Childbirth and Parenting in Horror Texts

Amanda DiGioia is currently a doctoral student at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, UK. Amanda’s thesis examines women in the Finnish heavy metal music scene. Her research interests include horror texts, feminist theory and Finnish culture and society. Amanda's work has been featured in Metal Music Studies, Horror Studies, and Fan Phenomena: Game of Thrones.

• 1. Conception 2. Labor Pains 3. Your Mom Has Issues: When Motherhood Becomes A Monstrosity 4. Father Knows Best: The Redemption of "Bad Dads" in Horror Texts 5. Afterbirth

Noting that motherhood and birth have simultaneously fascinated and repulsed horror writers and filmmakers for centuries, DiGioia examines motherhood, fatherhood, and birth in horror novels and films, and considers some of the omnipresent connections between gender and horror. Her particular focus is on how artists within the horror genre represent and change birth and motherhood. She asks, in the context of horror texts, whether bad mothers make monsters, and whether bad fathers are held as culpable as bad mothers are. Her topics are conception, labor pains, your mom has issues: when motherhood becomes a monstrosity, father knows best: the redemption of "bad dads" in horror texts, and afterbirth.