revenge narratives and raging women in horror, specifically the rhetorical shifts that have taken place in the genre. Zolciak explores the historical relevance of this film in relation to other women‐directed horror/revenge movies, such as Karyn Kusama's Jennifer's Body (2009) and Ana Lily Amirpour's A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014). Drawing on Kendall Phillips' primary models of rhetorical criticism, Zolciak asserts that Promising Young Woman proposes a different character that doesn't fall in line with victims, final girls, or strong women, and instead proposes a new, more flawed and nuanced character. This new character, in addition to the other stylistic choices, speak to the affective structures within the film, inviting viewers to revel in the complex feelings of grief, revenge, and refusal.