The Uterus

Abstract

The internal space of the uterus was once linked with madness and hysteria. Despite its natural function within the reproductive cycle, the womb through pregnancy is associated with the unstable body. This chapter explores the monstrous uterus using David Cronenberg’s films The Brood (1979) and Dead Ringers (1988), while the womb as host to an invasive force is discussed using Ridley Scott’s movies Alien (1979) and Prometheus (2012), Larry Cohen’s film It’s Alive (1973), and both the 1967 novel of Rosemary’s Baby and its 1968 adaptation. The uterus as a protective home is explored using the film Inside (2007). In the French film Baby Blood (1990) and the revenge horror film Prevenge (2016), the uterus holds an infant that controls a murderous mother.