Ellen Leventry: October 2009 Archives

Although the recent Diablo Cody-penned post-feminist horror flick "Jennifer's Body" didn't scare up much box office, it has resurrected an interest in both womens' surprising consumption of horror films, and the robust body of work surrounding feminism and the genre, in particular the trope of the "Final Girl," that strong-willed, determined gal who survives all of her male and less-pure female friends, flips the game on the psycho, and either escapes the killer (until they meet again in a sequel) or dispatches him herself. (Read more about The Final Girl, in Carol J. Glover's Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.)

And while not all of the following frighteners could strictly be called "feminist" in nature, they all feature fierce female characters and offer up plenty of scares:

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
Written by noted feminist activist and author Rita Mae Brown and directed by Amy Holden Jones, this slasher flick touted its female-friendly pedigree on the back of the box-- a siren call for any Junior High group of gals looking for some Friday night fun. Rumor has it that 'Massacre' was originally conceived as a parody of the genre--the killer uses a massive drill to dispatch his victims (yes, it's that phallicly obvious), but producers churned out an earnest rendition with some unintentionally, classically funny bits. Valerie, the new girl in town, isn't invited to neighbor Trish's slumber party, but that doesn't stop her from getting involved when the local escaped insane murderer crashes.

"Paranormal Activity," a documentary-style horror film about a couple investigating strange happenings in their new house, may be scaring up big bucks at the box office, but there's no need to leave your home to experience great thrills and chills.Whether you think them fact or fiction, the following episodes of popular ghost-hunting shows offer up some great small screen spookiness. Get your fill of these frights and share your own favorites:

Destination Truth: Ghosts of Chernobyl/Sal'awa
"Destination Truth's" searches for Big Foot- or Loch Ness Monster-type cryptozoology specimens usually provides a few jolts, and fewer answers, but when the crew, headed by the wryly jocular Josh Gates, heads to Chernobyl to explore stories of strange sightings, things get downright creepy.

Exploring the abandoned town of Prypiat, which borders the nuclear power plant known for the horrific 1986 disaster, members of the team are cleary extremely anxious about exposure to the radiation that still lingers over twenty years later. Donning protective radiation gear, and consulting their monitors often, the tension surrounding the team's efforts is palpable, and that's what makes this episode so thrilling, the psychology of the situation.

Sure, the danger might have been overplayed for the cameras, and its more than likely that outsiders not familiar with the area may have an overblown sense of the dangers of the remaining radiation, but the sheer, uninterrupted desolation of the abandoned city, the ghostly glow of the irradiated Ferris wheel on the heat-sensitive cameras, and the weird technological problems experienced by the team add up to real chills.

The fact that SyFy neighbors Jason and Grant of "Ghost Hunters," couldn't completely debunk some of the anomalies caught on tape only serves to make it even spookier. Watch "Destination Truth: Ghosts of Chernobyl" on Hulu

Billy Corgan, he of Smashing Pumpkins fame, has thrown his cap into the ring in with other spirituality minded celebrities, such as Gwyneth Paltrow (GOOP) and Rainn Wilson (SoulPancake), and started a website--Everything From Here to There--to discuss matters of the spirit.

But while Paltrow's site is dedicated to "nourishing the inner spirit" through Oprah-esque anecdotes and SoulPancake is dedicated to discussions about "Spirituality, Creativity, and Philosophy," Corgan is specifically interested in Mind-Body-Soul integration.

"Mind-Body-Soul integration is the primary focus of this site," he writes in the EFHTT welcome letter, "and how it can best manifest in our daily life."

"Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus' decision to stop Twittering raised such a furor that you would have thought that Walter Cronkite had refused to read the news during the Vietnam War. Ok, so it wasn't quite that serious, but everyone from the Associated Press to the BBC covered the final Tweet heard round the world.

It was first speculated that the pop star was pressured by her new boyfriend Liam Hemsworth to quit contributing to the micro-blogging service, while her father, Billy Ray, he of the "Achy Breaky Heart" fame, urged her to think for herself and return to the world of Tweeting, saying in his own Twitter posts, "Miley. You are a light in a world of darkness. You were born "Destiny Hope Cyrus" for a reason. You can't leave everyone now. We r countin on u."

All slightly creepy bombast aside, in this case, father may not know best.

Kate Gosselin must be shaking in her boots: People.com reports that Mackynzie Renée Duggar (see photos here), the first daughter of the oldest Duggar, Joshua, and his wife, Anna, arrived late last night.

That's right, it's the first grandchild of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, the stars of, and progenitors of the 18 (soon-to-be 19) offspring starring in, TLC's "18 Kids and Counting." The blessed event not only means the airing of the first grandbaby special--"First Grandduggar" airs Tuesday, October 13, at 9:00 p.m. EST--but it could potentially lead to a spin-off series.

Although they deny any association, the Duggar family is often colored by the controversy surrounding the Quiverfull movement--an ultra-conservative Christian movement that denounces any form of birth control and enthrones the father as the supreme head of the household. And yet, people can't get enough of the Duggars and their tips and tricks for maintaining such a large family, and a relationship, at the same time.

I've been transfixed by "Hoarders," A&E's new reality show about compulsive hoarding, since it premiered, and now Oprah's jumping on the bandwagon, or shall I say, on top of the pile, by featuring the illness on today's show (check local...

The popularity of "Gossip Girl" may be waning -- it was last in the ratings this past week -- but the popularity of "OMG!", one of the teen drama's catchphrases and the bedrock of one of its ad campaigns, has...

I was a bit irked several weeks ago when I heard about "Gwen," the one-time homeless girl that makes up American Girl's contemporary 2009 Girl of the Year lineup. Irked not because I think that the plight of the homeless,...