Welcome To Renewed Rage!

The subgenre of “Good For Her” horror is a trope at this point. Whether it’s Amy Dunne slitting throats or Pearl screaming that she’s a star, we’ve meme’d the moments of women in film having (deserved) breakdowns to the point of parody. However, the current crop of revenge films that are popping up feel much more pertinent to our time. I think we’ll continue to see this shift away from the vibes of Dani seated and smiling at the end of Midsommar and more of the blood-spattered protagonists in Mary Beth McAndrews’ Bystanders. Good For Her horror is nothing new. It’s just taking on a different flavor. 

What A Time To Be Alive?

With the re-emergence of mask-off fascism in the world, movies like Companion strike a familiar chord. It’s certainly never been hidden how most men feel about women – we are what we do for them. However, as Elon Musk continues to call the shots in the American government and his acolytes crack jokes about how they can’t wait for sex robots, I am reminded that even existing as a woman who chooses not to measure herself by marriage or children is to be a threat to them. Musk himself stated, “We should teach fear of childlessness.”

Much like Iris, the titular Companion, we are most dangerous when deprogrammed. When our preset desires are questioned, we become labeled angry, bitter, and difficult. And if we choose to leave? How others *really* feel about us becomes evident. 

We must be brutalized before we are allowed anger in the eyes of the patriarchy. It is not enough to be fed up with conditions that do not offer equity. We must bleed and be perfect victims to earn sympathy. Iris kills out of a direct threat to her safety after being quite literally programmed to do so. She then is set up to be the villain. How often are we asked to forgive what others would kill for? How many times have we heard excuses for the perpetrators’ behaviors? If all of this feels like a bad sequel to discussions of #MeToo, it’s because it is. 

Let’s Flip The Script

Even in our righteous anger, we are sexualized. Companion works as a revenge film but also as a commentary on bodies. Thin, white, deemed attractive by men: Iris has to be these things to be a believable sexbot. She is also the perfect non-offensive heroine who gets to be covered in blood, echoing Samara Weaving in Ready or Not. Our characters are allowed revenge as long as they look pretty doing it. 

This is where the aforementioned Bystanders enters the conversation. Seeing this cast tackle this story for the first time felt like finding a group of friends. By no means a big-budget blockbuster, Bystanders instead offers us imperfect victims who say what we – or at least I – so often want to scream. We do not have to be grateful for scraps from the table. We can set the whole table on fire. 

There is a conspicuous gap in Good For Her stories. They usually reflect which victim narratives get publicity in real life. Meaning Black women are often left out of these revenge fantasy films. We cannot rely on Pam Grier’s back catalog to get us through the next however many years. There are Black female writers with scripts ready to be made and audiences who would love to see them.

I hunger for stories where women are allowed to be messy, and I want to see victims getting their lick back. I look forward to the continued Good For Her renaissance.