ABSTRACT
Ernest Mathijs and Jamie Sexton observe, the associations of cult cinema with a male viewer of a certain age, has meant that sexual content has often taken a conventional form, intensifying rather than questioning the norms of cinematic depictions of gender. While Joanne Hollows’ essay focuses on cult spectators, Read’s essay turns to the cult scholar, examining the sexual politics of those who claim a minority or outsider identity for themselves as academic fans of cult cinema. Ernest Mathijs and Jamie Sexton address the paucity of women in the pantheon of celebrated cult directors, noting that only a few, such as Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino, have secured that status through their work in Hollywood. Brigid Cherry finds that female viewers “refuse to refuse to look” when watching horror and suggests that women’s identification with Clover’s “Final Girl” may be one of many ways to delight in the genre.
